Today we headed up to Big Mountain at Whitefish. We were going to just check out the ski hill not realizing they had a ton of summer activities. You can bet I was all over the sled! We also took the tram to the top of the hill. It was an awesome day! The only thing I wish I had a picture of was the Adventure Park. Tristan was dying to zip line but since we could not do it we opted for the Adventure Park. The bad thing was a did not have my camera. It was very challenging but super fun to complete it with him.
The adventure would continue as we were headed to The Isaak Walton. A friend of mine told me about this cute little place years ago and I have been excited to stay there ever since. I am not sure who loved it more, Tex & I, the kids or Sheree and Johnie. Here is a bit of the history from the website:
The Izaak Walton Inn was built next to the railroad yard
in 1939 for the use of railroad service personnel. It was also intended
to serve as an entrance to Glacier National Park between East Glacier
and West Glacier, but this plan never materialized. As a result, Essex
has a hotel that seems disproportionate to its modest needs.
In recent years tourists have discovered The Izaak Walton Inn, experienced its hospitality, and the warmth of the hotel, enjoyed the railroad ambiance, participated in the summer and winter activities available in the serene surroundings, and judged it one of Montana’s best kept recreational secrets.
According to Francis June, Schultz convinced Great Northern officials in St. Paul that names should be changed to better reflect the nature of the area in which the Blackfeet had roamed. Consequently, the present day Walton Ranger Station was listed on the map data in the early nineteen thirties as the Izaak Walton Ranger Station and the town of Essex Montana was renamed Walton. With the precedent set it was only logical to name the hotel erected in Walton in 1939, The Izaak Walton Inn.
The hotel was built not only to meet the needs of railroad personnel, but was also designed to be a resort at the proposed new entrance to Glacier Park. Plans to open Glacier Park between east and west Glacier were postponed due to WWII and after the war, interest in running a road into the Park Creek area had disappeared and all that remained was the Inn between the two park entrances.
The Izaak Walton Inn has remained the “Inn Between”, and through the years has found its own delightful niche in a million acres of wilderness.
….The fact is the Great Northern Railroad did not build a hotel in Essex. On April 28, 1939 the Great Northern Railroad and the Addison Miller Company entered into a contract that would allow Addison Miller to build and operate a hotel and lunchroom on railroad land at Walton, the contract was for 12 1/2 years from June 01, 1939 to December 01, 1951.
The Izaak Walton was completed at a cost of $40,000.00 and was to be formally opened November 15 1939. “Modern in every detail”, the two and a half story 36 by 114 foot structure boasted 29 rooms, ten bathrooms, a spacious lobby, dining room, kitchen with a two ton cook stove, drying room, store room, and general store.
It took twelve carpenters three months to complete. Much of the interior and exterior of the hotel remains the same today. In spite of losses, the Addison Miller company continued to own the hotel beyond the termination date of their contract with the Great Northern Railway. Ed Wellman bought the hotel from the Addison Miller company for $5,000.00 and sold it to Harry Stowell in 1965. In 1968 George A. Walker bought the hotel and Sid and Millie Goodrich bought it in 1973.
Larry and Linda Vielleux expanded services started by the Goodrich’s. The emphasis was on a comfortable brush with the past in which cross country skiers, hikers,and railroad fans all over the country and Canada can experience in the million acres of wilderness in which the Izaak Walton stands.
The Kelly’s are continuing to maintain the quality and ambiance that guests and Railfans of the Izaak Walton Inn have become accustomed to.
In recent years tourists have discovered The Izaak Walton Inn, experienced its hospitality, and the warmth of the hotel, enjoyed the railroad ambiance, participated in the summer and winter activities available in the serene surroundings, and judged it one of Montana’s best kept recreational secrets.
According to Francis June, Schultz convinced Great Northern officials in St. Paul that names should be changed to better reflect the nature of the area in which the Blackfeet had roamed. Consequently, the present day Walton Ranger Station was listed on the map data in the early nineteen thirties as the Izaak Walton Ranger Station and the town of Essex Montana was renamed Walton. With the precedent set it was only logical to name the hotel erected in Walton in 1939, The Izaak Walton Inn.
The hotel was built not only to meet the needs of railroad personnel, but was also designed to be a resort at the proposed new entrance to Glacier Park. Plans to open Glacier Park between east and west Glacier were postponed due to WWII and after the war, interest in running a road into the Park Creek area had disappeared and all that remained was the Inn between the two park entrances.
The Izaak Walton Inn has remained the “Inn Between”, and through the years has found its own delightful niche in a million acres of wilderness.
….The fact is the Great Northern Railroad did not build a hotel in Essex. On April 28, 1939 the Great Northern Railroad and the Addison Miller Company entered into a contract that would allow Addison Miller to build and operate a hotel and lunchroom on railroad land at Walton, the contract was for 12 1/2 years from June 01, 1939 to December 01, 1951.
The Izaak Walton was completed at a cost of $40,000.00 and was to be formally opened November 15 1939. “Modern in every detail”, the two and a half story 36 by 114 foot structure boasted 29 rooms, ten bathrooms, a spacious lobby, dining room, kitchen with a two ton cook stove, drying room, store room, and general store.
It took twelve carpenters three months to complete. Much of the interior and exterior of the hotel remains the same today. In spite of losses, the Addison Miller company continued to own the hotel beyond the termination date of their contract with the Great Northern Railway. Ed Wellman bought the hotel from the Addison Miller company for $5,000.00 and sold it to Harry Stowell in 1965. In 1968 George A. Walker bought the hotel and Sid and Millie Goodrich bought it in 1973.
Larry and Linda Vielleux expanded services started by the Goodrich’s. The emphasis was on a comfortable brush with the past in which cross country skiers, hikers,and railroad fans all over the country and Canada can experience in the million acres of wilderness in which the Izaak Walton stands.
The Kelly’s are continuing to maintain the quality and ambiance that guests and Railfans of the Izaak Walton Inn have become accustomed to.
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