Built in 1835 beside Horsehoe Creek, the hotel brought the world to the little village of Hamburg. It sheltered many early settlers to the region and, by 1850, visitors coming to enjoy hunting and fishing in the woods and lakes. In the 1880s, two railroad lines were built beside the hotel, on either side of the creek, serving the area's growing summer resort industry. The hotel became the center of the community, hosting weddings, funerals, and traveling salesmen. The Winkelhaus family owned and operated it for 50 years before it was destroyed by fire in 1968. It was also the first building in the community to get electricity, in 1925.