Historical Heritage

Spring 1949 found Bert Moline starting to fulfill a long-time dream, building a family-owned vacation retreat -- with the purchase of 240 acres north of Phelps. Its wooded acres surround picturesque private Afterglow Lake, in turn surrounded by the Nicolet National Forest. The clearing began by hand, buildings sprung up, electricity, water and phones were added. 

The first rentals began in 1950. In 1956, Bert met Alice where they were both teaching; wedding bells rang in spring 1957. From that moment the "dream" was shared. Expansion continued, and now there are fifteen cottage rentals. Outdoor and indoor recreation facilities were developed, the gravel roads became blacktop. Afterglow was among the first resorts to open year-round, in the winter of 1965-66. 

Improvement projects continue and today Afterglow, one of the few "Ma & Pa" resorts, still owned by the original developer/owners, has a winter capacity of 80 and a late spring to mid-October capacity of 116. 80% of Afterglow Lake's shoreline has been left undisturbed to retain tranquility and seclusion, though only 2-1/2 miles from Phelps. The "dream" continues into the second generation.

Spring 1993 brought Pete and his wife Gail back to Afterglow. Based in Colorado, Pete had been skiing on the Bud Mogul Tour. He was ranked 6th in the world in 1990 and placed 4th in 3 world championship competitions in 1990, 1992 and 1993. Pete and Gail bring a new dimension to this "Ma & Pa" resort with their youth and energy. Their young sons, Scott and Mitchell, make the picture complete.