In 2026, Kishauwau Cabins celebrates an incredible milestone: 40 years of welcoming guests to unplug, slow down, and reconnect with nature. Today, the retreat is proudly led by second-generation owners Terisa and Jamie King, who continue the family’s tradition of warm hospitality in Illinois’ Starved Rock Country.
Over four decades, the cabins have hosted countless getaways, celebrations, and traditions while staying true to the simple idea that inspired it all, creating a peaceful place where people can reconnect with each other and the outdoors.
To reflect on this legacy, we not only looked back on the property’s history, but also spoke with long-time guests who have returned year after year — including Arlene Brennan, who first visited in the early 1990s.
Before the Cabins: A Boy Scout Camp in the Woods
Long before guests arrived for weekend retreats, the land that would become Kishauwau Cabins served as a Boy Scout camp. The property was rugged, overgrown, and intentionally left wild so scouts could learn how to live on the land.
The buildings were extremely rustic — simple shelters used during cold weather when camping outside wasn’t possible. They contained little more than bunk beds and fireplaces, with no indoor plumbing.
One building served as the scouts’ Trading Post, where they would purchase small supplies and trinkets during camp. That structure still stands today and remains part of the property’s story.
Another unique structure would later become the Jack’s Deluxe Whirlpool Cabin. At the time, it overlooked an in-ground swimming pool where scouts learned to swim and earned their swimming badges. The lower level served as the shower house while lifeguards stayed upstairs.
1986: A Dream Takes Root
In 1986, the property changed hands when Jamie’s father, Ben, and stepmother, Ellen, heard the old Boy Scout camp was for sale. After visiting the wooded land, they quickly fell in love with it and saw the potential for something special.
Jamie spent his young adult years helping his father build and renovate the cabins, making the property a true family effort from the very beginning. What began as Ben and Ellen’s vision soon became a shared family story.
Late 1980s: The First Guests Arrive
After renovating the third original cabin a couple of years later, an idea began to take shape: What if guests could stay here, too? The family placed an ad in the Chicago Tribune, offering the cabins as weekend rentals. Arlene was one of the first guests who saw the ad.
“Our son was in high school and old enough to stay overnight with friends when my husband and I discovered a notice in a Chicago newspaper advertising Kishauwau. We decided to try a weekend, as we both love nature and it sounded just right for us.”
At the time, there were just four original cabins on the property — simple, rustic structures that had once sheltered scouts. Those early guests were the beginning of what would grow into a decades-long tradition of welcoming visitors to the woods.
1986–2006: Building the Cabin Retreat
Over the next 20 years, the property steadily expanded. Ben, Jamie, other family members, and friends worked together to build additional cabins across the wooded landscape. What started with four structures eventually grew to 17 cabins in total. As the property grew, so did the community of guests who returned year after year, forming their own traditions at Kishauwau. Arlene remembers how quickly a single visit turned into something much more:
“We thoroughly enjoyed that weekend and came back for many, many more. As a Chicago Public School teacher, I had my summers off. Our son was off to college and beyond. So we spent as much of our summers and holiday weekends at our dear Kishauwau as possible.”
Over time, those visits became multi-generational. Families gathered across cabins, sharing meals, stories, and milestones together.
“We spent a New Year’s weekend in the large Grandma’s Cabin with our son, his wife, her parents, and our grandson and enjoyed every second!”
Each new addition maintained the same spirit that made the original cabins special — quiet spaces surrounded by trees where guests could slow down and escape the rush of everyday life.
That sense of connection extends behind the scenes as well. Kishauwau Cabins has intentionally remained a small, family-run operation, with a close-knit team that helps preserve its welcoming, personal feel. Today, the staff includes six people, with family at the heart of it, including Jamie and Terisa, along with their son Keegan and niece Brittany, ensuring that every guest experience reflects the same care and familiarity that has defined Kishauwau for decades.
A Family Place in Every Sense
For the family who lives on the property, Kishauwau Cabins has always been more than a business. Because they call the land home, many of their most meaningful life moments have taken place right here. Over the years, the cabins have hosted:
A daughter’s wedding
Graduation celebrations
Baby showers
Grandchildren’s birthday parties
Holiday gatherings
Annual Fourth of July celebrations with guests, family, and friends
One beloved tradition involves baking cookies together in Grandma’s Cabin, a memory captured in photos over the years. In many ways, the property has grown alongside the family itself.
That sense of family extends beyond the Kings. For many guests, Kishauwau becomes a place where their own traditions take root. As long-time guest Arlene shares, the welcoming nature of the King family and their community made the cabins feel like a second home, where friendships formed, and life’s milestones were shared over time — from joyful celebrations to meaningful moments of remembrance.
Many guests return with loved ones year after year, gathering across cabins, sharing meals by the fire, and creating memories together.
Staying True to the Original Vision
While many travel experiences have become increasingly connected and digital, Kishauwau Cabins has intentionally taken the opposite approach. There is no Wi-Fi and limited cell service in the cabins — a choice that reflects the property’s philosophy.
The goal has always been to offer something rare in modern life: a place where people can truly unplug and reconnect with each other. Rather than focusing on technology, the experience centers around nature, quiet, and simplicity.
As another guest said, “The children loved the lending library of games and DVDs; they even forgot they could not get wifi, and we enjoyed spending time together as a family.”
Evolving with Guests
While the unplugged spirit remains the same, Kishauwau Cabins has found thoughtful ways to evolve.
During the pandemic, when guests could no longer browse the gift shop inside the office, the team began offering in-cabin packages. One of the first packages featured hot cocoa bombs sourced from a local confectionery and paired with cabin mugs.
Guests loved them.
That simple idea sparked a growing list of packages that guests can add to their stay today. Another creative addition came from a flock of chickens, which helped inspire a Farm Fresh Bed & Breakfast package, connecting guests even more deeply with the land and the slower rhythms of country life.
2026: Celebrating 40 Years
Forty years after the property was purchased, Kishauwau Cabins continues to offer something increasingly rare in travel: simplicity in nature. Guests still come for the same reasons they did decades ago:
Quiet mornings in the woods
Evenings around the fire
Time to unplug and reconnect
For many guests, something about the property creates an immediate sense of connection. Over the years, visitors who travel widely have shared that there is something uniquely special about their time at Kishauwau Cabins. As Terisa King reflects,
“Guests often tell us they travel all over the country—and even the world—but that Kishauwau is their favorite place. There’s something about this land that gives people a feeling they can’t quite explain.”
That feeling often reveals itself in quiet, personal ways. For long-time guest Arlene, it became a source of clarity and comfort during life’s more difficult moments:
“When I was facing a crisis or concern, I would sit on the porch or take a walk and “talk” to what I came to call my “Grandma Trees”. Somehow, I would gain inner clarity from the quiet and the slowing down from the usual pace of life. Better than any therapist!”
It also shows up in the small, familiar touches that make a stay feel personal. On many weekdays, guests are greeted in the office by four friendly golden retrievers — Pretzel, Millie, Biscuit, and Marley — who have become a beloved part of the Kishauwau experience.
Looking Ahead
As Kishauwau Cabins enters its next chapter, the vision remains clear. The goal isn’t to chase trends or modernize away the character of the property, but to preserve the experience that has made these cabins so special for four decades.
- A place where guests can step away from busy lives.
- A place where nature sets the pace.
- And a place where the simple joy of being together still matters most.
It’s a feeling that guests have carried with them long after their stay. As Arlene shared, “Kishauwau is a magical place if you like relaxing time, nature, comfortable surroundings, and good people. I am so grateful for its existence.”
We invite you to come celebrate 40 years of Kishauwau Cabins with us and experience the timeless charm of our cabins for yourself.