THE HISTORY OF GRAND LAKE LODGE
ELEGANT HOTEL RICH IN GRAND COUNTY HISTORY
By Cynthia McCoy / Photos Courtesy of Bob Scott & the James Family

Early Grand Lake Lodge is hidden in the trees.

Just shy of its 100-year anniversary, the Grand Lake Lodge lives on, and the new owners are hoping to uphold its legendary reputation. One of only a few historic Colorado hotels still in operation, its famous front porch once again welcomes guests, like so many who came before them, to see the surrounding splendor of the Rocky Mountains.

The year was 1920. Invitations and advertisements announced a formal Grand Ball set for the third of July. The event would celebrate the long-awaited opening of the Grand Lake Lodge – the National Park Service’s newest lodging facility.

News had reached folks from the entire Middle Park region and beyond. That evening, it was estimated more than 160 guests mingled in awe throughout its rustic expanse and gathered around the building’s two stone fireplaces.

Both cars and horses, transportation of the times, somehow made it up to Grand Lake Lodge, circa 1920s.

The lodge’s front porch perched gracefully above Grand Lake, the largest natural lake in Colorado, at more than 8,300 feet above sea level. Those guests, who came not only to see the structure’s magnificence but also its unmatched panoramic view, would be the first of many to ascend the wide, welcoming front steps. The Regatta sailing races and similar high-society events were commonplace in the golden years and the property became a must-see for many VIPs and celebrities (including Henry Ford, Jim Nabors, Paul Simon, Bruce Coburn, and Cindy Crawford).

The structure itself blossomed into much more than the concrete platforms and canvas tents originally planned for the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was decided that a two-story log and stone Adirondack-style structure – 160 feet long and 60 feet wide with a 30 foot-tall ceiling peak – would be best.

Construction took about a year. Once snows receded in the spring, horse-drawn freight wagons plodded through treacherously steep, rocky terrain to bring timbers a half-mile from a sawmill erected northwest of the site in 1918.

The lobby of the lodge is still as elegant as it was in this circa 1920s-30s photo.

At the time, sawmills were considered the framework of America’s “colonial frontier.” This particular mill was powered by the Grand Lake Lodge’s hydroelectric plant, which in turn, was powered by the rushing waters of Tonahutu Creek. With classic spring in full swing, the creek was at a roaring pace. The Middle Park area reported the heaviest snowstorm of the season had fallen those first six days of April.

Construction crews had just two more months to complete the project during the area’s infamous stunted building season, and snowdrifts had already delayed railroad shipments for more than a month. The mill churned out the rough-cut lumber, derived from the abundant lodgepole pine of the area. Many of the original support posts and crossbeams still hold the graceful grand dame standing tall – even despite a devastating fire that sparked in the kitchen in 1973. (Had it not been for the water from a swimming pool added when the James family gained ownership in 1963, the structure would’ve been lost completely.)

The porch at the Grand Lake Lodge has always been a coveted place to relax and take in the magnificent views of Grand Lake.

Unfortunately, the blaze had overtaken a great portion of the lodge. The tragedy prompted its closure for eight seasons as work was organized to re-peel by hand the internal log-work. In 1981, like a phoenix from the ashes, her doors flew open like wings to once again sail above the river valleys below.

With completion of Fall River Road, which followed the Grand Ball by two months, the final link between Grand Lake and Estes Park would open the area up to a half-million visitors in Colorado that first season (at a time when the U.S. Census counted 97 Grand Lake residents). Thanks in part to the popularity of Roe Emery’s Circle Tour of the Colorado Rockies and the far-reaching awe of Rocky Mountain National Park, as many as 8,500 people would stop by the lodge in one day.

Now, after a brief hiatus and nearly 300 prospective buyers, the first stage of renovations has been completed by Regency Hotel Management, hired by Grand Lake Ventures, LLC. The new owners are excited to uphold the property’s long-standing grandeur. On December 21, 2010, the James family, who had managed the Grand Lake Lodge since 1953, bowed out to allow Grand Lake Ventures a turn. Today the property, which the James family worked to have removed from the Park boundary in 1963 and had designated as a historical landmark in 1993, has since been annexed into the town of Grand Lake. Its 54 acres encompass more than 100 structures.

Early Grand Lake Lodge, circa 1920s.

Many of the original guest cabins became the “employee loop” during the James family ownership, and newer guest cabins were added. One of several larger guest cabins available this season was named after Henry Ford who came multiple seasons, some say to spy on F.O. Stanley whose Stanley Steamer boasted its ability to “climb mountains.”

The property also includes Nuptial Knoll, added to welcome guests to the wedding of Ted James III. In addition to the magnificent front lawn and deck facilities, it helped recognize the lodge as “one of the top ten wedding destinations in America.” Regency Hotel Management, with general manager Jeff Larson taking the lead, has several weddings planned this season, with hopes to host more. Larson says he is looking forward to a busy season and hopes to hear more about the lodge’s rich history from returning guests. The restaurant, which features an open chef area and covered porch, is open 7 am to 11 pm for breakfast buffet (brunch on Sundays), lunch, and dinner in what is described as a Colorado-themed steakhouse.

The Grand Lake Lodge in the early 1960s

When guests arrive this summer, they will see several improvements to the majority of cabins and other resort facilities, including modern upgrades to at least 18 of the newer guest cabins. Regency Hotel Management has formulated a timetable for enhancements that will take place over the next couple of years. Phase II, which includes renovation of at least 40 more cabins, is set to begin in the fall, with Big Valley Construction of Granby taking the lead once more.

"Imagine a great mirror, a mile wide and two miles long, bordered all around with thick timber, and beyond that with stupendous mountains flecked with patches and great fields of snow...."
– William Byers, Rocky Mountain News, August 24, 1868

The view from the porch at Grand Lake Lodge overlooks Grand Lake (left) and Shadow Mountain Reservoir, circa 1960s.

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