Dan, a former construction contractor and Subway sandwich franchisee from suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, rapidly has steeped himself in Montana tradition and has been learning the ways of the writers and Hollywood types who belly up to the bar in the off-lobby lounge. I found out that writers are a dime a dozen around here, he said. Tim Cahill may sit at the bar with a guy who does landscaping work.
Celebrities drift in and out beneath the mounted elk and bison heads in the towering lobby.
Recent sightings included Jeff Bridges, local rancher Peter Fonda and actors Jack Palance and Whoopi Goldberg. Peckinpah reportedly covered the window with Mexican blankets and slept with a revolver and Bible on the nightstand. Dan could not resist patching up Peck's Place a bit, obliterating the 10 bullet holes in the ceiling and scrubbing off much of the dirt. But a few movie posters and other mementos remain, including a stand up bar perfectly suited for arm wrestling. Otherwise, the Kauls have refrained from introducing so many animates as to bury the atmosphere.