I have had this Hamm's beer sign for 30 years and would like to know more about it. It is the one that has the guy pulling the red canoe up on and Island. The waves still move and it looks great on my office wall. I heard this picture was taken in the BWCA. Can anyone tell me where this picture is?

Stumpy might know for sure, but I'll take a guess and say Knife Lake.

Years ago I remember hearing one of the Hamm's commercial's was made at Lower Basswood Falls.

Take this for what it's worth - found after a short Google search:

NOTE ABOUT THE HAMM'S SIGNS: I got an interesting e-mail from Jack Hartung, from Minnesota: "You ask, 'I wonder where you would go to see a view like that?' I was there last week! Northwoods legend claims those Hamm's photos were shot at the Arcadia resort on the north end of Turtle Lake (located in northern Itasca County, MN). The view is seen in many of the Hamm's commercials (two islands with the small cabin hidden in the pines). A great area and beautiful scenes."

ADDITIONAL NOTE from Ken Nordlie of Bloomington, Minnesota: "Found your very entertaining and interesting site on a Google search for Hamms Beer Commercial info. I was at a ol' buddy's cabin just three or four doors down from Arcadia Resort on Turtle Lake in northern Minnesota and I can verify that the "Land of Sky Blue Waters" commercials were indeed taken from the point at Arcadia Lodge - a well known spot in the 50s. I'll send along a picture if I can convince my friend to take one on his next trip there. My golf buddy owns Alf Landon's (ever hear that name?) old cabin, and local legend says that Carol Lombard and Clark Gable used to spend time at Arcadia Resort."

EDIT: Ironically, during the Google search, I found this link that took me right back to this site and a thread from 2007:

2007 Hamms Beer thread

Thanks Jackfish for the link. It says that Snakecharmer emailed the Hamm's club and they took photos over 100's of lakes. TGO said that the pictures were taken on Burntside by Les Blacklock. I would like to find the place someday and take another picture to see how it has changed.

I wish I knew for sure.
I've heard from many in Ely, that Burntside apears in Hamms adds.
Anything I know about this is just hear-say. So I'm really of no help.

It's an amazing picture, in that I (we all) definitely feel like "I've been there!"

One thing I'm pretty sure of is the photo the the OP posted was not taken in Itasca county. There isn't exposed rock there like that.

I heard they were taken at Kettle falls between Rainy and Namakan.

quote Ho Ho: "It's an amazing picture, in that I (we all) definitely feel like "I've been there!""

I know what you mean HoHo, I have starred at it many times and thought how cool it would be to go there. If you zoom in you will see lines that criss cross. The main picture has small lines that go one way and on a revolving reel the other lines go the other way. This makes it look like the waves are moving from a breeze.

I grew up not far from Turtle Lake and have a cabin about 5 miles from Arcadia Lodge. We always heard that Turtle Lake was the site of the Hamm's commercials, but I'm sure they probably had photos from many different lakes and rivers. If you are ever in the Marcell area, Arcadia Lodge is a nice place to enjoy a meal. The history is interesting and the dining room is an enclosed porch overlooking the lake.

I have a major groove for the Hamm's stuff. Have an old deck of card that was still in the plastic. A few Hamm's can and bottle openers! Remember the Parkers Prairie bar had the old picture with the canoe and moving water behind it. Have made many leather can,bottle, and dicecups with 'Hamm's' on them.

I have yet to run across another light, like the one above my right shoulder in this photo, but this one also has a rotating lake scene that I've wished I could pinpoint. Some have told me, it is Burntside, but I really don't know.

A quick little search of Burntside lake and Hamms turned up this picture. ... close, but no cigar.

I did some looking and this is what mine looks like when plugged. Here is the link, sorry but the link will not load here but you can cut and paste...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrLrflzKIyk&feature=related

quote Stumpy: "
I have yet to run across another light, like the one above my right shoulder in this photo, but this one also has a rotating lake scene that I've wished I could pinpoint. Some have told me, it is Burntside, but I really don't know."

That looks like the one a friend of mine had at his parents lake cabin. I think his brother got it in the will, lol. You would turn on the light and it would rotate from the heat of the bulb hitting some fins at the top.

Contact Dan Waters from Canadian Waters Outfitters. His family had some history or connection with Hamms, and a few of the pictures were taken on Burntside Lake near Ely. He would be able to give you more insight into this, perhaps the exact location of this one.

quote Savage Voyageur: "That looks like the one a friend of mine had at his parents lake cabin. I think his brother got it in the will, lol. You would turn on the light and it would rotate from the heat of the bulb hitting some fins at the top. "

Sounds right.
It actually has two heat-moved parts...the lake loop and outside that spinning in opposite direction, the word "Hamms" & a clear frame for lake viewing. Hope that makes sense.

Last October my wife and I stopped at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at the end of the Gunflint Trail. In the museum they had a display with many Hamms beer signs and commercials. The displays said these were filmed on Saganaga Lake. The museum was free and there are nature trails to hike on. If you are up at the end of the Gunflint it is a nice place to see.

Star Tribune article about the museum

Getting a bit off topic here...I garbage picked this sign, about 15 or 20 years ago.

I know this is an old thread, but I hope some of the original commenters are still members!

I have no idea whether it applies to this particular image, but my father has an interesting story about Hamms advertising. I grew up always hearing about his summer excursions to the BWCA, and envied him for his adventures (of which there were many). One, however, I had not heard until this weekend when he shared it with another BWCA veteran and I happened to overhear it.

Dad spent several summers (in the late 50's/early 60's, as I recall) at an exclusive girls' summer camp taking care of their horses and occasionally doing some counselor duties. One little girl took to him one summer, and the following summer, when she arrived to camp (in a limo!), she ran to my dad and insisted that she meet her father. In the course of their conversation the fellow asked my dad whether there were any particularly scenic places in the area, as he was interested in using them for advertising his company. Dad said "Cache Bay!," and explained that he had just canoed there, and the scenery was beautiful.

A few weeks later, Dad received a letter on Hamm's Beer letterhead thanking him for his recommendation and authorizing my father and any friends to all the beer they could drink for the next two years, stating that they decided to use those images for their tavern signage.

I would love to find the poster/sign that can be identified as Cache Bay and see if reprints are available, by chance. I am sure he'd get a real kick out of seeing it again, and hanging it up at the little cabin he has out in the woods.

Hope this interests some of you. Dad isn't a "computer guy," but would love some of the info posted here. I'll try to encourage him to visit!

Cool story about your Dad, thanks for telling us. I'm still trying to locate where my Hamms beer sign picture was taken. Maybe show him the one I posted up top and see if it rings a bell.

quote Savage Voyageur: "Cool story about your Dad, thanks for telling us. I'm still trying to locate where my Hamms beer sign picture was taken. Maybe show him the one I posted up top and see if it rings a bell. "

I absolutely will!

I'd love to own an old Hamm's beer sign, the one with the motion waterfall or similar. As I was looking this afternoon, it brought me back around to this thread from several years ago. Thought I would bump it to the top for whoever might be interested.

The Great Outdoors: "Contact Dan Waters from Canadian Waters Outfitters. His family had some history or connection with Hamms, and a few of the pictures were taken on Burntside Lake near Ely. He would be able to give you more insight into this, perhaps the exact location of this one."

I had always heard some were taken from the roof of a cabin on Burntside also. Jim

My brother has that sign in his basemen. There's a subliminal message (bad word) written in the water. It's clear if it's pointed out to you. The story goes that the photographer wasn't getting the amount of money he was promised and added a little "touch" to the picture. It's said that Hamns found out and corrected it. My brothers is one of the originals.

Blatz: "My brother has that sign in his basemen. There's a subliminal message (bad word) written in the water. It's clear if it's pointed out to you. The story goes that the photographer wasn't getting the amount of money he was promised and added a little "touch" to the picture. It's said that Hamns found out and corrected it. My brothers is one of the originals."

Might your brother send you a pic?... ;-)

schweady: "

Blatz: "My brother has that sign in his basemen. There's a subliminal message (bad word) written in the water. It's clear if it's pointed out to you. The story goes that the photographer wasn't getting the amount of money he was promised and added a little "touch" to the picture. It's said that Hamns found out and corrected it. My brothers is one of the originals."

Might your brother send you a pic?... ;-)
"

i'll see if he can get a good picture of the area in question.

Wow, my seven year old thread back to life. Blatz, I would also like to see this picture. I looked closely at mine and found nothing wrong.

My bother no longer has the sign. He gave it to his bother in law a while back. He remembers the message in the sign. I think I saw the sign the 80s at a bar Called Big Cities in Biwabik. Now it's the Alpine bar. Funny thing I was in Hayward WI last September for the Chequamegon Fat Tire Fest and saw that sign at a place called Coops. Just for grins I googled the Hamns hidden message sign and a bunch of stuff popped up.

Just wanted to say, now that the price of PBR is just about on par with the 'big 3', (thanks to hipsters) - THANK GOD for Hamms!

BobDobbs: "Just wanted to say, now that the price of PBR is just about on par with the 'big 3', (thanks to hipsters) - THANK GOD for Hamms!"

Even if PBR was same price, I'd take the Hamm's.

I'm very Thirsty