This project has been in the works since 2004 when John Ilse purchased
the land from Robert Cox, owner of the nearby Whispering Pines Motel, a small mom-and-pop motel that
has been around for nearly eighty years. John is a semi retired mechanical
engineer who has lived on the shores of Lake Superior all of his life. For years he drove past this beautiful
site and would glance up at the long ridge, covered with pines. It always had a draw to it.
One day
he noticed a "For Sale" sign posted in front of it. Recent increased development of the North Shore, especially
the most visible spots near Tettegouche State Park had him concerned about what the area would look
like in ten or twenty years. His love of the area and desire to preserve its natural beauty sparked
his curiosity about the sign. After making a few phone calls he learned that preliminary discussions were underway for
a development on the site including a large motel and mini-casino. He walked the site, climbing the steep path
carved eighty years earlier in the rock hillside. Before even reaching the top, he turned and looked back
at the view of Lake Superior, Crystal Bay, the pines. That settled it for him. If this land was going to be developed,
and it certainly was going to happen soon, why not do it in a way that would fit well
with the area rather than become a blight on the North Shore. He decided to buy it.
His idea was to create places for small, energy efficient homes, surrounded by incredible
beauty but hidden as much as possible so as not to destroy the beauty of the area for others. Just down the
hill from the site is Crystal Bay. There is a sea cave eroded by the waves through the base of the rock cliffs. When
a summer breeze brings in the warm top water on Lake Superior it makes for amazing swimming. Most of
the lots on Illgen Bluff can look down through the trees at this sea cave. The problem is that if you can see the
cave from your house, those enjoying the wonders of the cave could probably see your home on the hillside if precautions weren't taken
to limit tree trimming. Clear cutting a lot just to get a "better view" is not the way to go. A home needs
to be designed with the existing trees in mind, with only selected trees or even just lower branches of these
trees trimmed to allow a view from the windows.
After a long, but constructive, series of public hearings final approval for the project was obtained.
drilling rock for blasting
The first challenge was to construct the road up the hillside. The site is on a rhyolite ridge built of the same 1.1 billion year old volcanic flows that created nearby Palisade Head and Shovel Point in Tettegouche Park. The road had to wind it's way up the side of the hill with some areas having a side slope of 60 degrees or more. It was challenging work. Climbing the hillside, dragging a 90lb air drill and drill rod, trailing air hose behind, holes were slowly drilled into the hard rhyolite. At only 2 or 3 inches per minute, it was slow work. After several hundred feet of holes were drilled, explosives were loaded and the rock blasted loose.
neighbor examining blasted rock
A large excavator scraped the rock away, usually removing six or eight feet of rock in a single pass. The excavator was so large that it could not turn around on the hillside or even turn more than 20 degrees left or right, there was a cliff on the upper side and fragile trees on the lower. After the loose rock was cleared, another drilling and blasting cycle began. This cycle repeated itself over and over during the long summer. A welcome break came each mid-day with a swim in the lake.
narrow quarters for loading trucks. view from cab of excavator
The fractured rock from the blasting was used to form a thick, porous base for other parts of the road. Hundreds of loads
were hauled up to "The Falls" development for roads there. Having a porous road base, a "French Drain", allows storm water to absorb more
readily into the subsoil thus reducing storm water runoff and restoring the groundwater aquifer.
With the hard rock and working carefully to protect the trees, it took nearly a year to reach the top.
The next task was drilling the well. At
515 feet, the bottom of the well is over 200 feet below the level of Lake Superior, bringing up water
that has probably not seen daylight in 10,000 years. Pipes were then buried beneath the roads to carry water,
sewer, power, phone, and other utilities to individual homes. All of these were buried early in the
project so that roads would not have to be dug up each time a new house was built.
Finally the process of building homes begins. Several of the lots are being offered as bare lots, with utilities included. The
new owners can then design their own home. Other lots are very critical aesthetically and, quite honestly, such stunning
lots that John looks forward to the pleasure of designing and building homes on them himself. Obviously this is not a "chop it into squares and run" type of
development. There is no hurry here. Taking the time to really think about a site, designing a home that really fits each
individual lot as well as it's owner is most important.
It took nature 1.1 billion years to create this beautiful land and no more
will be made like it. It's important that we tread as lightly as we can and preserve what we have. If this is the style of living
you yearn for, welcome.