About Us
Hello and welcome to Paradise Lodge. We are James and Sherry Froede and we recently purchased Paradise Lodge. Here is a little information about us, Paradise Lodge and Fletchers pond. James was a journeyman tree trimmer for the past 14 years. Sherry has her associates in business management and has years of experience as a finish carpenter and a welder.
For over 8 years we have enjoyed coming to the Paradise Lodge campground for weekend get-aways as guests. We would come for tent camping and fishing with our son, families and friends. We cherish our memories of those visits over the years. We still go tent camping and fishing with our son whenever we have an opportunity, after all they only stay little for so long.
We encourage our guests to come in and build a relationship with us and we look forward to creating and sharing lasting memories with you and your family and friends.
History of Paradise Lodge
Origins & Early Years
The roots of Paradise Lodge reach back to the late 1920s, when the first structures—most notably the original camp store—stood beside the river before the landscape was transformed. In 1930, Alpena Power Company created Fletcher’s Pond (also known as Fletcher Floodwaters) by damming the area to serve as a reservoir, flooding the surrounding cedar flats and giving rise to the shallow, scenic pond that defines the property today. The lodge’s earliest footprint predates or parallels that transformation, and over the decades the site evolved. Cabin 7, still standing, was once the caretaker’s cabin—the home of the person charged with maintaining the grounds and ensuring the lodge and its surroundings remained welcoming to guests.
Mid-Century Expansion
During the 1950s and 1960s, Paradise Lodge expanded in response to growing interest in the region, particularly following the formation of nearby camps such as Taylor and Hawks Camp. Additions were made to accommodate more guests while preserving the rustic, natural appeal that drew visitors in the first place. These incremental enhancements kept the lodge grounded in its original character even as it grew to serve more fishermen, families, and nature seekers.
Fletcher’s Pond & Natural Setting
Fletcher’s Pond is roughly 8,970 acres of shallow water—most of it less than 10 feet deep—held by the dam in the northeast known as the Upper South Dam, originally built around 1930 by Alpena Power Company for water storage. The pond has a storage capacity of about 45,000 acre-feet and supports a rich aquatic ecosystem, from abundant panfish like bluegill, pumpkinseed, black crappie, and yellow perch, to larger game fish such as largemouth bass and northern pike. Its generous vegetation and islands also nurture bird life, making the area a destination not just for anglers but for bird watchers and nature lovers.
Modern Stewardship
Today Paradise Lodge is lovingly owned and operated by Sherry & Jimmy Froede, who have continued the tradition of hospitality and outdoor enjoyment. Under their care, the property has remained a rustic retreat—offering cabins, camping, and access to the pond—while evolving to meet modern guests’ needs. Their stewardship emphasizes both the natural beauty of Fletcher’s Pond and the lodge’s heritage as a place where families and friends build lasting memories.
