Hill's Resort celebrates 72 years at lake

Editor’s note: This is the second of five stories following the Priest Lake Museum's Heritage Series, as well as the museum itself. The series details the history of Priest Lake, which began with the early history of logging in Priest Lake, and continues with the history of Hill's Resort as presented by Teri Hill.

By MARY MALONE

Staff writer

PRIEST LAKE — From the time he was a young boy, George Hill spent his summers fishing and making friends at Priest Lake, enjoying its serene beauty.

“Priest Lake became his first love from age 10,” said his daughter, Teri Hill.

Her father had the privilege of spending his summers at the lake, she said, because her grandparents owned a small log cabin at Hunt Creek that they had purchased for $300, which still stands today.

Teri Hill disclosed this information during the second installment of the Priest Lake Heritage series, a four-part event hosted by the Priest Lake Museum. The series, which began two weeks ago with the early history of logging in Priest Lake, continued last Wednesday with the history of Hill’s Resort.

After spending his youthful summers in Priest Lake, George Hill went to college at the University of Washington before becoming a pilot in the United States Navy. In fact, there is a propellor the Navy awards those who don’t crash their plane, Teri Hill said, so George Hill’s propellor can still be seen in the lobby of the current Hill’s Resort lodge by the bathrooms.

Her grandparents owned Hill’s Shoe Store in Spokane at the time, she said, so her dad went to work for them for a short time.

“He didn’t like it at all,” Teri Hill said. “So he discovered at Priest Lake that the Earl Ferris Resort was for sale. He went to my grandfather and said, ‘I want to buy a resort at Priest Lake.’”

Her grandfather, Lloyd Hill, loaned him the money to purchase the resort in 1946. It was a fishing resort, she said, with seven cabins and a small lodge.

It was around 1952 when George Hill met his wife, Lois Hill.

“My mom had heard that there was a very good-looking guy at Priest Lake,” Teri Hill said. “So she and a friend decided they would come see if they could see him.”

The two women stayed at Elkins Resort, she said, and George and Lois ended up meeting at the Linger Longer, which was a bar at the time, though it is now condominiums. It was “instant love at first sight” from the minute they saw each other across the bar, Teri Hill said. They were married in 1954.

In 1955, the year Teri Hill was born, her dad built his home, which was also the new lodge. The old lodge still stands as cabin 101 at the resort. The current resort has been built around the lodge that her father built.

Along with their three children — Teri, Craig and Scott — the Hill family welcomed Doug Johnson, the resort’s handyman, as a surrogate member of the family for 36 years. Teri Hill said her mom wanted a new washer and dryer, so George Hill told her to go earn some money. Lois Hill took up the challenge and went mink trapping. Johnson would help her trap, skin and tan the mink.

One day, she said, someone called “What’s My Line?” and told them there was a woman in North Idaho that traps mink. So they called her and asked her to come to New York. Teri Hill said she thinks it was 1957 that her mom starred on the show. A clip of Lois Hill on “What’s My Line?” can be viewed on the Hill’s Resort Facebook page under videos.

In addition to purchasing the Earl Ferris Resort, George Hill eventually purchased Timm’s Luby Bay Resort, which was adjacent to Hill’s. The original Timm’s building was moved and is now the bar at Hill’s Resort and the dining room was built between the original lodge and the bar. Hill’s also owns part of the Priest Lake Golf Course, which opened in 1966 with nine-hole course. It eventually evolved to an 18-hole course under the ownership of two families.

The resort itself evolved from seven cabins to 29. In the mid-1970s, it evolved into a year-round resort when a few families asked George Hill if he would open up a few cabins for a New Year’s weekend at the lake. Snowmobiles, cross country skiing and other winter sports helped push winter business.

“We’ve actually worked almost 30 years to have winter business,” Teri Hill said. “In reality, we have winter business, but you have to realize it’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Nobody else is here the rest of the week, so it’s really hard and it’s a real labor of love to keep open in the winter.”

George Hill, who was born in November 1920, died from from cancer in 1990. Lois Hill, who lived to be 86, died in August 2016.

Hill’s resort is still owned and operated by the children of George and Lois Hill, along with their spouses and children.

The Priest Lake Heritage Series continues tonight, July 25, in the Coolin Civic Center with “Get Lit: Diamond Match Company,” which will outline the history of logging in the area after World War II as presented by historian Kris Runberg Smith. The final presentation on Aug. 1 will be at the Priest Lake Library with the history of Elkin’s Resort, hosted by Bob Davis. All presentations are at 7 p.m.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.