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In the 1960’s,
a young mining engineer named John Lawrence came to
Thompson Falls in search of antimony deposits. Knute Kirkberg, a mining engineer friend who owned a
copper mine, had counseled John that antimony prices
were poised to “go out of sight.” While he was
looking for those deposits John stayed a small motel
where the room was closet sized. He burned his knees
on the heater while using the toilet, and his
telephone calls were eavesdropped. This gave him the
vision of a more comfortable motel establishment in
Thompson falls.
In 1969 John
opened the antimony mine and processing plant in Cox
Gulch off Prospect Creek Road. His favorite dining
spot in town was a 1-room café named “Rimrock”
located where today’s Rimrock Lodge sits. The
little café was run by Ma and Pa Gammett who lived
in the back room. Interestingly, Nolan Parker’s
father built that little building. Ma and Pa became
surrogate parents to John while he opened his mine.
The area above
the café had been a brick manufacturing plant from
the early 1900’s, but was decommissioned in the
1940’s. Remnants of the factory can still be found
when exploring the Rimrock RV Park area. In 1976
John purchased the Rimrock café and surrounding
land. In 1979 the first 12 room motel unit was
built behind that original café.
In addition to
the mine, John bought Felix’s, originally named
Huff’s Bar, in the Black Bear Hotel building. It was
a small facility, not more than 16’ wide and
30’long. Felix and Edna Carter ran what became
Thompson Fall’s most popular drinking establishment
from 1978 to 1981. So popular with logging and
mining folks as well as local business clientele
that it was standing room only, serving over 1000
drinks a day. The liquor license from that bar moved
to the Rimrock.
In 1986, John
added a new dining area and casino area to the
original café, making it a full service restaurant,
and at the same time he added a new 6-lane bowling
center. Later the Rimrock lounge was
extended and a banquet facility put in place. The
Rimrock was now becoming a “destination” for both
travelers and locals alike.
1996 saw the
addition of 12 more rooms to the front of the
restaurant and lounge. In 2002, John set about
building a first class RV Park where the old brick
plant was located. He did all the excavation,
plumbing, wiring and facilities building with his
own hands. The lounge received a beautiful multi
tiered deck area and the bowling center a new gaming
area and bathrooms.
Who knows where John will stop. Not too long ago he
called Peewee Holmes in Butte, a logging and mining
friend, who opened a beer bar called “Pizzer’s
Palace.” John was looking for some mining relics
for decorations. Peewee thought for a moment then
offered “how about my wife?” So it goes in our
beautiful corner of northwest Montana.
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