‘That wasn’t a bar; that was history’: Fire destroys the Big Eddy, longtime restaurant on St. Joe River

CALDER, IDAHO – The Big Eddy, a remote inn and restaurant along the St. Joe River, was lost to a fire Friday morning. Long a popular stop among summer recreationists, the bar and grill had just reopened a week prior under new owner Michael Harter.

Harter was sleeping in one of the four guest rooms above the restaurant when he woke up smelling smoke. He awakened his son and an employee, who were staying in another room. Everyone got out safe.

Harter could see smoke coming from one of the unoccupied rooms. He didn’t see fire right away, so he thought he had a chance to contain it. A neighbor volunteer firefighter with a fire truck helped try to fight the fire before the other crews arrived.

The crews fought it all day.

Neighbor Tim Powell said he was awakened by his neighbor’s son around 3 a.m. Friday. He could see the flames coming from Room No. 1 on the second floor near the stone chimney.

Fire crews responded from the St. Joe Valley Fire District in Calder and from St. Maries.

Nearby cabins and the adjacent RV park were not damaged.

“We are without words and completely shocked by the devastating fire,” Harter wrote for a GoFundMe to support a recovery effort. He hopes to rebuild in the coming years.

Powell has lived in the area most of his life and remembers eating there as a child.

“That wasn’t just a bar,” Powell said. “That was history.”

Harter bought the building earlier this year and renovated before reopening. The menu specialized in tacos.

Harter has been hunting and fishing in the area for many years but never stopped at the bar because he doesn’t drink.

When the opportunity came up to buy it, he realized it was a practical way to move there.

“It was an adventure of a lifetime,” he said.

Built in the early 1950s, the establishment has had many owners over the years, but it has almost always been known as the Big Eddy – named for the current around a big bend in the river.

The most recent owners before Harter had renamed it the Cutthroat Resort and ran it for about five years, said Rod and Kathy Wachtel, who owned it for about 18 years before that and still live nearby.

Harter brought back the Big Eddy name because that’s what the locals wanted. People have told him of the many fond memories they have there such as first dates or time spent with family.

Harter said he is still in shock after the fire.

“We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into the building and the business to get it open,” Harter wrote in a GoFundMe to help with reopening.

Harter plans to rebuild, though it may take a few years.

“We owe it to the community,” he said.

For now, the priority is to clean up the mess.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.