Walker resort built on the site of a hotel basement used as a morgue after the 1898 Battle of Sugar Point, the last armed clash between the U.S. Army and American Indians
502 Cleveland Blvd, Walker, MN 56484
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel room rates vary by season and room type; check website for current pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Resort hotel with indoor corridors, spa, restaurant, and pool
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 2008 · Battle of Sugar Point (1898) — last U.S. Army–American Indian armed conflict · Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe territory · Successor to National Register of Historic Places–listed New Chase Hotel (1922)
Walker, Minnesota sits on the eastern shore of Leech Lake, on land within the territory of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The Chase family arrived in Walker in 1898, the same year as the Battle of Sugar Point, fought on October 5–6, 1898, on Sugar Point peninsula at the northern end of Leech Lake. The engagement began when U.S. soldiers attempted to arrest Chief Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig (Hole-in-the-Day) for bootlegging; a soldier's rifle accidentally discharged and fighting broke out. Six soldiers were killed and ten wounded. It is documented as the last armed conflict between the United States Army and American Indians.
According to accounts published in the Duluth News Tribune and Cities 97, the original Hotel Chase's basement was used as a temporary holding area for the bodies of soldiers killed in the battle before they were transported to Fort Snelling in St. Paul. This occurred before the Chase family owned a property by that name — the first Chase-owned hotel opened somewhat later — but the location of the building on the town's main street placed it near the aftermath.
The New Chase Hotel, built near Lake May Creek in 1922 and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was heavily damaged in a 1997 fire. The current resort property opened in 2008 on the lakefront at 502 Cleveland Boulevard. The resort came under new ownership in June 2023 and operates with a spa, indoor pool, and 502 Restaurant and Bar overlooking Leech Lake.
Sources
The densest concentration of reported activity at Chase on the Lake centers on the basement — the area investigators associate with the building's alleged use as a morgue after the 1898 Battle of Sugar Point. Paranormal investigators have described encountering what they characterize as a stable boy and aggressive entities connected to the hotel's lumberjack and Prohibition-era past. Guests have reported unplugged phones ringing and a grand piano in the lobby playing without a player, an account documented by a staff member named Wilma who was alone at the front desk when it occurred.
A Cities 97 feature on the hotel's haunted history documented reports of red eyes seen in the old bowling alley area and a woman in a white dress observed on balconies. The 4th floor draws the most repeat accounts from overnight guests: sounds of children calling for a parent, knocking on bedroom doors, and the sensation of something climbing into bed. Guests have specifically named rooms 1414, 2208, and 1205 in their reports.
The Duluth News Tribune column that first brought the hotel's history to wider attention noted that the morgue connection is specific to the original Hotel Chase building and may predate the Chase family's ownership of any property by that name. The resort does not formally organize paranormal programming but has acknowledged the staff and guest accounts in local press coverage.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The resort offers standard rooms, suites, and multi-room condos on Leech Lake. The 4th floor and old bowling alley area in the basement have the densest concentration of reported paranormal activity. Room 1414, Room 2208, and Room 1205 appear repeatedly in guest accounts.
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