SMITHS FERRY, Idaho — The historic Cougar Mountain Lodge in Valley County is for sale. What happens to the Highway 55 general store and restaurant is up to the new owners.
- Cougar Mountain Lodge is for sale.
- The popular Highway 55 store and restaurant acts as a great rest stop.
- The owners will be selective on who buys the lodge.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Lodge Manager Amber Allen gushes when she talks about the lodge along Highway 55 in Valley County, and why not. She’s been here five years meeting and greeting hundreds of people who stop in.
“I can’t tell you how many times they come in and say you know I drive by here 100 times, and I’ve never stopped, and then they stop, they eat, and then I see them again, they come back in? Yes.”
Like Mark Patterson of Caldwell. “Why do you like stopping here? What makes this place so special? This place is a classic stop. We always stopped here as a kid, going camping or whatever.”
The Cougar Mountain Lodge in Smiths Ferry is a legacy restaurant for sale, the question now is will the new owners keep the historical feel to it? Allen is close with the current owners, and says she sure hopes the new owners will.
“They’re being very selective on who they sell it to they don’t just want anybody to come in and take the lodge away whoever buys it they want to keep it as the lodge.”
And now we wait and see but you can bet a lot of people are hoping it will always be here in some form or fashion.
