In 1947 Albert Appleby, of the Appleby Motel, purchased Idlewild Lot 6.1Fort Collins Coloradan – November 10, 1947 Here he began construction of a second motel which would be known as the Ritz.

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1947-11-10 - Fort Collins Coloradan - Appleby Buys Part Of Idlewild Lot 6

Lewis Dakan to Hubert A Appleby $10 Pt lot 6 Idle Wild Sub.21947-11-10 – Fort Collins Coloradan

Fort Collins Coloradan – November 10, 1947

The Ritz was located directly south of the Idlewild bridge, in the same valley where Frank Marvin had taken up residence eighty years prior. Appleby removed the small wooden bridge that crossed Idlewild Creek and filled in the valley to level the ground. This gave him enough space to construct a five room motel with patios overlooking the Big Thompson River.31950-09-29 – Fort Collins Coloradan

Appleby also built a separate home and garage north of the motel right on the corner of the Idlewild Bridge. He would move his office, which was previously located in Ed Wilds stone cabin at Appleby Motel, into this building.

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - Circa 1956 - Vista Of Idlewild From Palisade Mountain

Looking south at Idlewild from Palisade Mountain c. 1956. Part of the Appleby Motel painted in white with red shingles is visible at right. Towards the middle right is the Ritz Motel also painted with Appleby’s red and white color scheme. At left are Idlewild Lodge, DAMFINO, and the Cambrian Lodge.

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - Circa 1956 - Closeup Of Ritz Motel From Palisade Mountain

Closeup of the Ritz Motel from the above photo. The longer red roofed building at back is the Ritz Motel. The red roofed buildings at the bottom are Appleby’s motel office and garage.

Hubert Appleby sold the Ritz Motel in 1950 to C. B. Williams, who began renting out the motel complex as a family home.41950-09-29 – Fort Collins Coloradan

Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Appleby have purchased the former Fay Walt acreage on the Estes Park road, three miles west of Loveland. They recently sold the Titz [Ritz] motel in the Big Thompson canyon to Mr. and Mrs. C. B Williams, who have taken possession.51950-01-23 – Fort Collins Coloradan

Fort Collins Coloradan – January 23, 1950

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1950-01-23 - Fort Collins Coloradan - Ritz Motel sold by Appleby

By 1954 Williams had sold The Ritz to Ed Tiedgen, who then sold it Wayne Bailey of Kansas.61954-05-10 – Fort Collins Coloradan In 1955 Mr. Bailey sold the motel to Mabelle and Peter Olsen of Greeley who would own The Ritz for the next decade.71955-04-25 – Fort Collins Coloradan

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1956-04-27 - The Estes Park Trail - Advertisements for Ritz Motel

Advertisement for the Ritz Motel, under the ownership of Mabelle and Peter Olson April 27th, 1956.81956-04-27 – The Estes Park Trail

After the Olsens took ownership, The Ritz became one of the more popular resorts in the canyon.91965-12-24 – The Estes Park Trail

At the Appleby Motel we find Mr. and Mrs. Harold Pagel and daughter, Kay, of Tama, Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Scanlon and daughter, Dixie Lee, of Clinton, Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Martel Morrow of Independence, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Roy Woods of Abilene, Kansas.

The Ritz Motel reports Mr. and Mrs. Jack Parr and family of Wiley, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Jesse McGuire of Dallas, Tex.; Mr and Mrs. Jack Morris of Wiley, Texas here now. Mr. and Mrs. George Stefens and daughter, Margo, of Riverside, California who were here earlier in the summer, returned to the Ritz the first of the week to “rest up” before starting home. They have been in Calif and enjoyed a trip to Hawaii. They will leave for the east this weekend.101961-07-21 – The Estes Park Trail

The Estes Park Trail – July 21, 1961

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1961-07-21 - The Estes Park Trail - Guests at Appleby And Ritz Motels

In 1965 the Olsens sold The Ritz to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ishii.

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1965-12-03 - The Estes Park Trail - Ishii New Owners of Ritz Motel

Mr. and Mrs. Lester [Leslie] Dauth entertained at a get-acquainted dinner party recently with residence of the Idlewild community as their guests. The occasion was to meet newcomers to the Canyon. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ishii of Omaha, Nebr., who are the new owners of the Ritz Motel. Guests of the Dauths included Mr. and Mrs. Glen Floyd, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Morin and Mr. and Mrs. Ishii.111965-12-03 – The Estes Park Trail

The Estes Park Trail – December 3, 1965

One of the first things the Ishiis did was rename the Ritz to the “Early Times Shoppe and Motel.” In addition to renting out rooms they had an antique store on the property where they sold musical instruments, cameras, and even a 20ft hand loom.121971-09-03 – The Estes Park Trail Some collectables from Idlewild Lodge even made their way to Ishii’s store including DAMFINO’s original pot belly stove. The Ishii’s would run their motel and shop for six years before selling in 1971.131971-09-03 – The Estes Park Trail

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ishii of Omaha, Nebr. have purchased the Ritz Motel from Mr. and Mrs. Pete Olsen. Mr. and Mrs. Ishii have taken possession of their newly acquired property and are contemplating a number of changes, one of them being the change of name for the motel which will be known as “Early Times Shoppe and Motel”. In their Shoppe they will feature collectors’ and decorators’ items, with brass and copper articles a specialty. Mr. and Mrs. Olsen, who have owned and operated the popular Canyon resort, several years have left the Canyon and are now living in Bloomington, Ill.141965-12-24 – The Estes Park Trail

The Estes Park Trail – December 24, 1965

Idlewild Lodge - idlewildlodge.github.io - 1965-12-24 - The Estes Park Trail - Ritz Motel Renamed to Early Times Motel

After the Ishiis, the motel passed through several owners, whom gradually converted the seasonal resort into a year-around property that’s still here today.