The History of Independence Beach

In 1955, the Gertzs sold the resort to Fred and Elizabeth Glampe (aka Fritz and Liz) and it was re-named Glampe’s. In addition to the main building, there were six rental cabins and twenty wooden rowboats for rent. Vacationers came from as far away as Chicago. 

     For many years, Fritz had been the cook at the Buckhorn in Long Lake, famous for fried chicken. He continued to work days at the Buckhorn, while Liz took care of the resort -- doing everything from cleaning the cabins to cooking on the grill. In the summers, the family lived in a sleeping area at the back of the resort. In the winter, they moved back to their home in Long Lake.

     Over the next 15 years, Glampe’s became a neighborhood institution. There was a swimming beach with a raft, changing rooms, and picnic grounds that were open to the public. Snacks were available at the main building - hamburgers and hotdogs, along with beer, pop, ice cream and penny candy. In addition to snacks, Glampe’s sold gas, basic groceries and bait.       

     Most of the neighborhood kids spent their summers at the beach, swimming and playing pinball. In the late 50’s to early 60’s the Red Cross offered swimming lessons for beginners and intermediate swimmers, and many of the local children learned to swim there.

     Around 1960, County Road 19 was moved further away from the lake. The county bought the Glampe property for right-of-way and the Glampes built a new building on property the county had vacated. Fritz’s brother Otto was a carpenter and he built the new building. The second floor was a three-bedroom apartment for the family. The rental cabins and the old boats were sold, and replaced with a rental fleet of aluminum fishing boats, pontoons and motors for rental to fishermen from the Cities. 

     The new building was a tavern, with seating for 66 people at tables and 28 at the bar. The tavern sold 3.2 beer and set-ups for BYOB. The bar was a popular after-work destination for the guys in Independence Beach. On weekends, people would drive out from Minneapolis for the tavern specialty - Fritz's barbecue ribs. The menu also included hamburgers and various baskets. The tavern was open year-round and became a popular destination for snowmobilers.

     The Glampes sold the restaurant to Dennis Sazenski around 1970 and he changed the name first to Water’s Edge and then to Dockside Inn. He went bankrupt and the restaurant was sold.

(The history of the Dockside Inn and Dockside townhomes will continue in future section 1975-2000).