Black and white photo of four children standing outdoors in a natural setting with trees, holding a line of fish.

The Lodges History

The colorful history of The Lodges on Seeley Lake has surpassed a century of time.

Black and white portrait of a man in a suit sitting on a chair, looking at the camera.

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.

A black and white vintage photograph of a large group of people, including men, women, and children, posing outdoors in front of a building with wooden beams.
A vintage black and white photograph of a man with a hat standing next to a car with several people sitting in the back and on top of it. The car has a boat strapped on top. The background features trees and a building.
A sailboat on a large body of water with mountains in the background and a partly cloudy sky.
A black and white photo of five people, three women, one man, and a young girl, standing on a riverbank with trees in the background. They are dressed in swimsuits, suggesting they are at a lake or river for recreational swimming.

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.

Two men are standing on a stack of cut logs while lifting a large, fallen tree in a forest with tall trees in the background, black and white color photo.
Three women standing outdoors, smiling, dressed in vintage swimsuits, with one holding a towel.

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.

Black and white photo of three men standing outdoors near vintage cars, with tall trees in the background. The men are dressed in early 20th-century clothing, and one man has a cigarette in his mouth, appearing to be outdoors in a forested area.

The Lodge’s rich history will be happily expanded by your own visit here.