The Many Lives of Circle Lake Island
Nestled quietly in the waters of Rice County, Minnesota, Circle Lake Island carries a rich and diverse history—from 19th-century military warrant land grants to Roaring Twenties resort ambitions, and finally being permanently protected as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
The island's recorded story began in 1859, when Langdon Miller was granted the property through a United States military land warrant. This established private ownership in the immediate aftermath of Minnesota’s statehood for three of the four original sections the island was divided into. The remaining section remained officially unowned.
In the decades following statehood, the island transitioned from raw wilderness into a cherished community gathering spot. Purchased by Adolph Craig sometime between 1860 and 1900, the secluded parcel was cleared and outfitted as a popular local picnic ground. As recorded in the 1938 publication, Historical Sketch of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception: Faribault, Craig’s island getaway became a frequent destination for parish outings and festive summer gatherings accessible only by boat.
By 1900, property records indicate that ownership of the island had split. County plat maps from that year identify Joseph Dulac as the owner of the three original island plots once held by Miller, while neighboring landowner H.W. Grant held the title to the remaining section. The natural character of the island underwent a major transformation shortly thereafter. Between 1900 and 1924, H. W. Grant’s son harvested much of the heavy timber and native maple trees that had long blanketed the island before selling their land to the Dulac’s, an event documented in Then and Now: A History of Rice County, Faribault, and Surrounding Communities.
Following the passing of Joseph Dulac, his widow Caroline Dulac sold all four island parcels in 1924 to Sharman and Cross, a Minneapolis development firm intent on capitalizing on the post-WWI boom in automobile travel and regional tourism.
Throughout 1924, promotional advertisements appeared frequently in the Faribault Journal, touting the newly minted Circle Island Resort complete with plans for a custom golf course, boat landings, and cottage plots. In July of that year, a massive company picnic was held at the resort and people got to golf for one of the first (and last) times on the island. The last time Sharmon and Cross are mentioned in any Minnesota newspaper is in August 1924, so it is very possible the firm went bankrupt and Circle Island was forgotten, although the exact date of the resort's ultimate closure remains lost to local time. In an interview for a 2024 article in Minnesota’s Golfer Directory, Shawn Nugent, who owned the island in the late 1980s described unearthing a concrete golf hole cup.
Flash forward to summer of 2024, when the Trust for Public Land was notified that the island was once again for sale. Working alongside Clean River Partners and Great River Greening, the three conservation organizations form the Cannon River Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Program. Together, this partnership works to protect and restore specific parcels of land that contribute to larger forests, prairies, wetlands, lakeshores, and river shorelines. Negotiations took place over the following fall, however due to funding availability, the island wasn’t sold until late-2025.
In December of 2025, the Trust for Public Land conveyed the Circle Lake Island parcel to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to be an addition to the existing Circle Lake WMA. Now and for decades to come, Circle Island will be protected from development and open for the public to hunt, fish, hike, and enjoy nature. While some parts of the history will live on (picnics are just as welcome on the island as they were in 1890), golfers will need to look elsewhere for tee times.
