The Potawatomi Inn opened in 1927, two years after Pokagon State Park was established. It originally had 40 guest rooms, a dining room, the Lonidaw Lounge, and a long open porch facing Lake James, and a night there cost $3. Over the years, additions and alterations expanded the inn: in the 1960s more rooms were added, the original rooms were equipped with bathrooms, and the long porch was enclosed to create a sunny hallway overlooking the lake; in the 1980s a swimming pool and sun deck were added; and in the 1990s conference rooms and more guest rooms were added. The Lonidaw Lounge, named for Chief Pokagon’s wife, was the original lobby and check-in desk and retains the feel of the early inn, with its original fireplace, red brick, and light fixtures. During WWII, nearby Angola became an across-the-border wedding location for many Michigan servicemen because Indiana had no waiting period for marriage licenses, and many couples honeymooned at the inn. Inn managers and their families lived at the inn and left lasting impressions there; from 1936 to 1948, Ben and Helen Swenson managed it, with Ben handling administration and Helen hosting social events such as Halloween festivities, craft workshops, cook-outs, hikes, and even a petting zoo, while her artistry also helped promote the park and the inn.