Stevens retires after 39 years of shepherding Silver Dollar Inn

By AMY QUINLIVAN

Mineral Independent

Sept. 25, front desk clerk Naomi Stevens donned her name tag for one last shift. She made sure the coffee was brewed and the laundry was started for the day. She answered phone calls and made reservations for future guests. The lobby was cleaned and tidied. From her view at her desk chair she received room keys from the last travelers she’d cheerfully greet and checkout on Friday morning.

For 39 years Stevens has treasured her various roles at Lincolns’ Silver Dollar Inn. From cleaner, to clerk, to manager, whether she was stripping beds, and treating stains on towels, or scrubbing toilets, to shampooing carpets. Every day was different. But more than the physical aspects of the job, Stevens was a St. Christopher sort of welcomer.

Hers was the smiling face that weary travelers would see when they stepped into the foyer. Not only would she check in guests, but she also provided recommendations of tourist attractions and places to eat. Highlighted the area’s best scenic drives, offered tips on local fishing spots, or the best route to the travelers next destination. She’d even let people in on where to find the nearest huckleberries.

Whether it was a stranded motorist, construction workers, semi drivers, a person on a business trip, or someone exploring Mineral County's great outdoors, Stevens took the time to really connect with each visitor. For her she said that was what made her love her job, “The customers for sure. So many interesting people!”

Over the decades she’s witnessed the gathering of countless families for weddings, reunions, and funerals. She’s greeted innumerable visitors for annual poker runs, snowmobile events, concerts, and holiday festivities. The hours that Stevens has logged are impressive, and the number of lodgers she’s interacted with are even greater. The best part of travel is the people you meet along the way.

For vacationers along I-90, the doors of the Silver Dollar Inn swung open for the first time on a cold winter day on Dec. 1, 1990. Just two months later Stevens joined the Motel staff. She said, “I came over to the motel the end of January, 1991. I had been working at the restaurant, and because it was very slow, I told Brenda Lincoln the manager at the time, that I was willing to work at the motel if she needed me.”

Brenda Lincoln did work in a managerial position but she shared, “Naomi didn’t really need people to manage her. She put her heart and soul into everything she did there, she knew that place inside and out, and she’s really helped make it what it is today.”

Lincoln oversaw Motel operations from 1990 to 2010, but even during that time Naomi gradually started learning the ropes of ordering supplies, helping with repairs, and training new workers. Lincoln stated, “I wasn’t too hands on after the first year or so, really everyone else learned from Naomi.”

At first Stevens was a maid in the brand new 40 room building in Haugan, Montana cleaning five days a week. Slowly she transitioned into working the desk, while still housekeeping two days.

Stevens explained, “I took over head of housekeeping, after about 6 years or so. Things worked well so Brenda went back to the main building. I evolved into the manager over time, not really being labeled as such, but just taking charge of all the issues and managing most of it.”

When the business was just starting out, the winter time was slow and leisurely. Stevens stated, “Later as people learned we were there, it got much busier. We had to have much more help during the summer to keep up with the demand.” She added, “Over the years, the demand has grown exponentially! We have had a very hard time finding enough maids to keep the rooms clean for the tourists to rent. Being in a small town makes workers hard to come by.”

Stevens figures that by now she’s worked with over 100 different co-workers, housekeepers and fellow desk clerks. Some for a few months, and other for many years. And as other employees came and went and time passed by, she saw many transformations around the Inn.

“One of the biggest changes we did was when we went to a computer program from the paper day sheet style,” described Stevens. This new system made it much easier and quicker to enter data, but technology always has its downfalls. She laughed, “Teaching the older desk clerks how to use a computer and the program was challenging to say the least. One of our older clerks still freaks out when the computer doesn't do what she is used to. She calls me for help at least two times per shift for help!”

Other major changes have been new carpet, new washer and dryer, and new mattresses. To keep up with trends and normal wear they’ve changed out bedding, curtains, and towels. Stevens has helped lug out hefty old televisions and replaced them with newer flat screens, rooms now have mini fridges and personal Keurig machines.

When customers first enter the motel, they walk into an impressive foyer with high wood paneled ceilings and a large staircase. Stevens described, “It looked the same, with the exception of the plants, they are much bigger. I have taken care of them the whole time. The lobby has the same beautiful wood, with the beautiful staircase. The counters are all original. Only the carpet has changed.”

After so many years working in the same building Stevens expressed, “It’s going to be really weird not coming in here every day, it really has become like my second home.”

For so many guests that’s the reason they’ve returned over and over throughout the years, they too have felt that warm reception and come to love the company of Stevens during their stay.

“People love coming to the famous 50,000 Silver Dollar!” declared Stevens.

She can’t come close to counting all of the close friends she’s made over the last 35 years as travelers making return trips quickly developed into fond relationships.

Stevens remarked, “Bob Garity was one of my favorites. He was such a sweet man. They lived in Washington, but had a cabin in Three Forks. They came twice a year back and forth. He passed away about three years ago. It was such a loss as he was a treasure.”

“Emery Barnhill, my favorite BPA customer,” she added.

Stevens continued, “Jack and Thelma Back from Spokane that came twice a year and stayed three days. They visited with Rex and I even invited them up for dinner one time.”

The list goes on and on she said, “Jim Toomey, Roger and Carol, Gary Justice, Butch and Bonnie Browning, Ann Farris, Larry Hunt, Tom Black a 7-foot-tall cowboy that you were amazed at when he walked into the room.”

“I can't forget Glen, my hubby number two, a local truck driver that stayed with us every week, who wanted to marry me because I made filled pumpkin cupcakes, and he said they were the best thing he had ever eaten. I still see him a lot and had he and his wife over for dinner. She's a sweetheart and gets a kick out of his humor,” exclaimed Stevens.

As she steps into retirement what she’ll miss the most, “Visiting with the guests and the camaraderie with my co-workers.”

But even more Stevens exclaimed, “The respect of all my bosses. Rex Lincoln once told me, "I made one Hell of a man", because of how I fixed so many things in the motel. All the bosses said it was "Naomi's motel" Not Lincoln's. That made me feel really good. I took great pride in keeping everything looking and running well.”

Calling it a career she noted, “It was a good job and the fact it was so close made it a perfect fit. I had an 8-minute commute, and my traffic was more often four legged.”

As most retirees can attest to, she realizes she won’t be less busy now. She joked, “You mean besides having the time to go through every room in my house and clean all the stuff I haven't had time to do in years? That and finish the dozens of projects that are waiting for me.”

Now her future plans are to travel more, once COVID allows and be with family. Most all she wants to spend more time with her wonderful husband Carl. Her granddaughters are requesting her sewing skills for a business making baby shoes. At the end of the day Stevens admitted, “I don't think I will be bored.”