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The History of the Dewey House
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If These Walls could Talk!
The hustle and bustle at the turn of the century brought prosperous times to this railroad town. Victor, Idaho kept up with the times back then----as a major railroad stop in between two mountain Passes (Teton Pass & Pine Creek out of Swan Valley), Victor was soon a business and social mecca with several hotels & cafes, a chapel and blacksmith shop, saloons, a motion picture house and the only bank for miles around. Mining building stone and cattle and sheep ranching brought others seeking a better life in the tranquil West. Not one to pass up his opportunity to live in a beautiful area, George Dewey arrived in Victor with his brothers, Jessie and Frank. With the Grand Tetons in the background, the trio worked together and built three similar stone houses with front porches for their families. The one which now houses the restaurant was completed in 1928. Bricks and rock were quarried from the Fox Creek Quarry North of town. It is still in operation today. George and his wife Annie planted flowers and trees and hosted many family gatherings in their home on Main St. in downtown Victor. George operated a small gas station/market around the corner and once captured 2 Yellowstone cubs as business attractions. He is remembered as a spirited soul with a penchant for hunting, poker and dominoes. Of the three original Dewey properties, this house remained in the family the longest.
The goats doing their favorite thing. Climbing as high as possible . The Barn in back is their home. When we first moved in and began to establish residency with the phone and power companies, voter registration office, library cards, post office, local dump, etc...we were always asked to provide our physical street address. The response we heard every time was always the same: AOh, you live in The Old Dewey House!@ A year and half later we decided to take our chances at a better life in Teton Valley and began remodeling the house into the restaurant. We made as few changes as possible to the original structure to preserve the old feel and style of the house. Needless to say, naming the restaurant was the easiest part. Historic Dewey family photos in the dining room remind Teton Valley old timers and remaining local descendants of past holidays, wedding celebrations, train hold-ups, hunting and fishing tales and grizzly bear anctics. But you=ll have to join us for dinner and wine soon for further details on these infamous Teton legends. Speaking of Teton legendsCI=m not sure if arrived on the same train or not, but the glory of mountain life beckoned yet another young and ambitious soul. His name was Paul Petzoldt and he later became very famous. He settled into a simple wood cabin in between the old bank and George and Annies old Dewey House. A long winter of heavy snowfall, fussy pregnant wives and cabin fever spurred the two neighbors to kick up their heels and climb the Grand Teton. Despite rudimentary gear, George Dewey and Paul Petzholdt made it to the top of and were among the first to conquer such a climb. The `20's were roaring to a close but Paul & George continued to enjoy life in the mountains. Climbing more peaks, Paul became a Teton legend in his own right, founding the National Outdoor Leadership School. Today, the NOLS program continues to educate backcountry and wilderness enthusiasts of all ages. Although many of Victor=s early landmarks were destroyed in fire, the original train station was restored and is on the National Register of historic places. The Old Cheese Factory, the movie house, the bank building, Pauls cabin and The Old Dewey Houses some of the remaining historic buildings left in Victor today-----still here weathering the changing times yet to come!
The Old Dewey House Restaurant Menu The Map to Our Location in Greater Southeastern Idaho The Story and Sounds of our Goats The History of The Old Dewey House The Newsletter Vol. 1 Winter 95-96 The Newsletter Vol. 2 Summer 96 The Newsletter Vol. 3 Summer 98
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