Balmoral on Otter Tail Lake
Missy Hermes, Otter Tail County Historical Society Education Coordinator
Along Hwy 78 between Battle Lake and Ottertail City is a scenic spot that brings our pioneer past into focus while providing recreational pleasure in the present. Balmoral Golf Course provides duffers with 18 holes of golf just in view of the largest lake in the county.
The game invented in Scotland was meant to be played here. James Craigie, the man who first homesteaded the site, came from the Scottish Highlands and brought his love of Scotland with him. Traveling from Glasgow, he sailed to Canada and then arrived in Minnesota. Craigie met a number of Scottish immigrants while living in St. Paul. He even played the bagpipes at official meetings of the St. Andrew’s Society of Minnesota, a Scottish benevolent organization.
Then in 1858, he staked a claim here and settled in Otter Tail County with his wife Margaret and daughter Annie. He named his flourmill, post office and home after Balmoral Castle (pictured below) near his birthplace in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The three Craigies worked hard to build their business. The flourmill was very successful and saved local farmers from having to haul grain to Alexandria. The Fergus Falls to Perham stagecoach even made stops there as well.
Tragically, James and Margaret Craigie drowned in a boating accident on Otter Tail Lake. Their deaths in 1872 led to a contested will, pitting Annie against several of her aunts and uncles. Eventually she did take took over management of the mill until her own untimely passing. As time went on, the milling industry here gave way to recreational opportunities.
Locals and tourists have enjoyed trips to Balmoral with its views of beautiful Otter Tail Lake. In 1932, a 4th of July celebration there attracted 4,000 visitors. A hotel and the Balmoral Pavilion dance hall once stood on the spot. The Balmoral Pavilion continued to attract guests who enjoyed music and dancing for several decades. It burned in a fire in 1976.
Now the location is better known for the scenic Balmoral Golf Course. Cyclists and other travelers also enjoy the wayside rest constructed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The original millstones James Craigie imported from Scotland, as well as machinery for grinding grain, now make up part of an historic marker that explains the process of flour and grist milling in the state. A park and public access to lake are a short distance down the road.
Today, Balmoral Castle in Scotland is the summer vacation spot of Queen Elizabeth and her family. Commoners like us can enjoy our own majestic holiday at Balmoral on the shores of Otter Tail Lake.