UNIONVILLE —
A new facility, Soap Creek Lodge, will soon be open to the public for class or family reunions, church retreats, weddings and receptions, office parties or any gathering of family, friends or business associates.
Located off County Road T61, seven miles south of Blakesburg, the lodge is a new addition to an existing small business, Soap Creek Outfitters, owned and operated by Brian and Barbara Lindberg. Although only about 1,500 feet off of the roadway, the lodge is almost hidden from view by the trees.
The business has grown since Brian “took out the first hunter” in 1988. But “to stay in business, we needed to upgrade,” explained Barbara. “What began as a cabin for hunters, ended up this lodge,” she chuckled her gesture encompassing the 60 by 54 feet, post and beam gambrel barn.
“We hope to have it completely finished by September,” said Brian.
“Already two wedding receptions are booked for next summer,” Barbara added.
Four bedrooms are located in the 1,000-square foot loft and a cozy corner of the open balcony looks down on the great room. The ground floor also includes two large bathrooms with showers, a storage room with washer, dryer, freezer and refrigerator and a kitchen equipped with three deep, stainless steel sinks for easy cleanup, stove, freezer and refrigerator. A 58 by 20 feet patio at the back of the lodge and a smaller patio off the kitchen with grill allows for outdoor cooking. Guests may bring their own food and beverages. Completion of a large parking lot has been delayed due to excessive spring and summer rain.
The Lindbergs did most of the construction work themselves with “periodic help from a few hunters from Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Carolina. We traded hunts for labor,” Brian grinned. “One crew would leave and another show up; but I worked dark to dark 30 straight days.”
The all-electric facility is heated and cooled by utilizing ground source, geothermal wells.
The lodge became more of a do-it-yourself project than originally planned. According to Brian, “the shell and concrete was supposed to be done in 2008; but the contractors never got to it. With the lumber is sitting at the site, under a tarp the Lindbergs decided they couldn’t wait any longer. “The first wood went up Aug. 19, 2009.” Progress was not always smooth.
“It’s been a big learning curve,” Brian laughed.
In his spare time, Brian built rustic furniture; twin beds, made of peeled hickory logs, for three of the bedrooms and a double bedstead of peeled cedar logs for the fourth bedroom, “all from trees cut on the farm,”
Décor is a miscellaneous assortment of a little of everything including a black bear, coal bucket, antlers, turtle shells and antique tools displayed on shelves; a tom turkey perched in the loft over looking the great room; musical instruments, a toboggan, pool cues, a row of base ball gloves, antique tools hanging on the walls.
The first guests were deer hunters in December and turkey hunters in April. “They didn’t care the lodge wasn’t finished; at least it was heated,” said Brian.
The Lindbergs encourage wildlife with about a dozen food plots, each an acre or less in size, scattered over the 725 acre farm which includes a 15-acre pond with dock, boats and “loaded with bass and crappie.” Only about 60 acres is open land; the remainder white oak and red oak.
For your information
For reservations or for more information call (641) 895-3225 or (641) 452-6664 or e-mail: blindberg@iowatelecom.net
Business
Related Photos
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Soap Creek Lodge, located off County Road T61, seven miles south of Blakesburg, will accommodate class or family reunions, church retreats, weddings and receptions, office parties or any gathering of family, friends or business associates. Helen Hannan/The Courier
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Brian and Barbara Lindberg Helen Hannan/The Courier
Soap Creek Lodge offer rustic accommodations
Lodge a new addition to Soap Creek Outfitters
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