Northern Oconto County offered great beauty to visitors from near and far. A couple of Lithuanian descent, Tony and Anna Bagocus, had a dream of providing a great location for hunters and fishermen to hang their hat after a long day…a place to wet their whistle…and a fine place to dine. Less than a mile from Chicago & Northwestern’s Townsend railroad siding, just around the bend from Mielke’s ice cream store, that dream became a reality.

Ten families later, Port Townsend Resort & Hillcrest Lodge continues to provide unmatched views of Oconto County’s second largest inland lake, the Townsend Flowage. And, the Nelson family’s focus is to provide you with a friendly atmosphere and one of the finest dining experiences in the area. Seth and Julie Nelson acquired the restaurant portion of the business in July of 2011. Seth sold the business to Becky in 2016.

Port Townsend Resort offers three cottages which provide a private dock with unmatched access to the sandy shores of the Townsend Flowage. Since 2002, Port Townsend has been operated by Jim & Karla Schuessler, both of whom were born and raised in Oconto County. In 2017, the three rental cottages was sold to HUB Invesments, who are making steady upgrades to the furnishings in order to enhance guest experiences.

The main lodge features a full service restaurant and many photographs celebrating the beginnings of the resort business in Northern Wisconsin. We are proud to continue on the tradition, one of only two resorts remaining on the Townsend Flowage—at one time there were eleven.

Legend has it that Hillcrest Lodge has one year-round resident, “Dr. Fred”. Your hosts can provide more details of his haunting encounters.

In the spirit of the great resort stewards of the Northwoods which include names such as Tonneman, Erler, Popp, Baril, Carlson, Stevens, Cannon, Nelson, Richlen, Wyman and Schuessler…we bid you a warm welcome to “The Hillcrest”.

Hillcrest Lodge 1946

Tony & Anna Bagocus, circa 1970