Bigfork Restaurant Guide

History of the Big Fork Inn

Ernie O'Brien purchased the Bigfork Hotel in 1914. After it burned down in 1937 he had it rebuilt to resemble the Swiss chalet-style lodges in Glacier National Park. Since then, the hotel has been a landmark of Bigfork for years. Before the rerouting of the state highway all the Bigfork traffic passed by the hotel.

The hotel had its name changed to the Bigfork Inn in 1972. The Bigfork Inn went through several ownership changes before Bob and Suzie Keenan bought it in 1982. They owned and operated the Bigfork Inn from 1982-2005. During that time they added the library, the "red room", the balcony and the deck. The hotel portion was phased out as the restaurant became more popular.

David May worked for Bob and Suzie as kitchen manager from 1984-2000. David and Deborah May took over management of the Bigfork Inn in January 2006.