About Us
A Little History Lesson
Camp 61 is the oldest "new" restaurant on the North Shore. The original portion of the current building was built in 1937 and was operated as Lorntson's Cafe'. Over the years it has been known as Berryman's, the Half-way House, the Beaver Bay Inn, The Blue Heron Lounge, the Inn at Beaver Bay and since 2010 - Camp 61.
The question is often posed, "Why Camp 61"? The answer lies in the large photo from about 1907, which graces the back wall of the bar area. The photograph is of a group of lumberjacks and one small boy, at a logging camp near Wales, MN, just north of Two Harbors. The boy, is the owner's Grandfather, William "Bill" Mealey and he is sitting on the lap of her Great Grandfather, David Morrow Mealey. Being raised amidst the logging industry , Bill grew up and worked for North Star Timber Company and Kimberly Clark of Minnesota. Each time the company changed locations, they tore down the Camp buildings from one site and moved them to the next. As a new Camp was established, it was named in succession - Camp 1; Camp 2; etc. Camp 61 was named to reflect the family's long history of involvement in the logging industry and it's location on Hwy 61.
With 8 cozy rooms (some with lofts) and one rental house; one guest provided the following description. "It's not a resort exactly, although the rooms are done up beautifully; It's not a hotel exactly, but plenty of hotel-like amenities (flat screen TV, fridge, microwave and comfortable beds). They refer to it as a "bunkhouse", but if I was a logger of olde, they'd have a hard time prying me from my room to go chop down trees every day".
Our rooms are comfy and cozy and reasonably priced. We like to keep things simple and give you a place to relax and reminisce about your days adventures whether hiking, biking, ATVing, snowmobiling, picking agates, taking pictures or visiting one of the state parks or landmarks all within a short distance of Camp 61 - a great base camp for your North Shore adventures!
eat, drink, shop
BBQ, Burgers & Tacos, Oh My!
Casual dining in an inviting atmosphere. Enjoy a sandwich, an appetizer, a cocktail, beer or glass of wine, and finish it off with one of our delicious desserts. We are best known for our BBQ but the rest of our menu is pretty darn good as well! Try one of our fresh hand pattied burgers, street tacos, the garlic roast beef or try our delicious pulled pork sandwich. Competition BBQ comes with our house made BBQ sauce, on the side and a dab of freshly made cole slaw to top the sandwich off..... Delish!
Fresh Lake Superior Herring (in season)
Join us for treat of phenomenal proportions! A Local's favorite - Fresh Lake Superior Herring is a clean, mild tasting Lake Superior white fish. (toss out any thoughts you may have of pickled herring - fresh water herring is AMAZING!) Caught and delivered to our restaurant daily by our local fishermen. The only bad part about Herring is that it is not available year round!
Shop While you Wait
Whether waiting for a table or waiting for your meal to be delivered, take a walk through our little gift shop. Many items you won't find anywhere else, as our shirts and hats are designed and made by one of our own. In addition, take a walk over to the Skipping Rocks gift shop located right next door, in our parking lot.
After dinner, a stop at the Agate Shop and the mini-mall (where they serve Bridgeman's Ice Cream :) just down the street are a must. A short hike down the hill to the mouth of the Beaver River is a great place to search for agates or practice your rock skipping skills.