Spiritwood Resort welcomes new ownership with ribbon-cutting near Jamestown

A ribbon-cutting at Spiritwood Resort marked a change in ownership at one of the Jamestown area’s most visible recreation businesses, but the bigger question in Stutsman County is how Rob and Leah Brooks will shape the property’s next chapter.

The resort sits at 435 Spirit Inn Road and can be reached at 701-252-4963. North Dakota tourism places it 11 miles north of Jamestown on Hwy. 20 and 5 miles east on County Rd. 42, on the shores of Spiritwood Lake, where the draw runs well beyond a roadside stop. The property includes a campground with 72 seasonal sites and 19 open weekly or weekend sites, a public boat ramp, a 6,000-square-foot bar and restaurant, and a banquet room, making it a place that can serve campers, anglers, diners and event guests in the same season.

That mix is why the ownership change matters locally. A business with lodging, food service and event space can help support seasonal jobs, room-night demand and spending tied to fishing and lake recreation, while also giving Jamestown-area residents another place to gather. The chamber’s public welcome for the Brookses underscored how closely the resort is tied to the local economy, not just to summer tourism.

The transfer had already been moving through county channels last year. Stutsman County Park Board minutes from August 2025 said Rob and Leah Brooks requested a 25-year permit to run Spiritwood Resort, while current owner Eric Nordstrom asked for a timeline for the process. A lender announcement later said Leah Brooks and her husband, William, secured an SBA 504 loan for the purchase through MBFC and American State Bank, a financing structure typically used for major fixed assets and long-term business investment.

Spiritwood Lake itself has long been part of the area’s recreation identity. State tourism lists smallmouth bass, walleye, zander, perch, crappie and northern pike among the fish found there, and North Dakota Game and Fish describes smallmouth bass as abundant with moderate numbers of walleye and perch. Prairie Public has noted a fishing excursion to the lake in 1895, a reminder that the shoreline has drawn people for well over a century.

For Stutsman County, the key issue now is whether the Brookses keep Spiritwood Resort primarily as a seasonal stop or push it to become more active and accessible for local residents year-round. With camping, dining, boating and banquet space already in place, the property has room to stay a familiar destination while also becoming a stronger part of everyday community life near Jamestown.