A trip to Hope, Idaho, for lunch with some of my classmates at The Float House, marked the highlight of my day yesterday.
The group has wanted to take advantage of some of the summer spots around the lake, so after last month's Idaho Club outing, they chose The Float House. Next month we'll be getting together at B's Beacon in the beautifully restored Hope Hotel.
As usual, we had a great visit AND I loved my turkey and bacon sandwich w/o the extras, which gets a thumbs up on the colitis chart.
In the midst of lunch, I learned that our plumber Joey and his assistant Jada were available to check out the problem under our kitchen sink, so I skipped the boat ride (compliments of Judy and Tom Christensen) after lunch to head home.
By the time I arrived, Joey was wrapping up a redo of the plumbing for the sink. He told me it has a lifetime guarantee, which is a smart move for Joey, knowing that lifetime guarantees can vary, depending on the age of the homeowner.
Thankfully, we can breathe easily, knowing there will be no more leaking under the sink.
I spent the rest of the day enjoying my quiet time with the dogs. Bill and Willie arrived home from their Canadian fishing trip around 8.
So, today should be a fairly uneventful, 'cept for Steve Rice's visit at 11 to work with my horses' feet.
August is putzing along, like the summer itself, which has been one of more eventful and people-filled seasons I can remember.
Speaking of people, I've been enjoying getting acquainted with the Schmidt family who moved here recently. They occasionally bring their horses through the woods from their pasture on Selle Road to work them in our round pen.
Luke, the youngest of the three children, comes along and keeps himself occupied. Yesterday his mission was collecting acorns to take home and maybe lure a squirrel or two.
He's a fun young man whose outgoing and pleasant personality had delighted both Bill and me.
Guess that's all for now.
Wishing everyone a great Wednesday.
Enjoy the Lighthouse story below.
Ruthann's pulled pork sandwich looked pretty enticing.
How about this area icon?
I stopped there briefly yesterday after lunch at The Float House, and, after taking the photo above, decided that the building sits as a pleasant time warp and reminder of the good ol' days in Hope, at least those from my childhood---which was a long time ago.
I knew some of the story about the Lighthouse, originally known as Hurchell's Lighthouse at Hope, Idaho.
After doing some searching to learn more, I found a very informative piece by Patrick White, published on the Hope Idaho Forum, which I'll share with you today.
Nowadays, the former restaurant---which could be called the birthplace of the Litehouse, Inc. story---and its grounds are often rented out for group activities or utilized by the Hawkins family for their special occasions.
Last year I attended the Sandpoint High School Class of 1980 reunion, which was held over a weekend at The Lighthouse.
The group had a wonderful time over a weekend, camping, recreating, celebrating and just plain enjoying the million-dollar view.
One more tidbit: Hurschell Weaver's wife Esther was my seventh grade English teacher.
She also kept a firm watch over the library at the then Sandpoint Junior High School.
History of Hope Idaho Lighthouse Restaurant
History of Hope Idaho Lighthouse Restaurant
This family photograph of the Lighthouse in Hope provides a glimpse of a place that is familiar to many in North Idaho today, but the photo was obviously taken some time ago – notice that there are no roads or buildings on the Hope Peninsula in the background.
The old photo piqued my interest in the origins of the building, so I decided to learn more about it. Though not an exhaustive search, I was able to find quite a bit of information about the early days of the building/restaurant and the exceptional man who built it and made it quite famous – Hurschell Weaver.
This photo was taken about 75 years ago, not long after the building was constructed. It was built on the site where the Hope Lumber Company sawmill once stood.
For all but its first decade, the Lighthouse has belonged to the Ed and Lorena Hawkins family, serving first as a restaurant and, for many years now, as a family retreat. The famous Litehouse salad dressings, found on grocery shelves nationwide, trace their beginnings to this very place.
But that first ten-year chapter - 1948 to 1958 - also holds a special place in the history of Hope and North Idaho.
During that time the restaurant was officially known as Hurschell’s Lighthouse Restaurant. However, throughout much of the Inland Northwest, and even farther afield, it was known simply as Hurschell’s, just as the sign in the old photo proclaims.
The restaurant owed its reputation to its founder, visionary chef Hurschell Weaver, who built the picturesque structure in 1948 and ran it for a decade.
Born in Indiana in 1899, he moved to Sandpoint with his family at an early age, where they operated a truck-garden business.
In a September 14, 1958 Spokesman Review interview, he related that by age nine, he was already cooking venison and silver trout—an early hint of his culinary life ahead.
In 1926 he married Ester Fitch and, around that time, ran a Sandpoint greenhouse later known as the House of Flowers. However, his passion for cooking took him in another direction and by the mid-1930s he was gaining recognition as an exceptional chef.
Newspapers in Sandpoint and Spokane were soon praising the remarkable meals he prepared at the Sandpoint Elks Lodge.
Over the years, he proceeded to build a loyal following as chef at several Sandpoint eateries including: the Country Club, the Chicken Dinner Inn, and by 1945 had opened the first restaurant under the name Hurschell’s in Sandpoint.
The dining room of that Sandpoint Hurschell’s restaurant seated 80 and featured 23 oil-colored Ross Hall photographs. Weaver said with pride, “The place was built for Sandpoint and Bonner County people… with Mr. Hall’s artistry and help I believe we have accomplished what I set out to do.” (Sandpoint News Bulletin, October 18, 1945).
His guiding idea was simple but bold: excellent food deserved an equally excellent atmosphere.
That belief set the stage for his next endeavor. In 1948, Weaver took a gamble that must have seemed audacious at the time: build a destination restaurant featuring the finest cuisine and put it in a place whose natural beauty equaled the quality of the meal.
To Weaver, that meant the heart of Pend Oreille country, or as he described it: “a land of mountains, trout, venison, and huckleberries… where the evergreen of the pine, spruce, and fir soften the ridges of the Cabinet range with a velvet green from the clear blue waters of the ‘big hole’ to the beargrass prairies at timberline” (Spokesman Review, September 14, 1958 p12) and so, he chose the small town of Hope, Idaho, and the shores of Lake Pend Oreille as that destination.
Everything about the new Hurschell’s reflected this vision. It was largely built of native stone and featured a large dining room and bar with a massive fireplace, warm wood paneling, and three walls of windows framing stunning lake and mountain views.
A skilled mason was brought in to construct the stone walls and the fireplace. His name was Max Stutzke. He and his sons, Ray and Marvin, created the beautiful stonework that distinguishes the building to this day. The family remained in the area and is still active in stone sales and masonry. In time, Weaver added an outdoor barbecue, lawns, and gardens that made the property even more inviting.
He had created the setting he dreamed of and knew he could deliver exceptional food—but would people travel to such a remote location to experience it? The answer, almost immediately, was yes.
Newspapers/online articles and stories passed down from people who were there at the time offer glimpses of the restaurant’s success.
In May 1949, Hurschell’s hosted a banquet for 150 guests, including Idaho Governor Charles Robins, who declared, “Mr. Weaver is a perfect host and his ‘Lighthouse’ is perfection in beauty, comfort and service.” Spokane families regularly made Sunday drives that included Albeni Falls, Cabinet Gorge Dam, and dinner at Hurschell’s. (Sandpoint News Bulletin, May 5, 1945, p.11).
The Hurschell’s Lighthouse menu from 1953 provides a glimpse of the interior of the restaurant and cuisine offered at that time.
The most expensive item on the menu was tenderloin steak w/choice of cocktail and salad for $3. 50 – about $42 in 2025 dollars. You could also order a meal of Smoked Silver Trout - $2.25 (in season) or Hurschell’s style fried chicken - $2.50.
The menu was designed to support the atmosphere of Pend Oreille country including photos and history of the area.
National attention soon followed. In 1954, the July/August edition of the Lincoln-Mercury Times—a magazine published by the Ford Motor Company—featured Hurschell’s Lighthouse as one of only two restaurants highlighted on its “Outstanding Restaurants” page, complete with a painting of the Lighthouse by well-known artist Leon A. Beroth.
Geraldine Vanstone, who worked at Hurschell’s, told of serving Bing Crosby and Bob Hope around 1956. Crosby was said to have dined there several times.
By 1958, Hurschell’s reputation and success had grown to the point that the Spokesman Review reported that the restaurant’s annual consumption of local ingredients included: 600 gallons of huckleberries and three tons of silver trout (kokanee) in a single year.
After ten demanding but successful years—and nearing age 60—Hurschell decided it was time to pass the torch.
He chose Ed Hawkins to “carry on in our way,” knowing the younger man would honor the restaurant’s spirit. (Spokesman Review, September 14, 1958 p12)
But Weaver never truly left the culinary world. After selling the Lighthouse, he was the chef at the Linger Longer Lodge on Priest Lake, the Travelers Restaurant in Sandpoint, and the Stockyards Inn in Spokane.
Hurschell Weaver passed away in 1969 at his home in Sandpoint, but the legacy he built—first in Sandpoint and then at the Lighthouse in Hope, lives on.
The Lighthouse itself, still standing today, remains as a reminder of the chef whose vision turned a remote shoreline into one of North Idaho’s most memorable dining destinations.
