New owner plans to complement the past with the present at Izaak Walton Inn

For nearly 84 years it has stood as the “Inn between.”

Located 27 miles from West Glacier and 30 miles from East Glacier, the Izaak Walton Inn in the tiny community of Essex sits nestled along the tracks of the BNSF Railway bordered by Glacier National Park to the north and east and the Bob Marshall Wilderness to the south and west.

After more than eight decades and hundreds of thousands of visitors, this summer the Inn will receive its first major renovations and upgrades since 1995 thanks to its new Washington-based owners, LOGE Camps.

Pronounced “Lodge” (Live Outside, Go Explore”), the company was inspired by the surf, climbing and camping culture of the 70s as well as the relaxed energy of a road trip with friends. The company specializes in finding “forgotten motels near our favorite towns and trails and [bringing] them back to life with a variety of ways to stay like single, double, family-style bunk rooms, and campsites,” according to its website.

It is that atmosphere that LOGE hopes to bring to the Izaak Walton while preserving the property’s rich history.

"We are doing everything we can to be respectful of the history of the property while also adding what we think are important opportunities for our visitors,” said Slate Olson, head of marketing at LOGE. “We want to be true to the history of the property and to the community and make sure the next chapter of the book which is the Izaak Walton is a good one. We don’t want to change things to the point where it becomes unrecognizable.”

While several of the company’s other properties in Oregon, Colorado, California and Washington have rich histories, the Izaak Walton will be LOGE’s first time working with a structure listed on the National Historic Registry.

According to Olson, the firm wants to maintain the rustic feel of the property while adding a few modern touches such as communal fire pits and Traeger grills.

“We are working to bring the Inn, in some ways, into more of a modern day experience while maintaining the aspects that make it so historic and unique,” he said. “One of the things that is great about the Izaak is that you feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere, but also in the middle of everywhere. You are far away from the city, but right on the doorstep of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park. Many people appreciate the Inn because there are not a lot of modern amenities, but there are others who would probably like to have WiFi access while they are with us.”

WITH WALLS lined with vintage photographs and Great Northern Railway advertising as well as original 1930s post office boxes and a large central fireplace, the Izaak Walton is brimming with history.

Built in a cooperative agreement between the railroad and the Addison Miller Co., the Izaak Walton opened in 1939 as a winter home for the Great Northern Railway workers tasked with the difficult job of keeping the railroad line over Marias Pass free and clear of snow.

Completed by a team of 12 carpenters over three months at a cost of $40,000, the Inn boasted 29 rooms, 10 bathrooms, a spacious lobby, dining room, kitchen with a two-ton cook stove, drying room, store room and general store.

Even with the 1995 remodel, which brought bathrooms to every room, the structure’s Great Depression era construction is still quite evident in the Inn’s thin walls and drafty windows.

While the Inn provides ample opportunities to enjoy the soothing sounds of nature, guests can also listen to just about everything that goes on in the rooms adjacent to them.

“The Inn itself is both beautiful and rustic, but you also know when your neighbors cough or get out of bed,” Olson said. “We will be looking at improving the acoustics along with updating the bedding and fixtures. We plan to do that while also weighing the right ways to restore versus renovate.”

Along with the renovations inside the Inn, LOGE also plans to improve several of the cabins and outbuildings as well as make “slight improvements” to the converted luxury railcars available to guests as well as areas used for employee housing.

“Some of the houses are probably going to take a bit more work, based on what we are discovering there,” Olson said. “We plan to improve those as well. That might be as simple as improving lighting or flooring or possibly some more extensive changes.”

With permits already secured from the Forest Service to continue the operation of nearly 20 miles of groomed cross country ski trails adjacent to the Inn, LOGE says it may move the equipment rental and gift shop areas to a new location near those trails for easier visitor access.

While Olson said the renovation plans are still a work in progress, one thing that is certain is that they will take time to complete. In an effort to get the work done as quickly and efficiently as possible, LOGE plans to close the Inn after Memorial Day weekend this summer but hopes to be up and running again before the winter season.

“It is unfortunate and we know it will disrupt plans for a lot of people during a busy time of the year, but there is no other way for us to be able to get the amount of work done that we need to in such a short time,” he said. “I would be surprised if we can accomplish everything we want to in the timeframe we have, but we will do what we can.”

As the seventh owners in the Inn’s 84 year history, LOGE said it has a goal to continue operating the Izaak Walton in a spirit in line with the property’s past while also bringing a slight modern touch.

“Our hope is that if you come with a group or stay with us by yourself, you feel very much like a part of a community. We want everyone to feel welcome so they can share their adventures of the day so they might inspire the adventures of tomorrow,” Olson said. “We want to get this work done quickly and we want to get it done right so we can be in this location for the long haul.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber can be reached at jweber@dailyinterlake.com.