Doors open at new casino, restaurant
Karen Peterson
Gray Wolf Peak Casino’s new 34,000-foot casino and restaurant in Evaro are now open for business.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Construction continues in the parking lot adjacent to the smaller, older casino.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
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The Gray Wolf Peak Casino’s new facility is opened to the public after a yearlong construction project on the 34,000 square foot facility just south of Arlee.
The original Gray Wolf Casino in the blue building is soon to be demolished for parking space. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes operate the casino through S&K Gaming.
“It is important to the CSKT Tribe to continue to strengthen the economy of Western Montana and provide job opportunities for our communities,” said Vernon Finley, Tribal Chairman.
Pete White works with the S&K Gaming sales and marketing team and he said the new casino is creating about 120 new jobs. People are being hired to work as casino attendants, servers, cooks, accountants, managers, and a number of other positions.
Rock trim covers the outside of the building around the bottom edges accenting copper walls. Gray Wolf Peak can be seen behind the building past miles of pine trees. Tepee poles were set up in the front of the building, standing about 40 feet high.
“They were set up traditionally with each pole put in a specific place,” White said.
Inside the building, the rockwork and timber brought in from around the Flathead Indian Reservation covers the walls and ceiling.
“We sourced as much material from the reservation as we could,” he said.
After walking in the main doors, people can see the expansive gaming room with more than 307 slot machines set up in rows across the floor. Metal wolves highlight the back of the room. A ventilation system filters the air. A nonsmoking gaming section is sealed off from the main floor.
Walking past the gaming room, people can see a small gift shop, a deli style food bar, and the doors to the restaurant. Inside the kitchen, Executive Chef Rick Moreno is mixing up unique dishes. Montana Twinkies are one of his creations, but they are nothing like yellow cakes with a similar name.
“They are fire roasted jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon with a citrus huckleberry barbeque sauce,” the chef said. “It’s a tweak on comfort food.”
Sous-Chef Octave Finley said the restaurant has some specialty items from steaks to scallops and the traditional hamburger.
“We have an original house made French Thousand Island dressing on a burger,” he said.
Tribal Chairman Finley believes the casino will soon become a favorite tourist destination.
