Historic Lodge Makes New Memories

By Liv Stecker

Vintage Signs Beckon Passers-By

The fondest memories of my youth involve a grassy lakeside in the sunshine and a tan boy in corduroy shorts, beckoning from the rocking turquoise shell of a paddleboat on choppy waves. It’s the late 1980s, and nothing beats corduroy and paddleboats for a middle-school girl in the dead of summer. The shorts have fallen out of fashion temporarily, but the boat still rocks in the dark blue water every summer off the shore of Lake Gillette, nestled high up in the mountains above Colville where Beaver Lodge has stood since 1948.

Lake Gillette From the Lodge 1968

There isn’t much grass right now, but Beaver Lodge Resort is in full swing as the snowmobilers pile in for the annual Gold Rush Fun Run, perfectly timed with a several inches of new snow and sunshine to rival the peak of July. In August of 2014, Beaver Lodge changed ownership, and new owners Dick and Marlene Nichols bit off a piece of Stevens County nostalgia that may have been more than they bargained for – in both the work and the reward. “It’s been enjoyable, it’s been what we thought it would be – busy!” Dick says.

Growing up in the Colville area, both Dick and Marlene had visited lake as youngsters, as well as bringing their own children out occasionally to stay at the Forest Service campgrounds during the summer. Both of Dick’s parents were mail carriers in the 1950’s on the Highway 20 route when he was a child, back when the mail carrier also served as taxi service and grocery delivery for the remote families on the lakes. Dick and his siblings (one brother is now the mail carrier for the same route) would ride along with their parents on the routes. Looking for a new adventure after many years of employment in Colville, Beaver Lodge presented itself to the Nichols over and over again until, for them, the timing was right. Marlene says that it’s the perfect spot for Dick to practice his fix-it skills and keep busy. She balances a part time job at the Stevens County Superior Court with her time at the lodge, where they spend the better part of their week living and working now – coming full circle for Dick and his youth spent near the Little Pend Oreille Lakes.

Beaver Lodge was built in 1948; at the time it was called Comus Diane Resort. Helen and Lester McKern built the lakeside lodge, when most of highway 20 was still unpaved and the Pend Oreille Lakes were just being developed for summer recreation. The Air Force was constructing a radar dome base about three miles away to support defense efforts for the Cold War, and the military influx brought enough business to expand the lodge and install two gas pumps within the first two years. Five of the resort cabins date back to these first years, constructed from timber harvested from the resort site and costing $4 per night to rent, including a rowboat. The McKerns sold Comus Diane in 1956, it was renamed Beaver Lodge, and has changed hands numerous times since then, gaining another four cabins, a shower facility and other minor modifications as the years have progressed.

Since taking over in August, Marlene and Dick have begun some improvements and renovation, and most of all, repairs. After operating for nearly seventy years, the lodge is beginning to feel her age, and as the Nichols put some tender loving care into the place, the rejuvenation begins and the next season of memory making can take place at this Stevens County icon of family vacation. Upcoming plans include cabin renovations, new RV sites and the finishing touches on a new septic system. One of the first undertakings at the lodge was some basic redecorating as Dick and Marlene decided to go with a more local theme and remove the exotic wildlife trophies from around the world that had accumulated as a somewhat sinister trademark of the resort restaurant.

The restaurant, while no longer serving hard alcohol, still offers a wide variety of wine and beers, of the macro and microbrew variety, and a full menu, including Prime Rib dinner every night, a treat worth the drive for the dedicated carnivores among us. Guests can watch the game on a big screen TV in the dining room, and WiFi is available for the visitors that aren’t enjoying the break from cell service and technology. The Nichols fenced in an outdoor beer garden area off of the deck which almost doubles the restaurant seating area in the summer season.

Gillette Lake is part of the chain of Pend Oreille Lakes that also include Lakes Thomas, Sherry, and Heritage, all connected by the Little Pend Oreille River. Boaters can travel between lakes and reach the various campgrounds and summer homes on the water’s edge, some privately owned and some managed by the Colville National Forest. Fishing season opens on April 27^th for Cutthroat and Brook Trout, and in the vast surrounding forest, hunters of all seasons find a great base camp at Beaver Lodge. The store has been the salvation of countless campers who arrive to the lakes a few marshmallows short of a s’more, or missing crucial items like matches, firewood or beer.

In addition to the nostalgic paddleboats, rowboats and the ever popular canoe, the Nichols’ are looking into expanding the recreation rentals to include Stand Up Paddle Boards, an ideal sport for the Pend Oreille Lakes and their many summer visitors. The pristine, snow covered lake also beckons snowmobilers and snowshoers, who can skip the seasonal (and altogether reasonable) dock fee of $5.

Following the Gold Rush Fun Run for snowmobiles, this May the resort will host an ATV/Jeep Bucket Run starting at the lodge, another fall Bucket Run, and the Tiger Triathlon in July. The resort is busiest between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with crowds of campers for July 4^th and other summer holidays. The campground is able to accommodate large groups and events with a wide variety of camping options and a big pavilion that is available for daily rentals. Reservations well ahead of time are strongly encouraged as the resort fills up quickly. Family reunions, wedding receptions, birthday parties and other special occasions over the years have planted their memories on the shores of this little lake tucked high above the Colville valley.

For Valentines Day, Beaver Lodge Resort is offering a cabin rental and dinner with two drinks at $99 a night for a standard cabin, $129 for a deluxe cabin (with a private bathroom). A quiet dinner for two including two drinks is $45 if you don’t want an overnight stay in cozy cabin. For almost any holiday, it’s worth the 24 mile drive from Colville to find out what Beaver Lodge Resort has to offer. Try the prime rib and drink a cold beer overlooking the spectacular lake year round, enjoy the memories from years past and plan some new ones for the future at Beaver Lodge.

For more information, visit the website: http://www.beaverlodgeresort.org or call 509-684-5657 to make reservations for your next adventure in the woods.