Atomic Lodge

 After sitting vacant for several years and enduring multiple Ely winters, two young and zealous entrepreneurs, Wills Johnson and Thomas Keller traveled to the end of the road in 2018 to tour the property that would eventually become The Atomic Lodge... Although the house was in detrimental condition the mid-century design elements shone through and the vision of an epic renovation was solidified. Beginning with the first work trip on March 5th, 2019, Wills and Thomas spent the next five years painstakingly demolishing, terraforming, building, and reconfiguring the unique home that was built in 1960. During the arduous renovation journey they discovered that this property had been owned by Patti Steger and eventually the Churney family, for many years following.  

 Thomas and Wills had anticipated a two year remodel project, but they quickly realized that the property, inside and out, was in worse shape than anticipated, and that to fulfill the overall mid-century/modern design vision, it would take everything they had, for as long as it would take to satisfy their goal. Every square inch of the property has been touched by their eager hands. They replaced the entire roofing system after discovering a biblical infestation of carpenter ants. They had to raise up the east end of the home to demolish the basement block wall and rebuild it from scratch. Over two full summers they excavated down 9ft to the foundation footer and removed crumbling foundation components to then repair the entire exterior foundation with a skim coat of concrete, waterproofing paint, a drain tile system and insulation foam boards to protect the new foundation from the brutal Ely winters. Along the way they lowered the ground level, terraformed the landscape, removed countless boulders to then use as a building material around the entire area: every single boulder found outside was extracted from the ground and moved by hand to create all the boulder walls. The meticulous and laborious work can be seen inside and out, to emphasize the mid-century design motifs. 

 The Atomic Lodge has a myriad of unique features that have been slowly curated over the five-year period of working within the space. Three full mid-century inspired bathrooms, three upper level bedrooms, a hostel-style basement bunk room sleeping six people, a "hidden" room used for games and adventure planning, a large outdoor cooking area, and a world class sauna building. Each individual space is carefully considered for the design style and functionality for large groups, to stretch out and enjoy a truly unique experience. 

Thomas and Wills are extremely proud of the persistence it took to complete this vision and really are passionate about sharing the property with the world! Since its inception on January 1st, 2024, they have hosted company getaways, bridal party groups, graduation parties, normal short-term vacation stays and large family groups; they have space for 12 people, with additional sleeping options that could bring in a group of 14 or more, so large group stays are encouraged. They have hosted several local families and groups as well, which they truly love to do!

Currently, they have The Atomic Lodge listed on the short-term rental sites of Airbnb and VRBO, which is the main avenue to book the place. They prefer to work directly with guests to provide a more economical option when booking directly with them, so reach out to them directly to save on third-party rental site taxes and fees. You can contact them multiple ways:

Wills Johnson: 218-851-1133 

e-mail: intipataenterprises@gmail.com

Instagram: @Atomiclodge

They are looking forward to hosting you!