DILLON — I’m in the former lobby of the historic Andrus Hotel, which was built 107 years ago right here in the heart of Dillon. Now, this room has been converted into a gathering place for the community and, believe it or not, members of the Andrus family are involved in helping sustain this legacy.
“It’s very exciting to me and I love that I can be a part of it,” said the former owner’s granddaughter, Donna Andrus Jones.
Jones’ grandfather H.E. Andrus built the hotel in 1917 after working as a rancher in Dell. The hotel stayed in the Andrus family for decades at a time when Dillon was still a rustic ranching town.
“You’d come out of church and there’d be a whole band of sheep there that you’d have to wait to go by, but that’s just the way it was in Dillon,” said Jones.
After decades of business, the hotel shut down but was reopened in 2020 by Dr. John Micha. He said he fell in love with the town’s architecture.
“This street here, South Idaho Street, is like the Fifth Avenue of Dillon here; it has magnificent buildings,” said Dr. Micha.
The Andrus Hotel had a colorful history—including a great Dane dog that acted as a bellhop.
“He could hear the whistle and he would go and meet the train and when people would get off of the train, he would pick up their bag and go to the hotel,” said Jones.
Doggie bellhop aside, the Andrus was considered a high-class hotel.
“This building, when it was built, was one of the best, finest buildings in the whole Northwest, not just Dillon, everywhere,” said Dr. Micha.
The public can see the restored lobby called the Gathering Place Wednesday Nov. 20th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
