Fire destroys historic Marble Canyon Lodge

[Dave1]

Fire destroys historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant in N. Ariz.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant located on Highway 89A burned to the ground early Wednesday morning.

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[azbackpackr]

Holy cow. I've stayed there several times, and I stopped by there just this past weekend. That's sad.

[Sredfield]

That's sure a bummer, hope they were well insured.

[outdoor_lover]

That's heartbreaking!!! Insurance can replace the building, but nothing can replace the history.....They used to cook our Trout for us after we caught them.....

[Randal_Schulhauser]

Most unfortunate - this was always a staple included on a trek along 89A...

[SpiderLegs]

Stopped there a time or two myself after doing a R2R. The place will be missed.

[PaleoRob]

Very sad - just saw the news on Facebook. Spent a lot of time in and around the lodge. My condolences to the owners.

[JimmyLyding]

That place was the start of many great trips. It did the job twice for yours truly. I hope they rebuild.

[desertgirl]

So very sad -- stopped there many a times ... hope this is rebuilt.

[DarthStiller]

They should be able to rebuild hopefully. The restaurant was nice, but as I remember, the rooms were...meh.

[azbackpackr]

We always got the kitchen rooms, and they were just fine. And cheap, too, in winter. $35 per night, full kitchen.

[Dave1]

Saw this on Facebook:

!!!!Do you have photos of Marble Canyon Lodge and/or river photos?!!!!

We recently lost one of the icons of the Marble Canyon area when the Marble Canyon Lodge burned down. Fortunately no one was hurt and the motel, gas station and old lodge were not harmed. The good news is that according to Jane Foster they will be rebuilding. Sadly Jane does not have any photos so they are starting from scratch in trying to recreate the lodge. The Foster Family would love any photos you might have to help them reconstruct how the interior as well as the exterior looked. They are also looking to replace all those wonderful river photos they had on the walls in the restaurant. Theresa (Byerley) Janecek is heading up this project and she can be reached by email at janecekthere@gmail.com. Photos can be scanned and emailed or you can also send actual photos to Jane Foster, 2625 West Live Oak Drive, Prescott, AZ 86305, 928-445-4251. In order to get the word out to as many folks as possible please forward this to anyone who might be interested in helping.

[azbackpackr]

I'll look to see if it's up on Tom Martin's Facebook page as well as the GCPBA yahoo group. Probably already is. Big loss: those photos of Georgie.

[azbackpackr]

BRAND NEW MARBLE CANYON LODGE

This week AND last week, during travel to and from various adventures (backpacking and kayaking) I stopped in at the brand-new Marble Canyon Lodge three times for a meal. It doesn't completely have the feel of the old place, but it is very nice. They did strive to duplicate where they could however, so it is similar. Through diligent networking with boaters they have replaced many of the wonderful river running photos on the walls in the restaurant.

The waitress raves about the shiny, spanking-new kitchen. There is the welcome addition of a book-reading area with couches now, in the gift shop. They have always carried a lot of good books in there about the river and the general area. They always have books by local writers. Their outdoor gear is also good quality. I bought a river hat there because I'd lost my old one.

Some landscaping out front, since (if I remember correctly) the new building is set back a little bit further from the road. There is a paved parking lot now on the downriver side, and there is still parking out front but you have to be careful not to step on young plants. They are putting in some stepping stones.

They named a burger after Canyon REO employee, Thor. The Thor Burger. I ordered it , then I ran into him at the Ferry. "Did they name that burger after you?" I asked him. He said, "The cook named it after me. For 9 years straight I had been ordering a burger with bacon, avocado and onions, so they put it on the menu!"

Here's a photo, with the Buzzmobile out front, Bluebird on the roof.

[Sredfield]

We ate there a few weeks ago on the way to an AZT work event on the north Kaibab. All very nice, they've done a great job getting that built.

[big_load]

... a book-reading area with couches ...

That would be great. I wish those were everywhere.

[Sun_Ray]

@azbackpackr
Thanks for taking the time to give us a good update.