The Snake Pit: 'still standing after 140 years'

ENAVILLE — Times have changed a lot over the last 140 years, but in Enaville, there’s been one constant: The Snake Pit. 

The beloved go-to spot "up the river" has been a saloon, railroad layover, hotel, logging landmark, brothel and restaurant.

As the area changed from boomtown to ghost town, the venue owners managed to carve out quarters to stay relevant for locals and visitors passing through the area. 

Today, the location has transformed from a mining bar to a recreational hub as the popularity of the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and addition of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes has grown traffic through the area.

A new chapter, however, has arrived for the establishment and ownership has transferred from Tom Richards to Autumn and Viljo Basso. The Bassos are owners of Syringa Japanese Cafe and Sushi Bar and the Bluebird in Coeur d’Alene.

Autumn Basso said it can be a little overwhelming to consider the amount of time The Snake Pit has been a part of the culture in North Idaho. 

“We’re a couple of locals trying to do right by the place,” Basso said. 

The couple plans to “keep the majority of it the same and just put our flair on it.”

They’ve owned a property on the Coeur d’Alene River for about 10 years and were always intrigued by the venue and jumped at the chance to add another restaurant to their business ventures when it went on the market last fall.

“The fact that it’s still standing after 140 years is pretty amazing. We saw the potential and want to make it shine a little bit,” Basso said.

The venture is different from the other five businesses the Bassos have opened in the past since The Snake Pit comes with a long-standing history and clientele. 

“It’s just a really great place and until we got in there and signed the papers and it was ours, we didn’t really realize the scope of the history of it,” Basso said.

Basso said right now, they’re working to secure a transfer of the liquor license and then they’ll be planning the restaurant’s reopening.

The plan is to open as soon as possible and have time to create a steady rhythm before the summer season begins in earnest.

Former owner Tom Richards said he talked to a number of potential buyers before he met the Bassos and felt comfortable they would keep the heart of The Snake Pit alive without taking away from the familiar for patrons.

“It’s time to put it in good hands,” Richards said. 

The deep connection the community has maintained over venue changes over the years is a passionate topic for Richards when he considers the roots The Snake Pit has had with many owners over the years.

“There’s no ghost town left, just The Snake Pit,” Richards said.

Under the name The Clark Hotel, John and Alice Clark ran the property as a hotel from the early 1900s to the early 1940s. After the Clarks, it was sold to the Tomherlins and then the Southwicks.

Josie and Al Bates took over The Snake Pit in 1954. From 1954 to 1978, it was known as the “Enaville Resort” name to add to the venue’s respectability. Richards credits Joe and Rosemary Peak for turning the venue into a family restaurant prior to him purchasing the property.

Richard called it a “good midlife crisis” decision when he moved back to the area and bought The Snake Pit after teaching abroad.

“I grew up in North Idaho and I’ve been hanging out at The Snake Pit since high school,” Richards said.

Richards enjoys tracing out the property’s lineage in part through its food over the years.

Josie Bates added Rocky Mountain oysters to the menu in the 1950s and Idaho nachos made with potatoes rather than corn chips were later developed by Joe Peak.

Richards’ contribution was sweet potato nachos he first tried as a dish offered up to westerners in Seoul, South Korea.

Watch for The Snake Pit’s Facebook, Instagram or website for updates about the restaurant’s opening.

    Former owner Tom Richards and his dog pose in front of The Snake Pit in Enaville, Idaho. Richards recently sold the establishment to Autumn and Viljo Basso after running it for nine years.
  

    Tom Richards poses with his parents, Sheila and W.T. Richards at The Snake Pit in 1986.