So... Who Are Jim & Mary? The Story Behind Our RV Park
If you've ever checked in at Jim & Mary's RV Park, there's a pretty good chance you've wondered about the name.
Maybe you've even asked us.
“So... are you Mary?”
The answer, at least these days, is no. But we get the question all the time. In fact, our FAQ has an entire section dedicated to it. (And while our office staff hears it the most, the men who work here aren't entirely off the hook either.)
We do have a Jim on staff; he likes to say, “I’m Jim, but not that Jim.”
So, who are Jim and Mary?
Well, let's go back to the beginning.
The Original Jim & Mary
Jim and Mary started the RV park back in the 1980s, building a peaceful little campground on just eight acres of land north of Missoula. Over the next 16 years, they welcomed travelers, built a loyal customer base, and created a place that many guests came to know and love.
By 2000, Jim and Mary were ready to retire and sell the park.
Enter Walt and Judy.
A New Chapter Begins
In the late 1990s, Walt and Judy were living near Seattle and starting to think about what came next. Walt had grown up in Butte, and the two had long dreamed of eventually making their way back to Western Montana.
After spending about a year looking for the right place, they found Jim & Mary's RV Park for sale in Missoula.
The timing was right. Their daughters were living out of state, grandchildren were beginning to enter the picture, and the idea of running a family business together started to take shape. They pitched the idea to their oldest daughter, Jennifer, and before long, plans were in motion.
On April 17, 2000, Walt, Judy, and Jennifer officially became the new owners of Jim & Mary's RV Park.
They made one important decision right away: the name was staying.
From Eight Acres to the Park You See Today
The park has changed quite a bit since then.
One of the first major projects came in 2003, when four additional acres were added to the property. The expansion made room for two full rows of big-rig-friendly sites—what we now know as E and F rows—as well as a new restroom and shower building and, naturally, more gardens.
The timing worked out particularly well for the Big Prevost Rally that rolled into town in 2004. Twenty-five coaches, each reportedly worth around $1.3 million, arrived at the park one after another.
Thankfully, they had reservations.
Over the years, the park continued to grow and evolve. More sites were added, buildings and facilities were upgraded, and what started as a few flower beds here and there turned into one of the things we're probably best known for today.
According to Jennifer, the park is now almost unrecognizable from what the family first purchased in 2000. Site capacity increased by nearly 50 percent, major improvements were made, and the family gradually made the park their own—all while holding onto the name and spirit of the place Jim and Mary started.
Still Family-Owned. Still Jim & Mary's.
More than 25 years after Walt, Judy, and Jennifer took over, Jim & Mary's remains a family-owned RV park.
A lot has changed since the original eight-acre campground opened in the 1980s.
The park is bigger. The gardens are bigger.
The list of projects is probably bigger than anyone would like to admit.
But some things haven't changed.
We still love getting to know our guests. Many visitors return year after year, and seasonal staff members come back each summer to be part of the Jim & Mary's family. We're still a small, friendly park where you'll see the owners doing everything from greeting guests and working in the office to mowing the lawn and getting their hands dirty in the gardens.
And, yes, people still ask us whether he’s Jim or she’s Mary.
The original Jim and Mary have since passed away, but their names—and the little RV park they started all those years ago—are still very much part of this place.
So, the next time you check in, feel free to ask.
Just don't be surprised when the answer is: “Nope. I'm not Mary.”
