New Life Breathed Into Historic Bush House Inn

Iconic structure open once again for meals and rooms

Ellen Hiatt

It would be short-sighted to describe the tiny town of Index as “an undiscovered gem.” It’s a gem, indeed, but its very creation was the act of discovery of copper and timber — a capital venture for a river town with a railroad running through it. Today, the rock climbers clambering over the Index Town Wall overflow the parking dedicated for their venture, and cars line Highway 2, ferrying hikers to Heybrook Ridge.

Perhaps what is “undiscovered” about Index is the community. It’s the people, in a town of fewer than 200, who pull together to save historic buildings like the Bush House Inn to create new memories in a place that gave so much to the community.

Nothing has ever come easily in this town. Not the rock climber’s arduous trek up a sheer face, nor the mining and timber work that brought so many men to town. It was home, 100 years ago, to 1,000 people and as many as five separate hotels. Its last hotel standing, the Bush House Inn, is no exception to the rule. A beloved community gathering place, it sat in disrepair for the past couple decades, a portion of it condemned, victim to vandals, vermin and a shaky foundation. If any family could have pulled off a heroic comeback for the stately structure, it was the Corson family. Blair Corson arrived as a young boy to the area after his father relocated the family to Monroe for work.

“It was my birthday and we were looking for a good place to swim in this beautiful river,” said Corson. “From that point forward it was our swimming spot.”

The Skykomish River had a much bigger pull on his family than they knew at the time. It wasn’t long before his father, Bill, was pulled into a full restoration of the River House, the town tavern, and turned it into a world-class river rafting business. Class IV and V rapids course the Skykomish River, and the North Fork, home to Index just one mile off of Highway 2, is a historic put-in for rafters.

When a small, business-focused town gathering asked itself how they could improve their community, the Bush House Inn came up. An investor bought it, brought Blair and his wife, Kathy, in for a small ownership stake, and hired Blair to do the construction work. It wasn’t long before the investor pulled out and offered Blair and Kathy a zero-percent-interest loan to buy the building and take it over. They found partners, Dan

Kerlee and Carol Wollenberg, for the venture and got to work.

It quickly became the couple’s “problem child.”

When the inn still had life in it, and Index residents would reserve a guest room for their visitors, the Corsons always reserved the room in the corner of the building nearest the train tracks — great fun, they thought at the time, to have their guests feel the building shake! Once they became owners of the inn, they discovered the building shook so violently because there was no foundation under it. The entire building had to be lifted eight feet into the air to replace the foundation. They installed a fire suppression system, an ADA lift, a new roof, new siding, and in-floor radiant heating.

Within a few months of buying the building, the couple had their first child. They now have two.

The Bush House Inn remains their problem child, but a beloved one, nonetheless. Nothing in Index comes too easy.

The couple was dedicated to saving this historic building. Indeed, their hard work resulted in the re-opening of the inn last year, and, if all goes well, the return of a full restaurant and bar.

Walk through the historic doors and you’ll see the handhewn timber re-purposed and exposed, such as dining tables made from fir flooring that needed to be replaced. Many of the 10 hotel rooms are refurbished and periodappropriate, some including full baths. A dining hall and cocktail bar are as welcoming as the enormous porch that faces the quiet street.

The inn, returned to its full glory, is already a place of community gathering. The third floor attic space became a bridal suite and connects to the new meeting hall. Ballroom dance lessons are held monthly, and an aerial silks class uses the space when the instructor isn’t busy guiding river rafting guests down a Class V rapid of the Skykomish River.

What you won’t see is the years of struggle it took to get there, or the many donations that were fed into the historic preservation fund of the local museum, or the many volunteers who rallied around the Corsons to provide labor and laughter, making the job lighter and the purpose clearer.

This July, when the arts festival takes place, there will be rooms for guests and special events, and the community will once again gather with family in the Bush House Inn.

“There’s a huge tradition that the Bush House was the place you celebrate,” said Kathy Corson. “People throughout the valley and all over have a sentimental attachment to this place. People who have booked a room were booking another memory here. They may have been brought here five days after they were born and are now celebrating their 50th anniversary at the Bush House. I love being able to hear those stories and share that people are still taking family trips. We are excited to be a part of it.”