Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch |
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| Location | Stanley, Idaho, Custer County, Idaho, United States |
| Elevation | 6,638 feet (2,023 m) |
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Idaho Rocky Mountain Club
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 Location in Idaho
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Stanley, Idaho |
| Area | 878 acres (355 ha) |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Ellis Bjorling |
| Architectural style | Log Cabin |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001451 |
| Added to NRHP | December 9, 1994 |
The Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch is a special guest ranch found in Idaho, a state in the United States. It sits in the beautiful Sawtooth National Recreation Area, surrounded by the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains. The ranch covers about 900 acres (3.6 square kilometers) in Custer County. It's about 60 miles (97 km) north of the popular resort towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley. It's also just 9 miles (14 km) south of a small town called Stanley.
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The Ranch's Story: How It Began
The land where the ranch now stands was once part of a homestead owned by Dave Williams. He was a pioneer and a guide from Switzerland. Dave Williams came to the Sawtooth Valley and started his own dairy and butcher shop. He also delivered mail over the 9,000-foot (2,743 m) Galena Summit. A nearby mountain, Williams Peak, is named after him.
Building the Idaho Rocky Mountain Club
In 1929, a man named Winston Paul from New York bought the property. He wanted to build a private hunting club called the Idaho Rocky Mountain Club. Construction started in the fall of 1929. Workers brought logs from Williams and Gold Creek to the Big Meadow, which was chosen for the main lodge.
A team of 60 men, including a blacksmith and a stonemason, camped on the ranch for three months. They had to stop working when the severe winter weather arrived. The crew returned in the spring of 1930 to finish building. The Idaho Rocky Mountain Club opened that summer. It was an invitation-only place for guests.
The club also had its own hydroelectric plant. This log building still stands today near a bend in the pond. It made electricity for the club, providing the very first electricity in the Sawtooth Valley. Building the ranch was a good source of jobs and income for many men during the Great Depression.
Changes in Ownership
Later, an Austrian clothing maker named Josef Lanz bought the club from Winston Paul. However, the guest ranch had to close when World War II began.
In 1951, Edmund A. Bogert, a car dealer from Pocatello, Idaho, bought the lodge. He changed its name to the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch. Mr. Bogert worked hard to improve the land. He leveled, fertilized, and planted new grasses. His efforts earned him the Custer County Grassman of the Year Award in 1958.
Edmund's daughter, Rozalys Smith, took over running the ranch in 1977. The Smith family managed the ranch for 54 years. In February 2005, a new family bought the ranch. They were also interested in preserving its history and beauty.
Becoming a Historic Place
In 1994, the Idaho Rocky Mountain Club was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history. The ranch was listed as a historic district. This means it's an area with several important historic buildings.
Twelve buildings and two other structures at the club were considered "contributing properties." This means they helped make the ranch historically important. The Idaho Rocky Mountain Club is one of 37 places in Custer County listed on the National Register.
