Izaak Walton Inn

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Izaak Walton Inn
Izaak Walton Inn
The Inn and tracks
Izaak Walton Inn is located in Montana
Izaak Walton Inn
LocationEssex, Montana
Coordinates48°16′43″N 113°36′42″W / 48.27861°N 113.61167°W / 48.27861; -113.61167Coordinates: 48°16′43″N 113°36′42″W / 48.27861°N 113.61167°W / 48.27861; -113.61167
Built1939
ArchitectMiller, Addison, Co.
Architectural styleTudor Revival
NRHP reference No.85003235[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 18, 1985

The Izaak Walton Inn is a historic inn in Essex, Montana, USA. 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] Today, the inn is served by Essex station, the only request stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder route. A van from the inn meets both the morning eastbound and the evening westbound Empire Builders to convey passengers between the station and the inn.

The Tudor Revival 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] Before its construction, rail crews had to find lodgings best they could among the then about 400 inhabitants of Essex, with many having to shelter in abandoned railcars or tents even during the winter.[7] Before the Inn was built, there was only a "beanery", a restaurant with no lodging facilities (built 1910 and 1920s; both structures destroyed by fire).[7]

The inn has 33 rooms for rent within the inn itself, with some other space available in refurbished cabooses, EMD F45 Diesel Locomotive 441, etc. It has been privately owned since the 1950s.[8] The Izaak Walton Inn is open year-round, except for several weeks during the off season.

Gallery[]

Izaak Walton Inn

  • GN441 Locomotive converted to a luxury lodge

  • The Empire Builder passing the Izaak Walton Inn

  • The Izaak Walton Inn is built next to a railroad helper station

  • Track-facing side of the Izaak Walton Inn

  • Vintage shuttle from Essex station to the Izaak Walton Inn

References[]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Historic Inn to Receive Rail Service". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. March 10, 1985. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. ^ "Great American Stations: Essex, MT (ESM)". Amtrak. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  4. ^ "History of the Izaak Walton Inn". Izaak Walton Inn. 2010. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  5. ^ Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman; Aarstad, Arguimbau, Baumler, Porsild, Shovers; Montana Historical Society, 2009; page 132
  6. ^ https://www.american-rails.com/izaak-walton-inn.html
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71975964
  8. ^ "National Register of Historic Places, Montana - Flathead County". National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2012-03-22.

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.

External links[]

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