The fire is crackling in the fireplace. The hunter's trophies peer at you from above. Original artwork on the walls depicts a bygone era of train travel and steamer trunks. The lobby's ambiance is deliberate, bathed in a sense of ongoing history. It is a lovely place to settle in. Staying at the historic Lake McDonald Lodge is spendy, and you must plan months in advance to secure a room as they usually sell out early. I was not an overnight guest, but it was fun to enter the lobby, sit, and soak in the history. I am sure staying here is special if you are lucky enough to secure a room.
Western painter Charlie Russell built his Bull Head Lodge and art studio on the shore of Lake McDonald in 1906. At the same time, John Lewis took possession of a small hunting lodge at the present Lake McDonald Lodge site. When President Howard Taft signed the legislation creating Glacier National Park in 1910, Lewis decided to greatly expand the hunting lodge into a Swiss-alpine design. The original lodge faced the lake. Well-heeled train passengers would arrive by steamboat and disembark at the front door. Nowadays, visitors arrive at the back door. Charlie Russell helped design the original concrete and stone fireplace. Since Russell lived nearby, he frequently entertained guests in the lobby with stories of cowboys and Native Americans and showed off some of his artwork. His wife, Nancy, who was also his business manager, would arrange the sale of the paintings. It must have been a wonderful time period.
A philanthropist recently purchased Russell's Bull Head Lodge with plans to completely restore the structure and make it available for tours through the Park Service. The art collection within the Lake McDonald Lodge was originally commissioned by the Great Northern Railway to promote rail travel to park lodges. When the 21 paintings were donated to the National Park Service, there was a condition that the paintings must remain on view within the lodge. This condition allows current lodge visitors to have a similar experience to the early 1900s visitors. Lake McDonald Lodge has a fabulous combination of history, art, and scenery, and allows one to "step back in time."
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
