Former Gunflint Lodge owner and longtime community member Bruce Kerfoot passes away

He was known for his warm hospitality, savvy business sense, storytelling skills, and dedication to the Gunflint Trail, among other things.

Bruce Kerfoot, the former owner of Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters, passed away on the evening of Oct. 9 at his home in Missouri. He was 85. 

“The northwoods lost a legend last night,” the Kerfoot family said in a Facebook post. “The family has some peace knowing he and Justine are paddling together to their shore lunch spot.”

The Kerfoot family owned Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters from the late 1920s, starting with Bruce Kerfoot’s mother, Justine Kerfoot, and grandmother, Mae Spunner. Bruce Kerfoot and his wife, Sue Kerfoot, began taking over Gunflint Lodge operations in the late 1960s. 

Bruce and Sue Kerfoot sold Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters in 2016 to John and Mindy Fredrickson. Upon news that Bruce Kerfoot had passed away, Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters said in a social media post, “The Gunflint Trail community lost a good friend.”

As a community leader and innovative business owner, Bruce Kerfoot was involved with developing many Gunflint Trail and Cook County businesses and organizations. He was involved in forming the Chik-wauk Museum and Nature Center, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce/Visit Cook County. He was also known to provide impactful business advice to many Grand Marais business owners. But most importantly, he was a husband, a father, and a friend. 

WTIP has spoken with Bruce Kerfoot numerous times throughout the years, including leading up the Gunflint Trail Canoe Races, reflections of the 1999 Blowdown Storm, and more recently, in 2023, where Bruce Kerfoot provided insights on the Cook County business community. 

Kalli Hawkins October 10, 2024