Taku Tilly – The Moose

Once upon a summer, there comes a moose to the Taku Lodge. Mrs. Storfold was a Lodge manager during the 1950’s and her son recalls the days when a young calf became a part of the lodge family. A game warden, who lived in a cabin not far up river from the lodge rescued this abandoned moose and brought it to the lodge. The lodge family nursed it throughout the summer and named it Taku Tilly. She made a name for herself and even made it to the pages of Juneau’s newspaper.

Taku Tilly truly became one of the family, playing with the lodge dogs and greeting guests on the front lawn. She may have thought herself as a dog, as she was known to get into the garbage and lay down on the porch, blocking the screen door just like a dog. Upon closing the lodge for the winter in 1956, the lodge family had to leave Taku Tilly behind. Her fate was unknown, however she was never seen again.

We are honored to have this story shared with us by Mr. Storfold, the son of Marian. He spent one summer at the Taku Lodge as a young boy and came back to visit us in 2018. Stories like these amaze us and we are honored to keep such rich history alive everyday. Special thanks to Mr. Storfold for sharing these historic photos and candid memories.