Mary (middle) & John (far right) pictured at Easter of 2019 with extended Kootenai family outside the beautiful entrance of The Meadowlark Cabin
Our story of how a publication and car trip changed our lives
If you are reading this, it’s because you’ve found “the last best place” as many say of Montana
In a publication some years ago we discovered a place called “The Kootenai.” Beautiful glossy photos and descriptive narratives filled pages. The Kootenai truly was a feast for the eyes. The pictures showed the water of Swan Lake shimmering, framed by a small community of historic cabins lovingly restored.
We would smile at the word “cabin” as these certainly were not cabins in the traditional sense. These came with high end finishes and every creature comfort you could imagine. Curiosity set in and we had to know more, thus began a love affair with a place we had never seen in a state we had never visited.
Year after year I would make the call and inquire “how are things at the Kootenai?” Several weeks later a new publication would appear and we would pour over the pages. There would be pictures of new restorations and updates on plans for the year ahead. The longing would stay a while to see this magnificent place, and then life would fall into a rhythm, plans would fade, until the next year when curiosity would drive that phone call to inquire “how’s life and what’s new at The Kootenai?”
Four years ago we planned a car trip through Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Montana, to experience the natural beauty of these states, visiting towns and National Parks along the way. Nearing Glacier Park we found ourselves a short drive from The Kootenai, the place that had intrigued us for years. We were too close not to look, so we would pass through, and put to rest those images that came in the mail year after year and keep moving! The flower baskets, the manicured grounds and the historic Kootenai Lodge (the crown jewel of the property) - it couldn’t be as wonderful and peaceful in person as it appeared on those pages.
Nearing the property, a red barn loomed above all other structures in view with “1915” in bold letters on its cap. It was beautifully restored and that was our first introduction to The Kootenai and why it was special. From that point on, the grass was emerald green, perfectly groomed with split rail fencing. Crossing Johnson Creek bridge we entered through Kootenai’s Swan Gate, the sun was low in the sky, shimmering on the lake just as it had in that first publication years before. It took our breath away. The truth was the pictures could not do justice to the Kootenai.
In a photo you cannot smell the fresh cut grass and appreciate the quiet. You cannot feel the breeze gently move the water along the shoreline, or experience the joy of deer moving slowly past you, comfortable with the new visitors. The Kootenai was exactly what we saw on those glossy pages season after season and so much more. It hadn’t been staged, it hadn’t been photoshopped, it was all real.
We’ve been happily living a beautiful life at The Kootenai for four years now, part of a small friendly community with wonderful neighbors. We sold our home of 40 years in California and moved over a thousand miles to a place we had never been, where we knew no one and bought the first house we saw. We fell in love when we cleared the gates - we were home.
Flipping through a publication years earlier changed our lives. We came to see, and we are grateful we stayed. It truly is “the last best place.”
Mary and John