Lindbergh Lake History
Lindbergh Lake Laird’s Lodge History
Talk given by William A. Reynolds on June 28, 2013 for the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society's Historic Lodges Tour.
Thank you, Sharon MacQuarrie, for inviting me to talk today about my personal memories going back to the mid-1930s when I first came to Laird's Lodge at age six with my family. My father was a dentist in Missoula, and this was in the depths of the Depression. He saw Cap and Tyne Laird as patients and worked out an arrangement to do the dental work for them and their employees (including their cook and horse wranglers, and others) in exchange for a week's vacation at their lodge each summer for our family (for 4-5 years).
It was quite an adventure, actually, driving to Laird's Lodge on then Elbow Lake from Missoula. It was a four hour, 80-mile drive on an gravel and dirt road all the way from Bonner that was usually hot and dusty. We usually stopped about half way at the Sunset Hill store (Before Clearwater Junction) for ice cream cones and then invariably, my younger brother, Marv, would get carsick. We'd have to pull over and let them throw up. As we got closer to the lake, our excitement grew and when we saw the sign about one-mile from the lodge that read " A Whoop and a Holler to Laird’s Lodge" we knew we were about there.
We were greeted by Cap and Tyne and shown to our room in the lodge. In later years, we'd stay in the "Roundup" Cabin. We were then treated by Cap to a tour of his museum, on the west side porch. He had many interesting items and artefacts. There were a number related to Paul Bunyon with stories to go with them. Paul had come to this county after cutting down all the trees in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He got in a major fight with Swan River Bill, and after two days, Swan River Bill was killed and buried in the Swan Mountains. You can still see his tombstone when you look up at Holland Peak and count five smaller peaks going north. From just behind the fifth peak, you see the peak of the tombstone which looks like the top of the Washington Monument, tilting toward the north.
Cap had two very interesting taxidermy birds. One was a Mugmump, perched on a rail with his "mug" (its face) on one side and his "rump" on the other. The other was a Whiffle Poof that flew facing backwards. He didn't care where he was going, just where he had been. From the lakeshore, Cap gathered "Porcupine eggs," Here are two examples of ones I've collected (these egg-shaped objects are formed by larch needles, adhering to moss, moved back-and-forth by wave action underwater at the shoreline). There were many other items that some of you may recall.
Following the museum tour, Cap gathered all of the new guests, extolling the virtues of the wonderful Triple Iron Springs, and the life-giving properties of the spring water. We followed Cap across the old wooden bridge over the Swan River, and walked through the woods for a quarter mile before arriving at the site of the springs. He lifted a protective box cover with a flourish, for all to inspect the triple iron springs: 3 iron bedsprings. Those that had brought a cup to collect the water were a bit disappointed.
For a week, there were wonderful activities with horse riding every day. Popular rides included the 1-mile trip to the staffed Elbow Fire Lookout. We usually took an orange or apple to the man at the lookout who let up look around his quarters. An all-day trip of 18 miles round trip to Glacier Lake was for the more adventurous. We packed a lunch and then had good fishing at Glacier Lake. An even longer one-day horse trip was up the Jocko Trail to the Sunset Lookout.
There were a number of row boats on Lindbergh Lake available for us to use. An employee would sometimes drive a motor boat to the Sandy Beach for a picnic and swimming. Of course, huckleberry picking was something our family did regularly. Once each week, Cap had an evening campfire with story-telling.
At the lodge, I remember the wonderful family-style meals served at the Dining Hall. To get there, we'd walk on a wooden walkway by the Ice House, were huge chunks of lake ice had been cut and stored in sawdust. Breakfast included the fish we'd caught. One dinner I vividly remember when all the guests had eaten and enjoyed huckleberry pie for dessert, as was often the case, there was conversation after dinner and the subject of huckleberries and pie came up. One of the guests there with his family was a Mr. Frank Compton from Chicago. He was the author of Compton's Encyclopaedia. He was quite an erudite individual. Mr Compton spoke up, telling Cap that these were actually "whortleberries" not huckleberries. Cap thought for few seconds and responded, 'That's a good one: whoever heard of Whortleberry Finn?"
One can't talk about the history of the Laird's Lodge without mentioning the visit of Charles Lindbergh made in 1927, following his widely acclaimed solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Following his return to the U.S., the Guggenheim Foundation sponsored and arranged a nation-wide tour by Lindbergh in his plane. The Anaconda Copper Mining Company (ACM) had arranged his itinerary in Montana, and were designed hosts for the Montana segment of the trip. The ACM CEO, John Ryan, had a friend who had recently spent time at a Western Montana wilderness camp, and this triggered secret "escape" camping trip plan for Lindy to Elbow Lake. He arrived in Butte in early September, 1927, and was busy with activities in Butte. Lindy had agreed to visit both Great Falls and Helena for appearances where he was entertained. He purposely flew over Elbow Lake to inspect where the planned camping trip would take place and was pleased.
OnSeptember 8, 1927 Lindy joined an entourage of a number of cars from ACM, loaded with camping gear and executives from ACM. The driving time was 6-1/2 hours from Butte, with a stop at Seeley Lake, at the spacious summer home of C.H. McLeod, who owned the Missoula Mercantile Company. As they drove into the Swan Valley and got ready to cross the Swan River, the cars weren't able to ford. Pack horses from the Gordon Ranch met the travelers, carried them across the river, and completed the 4-mile journey to Elbow Lake. The destination camp was adjacent to the Laird Camp where Cap was building the lodge. Lindy was there for four days, enjoying many hours with Cap talking, shooting skeet, fishing, and boating. There is one artefact that you can still see on the lakeshore from Lindy's visit. There is a large rock on the shore close to where the camp was, where you can see, carved in the rock, "Lindy '27."
Later John Ryan, in honor of Lindbergh, changed the name of Elbow Lake to Lindbergh Lake, which all the locals adopted. It took the U.S. Forest Service several decades to make the name change official.
I've put together a booklet, one for each couple, that contains a number of documents related to the history of the Laird’s lodge, and Cap and Tyne Laird
the Laird's Lodge. The first part of the booklet was put together by my father, F. Gordon Reynolds. I've added some correspondence from a very good friend of Cap and Tyne, Harriet Linn. Harriet was a grade school teacher in Missoula. She recorded many memories, dictated by Tyne about Cap and Tyne's life together and Cap’s death while walking his trap line. The booklet includes a eulogy given by Cap's Lumberjack preacher, "Sky Pilot" Reverend Dick Ferrell at Cap's memorial service in 1961.
In closing, I'd like to read a few excerpts from Dick Ferrell's eulogy closing:
"Cap Laird was a man of broad human sympathies, full of charity, and love for his fellow man. He was quick to praise a noble act, he hated sham and hypocrisy, Cap was reverent in all spiritual matters. Mrs. Laird and Cap were energetic workers. Their ranch was one of the most up-to-date in the whole west. Hundreds will miss him, for he was sincerely friendly. While in his company, one enjoyed the sociability, humor, wit, and charm of a Will Rogers. He was a great lover of nature. He knew every bird and its habitat. Every animal was known to his kindred soul. Montana has lost a fine, upright citizen.”
6/22/13 Page 1