A Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast

Sustainability is an important concept that we have taken seriously all of our life.  Our home was built by Don’s grandparents in 1920.  We have carefully remodeled to add amenities that guests expect, but we have maintained the small footprint.  We added innkeeper quarters in the lower level and a sunroom on the west side of the house.

Following are some of the sustainable practices we adhere to:

THE BUILDINGS

• wood floors of local hickory, pine, oak and original maple with low VOC water based finish
• new energy efficient windows throughout all buildings
• Rock wool insulation from the 50’s provides high R value insulation in the foursquare house top dressed in the attic
• original cedar and pine siding maintained with paint on all buildings
• Trane Energy efficient furnace and AC in 2001
• scribed log cabins that utilize all of the local log (not milled to perfection) built by a local builder with large overhanging roof and ceiling fans
• recycled the machine shed into the office/lodge/restaurant/pro shop by a local builder
• we recycled the chicken coop into the Comfort Coop for massages, small meetings and dressing area for brides
• recycled the dairy barn basement into Don’s woodworking shop by Don & "handyman special" guests 
• recycled the Granary, an original farm building into The Cottage guest lodging by local builders

SPORTS

• promote and support human powered sports on our land: hiking, disc golf courses, mountain biking, snowshoeing, snowtubing (without a tow rope) and cross-country skiing, skijoring and dog sledding 
• provide two llamas, two Siberian huskies, a pygmy goat and several cats for companionable recreation for guests and ourselves

THE LAND

• native plant landscaping including vegetables for personal and guest use
• member of a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) and two Food Coops to provide organically grown food for personal and guest use
• two large silver maples and a huge white pine provide shade around the buildings
• shovel and sweep the snow off walkways (no noisy, gas polluting snowblower or leaf blower)
• feed the birds, maintain barn swallows and bats for insect control
• maintain contour fields begun in 1970 to prevent erosion on highly erodible land
• converting to organic production with 3 year contract with USDA/NRCS 
• selective timber harvest with professional forester to provide homes for wildlife and scenic trails
• support and participate in the purchase of electricity from renewable sources

INKKEPING

PERSONAL

• sell or find a new use for no longer needed equipment, machines, furniture and linens
• own one motor vehicle, a 2001 F-150 Ford truck for hauling and personal use
• choose vacations that are educational as Avatar helping to create an enlightened planetary civilization, Renewable Energy Fair, Native Plant Restoration, Wisconsin Leadership Program and Wisconsin Woodland Leadership Program, study tour of Rural Tourism and Branding in Ireland
• use homeopathic doctor for a healthy life
• short commute to work, we live on-premise

In accordance with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services  we are licensed as a bed and breakfast for the foursquare house, a tourist room house license for the cabins and a restaurant license for our food service building and a tent campground license.  Donna is certified as the Restaurant Manager having passed a course in food safety with bi-annual one day up-date class.

Historically:

Justin Trails Resort LLC, Sparta, Wisconsin, has been in the Justin family since 1914. Gustave and Appolonia Justin, Don’s grandparents, hired Phillip Connelly and his sawmill to cut oak lumber from the farm. This lumber was used to build the dairy barn in 1919 and the foursquare house in 1920. Ray and Kathryn Justin, Don’s parents, purchased the farm in 1940. They added electricity, indoor plumbing, phone service and several small farm buildings and upgraded road access to the farm to a Town of Leon road.  They built a machine shed from the original barn on the property. 

Don and Donna Justin purchased the property in 1970. They continued to farm and Donna to teach, while researching other activities to provide an income allowing for a change of careers. Adding Nordic ski trails in 1985 and acquiring a bed and breakfast license in 1986 began the development into a resort. The resort lodging includes log cabins, a cottage, and suites each with a whirlpool, fireplace, kitchenettes, and deck/patio or porch. The grounds have been landscaped with several acres of gardens, open areas for softball or volleyball, tents for weddings and anniversaries. The Lodge and Comfort Coop are available for meetings, classes, and social events. The resort is open to day use for the trails and disc golf.

Don and Donna’s career is the Resort and they are here to pamper you. They continue to live in the foursquare house on the land they love.

A quote from an article by Heitman on October 16, 2005  
"In fact, after you see the inside of your cabin, you might not even venture out to see the shops & delights of the historic town of Sparta.  This remote escape is first-class luxury all the way."

Following the example of Wisconsin Pioneer Land Stewards, John Muir and Aldo Leopold, we believe as Leopold, "When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." 

Appreciation and gratitude to staff of University of Wisconsin-Extension, Western Technical College, Small Business Development Center at UW-La Crosse for all the classes, advice, studies, and opportunities to demonstrate the conversion of a small dairy farm to an intimate resort.