Al Capone’s hideout in Wisconsin, the 407-acre stone-lodge estate near Couderay in Sawyer County, is owned by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose reservation borders the property. The tribe reopened the site for guided weekend tours in January 2026, ending a long stretch when the gates were closed to the public.
How the Tribe Came to Own It
The Lac Courte Oreilles acquisition is the first time in the property’s modern history that it has been held by a sovereign tribal nation rather than a private family or a bank. The sale price and transfer date have not been widely publicized.
Before the tribe, the property passed through a private residential owner. Before that, it belonged to Chippewa Valley Bank. And before that, for roughly half a century, it belonged to the Houston family, who ran it as a tourist attraction.
The Houston Family’s Tourism Era
The Houstons bought the Couderay property in the 1950s directly from Capone’s estate and operated it for decades as The Hideout Inc. Guy Houston ran the operation for years. Visitors paid a few dollars for walking tours of the stone lodge, guard towers, and surrounding grounds, and a seasonal bar and restaurant gave the compound an economic footprint beyond a simple museum.
The 2008 Foreclosure and 2009 Sheriff’s Sale
Chippewa Valley Bank initiated foreclosure against Guy Houston and The Hideout Inc. in April 2008. The property sat in legal limbo for more than a year before a sheriff’s sale on the steps of the Sawyer County Courthouse in Hayward in October 2009.
The auction lasted about five minutes. Chippewa Valley Bank was the sole bidder, taking the 407-acre property for $2.6 million to cover its outstanding debt. No one else stepped forward, despite national media coverage of the sale. The bank held the title afterward and eventually sold it into private residential use before the property reached the tribe.
What’s on the Property
The main lodge is a two-story stone house with walls 18 inches thick, built to double as a fortress, with a massive fireplace anchoring the interior. Two guard towers sit on the grounds, reportedly manned with machine guns whenever Capone visited during Prohibition. Local folklore sometimes claims eight towers; contemporary accounts and property descriptions consistently reference two.
A 37-acre private lake occupies part of the estate. Legend holds that seaplanes carrying bootleg alcohol landed on the water, with cargo loaded onto trucks bound for Chicago speakeasies. A caretaker’s residence and several outbuildings are scattered across the wooded acreage, and dense forest surrounds the compound on all sides, making it nearly invisible from any public road.
One wrinkle worth knowing if you’re thinking about the lake: Wisconsin’s public trust doctrine treats navigable waterways as public resources held in trust by the state, even when they sit on private land. Article IX of the Wisconsin Constitution declares navigable waters “common highways and forever free,” and the public retains rights to navigation, fishing, and recreation on qualifying waterways. Whether the 37-acre lake meets the legal test for navigability would affect what rights the public holds, regardless of who owns the surrounding land.1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Waterway Regulations and The Public Trust Doctrine
Did Capone Actually Own It?
Whether Capone actually owned or regularly used this property is genuinely unclear. The bank described it during the 2009 auction as a home Capone owned in the late 1920s and early 1930s. At least one travel guide has questioned whether the site was truly a gangster hideout or an elaborate tourist attraction built around a good story. Capone’s documented presence in Wisconsin’s Northwoods is real enough, but specific claims about this particular property rest more on local oral tradition than on court records or tax documents.
The physical features do look the part. Stone walls thick enough to stop bullets, guard towers with sightlines covering the perimeter, and an isolated location hours from any 1920s law enforcement jurisdiction all fit the story. Whether Capone built it, bought it, or simply visited, the property is the most recognizable symbol of organized crime’s presence in rural Wisconsin.
Visiting the Site
Under tribal ownership, the property is open for limited weekend tours. Anyone interested should check current availability directly with the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe, as schedules and access may vary seasonally.
Outside authorized tour hours, the property is private and entering without permission carries real consequences. Under Wisconsin law, intentionally entering someone’s dwelling without consent under circumstances that could provoke a confrontation is criminal trespass to a dwelling, a Class A misdemeanor.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 943.14 – Criminal Trespass to Dwellings A Class A misdemeanor in Wisconsin carries up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Separate statutory trespass rules can impose additional fines even without a criminal conviction if the trespasser violated posted-land requirements. Older travel guides and GPS apps may still list the property as an open attraction. Respect the posted boundaries and stick to the tribe’s official tour offerings.