Clubhouse at now-closed Mississippi Dunes golf course destroyed in fire

The clubhouse at the former Mississippi Dunes Golf Course went up in smoke at the weekend.

The fire was reported early Sunday morning at the course in Cottage Grove, which is situated on the banks of Mooers Lake, and closed to the public permanently in 2017.

Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey commended the efforts of local firefighters who extinguished the fire and prevented its spread to nearby woods and grass, noting that it will be monitored for several days in case of re-ignition.

"Though the Mississippi Dunes Golf Course will become something different in the future…it is always sad to see a building that was a fun and happy place for so many people, burn to the ground," he posted.

"Investigators will try and figure out how it started."

In the wake of the course's closure, there had been talks about the land being used for a housing development, though four years on the land remains undeveloped as talks continue, with some local residents calling for the property to be turned into a nature park.

The course's closure came after 22 years in operation, and followed in the months after its owner was accused of sexual harassment by former employees.