Wyoming
Wyoming Bear Lodge Resort reopens doors in hopes of rebuilding business
SHERIDAN COUNTY, Wyo. — In the snowy mountains of Sheridan County, Wyoming, it can be hard to believe a resort is open in the midst of the Elk Fire. However, the Bear Lodge Resort has decided to reopen their doors, in hopes of making up some of their lost business.
According to a press release by Lisa Eichhorn, the Public Information Officer for Sheridan, Burgess Junction, where Bear Lodge Resort resides, is not in the danger zone.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Mid-October usually means one thing for many in the region.
“So, October is hunting season. So, that can be pretty busy. Unfortunately, the fire kind of coincided with the bulk of that business,” said Ian Lindsey, the manager of the Bear Lodge Resort.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
At the Bear Lodge Resort, one of their busiest times of year is early October. However, the now almost three-week Elk Fire has caused the resort to lose a huge chunk of their business.
“There’s been a little bit of activity going on, nothing like it would normally be, but enough that we want people to know if there’s a need, somebody’s here to help,” said Scott Jorgensen, one of the owners of the lodge.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Now that the first snow of the season has fallen, the Bear Lodge Resort is able to reopen their doors in hopes of rebuilding some of their hunting business.
“Seeing nobody up here is weird,” said Brady Tracy, a hunter and nearby resident.
His brother told, Jeff, MTN, “It’s pretty sad, this parking lot should be full.”
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Jeff and Brady Tracy say every week during hunting season they visit the area, and were sad to see it closed most of the month.
“I feed my family by wildlife,” Jeff said.
“A lot of people don’t realize hunting is not just a sport. You’re actually bring food home,” Brady said.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
The fire hasn’t only impacted the hunters, but the employees of the resort as well.
“We actually all live here at the lodge. So that’s why the fire was particularly difficult for us, because some of our employees, their homes are actually out of state,” said Lindsey.
Saturday officially marked the soft reopening of the resort.
Jorgensen says it can be hard to predict their current business, especially since the hunting season is almost over.
“We’ve kind of done a very limited crew, soft opening, so that we could service anyone who was going to come up and check things out,” he said.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Now, the crew is trying to stay positive, hoping more snow comes soon, for another booming season.
“We had a pretty good lunch, and I don’t know. We’ll see where it goes,” Lindsey said.