Hunters Table & Tavern, located on highway 12 in Rhame, North Dakota; was constructed by 12 local women, 3 or 4 men came out to lend a hand from time to time. Rob and Rae Getz, the owners at the time, laid the first walls in August of 1982. The bar opened for business in February of 1983. The restuarant in April of 1983.
The building is constructed of 16 inch stacked logs, joined by cement and bottles to create the walls, sawdust is used between the logs as insulation. This method of building creates a wall that is 16 inches thick and is known as cordwood masonry. The roof is made of 7 layers consisting of plastic, sod, flax and scorio. The inside has the look of a rustic cabin with cedar pillars holing up the rafters and beams. Here's the story as written by the original owners....
The Story of Hunters Table & Tavern, as told and written by Rae Getz.
In Addition to being a unique place to stop for eating and drinking, The Hunters Table & Tavern in Rhame, North Dakota has a colorful and interesting history. It all began in 1982 with a desire to create a spot on the map that would attract tourists and locals alike looking to dine and take in a day/evening on the town.
After dismissing various conventional building methods, and seeing an article describing cordwood construction, we, along with Patsy Getz, flew to upstate New York where we worked with and learned from Rob Roy. Roy is the individual responsible for resurrecting the long abandoned art of cordwood construction. Structures which are still standing in various areas throughout Northern Europe and Asia dating back more than 2000 years.
Upon our return Rob spent the spring and early summer of 1982 logging and preparing cedar wood from the Davis Ranch north of Rhame and thereby establishing a stock of the materials that would eventually comprise the walls of the planned building. These logs, along with all the bulk of the building materials used, originated in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana and with small exception were brought onto the work site with the assistance of local friends and neighbors.
The ground breaking took place in July of 1982. Rob worked hard for several days to establish the site for the footings and foundation and two days before the cement was to arrive, we watched a summer rainstorm wash it all away. We called for help and several of our friends and family showed up to put it back together and get the insulation placed and secured for the next days concrete delivery. Many of these same people, and more, joined us the following day to ensure that the slab went down without another hitch. These people coming to our rescue and pitching in, were the foundation of what seemed to become a community project.
The walls began going up that August. In the beginning we had the Ambitious intention of doing the bulk of the labor ourselves. On the first day of construction we were pleasantly surprised to be joined by Heidi Cook from Bismarck. Heidi had heard of the plan and wanted to participate. The first day was long and the evening arrived to find a wall that stood two feet high and six feet long. Our eyes scanned the forty by one hundred foot slab (that would comprise the finished structures floor) we passed glances and silently, each questioning the reality of our undertaking.
The following morning, just as I was finishing exercising with the local aerobics group, I turned impulsively to the other participants and asked, “Does anyone want a job?” The question surprised even myself. Several class members showed up later that day. They were dressed for work and brought the enthusiasm and energy that set the pace for the next several months. Our crew was soon joined by additional local women and the cordwood building grew in the hands of Stephanie Bowman, Crystal Erickson, Pam Getz, Patsy Getz, Shirley Hansen, Virginia Hutchinson, Evie Flemmer, Rita Lambourn, Karen Meggers, Marge Silbernage, Marge Timm and the original day’s builders: Rob, Myself (Rae) and Heidi Cook. Others came and went. Almost everyone that stepped onto the site to “take a look” lent a hand. People stopped on their way by. Others came from long distances just to see what was happening. The newspaper did an article on us and several local and farther publications picked it up.
So many people contributed. Anytime muscles was needed they were there, local men lifted, hefted and moved. When one of our precious oversized beams from Ekalaka, Montana, got cut too short (no more beer for Greg Carlson), Melvin Miller supplied an old beam used for many years to move houses. Local farm trucks hauled lumber and their tractors ran the cement mixer, hoisted the flax straw and the scoria rock onto the roof, and hauled away the leftover debris. It became a community task.
The walls are comprised of 16 inch logs joined my hand laid cement, touched with its of light from old bottles wrapped in newspaper print sheets and insulated with sawdust. The roof is layers upon layers of wood, rubber membrane, Styrofoam insulation, plastic protection, flax straw and scoria rock and held up wit huge beams that spoke (like wheels) into two Russian fireplaces with doors recovered from old and abandoned Rhame buildings. The concrete floor is a shape of a racetrack, insulated and incorporates a heating a cooling system used long before the days of electricity. The bar is covered with cedar that was locally cut, planed and surfaced. Denny Walser supplied the huge cedar posts supporting the beams. The interior is decorated with local ranchers brands and area game.
The Hunters Tavern opened for business in the winter of 1983 and the Table followed that spring. Rob and I ran the bar. Carol and Burton Long operated the restaurant. The unique and pleasant atmosphere, along with a reputation for delicious food, attracted people from near and far.
The combination of experiences building and working in and with Rhame residents made for the memory of a lifetime and we can never forget the people and the community that made it all happen. Rob & Rae Getz
