Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge is in its fourth generation of Ruttger family ownership. It began when Great Grandpa Joe Ruttger, built some cottages on the farm he had homesteaded in Bay Lake, Minnesota. He would build new cottages every summer, to acc omodate the guests that came as word spread of the great fishing, temperate clime, and friendly atmosphere.
Today, Ruttgers includes a large family lodge, a secondary lodge, and a collection of cottages and villas. The secondary lodge and the villas are open year round; the other accomodations are seasonal.