Four cottages and the boathouse at the iconic Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge suffered extensive damage over the weekend when ice from Lake Bemidji blew onto shore on Saturday afternoon.

Ruttger’s officials say winds from the south/southeast of approximately 35 miles per hour forced the ice on shore. The majority of the structural damage caused from the wind happened within a 15-minute time frame.

Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge has operated on the north shore of Lake Bemidji for 107 years.

“This is the first time that anything of this nature has ever happened at our location,” said Karrie Nelson, owner/operator of Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge.

The cottages and boat house that were damaged were original to the property and built in 1915. The estimated cost of the damage is unknown at this time.

Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge continues to operate as normal, and will be assessing the situation daily.

By — Mary Balstad