Izaak Walton Inn
Izaak Walton Inn | |
The Inn and tracks | |
| Location | 290 Izaak Walton Inn Road Essex, Montana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°16′43″N 113°36′42″W / 48.27861°N 113.61167°W |
| Built | 1939 |
| Architect | Miller, Addison, Co. |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Website | izaakwaltoninn |
| NRHP reference No. | 85003235[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 18, 1985 |
The Izaak Walton Inn is a historic inn in Essex, Montana, United States. It was originally built as the Izaak Walton Hotel in 1939 by the Great Northern Railway as a soup kitchen and lodgings for railway workers.[2] The hotel was also originally envisioned as a potential official southern gateway to Glacier National Park, hence its size, but World War II intervened and that plan never materialized.[3][4] The inn is served by Essex station, the only request stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder route.
The Tudor Revival-style inn is named after Sir Izaak Walton, the English writer and fisherman. Its location, Essex, was originally named Walton.[5] The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[6] At Essex, the railway workers asked for some kind of accommodation.[7] About 400 people lived in the town of Essex in the 1920s, and some workers were able to obtain houses there.[7] However, many intermittent workers were forced to seek shelter in wall tents, abandoned railroad cars and other improvised structures, even during the winter.[7] Before the inn was built, there was only a "beanery", a restaurant with no lodging facilities (built in 1910 and 1920s; both structures were destroyed by fire).[7]
The inn has 33 rooms within the inn itself, with some other space in refurbished cabooses, EMD F45 Diesel Locomotive 441, etc. It has been privately owned since the 1950s.[8]
In December 2022, the inn was purchased for US$13.5 million by Washington-based hospitality company LOGE Camps (pronounced "lodge").[9][10] LOGE entered bankruptcy in 2026, closing the inn.[11]
Gallery
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GN441 Locomotive converted to a luxury lodge
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The Empire Builder passing the Izaak Walton Inn
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The Izaak Walton Inn is built next to a railroad helper station
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Track-facing side of the Izaak Walton Inn
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Vintage shuttle from Essex station to the Izaak Walton Inn
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BNSF Intermodal Train passing by the Izaak Walton Inn
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "Historic Inn to Receive Rail Service". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. March 10, 1985. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Great American Stations: Essex, MT (ESM)". Amtrak. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
- ^ "History of the Izaak Walton Inn". Izaak Walton Inn. 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
- ^ Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman; Aarstad, Arguimbau, Baumler, Porsild, Shovers; Montana Historical Society, 2009; page 132
- ^ "Izaak Walton Inn: Overview, History, Information".
- ^ a b c d Montana SP Izaak Walton Inn. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Montana, 1964 - 2012.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places, Montana - Flathead County". National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
- ^ Franz, Justin (December 16, 2022). "Historic Izaak Walton Inn sold near Glacier Park". Montana Free Press. Helena, MT: Montana Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Knowler, Adrian (December 16, 2022). "Izaak Walton Inn sold". Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, MT: The Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Scott, Tristan (February 14, 2026). "LOGE to Shutter Historic Izaak Walton Inn, Other Properties Amid Bankruptcy". Flathead Beacon.
Further reading
- Atkinson, Gail S. (1985). Izaak Walton Inn: A History of the Izaak Walton Inn and Essex, Montana. Kalispell?, Mont.: G.S. Atkinson. OCLC 13581798.
- National Archives Catalog entry for Montana SP Izaak Walton Inn