Twin Peaks Film Location – The Dutchman’s Lodge Exterior

Let’s return to the wonderful town of North Bend, Washington to explore a previously discussed film location seen in David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece, Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me. This time, however, we are going to the opposite side of the Mt. Si Motel from where scenes with Teresa Banks and Leland Palmer were shot. This roadside motel opened more than 70 years ago in the shadow of Mount Si. It returned to the small screen in Twin Peaks – Parts 15 and 17 from Season 3.

WHERE IS THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE EXTERIOR LOCATED IN TWIN PEAKS?

Google Maps
Google Maps

Mt. Si Motel is located at 43200 SE North Bend Way, about one mile east of downtown North Bend. The approximate coordinates for this spot are 47°29’01.9″N 121°45’46.7″W.

I discuss the history of this spot in this article about the Red Diamond City Motel, so I won’t repeat it for this story.

Scouting Mt. Si Motel
Tweet – Christine Larson-Nitzsche

This image from line producer Christine Larson-Nitzsche on May 20, 2018 shows David Lynch, Sabrina Sutherland, Scott Cameron, Ruth De Jong and others visiting the Mt. Si Motel during location scouting.

The scenes used in Parts 15 and 17 were shot during the evening of October 12 and into the early morning (or is it late night?) of October 13. It was a slightly rainy night, which is why you’ll see the parking lot had some puddles.

This was also the final night of location shooting in Washington state before the crew relocated to Southern California. The scene took most of the late night, wrapping up about 6:00 a.m.

THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS

Ray Monroe and Mr. C in Part 13
Part 13

We first learn of “The Dutchman’s” from my favorite character from Season 3, Ray Monroe (George Griffith). Just before Mr. C shoots him in the head, Ray explains that Phillip Jeffries was “at a place called The Dutchman’s, but it’s not a real place.”

Twin Peaks - The Final Dossier By Mark Frost
Twin Peaks – The Final Dossier By Mark Frost

Thanks to Mark Frost’s book, “Twin Peaks – The Final Dossier” we get some additional information about this mysterious spot on page 126:

“After [Ray] Monroe died, our investigators found a matchbook in his pocket, for a roadside motel called The Dutchman’s Lodge, in rural western Montana. I [Tamara Preston] personally visited the address on the matchbook and there’s nothing there. It’s an empty space on the side of an old two-lane state highway. I then went back and checked historical records for the area and learned that there was such a motel at that exact location dating back to the early 1930s. It was built, owned, and operated by a man name Horace ‘the Dutchman’ Vandersant, and it was known not only as a ‘gateway to a sportsman’s paradise,” but as a mob- and gangster-friendly establishment – rumor has it John Dillinger once spent a week there while on the lam. The lodge was shut down not long after Vandersant died, in 1962m and was demolished in 1967.”

Agent Preston also states the Lodge’s former location “lay directly between Missoula and Twin Peaks.”

Western Montana Establishing Shot
Part 13

We see “Western Montana” (which is actually footage from South Dakota) in Part 13.

But did the Dutchman’s Lodge or Horace Vandersant ever exist?

eBay - The Lost Dutchman Lodge
eBay – The Lost Dutchman Lodge

As far as I can tell, they are creations from Mark Frost’s mind.

I found a postcard for The Lost Dutchman Lodge in Mesa, Arizona. The motel’s name is most likely a reference to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, a legendary rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States.

This was the only reference to a motel I could find during exhaustive searches (the Arizona one is still there today as a Motel 6). Montana does have Dutchman Mountain in Beaverhead County, and there was a Dutchman Mining Co. once active in the region.

After hearing the “Dutchman’s” name, I immediately thought of The Flying Dutchman, the legendary ghost ship which was said to never be able to make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever. I still wish the motel from Frost’s novel was a real place; it would have been great to add it to the growing list of film location.

ENTERING THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE

Mr. C and a Woodsman climb stairs to the entrance
Part 15

The scene begins with Mr. C being escorted up a flight of stairs to a hallway entrance. This scene was shot on a soundstage at Calvert Studios in Van Nuys, California in early 2016 (that’s a different story for another time).

Twin Peaks Film Location - The Dutchman's Lodge Exterior
Part 15

We then cut to a scene of Mr. C walking past what appears to be flower wallpaper.

Mr. C at the door
Part 15

He pauses at a brown door. We can see more of the flower-themed decor.

Mr. C and The Woodsmen
Part 15

It’s the same wallpaper used in the scene prior on the soundstage set. The coolest part about this scene is that the crew actually built part of the wall with the brown door and placed it in the parking lot of Mt. Si Motel.

Mt. Si Motel
Photo by: Karl Reinsch, the Mayor of Twin Peaks

Fellow Bookhouse Boy (and Mayor of Twin Peaks) took this image of the set during the night of filming.

Mt. Si Motel Set
Photo by: Karl Reinsch, the Mayor of Twin Peaks

There is no computer generated graphics for the shot – Mr. C literally walks down a faux-hall lined with flowered wallpaper and opens a door to the actual parking lot. I love this detail so incredibly much!

The area is being lit by a Condor, which is basically a “cherry picker” that has a lighting rig attached to it. This is why Mr. C and the courtyard are bathed in soft light.

You can read more about Karl’s experience watching this scene being shot in Issue 15 of Blue Rose Magazine.

CROSSING THE PARKING LOT AT THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE

Twin Peaks Film Location - The Dutchman's Lodge Exterior
Part 15

As Mr. C steps through the open door, he enters a rain-soaked parking lot. In the distance, we see one of two Woodsmen. The one that appears in this shot is most likely played by Christian Calloway who played a Woodsman in several other scenes. The scene appears to have been shot using a Vantablack filter (joking of course) so identifying the exact actor is tough.

Mt. Si Motel in September 2019
September 18, 2019

Here’s a similar shot from the Mt. Si Motel parking lot on September 18, 2019. The exterior now sports a different color scene than what was seen in Season 3. The building received new paint colors around June 7, 2019. How I wish I could have seen it one last time before the new paint arrived.

Mr. C crossing the Parking Lot
Part 15
Mt. Si Motel on September 18, 2019
September 18, 2019

The first Woodsman joins Mr. C as he crossing the lot toward Room 8. We see a second Woodsman to the right.

Mr. C outside the Convenience Store
Part 15

Thanks to an outstanding interview by Martin Hearn for 25YearsLaterSite.com, we learn that this Woodsman was played by Anthony Marcacci.

Martin Hearn: Was the exterior shooting of this Convenience Store scene filmed in the same location as Part 8?

Anthony Marcacci: Yep, shot the scene with me and Kyle directly before the other scene. It was like midnight for the scene with Kyle and then we didn’t finish up until 2am or so for everything. It was a very long day…then the two of us came back the next day/night to film at the motel where we walk ‘Mr C’ toward the door where the giant David Bowie impersonating steam kettle, Phillip Jeffries, lives.

OUTSIDE ROOM 8 AT THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE

Twin Peaks Film Location - The Dutchman's Lodge Exterior
Part 15

Mr. C slowly approaches Room 8 at the motel.

Room 8 at Mt. Si Motel in North Bend, Washington
September 19, 2019

The remodeled exterior of Room 8 at Mt. Si Motel in September 2019.

Mr. C outside Room 8
Part 15

The door to Room 8 is locked. Something to Mr. C’s right catches his attention.

Room 8 Door at Mt. Si Motel
September 19, 2019

The same area (with a different look) at the Mt. Si Motel.

BOSOMY WOMAN AT THE DUTCHMAN’S LODGE

The Bosomy Woman in Part 15
Part 15

The camera cuts to the Bosomy Woman standing in the shadows watching Mr. C.

The Mauve Zone - Part 15 Publicity Shot of Bosomy Woman
The Mauve Zone – Part 15 Publicity Shot

Here’s a better a look at the woman before she approached Room 8. This is a publicity shot from Part 15 taken by Suzanne Tenner.

Leland Palmer and Teresa Banks at the Red Diamond City Motel
Fire Walk With Me

I love seeing the open spot behind the Bosomy Woman as it’s the same area where Leland Palmer “chickens out” at the party with Teresa Banks’ friends in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Twin Peaks Film Location - The Dutchman's Lodge Exterior
September 19, 2019

A similar shot with the now-covered garage. Bummers.

UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO ROOM 8

I'll Unlock The Door For You
Part 15

The Bosomy Woman offers to unlock the door for Mr. C. Dialogue was recorded backward similar to dialogue from The Red Room scenes.

Mt. Si Motel courtyard
September 18, 2019

The oversized bushes were replaced during the Mt. Si remodel in 2019.

Malachy Sreenan
Malachy Sreenan

By the way, the Bosomy Woman was played by Irish-born actor based in Seattle, Washington, Malachy Sreenan.

The Bosomy Woman crosses to the door
Part 15
Room 8 Door at Mt. Si Motel
September 18, 2019

The Bosomy Woman crosses to the door to Room 8.

Bosomy Woman unlocks the Door to Room 8
Part 15
Room 8 at Mt. Si Motel
September 18, 2019

She unlocks and opens the door for Mr. C.

ENTERING ROOM 8

Mr. C Watching the Bosomy Woman
Part 15

Mr. C watches as the Bosomy Woman unlocks the door.

Bosomy Woman and Mr. C
Part 15

They share a glance as she departs back across the parking lot.

Mr. C Enters the Room
Part 15

Mr. C enters the room and shuts the door.

END CREDITS TO TWIN PEAKS PART 15

End Credits to Part 15
Part 15

During the end credits for Part 15, we get two additional shots of The Dutchman’s Lodge. The first shows the wet parking lot with the light outside Room 8 illuminated.

Mt. Si Motel in September 2019
September 18, 2019

Here is a similar look across the parking lot / courtyard at Mt. Si Motel. I wish I would have captured a closer shot (just means I have to go back).

Bosomy Woman in the shadows
Part 15

The second shot from the end credits shows the Bosomy Woman standing in the now-covered garage opening at the motel. It’s a brief shot but I’m wondering if it’s part of a longer take of her crossing to Room 8.

Most likely it is the starting point before she walked toward Mr. C as her first appearance shows her halfway across the courtyard while the publicity shot by Suzanne Tenner shows her slightly closer to the garage opening.

PART 17 APPEARANCE

Agent Dale Cooper and Phillips Gerard
Part 17

We return briefly to The Dutchman’s Lodge in Part 17. This time Philip Gerard is seen escorting Special Agent Dale Cooper through the brown door. But it’s a reversed shot from Part 15, as it was captured on a set (versus at Mt. Si Motel).

Twin Peaks Film Location - The Dutchman's Lodge Exterior
Part 17

There is a quick establishing shot of the Dutchman’s Lodge courtyard which is basically lifted from a scene before the end credits roll in Part 15.

Phillip Gerard and Agent Cooper in the hall
Part 17

Instead of crossing the courtyard like Mr. C did, Gerard takes Agent Cooper down another hall (on set at Calvert Studios) to get to Phillip Jeffries’s room.

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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One thought on “Twin Peaks Film Location – The Dutchman’s Lodge Exterior

  1. the motel already had that grey paint job when I stayed there in november 2017

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