Quaint Lodgings in Bayfield

Centrally located, the inn is a short walk from the lake, ferry, excursion, pool, shops and most of Bayfield's atttractions. Please visit the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Bureau for more information.

Gruenke's First Street Inn has been accommodating guests for over 139 years. It first started with an ambitious young man, of French-Canadian descent, who secured the property at 17 North First adjacent to the Hotel, for his residence as well as vocation. Nazar LaBonte, some years later heartened by his own as well as the village's success, set out for St. Paul. Along with a contingent of businessmen and entrepreneurs, LaBonte convinced the railroads of the peninsula's potential. Part of the deal was a commitment that would take 6 years to meet. As Nazar helped organize the labor, the railroads provided the resources.

In the meantime, the LaBonte House welcomed its first guests. Numbers swelled the village into a town. The boarding house and the LaBonte family residence, between the Hotel Bracken and Whisker Wachsmuth's tobacco shop was doing a brisk business.

Today these historic buildings are combined into Greunke's First Street Inn.

PO Box 768 • 17 Rittenhouse Avenue • Bayfield, WI   54814

Home   •   First Street Inn   •   Restaurant   •   Email Us