Lake ResourcesView All Articles >>

Jeff Hway's Minnesota adventure began almost 30 years ago. As a young man, this native Chicagoan made the move north to start a resort and outfitter business out by Moose Lake, about 20 minutes outside his present home of Ely. He ran his business for 20 years all the while gaining a special knowledge and appreciation of the lakes and the land around him. After he sold his business in 1997, it seemed natural to him that he moved into real estate so he could help others share in the wealth of natural beauty that Ely has to offer.

Jeff has been with Bear Island Land Co. since 1997 and is having the time of his life living and working in this wilderness paradise. LakeshoreDreams.com had a chance to sit down with Jeff to learn a little more about his work and life at the end of the road.

LD: What kinds of properties does Bear Island Land Co. handle?

Hway: Our company deals with all kinds of property. However, the lion's share of what we work with is lake cabins, recreational land, country cabins, and raw land. We deal in raw land because we have our own surveying office here. Bear Island Surveying is our sister company and it is the only surveying company within an hour of this area. What clients often do is have their piece of property surveyed and then split, and then we help them sell the pieces of them after we do the survey.

LD: Where are the majority of the lake homes you sell located?

Hway: The more popular lakes for homes in the Ely area are Burnside, White Iron, Birch, Snow Bank and a few others. Most of our buyers are coming up from the Twin Cities area. These people usually have been up here for a fishing trip or a ski trip or something like that and they just fall in love with the area. They want their piece of the rock, so to speak, getaway homes and cabins for fishing and hunting among many other things.

LD: Besides the lakes, what does Ely have to offer?

Hway:  There are many places in Minnesota where you can find a nice quiet place on a decent lake, but there is no place like Ely. We are literally at the end of the road here. No roads and no motors allowed north of here. Everything north of here is wilderness and water and it's likely to stay that way for a long, long time. The government owns 90% of the wild lands in this area and prohibits building of any kind to ensure that the natural beauty is preserved.

LD: What about the city of Ely itself?

Hway: Well, not only do you have the wilderness, you have this great town filled with people wanting to get away from the city. You got everything here that you need and more, without the cramped big city feel.

It's a popular town with close to 5,000 to 8,000 people living here at a time, the total doubles in the summer, but the majority of them are seasonal, so there is no real danger of overcrowding. The town has all the amenities you would need for trip out into Quetico or the BWCA. Outfitters are ready to provide you with any gear you might need and guides to take you where you want to go.

LD: What's the most important obligation you have toward your client?

Hway: I want to make sure that I match the person with the correct property. People that approach me are asking me to find them a piece of property that works for them, and I try to do just that.

For more information on properties in the Ely/BWCA Lakes region please visit Jeff Hway's listing page on LakeshoreDreams.com.