Idaho

Bald Mountain Lodge sent to Hagerman

Associated Press

KETCHUM, Idaho _ Piece by piece, Ketchum's Bald Mountain Lodge is leaving the shadow of its namesake.

The lodge -- built in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- was the first building in the region designed to attract tourists, and its hot springs-heated pool was filled with visitors long before the popular Sun Valley Resort was built nearby.

It was built by Carl Brandt, the manager of the local J.C. Penney store. In 1964, Phyllis and Ferrol Houk bought the lodge but were forced to close the pool in 1988 because of rotting pipes and a water rights dispute.

They sold the lodge to Ketchum attorney Brian Barsotti in 1996. He renovated it a year later and it has been the headquarters for Headwater Outfitters. Now Barsotti has sold the building to Bill Lehman, who owns the private Old Curran Ranch Hunt Club in Hagerman.

Lehman bought the lodge because of its atmosphere and is moving it and two cabin buildings to the 684-acre ranch 100 miles south.

Barsotti was willing to sell because he has approval to build a new 80-room, three-story luxury hotel on the lodge site. It would be the largest building in downtown Ketchum, covering an entire city block.

But some Ketchum residents say it hurts to see it leave.

Lodge neighbor Vickey Graves chose to move to another area of Ketchum after learning the Bald Mountain Lodge would be replaced with a three-story, luxury hotel.

Graves recalled the echoes of splashing water in the lodge's pool and the sound of laughter drifting across the street.

"The kids would ride their bicycles to the pool," Graves said. "It was a great gathering place. It was well controlled and prices were economical. A big percentage of the Ketchum population probably learned to swim in that natural hot water pool."

Workers cut some of the buildings into chunks and loaded them onto trucks before making the 9 mph trek to Hagerman.

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