A century at the Belton

Tranquil rooms infused with fresh mountain air, beautiful hardwood flooring and expansive covered porches beckon travelers to the Belton Chalet today, just as they did in 1910.

The historic landmark -- also celebrating its centennial this year -- is a place time has left behind, defined perfectly by its motto: "The way it was ... still is."

More than 100 years ago, a boxcar was set off to the side of the newly constructed Great Northern Railway at Milepost 1196 (then named "Belton) and used as a makeshift station. In 1910 the railway sanctioned the construction of a new depot and hotel, which opened for business on June 27, 1910. It was a landmark year, with Glacier National Park itself dedicated on May 11, 1910.

"[The Belton] was the first chalet built for the park," said Christie Roberts, current general manager of the chalet.

Two cottages were added to the chalet in 1911 and the dormitory style lodge was built in 1913.

Belton Chalet was the first in a string of Glacier hotels built to accommodate visitors, and according to the chalet's website was "...the first and only permanent hotel facility in the front country on the west side of Glacier National Park until 1929."

The Great Northern sold the chalets after World War II, and the buildings began a 50-year period of sporadic use and decline."

"The lodge was closed for 40 years," Roberts said. "It's been said that at one point the chalet became quite the happening bar -- I heard they served really good subs and pizzas."

Automobile touring put a dent in train travel and the Many Glacier and Glacier Park hotels proved stiff competition for the little chalet. Once the Great Depression in the 1930s was thrown into the mix the Belton Chalet began to fade fast.

The Belton was saved from near death by Kay Luding, who owned the chalet for 20 years and saw to it that the chalet was put on the National Registry of Historic Places. That prevented it from being torn down and the site paved over by U.S. 2 construction.

"Had she not done that [the Belton] wouldn't be here today," Roberts emphasized.

The Belton Chalet had all but slipped into the shadows by 1997 when it was purchased by Cas Still and Andy Baxter.

"The year they found it everyone thought it was a goner," Roberts said.

Still and Baxter, however, saw the potential for restoration beneath its dilapidated exterior. Resuscitating the Belton was no easy task. The restoration took three years of dedication, patience and vision.

In 2000 it emerged transformed to its old glory, looking as if the years of neglect had never passed. Later that year the chalet was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The chalet, cottages and lodge were completely restored. The original porches, floors, ceilings, stairways, wainscoting, gardens and original arts and crafts-style furnishings were brought back to life to recapture the look and feel of the original chalet.

The wood was stained to its original color and thick, locally made blankets now cover each bed. Original glass spans the windowpanes and the hotel's first hot-water heater inscribed with the words, "Belton, MT" has been converted into an outdoor grill.

While the electrical and plumbing systems have been updated and the bathrooms contain more modern facilities, the chalet maintains its rustic and "very basic" feel, said Roberts.

The Belton Chalet guest rooms do not have telephones, radios or televisions. While originally built in a dormitory style (two shared bathrooms for men and women), each guest room now includes its own bathroom.

"I don't know how well guests would react to sharing one big bathroom today," Roberts said with a laugh.

"There's a high attention to detail here. Nearly everything is authentic -- no new equipment here," Roberts quips.

Together, the lodge and cottages at the Belton offer 25 rooms that sleep 62 people.

The "Terrace Room" on the ground floor of the lodge seats more than 80 people and is accented by a cozy fireplace that is, of course, as old as the lodge itself. On a far wall of the Terrace Room the original architect's signature can be found, deep red paint signing off on a job well done.

Like a suitcase covered with stickers, the Belton is covered with little tributes to the travelers and staff who stayed within its walls.

Roberts pointed out a dark ring burned into the wood of the lobby floor. She recalls how a guest visiting the chalet revealed that one of his family members once worked at the Belton years ago and had set a hot coal bucket on the floor, thus causing the ring.

Another tribute rests just a few feet away, on top of an old piano -- the original hotel register.

The Belton has welcomed scores of guests since its revival. Exquisite dinners are served on a deck that looks out onto breathtaking Glacier peaks, and weddings and receptions are held in the chalet's lush gardens.

"The Belton is a unique place," says Roberts. "It's very personal, and very family-oriented."