Double Musky Inn Girdwood Alaska: The True Story of How it Started

 How the Double Musky Inn, Girdwood Alaska, became World-Famous.

by Michael R. Dougherty

This is how the Double Musky Inn got its start.

Julian “Moe” Maule was a huge ex-lumberjack, and he created the Double Musky Inn.

My dad, Ray Dougherty, met Moe in Alaska in the late 1950s. The two quickly became best friends.

While Moe was a great big fellow with a booming voice and a robust laugh, my dad was short and stocky. Together, they made an interesting pair.

One day, Moe bought some land in Girdwood, Alaska, just across the creek from what is now Mt. Alyeska Resort. Back when he bought the land, there wasn't much there except a tiny town and some cabins.

Moe and my dad both liked to drink and laugh, and they had many adventures doing both.

After Moe bought his property, he decided that, because he had once been a lumberjack, he could clear the land himself and build a small cabin. My father had worked in his family's lumber mill in Northern California, so he had lots of experience cutting down trees as well.

With a case or two of beer and some chainsaws, Moe and Dad began their adventure.

After the trees were cleared, they needed to remove the stumps. My dad thought they were going to wrap a chain around each one and pull it out with a pickup. But Moe had other plans.

Moe had purchased a case of dynamite. He thought it would be more fun to place a stick of dynamite under each stump and blow them up one at a time. So Moe and Ray, both drunk, put a stick of dynamite under a stump, lit the fuse, and headed for cover so they could watch the stump launch into the air.

Somehow, the two drunks managed to survive their adventure. They cleared the Girdwood property and built a small cabin.

At one point, our family lived in the completed cabin for several weeks. Each weekend, Moe, his wife, and their babies would visit.

Later, after our family moved into our home in Anchorage, Moe and his clan and my mom and dad, me, sister Anna, and brother Tom would all gather at the cabin on Saturdays or Sundays.

One day, we arrived at the homestead and noticed a new building on the property. It was about the size of two outhouses.

To find out what the small building was, watch the short, funny video below where I tell the story. The story continues after the video.

Double Musky Inn Girdwood Alaska

Our story continues

Some years later, Julian “Moe” Maule decided to build a bar for skiers. He named it the Double Musky Inn.

When you came into the Girdwood area, there was a fork in the road. If you went right, you headed over a small bridge and on to Mount Alyeska. If you turned left, you headed down a road where you'd spot occasional cabins. Moe's Double Musky Inn is still located there.

At the fork in the road was a small island with several trees. The first sign for the Double Musky was nothing more than an unpainted plywood board nailed to a tree. The following words were hand-painted in black:

“Double Musky Inn – Booze, Beans, Bunks”

Oh, and one other thing—I’ve read stories about where the name “Double Musky” came from, but I know the real story.

One day, I asked Moe how he came up with the name. Moe burst out in his characteristic big, booming laugh and said, “It was from a joke your dad and I came up with. We used to go into bars in Anchorage, go up to the bartender, and order a ‘Double Musky with a beer chaser,’” Moe said with a big laugh. “But there was no such drink. We just wanted to see what the bartender would do.”

As Moe continued his story, he said, “These bartenders would say things like, ‘Let’s see, isn’t that a double shot of this with a dash of that?’” Moe laughed some more and said, “It was so much fun when your dad and I would say, ‘Yes! That’s it!’” These bartenders would happily start mixing the concoction, serve it to us with a beer chaser, and your dad and I would end up drunk from the stuff.

Years later, after our dad had passed away, my mom, my brother Tom, and I were more than a little surprised when we learned that the Double Musky Inn had become world-famous.

I called my sister Anna, who was still in Alaska, and asked, “I heard that Moe’s Inn has become world-famous?” She said, “Yes, it has.” We both knew our dad would have loved it.

And to think, it all got started because Julian “Moe” Maule and my dad, Ray Dougherty, got drunk and cleared some land in Girdwood, Alaska.

Today, the Double Musky Inn is home to a fine restaurant that draws customers from around the world.

If you live in Alaska, or anywhere else on Earth, the Double Musky Inn is a place you really need to visit.

And when you do, take a moment to look around the place, inside and out, and remember this story.

Then, as you sit at the bar or enjoy your meal, you can smile to yourself and think, “I know the story of how this place got its start.”

Or better yet, tell the story to everyone there. I bet they'll love it.

BONUS

I told Julian Maule about this story. He loved it.

Then Julian told me that when it was time to say goodbye to the two-seat outhouse, he gathered a crowd, placed three sticks of dynamite on the roof, and covered them with moss to hold them in place.

Julian lit the fuse. Moments later, the two-seat outhouse blew to smithereens as the crowd cheered.

Only in Alaska.

Double Musky Inn Girdwood Alaska
Your Comments

Story Telling at its Best!
by: Cindy Pendleton

Mike, you would have so liked my hubby, Bob!

Bob was full of stories like this, Like Bob, you are a master “Teller of Tales”.

I am still smiling over this one.

A Beautiful Story
by: Katie LeBlanc

My now husband and I lived in the basement apartment of Julian's home in Washington.

My absolute favorite memories are of Julian's stories that he would tell us of The Double Musky Inn and your father.

He is such an incredible man and storyteller. I actually named my firstborn son after him. 

What a life well lived.

A Very Different Double Musky
by: Anonymous

From a construction hut.

Julian (Maule) would ski during the day and invite people over for pasta that his wife, Kay, cooked in her outdoor stump kitchen while Julian poured “double muskies,” danced, and played the concertina.

Someone had a bright idea and said, “you guys should build a restaurant”.

The rest of the year, we all pitched in to help Eddie Gendzwill and Bill and anyone else with building talent to build the Double Musky.

One problem.

Not enough paying customers... oops!

The 64 earthquake hit.

The ladies of Girdwood pitched in and cooked enough pasta to feed the Road Crew that was brought in to re-do the highway for as long as it took.

Many a polka was danced and many a song was sung as the Double Musky evolved.

Oh, if those walls could talk.

I was there through it all.

Blueberry Picking and the Double Musky
by: Sena

Don and I learned to go blueberry picking on the days that the Double Musky is open so that we have that guilty pleasure of eating a great meal before heading home.

Favorite After Skiing Treat
by: Rob

Back in the day, I'd be on the first chair on the chair lift at Alyeska in the morning at around 9:30 and Ski till 9:30 at night.

Wore out and hungry, I always looked forward to stopping at the Double Musky for a bite before heading back to Anchorage.

It would start something like this;

A pound of peel your own shrimp, followed by a 20 oz. pepper steak, a jalapeño cheese roll and a slice of Double Musky pie.

Every so often, a few of us would show up and there would be enough food on the table to feed a small army with no leftovers.

An almost Chinese style dinner. Help yourself to some shrimp, jambalaya, steak, some of this, some of that.

Good times.

Memories of the Double musky and Julian and More
by: B.Huntley

Wow! As a youngster in the mid-60s to mid-70s, I remember frequently going to the Double Musky and playing the gut bucket when it was available, eating steaks, and drinking Pepsi.

My father and Julian were pretty darn good buddies, keeping in touch with Julian after he sold the Double Musky, and moved to Washington.

A Half A Roll of TP
by: Michael Garner

Great video Mike!

Moe was ahead of his time and knew that TP (toilet paper) would be important. He started hoarding long before the next pandemic.

Wonderful story, and yes, everyone has to go visit the Double Musky sometime in their life.

One of the finest and more colorful dining experiences in South Central Alaska.

Thanks for posting this. Cheers!

Steak Dinner $5.95 and Polka Music
by: J. Trautner

Time: 1969

Place: Double Musky events.

On Saturday night when you walked into the Musky, there was a chalkboard on your left where you signed your name for a steak dinner.

When your name was called, you were given a steak, which you cooked on the corner fireplace in the main room. Along with your steak, you got French bread and a salad.

While you ate dinner, you were treated to polka music by Dan Zantek (Polka Dan) who played the concertina, and Herman Hastreiter (The German) who played the bass and at other times, the zither.

Occasionally, they had other stand-ins who played the Girdwood Base, a one-string instrument affixed to the side of a washtub or garbage can.

Polka Dan and Polka Yashu (John) still play at the Oktoberfest at Alyeska occasionally.

A Visit with My Son to The Double Musky
by: Eloise

I won a trip for two from Fairbanks to Alyeska for two nights. My oldest son came with me.

I was told not to miss the Double Musky.

We went as suggested.

Dinner at the Double Musky was delicious.

I will never forget our experience. And I highly recommend dinner at The Double Musky.

Swinging Juke Box
by: Ron

My wife and I would head for Homer once a week, and at least twice a month we would stop for dinner at the Double Musky.

The top sirloin was the best. I hope the swinging  jukebox is still there.

Great place to visit.

Early Alyeska Memories
by: Bruce Ficke

I spent a lot of time at the Double Musky in the 60s until mid-70s.

Had adventures with Julian, Katherine, Suzie, Julie, Danny and young Katherine. Good Friends and plenty of fond memories.

Thanks for sharing this, I think Danny and I found the leftover dynamite behind the Double Musky. And we used to sneak into the old abandoned Tiger's Den next door.

The early Alyeska days were great.

Yours Free

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