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Northernaire

In 1948 Carl Marty Jr. opened the Northernaire Hotel and Spa just outside of Three Lakes. The resort's luxury accommodations, including a swimming pool, stables, golf course and nightclub (called the Showboat), earned it the nickname "The Waldorf of the Wilderness." One of its best-know features was the Chicken-In-The-Woods restaurant, whose diners could watch friendly deer and other domesticated wildlife from the windows. The posh Northernaire attracted celebrities and affluent guests from across the country until Marty's death in 1979 at the are of 80.

Since the property has been turned into condominiums, following lengthy legal battles regarding bankruptcy, ownership, and zoning.

Marty was known for his writings about wild animals. See the bibliography.

Charles P. Forbes
January 16, 2012

**** indicates no known author.

Major References

****. Three Lakes Historical Society's Northernaire Archive. [Columns, January/February 2012] Madison, 2012. View Full Entry (Full text available)
Derleth, August. Mr. Conservation, Carl Marty and His Forest Orphans. Park Falls, Wisconsin, 1971. View Full Entry
Marty, Carl. Northernaire's Ginger and her Woodland Orphans. Three Lake, 1953. View Full Entry
Meyer, Steve. Help Wanted: 'Animal Boy'. [Our Wisconsin, June/July, 2021, p. 10-11] Manitowish Waters, 2021. View Full Entry

Minor References

+++WISCONSIN CHAMPIONSHIP WATER SKI TOURNAMENT

"The Northernaire in Three Lakes hosted the Wisconsin State Championship Water Ski Tournament [in August 1962]" --Backward Glances, Vilas County News-Review, August 15, 2012.