History

According to the Rockies Guide, the original inhabitants of the Steamboat Springs and Clark area were Native Americans belonging to the Ute and Arapahoe tribes. The Native Americans used the Yampa Valley area as a summer residence, taking advantage of the ample hunting and fishing the area provided.

On October 31, 1903, George and Lydia Franz bought the J.B Hoover ranch. This ranch is on the north bank of the Elk River just across the bridge from what today is the Lower Glen.

Then on April 21, 1913, they bought the Kinney Resort on the other side of the river. The resort was 40 acres, a house, and 10 guest cabins. The name was changed from Kinney resort to Glen Eden Resort. George felt that the beauty of the areas was like the Garden of Eden.

In 1914, George built a store on the West side of RCR 129. He rented it to James Caron, a merchant who ran a store. The building next to the store was rented to the government for Clark’s first post office. Both of these structures are still standing in the Lower Glen.

Lydia bought the Clark Congregational Church building that was located north of the Moonhill Schoolhouse.

They then skidded the building to Glen Eden Resort and used it for a dance hall. This building still stands in the Lower Glen on the east side of RCR 129.

Lydia was known for being a wonderful cook, especially renowned for her fried chicken. It was considered a real treat to go for Sunday dinner at The Glen. George and Lydia continued running Glen Eden Resort for several years. In 1935 they wrote to ask their oldest son Milbank to come home and help out as George’s health was failing.

Milbank opened a guide and outfitting service that he ran out of the resort. He offered pack trips and hunting trips that were reported to be very successful.

After George died, Milbank ran Glen Eden Resort until October 4, 1940 when the resort was sold to Lloyd and Zelda Johnson who ran the resort until their retirement.

The Elk herd in the Clark valley were at the time considered to be the largest in North America. Because of this, a herd of elk were taken from the Clark valley and transported down to Steamboat where they were loaded on a train and sent to Chicago to be shown at the Worlds Fair.

This is the actual picture of our world famous elk at the fair.

With the old cabins or tents not exactly up to modern standards (outdoor pumping was just not in style) Glen Eden Resort underwent another transformation.

The paired cabins were built starting in the 1970’s. At the time the resort was a church camp but the cabins were built as the ultimate fishing retreat.

Rumor has it that if you see an old horse halter hanging in a cabin, it is one of the halters used to build the resort. The horse wore the halter the cabin was once named after.

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Glen Eden Resort lost a little of its shine in Clark Valley. A series of coming-and-going resort managers, flipping over restaurant vendors, and an aging infrastructure led the resort to get a reputation. At the darkest point, banks were circling and we almost lost our treasure.

Glen Eden Resort is unique in many ways from today’s Corporate Hotel Operations. We manage our own roads, water systems, and structures. Our water rights on the Elk River date back to the 1800’s and we must maintain the irrigation system. Cabins and Chalets are all privately owned by regular (but we might say cool) families. Some of the families have or are passing their cabins down to their children. We do not have Corporate Overlords who take a cut. Instead, the rent paid goes right back to maintaining the cabins and very large property, buildings, trails, and the beautiful Elk River. Today, Glen Eden Resort is registered as a Not for Profit.

In the Summer of 2019, a popular TLC show, Say Yes To The Dress, was filmed in our Lower Glen. The host's niece, Randy Fenoli, got married at our property! Our venue is featured in season 18, episode 10 of Say Yes to the Dress, titled "Crazy Uncle Randy". The episode aired on September 14, 2019.

Today, we have a new management team, and things look great! Glen Eden Resort is managed as a board – from the board, we would like to call out both Mary and Kent, who played a very large part in the resort's amazing turnaround. We have a fantastic partner with Western Centers, which operates Tavern on the Glen. Finally, we would also like to recognize Toni, our General Manager. Toni started working in the bar at The Glen (ah, a few years ago?) and now is running the place! If the grass is a little greener, more roofs are new and shiny, and flowers are blooming – it is all thanks to Toni and her team.

We would like to especially thank our long-term guests. You know who you are: those who have been returning for 10, 20, or even 30+ years! Your loyalty means the world to us.