Pend Oreille Lodge offered luxurious comfort

Folks, I have been sort of snowed and iced in for a few days. I think I would have had a fearful bout of cabin fever if it had not been for the ability to sit and think. And that is what I have been doing a lot of — just thinking about places I would like to re-visit. Places like Taft's and the little cafe in Harold's. It was worth fighting all the smoke just to get one of Harold's toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. I would like to re-visit the Dolphin House, the first building in Sandpoint that was constructed to be used as a school.

After mentally walking the streets of Sandpoint and remembering the places I had experienced, I turned my mind to places I had heard about and would have liked to have seen. Places like: The old Farmin School on Second and Main. The Knights of Pythias building, Rink's Opera House, and the Norway Lodge out Colburn way all joined the parade of places I wished I could have seen and experienced.

My thoughts turned to a place I had heard about but no longer existed when we moved to Bonner County. It was called the Pend Oreille Lodge and it was located on Contest Point, about two miles across the lake from Sandpoint. James (Jim) Moore and Delbert (Dee) Haynes built it in 1947 just after World War II. It was constructed of native rock and cedar and could be reached by a two-mile boat ride or a six-mile trip along a narrow, winding road. Room rates were $10 in the luxurious lodge and gourmet meals, such as fresh salmon steak, cost $2.25. The Pend Oreille Lodge operated until 1949. It was then purchased by the Society of Jesus to be used as a summer retreat for theological students.

The lodge on the lake reopened December 1965 and offered furnished rooms and dormitory accommodations for skiers. James Veilleux, manager of the lodge, stated, "…it has turned essentially into a dinner and supper club type." It was in March of 1968 that fire totally destroyed the grand old lodge.

As I said, I was too late to see the lodge but, over time, some of the people who did experience it shared with me their memories. Annabelle Riffle said, "I was working at the time of the fire at the Edgewater and I saw the lodge burning across the lake."

Bob Nelson recalled, "We used to go out there by boat for dinner. Some people who went by boat could not return because of a storm on the lake and they had to spend the night at the lodge."

Jim Parsons Jr. remembered, "I worked there opening night in the kitchen with the head chef, Katie Pierce. We traveled back and forth to work in wooden boats powered by a 7 1/2 hp Scott Atwater outboard motor. A great lodge built before its time."

Edwin Nurmi recalled, "I remember going to a Shrine Club dinner at the lodge soon after it was built. A boat took us from the City Docks to the lodge."

Lana Kay Hanson played piano with a group that performed at the lodge. She has both good and bad memories, "It was an amazing building and I remember the beautiful cedar wood. They did not use nails but it was put together by wooden pegs. The fireplace in the lobby was large enough to walk in. The view from the lodge was incredible and especially from the cupola. We had played there on Saturday night and left most of our instruments and equipment and it all burned when the lodge burned down."

I am sure many of you remember the lodge and on occasion, when you sit and think, good memories of the times you spent there pass through the landscape of your mind.