The Lodges History
The colorful history of The Lodges on Seeley Lake has surpassed a century of time.
The acclaimed McLeod family of Missoula built the majority of its cabins in the early 1920s. Their creation of the Missoula Mercantile gathered people from hundreds of miles in all directions to purchase anything from flour to automobiles. The Lodges served as a family retreat and a place to entertain their wide circle of friends. Its purpose remains much the same today, where families and friends unite.
Today, traveling from The Lodges to Missoula is no more than an hour relaxing drive along the beautiful Clearwater and Blackfoot River drainages. However, when the first lodge was built on Forest Service property around 1920, the ‘commute’ from Missoula to Seeley Lake was more adventurous as the first dirt road around Salmon Lake was built in 1915.
Shortly after the end of World War II the Forest Service permitted The Lodges to be enjoyed as a commercial resort and the smiling guests have never looked back. For over seventy years families and friends from throughout Montana and around the world have enjoyed the quiet charm and natural beauty The Lodges offer, some returning for generations.
Charles Lindbergh was a frequent visitor, claiming the view of the mountains from the cabins was one of his favorite views in the world.