When the high-flying 1980s gave way to the belt-tightening ’90s, the property was sold to Vail Resorts Inc. Today, SaddleRidge comprises a handful of privately owned residences, a members’ lodge, and the restaurant.
Well-prepared food and accommodating service are only half the story. The dining room itself is stunning. Made from a rich brown butternut wood and with a vaulted post-and-beam-style ceiling, the grand room feels both elegant and rustic. Nine chandeliers — cast at a local ironworks from railroad turntable wheels and each weighing about 1,000 pounds — disperse a warm yellowish glow.
Heads of elk, caribou, mountain goat, and bison look out from the walls. Draped over a stair railing is the furry hide and head of what is purported to be the largest brown bear killed in Eagle County until 1989. Above the dining room’s wood-burning fireplace is a portrait of Chief Red Cloud taken by Edward S. Curtis, who was renowned for his photographs of the West and Native Americans.
Indians and cowboys are a theme throughout the property. The library and the Larkspur Room hold the majority of artifacts and photographs and it’s worth asking for a tour. Treasures include a portrait of horse and Indian taken by Roland Reed, a gold-tone Native American portrait (circa 1895) by Curtis, and a piece of Marie and Julian black-on-black Pueblo pottery. There’s a hat and canteen belonging to General George A. Custer and a Wells Fargo-style wooden desk that traveled with Buffalo Bill for his Wild West shows.
Native American items include two chiefs’ headdresses, pipes, a tomahawk, beaded bags and moccasins, and arrowheads. Authentic sheriff badges, old guns, a pair of cowboy boots, and photographs of rodeos are also on display. Children will have fun playing with a 19th-century slot machine, shooting pool on an antique billiard table, and checking out the music in the 1930s jukebox.
