280 - Stump Lake Pavilion

The wooded shores of Stump Lake have been used for community and family outings since the earliest Pioneer days. On December 23, 1919, the Old Settler’s Association was officially organized with the hope of establishing a Nelson County Park. Tasked with finding a suitable site for a park, a committee examined the shores of Stump Lake before settling on Foster’s Point, a beautiful peninsula with sweeping views of the lake and shallow water, which would be ideal for a boat landing. The Old Settler’s Association launched a vigorous campaign to promote the park and a massive community effort began. While limited funds delayed improvements, the Pavilion was finally completed in September of 1922. The Old Settlers Association proudly proclaimed that their pavilion was the “finest in the state, a credit to any seaside resort, and a facility that would do justice to any of the largest cities in the United States”.

The Stump Lake Pavilion was built for social, cultural, and recreational activities. It hosted political rallies, public gatherings, and weekly summer dances. Huge crowds would flock to the magnificent dance floor, especially when the famous Fletcher Brothers Orchestra performed. In the 1920s, the Pavillion was accessed via the cruise boat, Minnetonka, and other pleasure boats that served Stump Lake from the town of Tolna.

Along with the spectacular dance floor, the interior of the pavilion was impressive with its column-free construction and eighty clerestory windows which gives the sense of the roof floating above the open space. For many years it was “the place” to go in the area for roller skating.

Like many similar structures, the Great Depression brought deterioration to the Pavilion and surrounding park. In 1973, Nelson County decided to restore the park and expand its facilities. The early 2000s would bring another challenge to Foster’s Point. Thirty years of rising lake levels had eroded the western shoreline, flooding the original cafe and threatening the historic pavilion. Grants from the North Dakota Heritage Fund and the North Dakota Water Commision ensured the beloved Pavillion could be saved.

Stump Lake Pavillion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and still serves as a gathering place nearly a century after its completion.