The hotel era at Devil's Lake lasted from 1866 into the early 1900's, with the north shore catering to an upscale clientele. It began on February 22, 1866, when the Minnewauken House opened on the lake's northeast shore with room for up to 20 guests. An early visitor was Mary Todd Lincoln, widow of Abraham Lincoln. In 1869 Samuel Hartley launched the steamboat Capitola on the lake; built in Madison, Wisconsin, its whistle could be heard in Baraboo three miles away. Train service to Baraboo and Devil's Lake began in 1873, and a second set of tracks was added in 1896. As trains brought visitors from across the Midwest, Hartley enlarged the Minnewauken House to hold 200 visitors, commissioned Louis Claude to design it as a Swiss-style chalet, and renamed it the Cliff House. It was enlarged again in 1882, and an additional building called the Annex increased capacity to 400 people. The Cliff House was an elegant resort where diners were expected to wear proper attire for each meal. William B. Pearl managed it from 1878 until it closed in 1904, and a post office operated in the hotel lobby. The Cliff House was torn down in 1905.