Welcome to Pinepoint of 1940! where the lakeside Finnish sauna is positioned directly into sunset for the lake plunge rinse & repeat that provides a true reset akin to pinepoints’ scandinavian roots

Like many Minnesotan’s we were lucky enough to grow up with a family cabin that served as the foundation for our understanding of the wonders of Minnesota’s seasonality. We have sold and shown 100’s of cabins since our first cabin sale in 2012: & Pinepoint is the most grandiose immersion of deep woods relaxation within 3 hours of Minneapolis that we have witnessed in decades of procuring classic cabins amongst our northern lakes.

the acquisition was solely purposed to sharing it with lovers of architecture as a special place to get away into our beloved northern wilderness, where so many original settlers cabins no longer exist. to be frank: we have never seen an original example of minnesota cabin that has this much originality in a setting that is purely native to everything that our northern beauty represents.

Step foot into the legacy of Arvid & Waldo: RF Holiday’s finest northwoods getaway: available as bnb retreat for classic cabin lovers seeking a natural wooded immersion on 600’ of private west facing shoreline on Big Bass Lake.

one of our guests from St Louis took in the environments’ serenity to learn guitar on his week at Pinepoint, the cobblestone terrace provides hours of natural solitude overlooking the private shoreline

Pinepoint (PP) was born from the post war spirits of Norwegian settlers that needed to get into the woods as a family, the resulting time capsule of classic-cabin in all respects- nestled in heritage pines & only 15’ from the waters edge, while only 30 minutes north of the beloved action packed Crosby, Minnesota and its miles of mountain biking.

We secured this cabin in 2021, after the entire marketplace passed on it due its tired cosmetics, missing laundry & seasonal status. Improvement co. determined a scope of work to turn pinpoint into a cozy four season retreat: starting with closed cell spray foam, & finishing with jade stained marvin windows overlooking the wonderfully private shoreline: we executed our phase one in just over 12 months to get this special place ready to share with the RareForm community.

**the lake lounge is southwest facing and was reimagined with sauna pine paneling that wraps a five-skylight vaulted ceiling to bring the pines inside this rejuvenating space.**

book now and dm us for Purveyors discount code: 🌲PinePoint Penninsula Booking 🇳🇴🧖🏽‍♀️

**floor to ceiling marvin doors were added in four locations in the lodge room, providing outstanding sunset light and access to the lake on west and future firewood deck to the east**

The history of the property began in 1930 with the great luminary Daisy Noble, who created her fortune as an industrialist in St. Paul. Having barely emerged from the Great Depression with her finances and wealth intact, she was in search of a slice of the Northwoods that could offer her solace and respite for the remainder of her years.

The story has it, that in 1930, Daisy and her chauffeur Arthur encountered this 13 acre Peninsula on a vibrant Fall day and purchased the property for $10,000 cash - on the spot. Arthur, having a deep background in milling, was the true spark in creating Daisy’s dream quarters.

The following Spring, Arthur and a crew of laborers setup an on-site mill & began harvesting select Norway-Pine directly from the peninsula to construct a bespoke cabin situated squarely on the summer sunset over Big Bass Lake.

These pine trees made up all of the interior and exterior rough and finished carpentry that still resides in the original structure today. In fact the douglas fir flooring was covered in linoleum since it was first laid, and several of the furnishings including the kitchen eat-in were milled on site from local timber.

**Pinepoint’s sprawling footprint is 1600 feet and is only 15 feet from the waters edge, the brick terrace is made from downtown St Paul cobblestones removed in the 1930’s.**

**Pinepoint of 1940: ‘where the treetops talk to the winds”**

the sunsets last for hours in the deep north, as their is very little light pollution, this region has a respect for nature and the glow of the stars and northern lights. This photo was taken an hour after sunset in July.

**Pinepoint has 600 feet of shoreline which is so rare in the developing world, privacy on both ends of the peninsula from the sandbar too the sauna dock awaits.**

this photo only captures a third of PP’s lake frontage: the solitude never ends on this west facing shoreline. the rejuvenation of Pinepoint is something that keeps us & the naturalists returning annually.

the fins pioneered the “sauna” (defined in old finish as “earth or “snow pit”) amongst other Scandinavian countries. we relocated the lake storage closet to the uphill side of the old boathouse, allowing Pinepoint’s sauna to tarmac onto the dock giving immediate access to achieve the cycle of dry hot steam & cold plunge in the cycle of traditional Finnish heritage.

Fins procedure for correct sauna treatment is:

Steam, Cool, & Repeat: 7-20 minutes of heat (its not a competition whatever your body feel for a deep heat cleanse)
10+ minutes of cold plunge: to bring body back to cool operating temp: for this the lake is perfect in Spring & Fall, peak summer is adequate as you still can achieve a 120 degree temperature swing.
adding water to the heater will send steam to the top of the sauna- plan to have those with more propensity for high heat on the upper bench
winter auger: Ice plunging will be optional for those guests booking in winter, our handyman will cut a square in the 4-5’ depth off the sauna for the purist sauna experience.

Pinepoint has a gunflint lodge style classic lund fishing boat with 10 horse outboard: this is available to rent for those with a boating resume.

Waldo & Arvid Bretson secured the peninsula that is Pinepoint in the 1930’s. Purchased specifically as the property reminded them of their homeland of Norway. They planned to build the original cabin on the sunset facing side of the Pinepoint centered on a slight bluff with dense towering heritage pine forest overlooking the sandbar & sunsets.

Waldo positioned the footprint of the cabin to catch the winds of Big Bass lake and centered the cabin amongst a dense cropping of norway pines that speak to each as the winds carousel through their needles, thus the etching on the fireplace of the talking pines.

Construction was halted around 1940 as Waldo had to leave to fight in the great war. Upon his return the funding was saved to commence completion of this native northwoods cabin. All the paneling & millwork you see in the original was milled from onsite norway’s. The foundation was mortared of lake rock from the lake, making this a a completely naturally resourced project.

**the finlandia sauna house greets the main dock, the penninsula is home to a massive sandbar that offers walkable depths out 200 yards into Big Bass Lake.**

The restoration by Improvement Co. to prepare for the optimal bnb retreat:

upon acquisition the original cabin while extremely well maintained from Bretson’s history as Edina facilities manager, the spaces needed to be become more immersed in the site. We planned a renovation with the objective of joining the living spaces together while amplifying the originality and bringing the towering forest and glorious sunsets into the living and lakeside sunroom.

layers of linoleum was removed exposing the original douglas fir flooring that stretched throughout Pinepoints nearly 1600’ footprint from both living rooms bridged by living and dining.
we chose an exotic finish for the cabin of a dye stain in jade evergreen that gives the entire space a pop of color while staying the vein of the northwoods
sunroom revival- the sunroom was formerly an office space drop ceiling, we vaulted this space and foamed its entirety for winter enjoyment adding 5 skylights to bring the treetops into the space. finished in floor to ceiling in narrow milled sauna paneling pine.
bedrooms received lush plaid carpeting, and in guest laundry was added.
original bathroom revived a mosaic tile floor and period correct fixtures
lakeside storage house was converted into a Finnish sauna that exits and enters directly off the dock terrace for quick access to the lake for hot and cold cycles that have proven so restorative honoring pinepoint’s scandinavian heritage.

**the original lake lodge has vaulted ceilings of native milled pine, and douglas fir that we lovingly restored in jade evergreen tone that punctuates the nordic immersing pinepoint.**

the area is filled with surrounding attractions:

antique shopping in Remer, or Aitkin on your way up.
stop in Crosby for lactose-free ice cream from our peninsula neighbor Paul at his award winning store Victual.
crosscountry & hiking trails just the south at Washburn lake trail system
mountain biking at the thousands of miles of trails at Cayuna: demo’s and pro rentals are available at Red Raven Coffee & Bike
supper clubs: Norway Ridge & Anchorage Inn, also the thunder lake lodge is under new Mpls owners stay tuned for that revival

**there is no shortage of hammock spots at Pinepoint, the peninsula serves as a terrific space for italian bocce.**

**the sauna house is completed by paddle boards for daily exploring and classic lund fishing boat available for experienced boaters**

Upon Daisy’s death in the early 1940’s, the original structure and all 13+ acres were put on the market. In stepped the Bretsen family, who made the property what it is today.

Waldo and Florence Bretsen had recently immigrated from Norway to Minneapolis, MN to join their relatives in starting a new life. Although the city offered opportunity advancement and a bright future, they longed for a setting that not only felt like their home country but could also lure in their Norwegian relatives.

When they stepped foot on this Bass Lake peninsula and encountered the cathedral of Norway Pines, they knew they found their venue. From that day forward, the Bretsen’s affectionally called this peninsula “PinePoint”.