Kootenai Lodge Historic District

Kootenai Lodge Historic District is a historic site in Bigfork, Montana, United States. It is recognized as a concentrated group of lodge-related buildings and structures that represent an earlier phase of the area's development. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1984, and the listing includes 25 contributing buildings. The district's architectural significance is connected in part with the work of the architectural firm Cutter and Malmgren, which is believed to have designed cabins numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. Construction of those cabins was carried out by local craftsmen Ward Whitney and Fred Kitzmiller. William Moose served as the stonemason, contributing to the masonry work associated with the property. A barn dating from 1922 was built by local builder Les Averill. Rather than functioning as a contemporary commercial brand, Kootenai Lodge Historic District is best understood as a heritage property and historic landscape. Its importance rests on the survival and collective interpretation of its contributing buildings, the relationship between lodge cabins and service structures, and the evidence the site provides about regional design and construction practices. The district also illustrates how local builders and craftspeople participated in the creation of Montana lodge architecture. The available reference material does not identify a current operating company, owner, website, product range, executive team, financial history, or present-day commercial activity. Accordingly, this entry treats the district as a historic-place subject rather than attributing modern brand operations or business activities to it.

Kootenai Lodge Historic District is located in Bigfork, Montana, and preserves a group of buildings associated with a lodge property. The district is documented as containing 25 contributing buildings, indicating that its historic character derives from a collection of related structures rather than from a single isolated building. Several of the cabins are associated with the architectural firm Cutter and Malmgren. The firm is believed to have designed cabins numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. These buildings were constructed by local craftsmen Ward Whitney and Fred Kitzmiller, while William Moose was responsible for masonry work as the site's stonemason. The surviving information therefore connects the district's design and construction to a combination of professional architectural planning and local building expertise. The property also includes a barn built in 1922 by local builder Les Averill. The barn adds an agricultural or service-related dimension to the lodge complex and contributes to the understanding of how the site operated as a group of interconnected buildings. Together, the cabins, barn, masonry, and other contributing structures form the physical basis for the district's historic significance. Kootenai Lodge Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1984. National Register recognition formally documented the importance of the site and its buildings within the historic resources of Montana. The available material does not provide a fuller chronology of the lodge's founding, ownership changes, periods of operation, restoration work, or current management. It also does not establish a separate founding year for the district itself. The documented historical record supports describing Kootenai Lodge Historic District as a preserved architectural and cultural resource whose significance lies in its buildings, craftsmanship, and association with the development of lodge architecture in the Bigfork area.

• 1984

  National Register listing

  [1]Kootenai Lodge Historic Districten.wikipedia.org

  Kootenai Lodge Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1984. The listing identifies 25 contributing buildings.

• 1922

  Construction of the historic barn

  [1]Kootenai Lodge Historic Districten.wikipedia.org

  A barn associated with the lodge complex was built by local builder Les Averill.

• Construction of lodge cabins

  [1]Kootenai Lodge Historic Districten.wikipedia.org

  Cabins numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 are believed to have been designed by Cutter and Malmgren and built by local craftsmen Ward Whitney and Fred Kitzmiller, with masonry work by William Moose.

A historic-place and architectural heritage district rather than a consumer or corporate brand.

1. 1Kootenai Lodge Historic Districten.wikipedia.org