Kootenai Lodge

By Risa Bjork, Bigfork High School

Sun shines through apple trees laden with fragrant blossoms. As I walk through the orchard, I remember picking apples with my little sister on our way home from the bus stop. I gaze toward the rustic cabins of the Kootenai Lodge nestled in gigantic ponderosa pines at the mouth of Swan River. The cabins sit west of the rough, gravel road that leads to the barn. As I cross this road, flowers and weeds push their way through the soft dirt, and the lake peeks through the trees and cabins in front of me. In the distance I hear children laughing, boats taking their evening trolls, and nearby the buzz of a fisherman's fly reel.

Kootenai was said to be a retreat for Indian tribes, a place where they set up sweat houses for physical and spiritual cleansing, and I imagine how they might have felt coming here. Kootenai was also home to many homesteaders. It changed hands many times before a man named Orvis Evans discovered it while on a fishing trip in the area in 1906. He immediately wanted to share this unique and wonderful place with his friend and law partner, Cornelius Kelley. Shortly after his visit, the partners bought the property, 137 acres and several buildings.

At first they used it as their summer fishing camp. Initially there were only three homestead cabins, but as time passed Evans' and Kelley's careers took off and with their success they continued to expand.

Although they worked in Butte, they made the long and complicated trip every summer: two families with fine china, silverware, and elegant evening clothes left Butte by horse and buggy, heading to the train station. The train brought them to the middle of the Flathead Indian Reservation where they transferred to a stagecoach and traveled on to Polson. At the lake in Polson, they boarded a steamboat which brought them to Bigfork. They left town in a wagon on a bumpy logging road along the steep north shore of the Swan River that Betty Evans Staddler called "the Roller Coaster." The journey finally ended after two full days, a trip that would only take four hours today.

Stories about Kootenai's past paint a vivid picture of what it must have been like here eighty years ago. It was the Camelot of its times: extraordinary gardens, grand hall, equestrian stables, polo grounds, greenhouse, thirty-one-stable barn for thoroughbred horses, and a ten-car garage for Pierce Arrow and Duesenberg limousines.

Looking across the expansive grounds, I imagine the extensive staff needed to maintain these beautiful grounds. Meeting the standards of the Evans and Kelleys couldn't have been an easy task. The thoroughbreds peeked out at black-suited chauffeurs standing in front of the shiny Pierce Arrows. Four gardeners maintained the multiple flower and vegetable gardens. In addition to the grounds staff, they also employed butlers, cooks, maids, a lifeguard, and nannies to watch the Kelley and Evans children as well as the many children who visited. Kootenai also included two tennis courts, a billiard room, and a playground for the children.

Adjacent to the Kelley's Dining Room is the main lodge and courtyard. Passing the dining room, I follow the little pebble walkways that connect the different buildings. I enter the courtyard by opening the latch on the gate, remembering the etchings my mother showed me as a child. I kneel down to look for these simple but extraordinary drawings that were etched in the wet cement by Charlie Russell. By brushing off the dust and brown, crisp leaves I uncover a salamander. These simple drawings are scattered throughout the courtyard: a snake, a fish, an Indian headdress, a turtle and a sun.

Grass and flowers peek through the cracks of the old cement. On each side of me there are two wings with six bedrooms, each with a fireplace and bathroom. Just stepping into one of these rooms is like a journey into the past; it is as though everything has remained untouched since the Kelley and Evans walked the halls. Each bedroom has all the original furnishings: hand-painted lamp shades, cedar furniture, and many area rugs. My favorite is the children's room which is decorated with frogs and butterflies.

The Main Lodge is 50 by 75 feet and has a 30 foot ceiling. It was designed by Kirkland Cutter (who also designed the Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier Park and the Conrad Mansion). The moment I walk through the large wooden doors I imagine visitors dressed in their finest clothing, chatting by the fireplace. The large walk-in fireplace stands below the balcony, surrounded by some of the old wicker furniture. Unpeeled cedar log railings lead up the curved staircase to the balcony.

Leaving the main lodge, I go to one of my favorite spots on the Kootenai grounds, a porch swing. Here I remember my parents pushing me while I squealed, "Higher!" The fragile wicker swing creaks as I go back and forth. As I sit here and listen to the laughter and conversations carried on across the lake, I think of what a busy place Kootenai must have been during the summer. Days were filled with elegant dinner parties, weddings, dances, barbecues, boat races, and card games. Even prohibition didn't affect the spirit of this annual summer party; the two families kept a substantial liquor supply in a secret vault.

Kootenai's mystical and almost fairy tale atmosphere captivates nearly everyone who visits. Its elegant beauty seems almost unreal. Evans' love for Kootenai even caused him to turn down an offer to be vice-president of the Anaconda Copper Company; he instead continued as general counsel and spent his summers on Swan Lake until the 1950s.

After the death of Cornelius Kelley and Orvis Evans, silence fell over Kootenai Lodge. It was eventually sold to Stoltz Land and Lumber Company of Columbia Falls in 1968. After harvesting the prime timber off 2,400 acres, they subdivided it into what is now known as Swan Sites. They left the 45 acres surrounding the buildings intact.

Kootenai changed hands several times before it was sold to Dennis Thompkins who made it into a membership club, trying to preserve Kootenai's splendor. During this time, Kootenai was once again alive with people. While waiting for my mother who worked as a waitress at Kootenai Lodge, my dad and I would drift on the glassy surface of the water occasionally casting out our fishing lines.

This club was unsuccessful and did not last long. Kootenai once again became quiet and empty until it was purchased by Debi and Mark Rolfing, an energetic couple from Maui. The Lodge has become an escape from their busy lives in Maui where Mark hosts his own show called "Golf Hawaii" and Debi is a real estate developer. Here, at Kootenai Lodge, Debi holds parties for friends and family and creates what she calls "Camp Rolfing." This gathering features a variety of activities: canoe races, water skiing, swimming, and paddle boating. Again, Kootenai is serving as a summer camp and a perfect retreat.

As I sway back and forth in the swing, the sun begins to slip behind the mountains, and shadows fall across the log cabins. The evening comes to a close and I walk down the slate rock path toward my canoe. Fish rise, disturbing the glassy surface. I slowly push my green canoe onto the calm water and step in, knocking my paddle to the bottom of the boat. The sound echoes through the still air.

This day is ending and I paddle away from the Kootenai, a place that has always existed, for a succession of people, as a refuge and an escape. I gaze back at the undisturbed peacefulness that has made it one of my favorite places.

Essay of Place Issue
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