100 Years Of Gangsters, Priests And History At Jackson’s Iconic Kudar Cabins

JACKSON — The Kudar Log Cabins sprang to life in downtown Jackson right in the teeth of the Great Depression. Now 96 years later, it’s still a going family enterprise.

“Trust me, every log that was harvested in Grand Teton Park — that wasn’t Grand Teton National Park at the time — was valuable,” Michael Kudar told Cowboy State Daily. He’s the third generation of Kudars to be part of the cabins, and his children, if they decide to follow in his footsteps, will make the fourth.

“The coal they brought in to run and heat these things was valuable,” Kudar said. “And it’s changed over the years from coal to electric to gas to propane.”

It was a baseball league game that originally brought the Kudar brothers, Joe and Max, to Jackson.

“Joe was my grandfather,” Kudar said. “I don’t know if Max played baseball, I can’t remember. I know my grandpa loved baseball, and he loved the Yankees because they won. But what other sport was there to listen to on the radio back then?”

Looking around during the game, the Kudar brothers believed this was a place that people were going to flock to someday.

So they went in together on property in downtown Jackson, putting in a series of cabins where people could stay.

After Joe Kudar died, Max went to Joe’s widow, Michael’s grandmother, to see if she wanted to keep the business or buy him out.

She decided to keep the business, and Joe used his buyout money to buy property right across from the cabins for his own operation, which he called the Trapper Inn.

Today, both properties are still owned by members of the Kudar family.

The Kudar cabins offer historic boutique cabins in a park-like setting that’s advantageously located right in the heart of downtown Jackson, putting it within walking distance of just about everything of interest, while, across the street, the Rockwell Inn, similarly situated, offers luxury accommodations that include a hot tub, fresh-baked cookies, and strawberry water or lemonade.

A Different Era

The Kudar Log Cabins were built during a different era in Jackson’s history. This was a time when both priests and gangsters were just as likely to be at the hotel. The stories about that are legendary in the Kudar family.

“My dad can probably tell the story a lot better,” Kudar told Cowboy State Daily. “But the way I remember it is they got a call, or maybe they just showed up out of the blue, but to pay for rent, to rent the cabin, the guy paid with a gun. He paid with a handgun.”

Kudar can’t remember the exact type of gun it was.

“It wasn’t a Tommy gun, but it was a certain type,” Kudar said. “And the guy was from Chicago, and he was running. He needed a place to go and hide for a while.”

What exactly the guy was hiding from or running from was never discussed, but he stayed for quite a while at the Kudar Cabins.

“And it just speaks to Jackson Hole and that whole time back in the ’50s and ’60s, when people just came here to get away and just disappear,” Kudar said. “You could do that then.”

Priests also stayed at the cabin, Kudar added, laughing.

“The Catholic priest stayed here at our property,” he said. “I think the first priests here stayed. The doctors who started the whole hospital, they stayed at the Kudar motel.”

At the time, the Kudar had around 50 cabins.

“We had quite the business going on right here,” Kudar said. “It was kicking, but so, it was only summer. There was never any winter business ever. The place was open and shut down every winter.”

Accordion Music And Cocktails

The whole history of the Kudar Log Cabins is captured in one giant portrait of Kudar’s grandfather, Joe. In the photo, he’s wearing a cowboy hat, boots and fur-covered chaps. He’s looking off in the distance and smiling.

“That really tells the story of my grandpa,” Kudar said. “He was a character. He loved to be the center of attention. He loved to listen to baseball. He loved the Yankees. He played the accordion, and he would take my grandma to the Wort Hotel for social hour.”

The Yankees game was often on the radio down in Joe’s workshop, and he also enjoyed playing music for friends and family.

“He played a lot of music for friends and family just in front of the house,” Kudar recalled. “You know that was just their time outside, singing and playing the accordion.”

Shutting down for the winter has been a tradition at the Kudar since it began, 96 years ago.

Their cabins are not winterized, so the cabin business still follows the tourist season, which follows Yellowstone.

“We shut down when they do,” Kumar’s wife Sereese told Cowboy State Daily. “We do some nightly, but we don’t advertise it.”

The motel itself, added in the 50s, stays open year-round. Most of its rooms serve as workforce housing.

“It’s a perfect fit for seasonal workers,” Sereese said. “People who are using the public transportation system generally like to stay here, and we like it, too, because they don’t have the cars. So it’s a perfect fit, and we help our restaurant and our Snow King and our park friends.”

Vision For The Future

The Rockwell Inn across the street has already begun changing things up for the future, with a complete renovation of their hotel.

The Kudar is also eyeing its future, and trying to decide what it should become.

“The vision for the future really depends on how big we want to make this, or how unique we want to make it,” Kudar told Cowboy State Daily. “Maybe the more unique it is, the smaller it is in both mass and scale. And maybe that’s OK for now in this time and age of tourism in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.”

One idea that’s on the drawing board right now, Sereese told Cowboy State Daily, is building a boutique hotel at the front of the property, with affordable housing in the back, along with a row of the historic cabins. That’s just an idea at this point, though.

Kudar said he’s been watching his cousin’s renovation and considering the impact to business.

“She’s losing millions of dollars to do this in prime time,” Kudar said. “But she has no choice, it has to be done, so, my hat’s off to her, and when she gets it done she’s going to reap the benefits and her family, too.”

Seeing his cousin’s family succeeding in this way has been motivating for Kudar.

“My father, my wife, and I, we want to continue this legacy,” he said. “We want to continue to be in hospitality, and what better place to have your kids maybe come back someday, which would be awesome.”

Kudar’s son is studying economics and finance at University of Wyoming, while his youngest child is looking to get a degree in hospitality management.

“So it’s kind of, we’ll see,” Kudar said. “I can’t decide their futures here, they have their own destinies, hearts, and desires. But they could possibly end up living in Jackson Hole someday. They’ll have that opportunity.”

An opportunity that would continue the Kudar legacy for a fourth generation, a legendary blend that once included gangsters and priests.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.