August 6, 2008

Fifteen miles south of Belgrade, Montana, I followed Hwy 191 into the town of Gallatin Gateway, set in a rural landscape and hosting a population of approximately 2,500.

Originally named Salesville after the Sales brothers, who built a sawmill there during the 1860s, the town later changed its name to Gallatin Gateway. It was appropriate for an area that serves as the gateway to the Gallatin National Forest and, beyond that, Yellowstone National Park.

The Gallatin Gateway Inn held its own as one of the extraordinary railroad hotels still standing today. Though hard to fathom, the 42,000-square-foot building was built in only four months, thanks to a steadfast working crew of hundreds. It opened to great acclaim on June 18, 1927. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle at that time, over twenty thousand visitors flocked to its opening.

And now I had flocked to it myself on a late evening, pulling up in front of the massive structure and unloading my bags. I stepped into the entry hall and onto a sleek floor of old tile, the kind that makes a traveler want to sponge up the ceramic warmth and run home to redo a personal abode in the same fashion. I took a deep breath, absorbing the historic ambiance, and headed to the reception desk.

It was offseason, my preferred time for travel, and there were very few guests expected for the night. I checked in quickly and followed the clerk’s directions to the upper floor. My room was spacious and decorated in peaceful blue tones with a view out the back of the inn. From above, I could see where train tracks would have been years ago. Long gone, the history still remained.

I decided to return to the lower level and check it out. Central to the layout of the inn was its huge, impressive great room, which boasted dramatic arched windows and a twenty-three-foot-high ceiling with hand-carved wooden beams. Built in the Mission/Spanish architectural style, the building was designed by the firm Sachack, Young, and Myers. Many facets of its early days had survived decline and restoration. The inn’s original clock still kept time in the lobby.

The Gallatin Gateway Inn came into being shortly after the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad built a spur line south from Three Forks, MT, for the purpose of bringing visitors to Yellowstone National Park. The inn was the end of the line for the rail travelers, who were picked up from there by the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company and carried southbound through the Gallatin Canyon to the west entrance of the park where they were given tours of Yellowstone’s many wonders.

When rail travel became secondary to highway routes, the inn fell into disrepair and was sold by the railroad in 1951. Passenger service to Gallatin Gateway ceased altogether in 1960. The inn continued to deteriorate until it was finally restored in 1986 and underwent extensive remodeling in 2003. In 1980 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Gallatin Gateway Inn saw a few interesting and varied uses during the in-between years. It served as an antique car museum and even a nightclub that offered Jello and mud-wrestling—a far cry from the elegant, stately inn that it was before and that I now saw.

With the dinner hour at hand, I wandered over to the Porter House, an upscale restaurant housed within the inn. Tables were elegantly set with linen tablecloths and fresh flowers. I took a quiet, corner table and looked over the menu.

There were many varied options on the dinner menu, ranging from BBQ pulled duck quesadillas to prime rib with horseradish cheddar mashed potatoes to rack of lamb with basil and parmesan risotto croquettes. I finally settled on penne pasta with oven-baked tomatoes, spinach, wild mushrooms, and olive oil. It was excellent and accompanied by fresh multigrain bread. I suffered some guilt over being tempted by maple apple crisp with walnut brittle and vanilla ice cream, but the server solved my dilemma with a spoonful of the apple crisp on a small scoop of ice cream, a miniature dessert portion.

One advantage to grand hotels in rural areas is the lack of city noise at night. As the moon rose higher in the sky, the hush of the valley settled over the inn. I sat by my window, looking down at the now nonexistent train activity of the 1920s through 1940s. It wasn’t difficult, even within the silence, to imagine travelers from as far away as Chicago or Seattle arriving in anticipation of Montana scenery and Yellowstone treasures.

Morning brought me down to the solarium, where the continental breakfast—included with lodging—was served. With the inn almost empty at the time of my visit, the usual buffet was replaced with a spread of fruit, juice, hard-boiled eggs, and bagels. It was plenty. With the warmth of the sunny room and the absence of crowded hotel chatter, it would have been easy to slip back into a sleepy mode. Yet excellent coffee and great old-time music from the ’30s and ’40s got me started on my day.

I lingered in the great room after checking out, both to take advantage of the inn’s complimentary wireless access and to appreciate the grandeur of the surroundings. Finally I drove on.