NYT Shows Us How to Make Like a Mobster in Wisconsin

June 29, 2009 at 11:46 AM | by KatieK | Comments (0)

By all stereotype-riddled accounts, Midwesterners should be laidback and genial. Too friendly, even. And nowhere might that be truer than Wisconsin, a gentle respite of summer camps, lake cabins, and farmers markets.

Of course, not all Midwesterners fit that bill, epitomized best in the 1920s and 30s by the likes of Al Capone, John Dillinger, and Baby Face Nelson. Their refuges of choice? When the �heat was on,� writes the NYT, �bad guys on the lam� headed for Wisconsin�s north woods.

Some of their spots of choice have stuck around, and Wisconsin travelers can make like a mobster and disappear down the state�s back roads for a few days. The NYT details three resorts and lodges with gangster history.

First up is the Four Seasons Resort on Miscauno Island in the Menominee River, which is the gateway to Michigan�s quirky Upper Peninsula. Capone is said to have been a frequent guest at the well-heeled club and golf resort, though the resort has for years �flat-out denied� any evidence that he even ever visited.

Some spots have more obvious � and certifiable � thug pedigrees. The Barker Lake Lodge (pictured), for instance, was built by Chicago Public Enemy No. 9, Joe Saltis. Guests can check out old photos and articles about Saltis as well as a bullet hole above the fireplace. The current owners have dug up .45 shell casings � those of a Tommy gun.

Um, yikes � though we think it would be worth the trek just to find out what sorts of scary dreams sleeping there might rouse. Read the article for more mob stops in backwoodsy Wisconsin.

[Photo: T.C. Worley for The New York Times]

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