Renovating the Black Forest Inn

It all started as a quick trip last summer to escape the craziness of both work and the Covid-19 pandemic. A few months later, Jodi and Ryan Frisk, lifelong Minnesota residents, had sold their home and other properties, packed up their life in Rochester, and purchased the historic Black Forest Inn, starting a whole new life in the Black Hills.

“We were standing at Pactola (Lake) and, plain as day, God said this is clearly home,” Jodi said. A photo of the lake from that July day is now blown up and hanging behind their newly renovated bar. Jodi and Ryan, both who spent family vacations in Rapid City and the Black Hills, had never planned on moving from Rochester. Both had successful real estate careers along with some Airbnb properties. “We were building our rentals, starting to feel secure. This is what we were going to do until we retired early,” Jodi said.

While Jodi was settled on staying in Rochester, Ryan’s loyalty to his hometown started to wane after he saw a client’s photographs of the Black Hills. “Things were changing very fast, and it was becoming more and more clear. I came here (in July) with the intention of hoping to move here,” Ryan said. “That’s how it started.” Jodi, however, was not on the same page – at first. “I never thought I would live in the middle of a national forest,” Jodi said adding that she grew up hating pine trees. Her dad had 300 pines that Jodi would have to transplant and water. “I remember having to mow around them and watering them, counting to 10 and then moving onto the next pine tree.” Now, surrounded by the trees, Jodi has a new appreciation and enjoys the peacefulness they bring.

After their three-day getaway, the trip back to Rochester was quiet, both contemplating their next step. “When we got back, it (Rochester) didn’t feel like home anymore,” Jodi said. They immediately started looking for income properties and found the Black Forest Inn – a historic bed and breakfast located just minutes from the view of Pactola Lake they had visited months earlier. Pactola, prior to its life as a reservoir, was also the original spot of the Black Forest Inn which was opened as a restaurant by Bernice Musekamp. “Little did we know that the original location of this is at the bottom of the lake. We had no idea that we were standing looking out at where it used to be,” Jodi said. When the valley was acquired to become the Pactola Dam reservoir, Bernice built Musekamp Lodge, now known as the Black Forest Inn, in 1953. “It has been fun looking at those old photos and newspaper articles. We have our own story but also the history of Pactola and where this all first started.”

Ryan and Jodi began extensive interior renovations at the beginning of the year welcoming their first guests in April. The couple has loved getting to know each visitor who end up becoming part of their extended family. “It is so refreshing to be in a space where you sit and talk with people from all over and all different walks of life, upbringings and backgrounds, and they are just enjoying a conversation with each other.” The couple plans to work on the exterior along with the owner’s suite this fall. They also hope to lease out the adjacent restaurant.

In the off season, Ryan and Jodi plan to get involved within the community hosting retreats and other events. They have already partnered with Mark Little Elk, an artist from the Rosebud Reservation, to host a retreat with students and families from the He Dog School in Rosebud. “It is so awesome how God has brought us together with that ministry,” Jodi said telling the story of a postcard her uncle drew of an Oglala Lakota Chief. The postcard is now a lifesize mural on the wall in the common room at the Inn. Jodi later learned the drawing was of Chief He Dog.

Ryan and Jodi know they have made the right decision and are loving their life in the Black Hills.

“We strongly believe that life is so dang short, so you need to love what you do and where you are. It was important for us to create a space where we loved living and working,” Jodi said.