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The
Gottlieb Schnick family bought the land
where the Shellhorn sits in about 1900. They
farmed the side of the hill and over the top, down the front of the
bluff and into the river bottoms. While they were building a house and a
barn up on top, they lived in a house where the bar now stands. They had
a “shell horn” in their home made from a conch shell with the end sawed
off. Blowing into this produced a loud melodious tone that carried for a
long distance. It was used to call the men home from their work for
meals or emergencies. In 1937 Emma Schinick
the daughter of Gottlieb who had inherited the property sold the
southeast corner of it to Lavinia
Twite, wife of Dick
Twite. The piece of land consisted of 155 square rods including
the spring. T he Twites then built a
rectangular building of logs, facing the Mississippi River. The highway
at that time was close to the railroad tracks, but the building sat back
far enough leaving room for the new road and right of way. At the south
end facing the river was the barroom. A living-room, small bedrooms and
a kitchen were at the north end, and along the back. Later on more
living space was added to the south end, leaving the bar in the middle.
The running water for the building came from the spring. Dick also had
three rustic cabins built close to the spring, for the tourists. There
was a footbridge across the ditch which carried water from the spring
out to the river. A very heavy rain in 1944 washed the bridge away. At
that time Dick was working in Alaska and Lavinia
was teaching school so their business was closed. Fred and Stella
Schnick lived in the building after moving
from the farm. Their daughter Fern, whose husband was in the Army in
Europe was staying with them, along with her
daughter and baby son. About 1950 Leonard and
Florance Englund bought the place for
a home.
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They did some remodeling, including a fireplace. One of their
sons,  Douglas opened The Shellhorn Boat
Livery with a dock on the river. In 1964 John and Mary
Twite, bought the property from Mrs.
Englund. John who was a brother of Dick
opened the Shellhorn Supper Club. John also
built a pool at the springs, and stocked it with big trout which were
their pets.  The cabins had deteriorated so John built rooms on top of
the main building to accommodate hunters and others who needed a place
to stay. An outside staircase led up to the rooms. Terrance took over
running the restaurant after the death of his father. Mary was still the
chief cook. He had a large addition built on to the south end. A fire in
a TV set in 1986 did extensive damage to the interior and ended the
business for the Twites.
The Shellhorn was vacant for 7 years and then Gary Thorson purchased it
and opened up for business. Gary owned and operated the Shellhorn
for 10 years. Terry Denstad acquired the property in 2000 and
refurbished it in 2002 with the help of his father, Dale Denstad.  The
interior was totally changed with the addition of a horseshoe bar. The bar was
constructed by them with lumber found in the basement . The floors were
sanded, however, many of the fire stains could not be removed. This
gives the Shellhorn character and a remembrance of the fire in 1986.
The ceiling and walls were redone, the deck refinished, the kitchen relocated,
and new bathrooms installed. |
