MT-174 Izaak Walton Inn Historic Site

Marker text: IZAAK WALTON INN HISTORIC SITE

Essex, with it's multi tracked train yard, owes it's existence to the Great Northern Railway. The steep grade on the west side of Marias Pass necessitated a train yard sufficient in size to allow "helper engines" to idle and wait for the eastbound frieghts to assist them over the Continential Divide. Harsh winters required sizable work gangs to keep the tracks clear. In 1939, Great Northern officials authorized the construction of the Izaak Walton Inn to accommodate these crews. Today the inn continues to serve rail crews and tourists with meals, rooms, photographs, tools, and memorabilia of the glory days of the Great Northern Railway.