Nokomis was, according to Longfellow, the Daughter of the Moon, in his poem The Song of Hiawatha. 

 Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

 Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine- trees…

Rose the furs with cones upon them:

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

The cottage itself also has a rather dramatic past, having its origins both in romance and tragedy.  Agnes Burnap built it (only the part that has the covered porch)  as a honeymoon cottage for her son Leon and his wife Lillian who came to help her run the resort; for her husband, George, died in the 20s dynamiting the road down the hill from Route 28 which was built in the 1920s. Prior to its being completed, guests came by water from the train depot on the pond in Old Forge.  You can see pictures of the train depot at the Five Corners Restaurant in Old Forge.

The newer part (two stories) was built to provide more bedrooms for guests.  Originally, the cottages only had guest rooms: people took their meals in common at the lodge.  As people's  tastes changed, the buildings were converted to housekeeping cottages and little was done in common.