Miner's Hat Realty

Just off Interstate 90 in Kellogg, Idaho, sits the small, circular office of Miner’s Hat Realty. As unassuming as it may sound, this building has been drawing the attention of passersby since 1939. Why would a real estate office inspire motorists to stop and take a picture? Simply put, it has a quirky roof—it’s shaped like a large-brimmed miner’s helmet, with a neon-bulbed replica of a carbide headlamp. Built by Marietta Page, the building first housed a successful roadside diner aptly named The Miner’s Hat. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Page served up her famous “Coney Island” hot dogs and beer to both travelers and miners. When Page chose to hang up her hat in 1963, she closed the drive-in and left the local landmark vacant. [1]

For nearly a century, the economy of Kellogg and the surrounding Silver Valley area has centered on mining. As legend has it, Noah Kellogg founded the small settlement of Kellogg in 1885 after his donkey (yes, a donkey) wandered off and discovered galena ore. [2] Whether or not it was his donkey who found the ore, the mining town of Kellogg would soon become one of the largest providers of lead and silver to the United States. Within a year, the Bunker Hill Company was built to facilitate the mining, smelting and shipping of these metals. The company created new employment opportunities in the area, and as its production rapidly expanded, so did the valley’s working-class population. For miners and manual laborers, the working conditions within the mines were dangerous and physically exhausting, as the company demanded extended shift hours within the depths of unpredictable mining shafts. [3] Places like The Miner’s Hat diner became a respite for workers during and after a long and arduous day or night on the job.

Like many industrial workers across the United States, Bunker Hill miners only had short breaks during their shifts, but they still needed a moment to enjoy a meal. The concept of dining and dashing was not new to restaurants. The birth of the railroad in the 1800s sparked the creation of dining cars on rails and informal food options at train stops. Inspired by these methods of fast dining, small establishments began to pop up around factory gates and mining towns to sell food to workers. [4] In the early 20th century, advancements in refrigeration enabled restaurants to prepare and store food safely and therefore sell meals to more people in shorter amounts of time. By the 1930s, the rapid increase in automobile production and availability skyrocketed as did the popularity of fast-food restaurants, drive-ins and diners.

As demand soared and competition heated up, restaurants needed to innovate to keep customers’ attention and establish their brand. Edgar W. Ingram and Walter L. Anderson, creators of White Castle fast-food restaurants, used medieval-esque castle architecture and smooth, white stone buildings to evoke a sense of cleanliness and stability that drew in customers. As for drive-ins, places like A&W and Steak ’n Shake constructed dazzling canopies with eye-catching colors and lights to provide weather protection for the automobiles that pulled up for service. And along with the exciting aesthetic of drive-ins came the introduction of “tray girls”—women carrying trays of food and drinks who moved from car to car to serve patrons. [4] By pairing these flashy features with efficient and inexpensive food options, restaurants competed for customers during fast-food’s heyday, which lasted through the 1960s.

Marietta Page also made design choices that inspired drivers to pull over—and they still do, years after the restaurant closed. The helmet-shaped roof with a light on top stands out against Kellogg’s natural landscape and sparks curiosity in the minds of travelers who probably weren’t expecting to see a large miner’s cap on the side of the road. Back when the diner occupied “The Hat,” the restaurant’s straightforward, no-frills menu ensured swift service for hungry customers. Today, Miner’s Hat Realty continues to maintain the building’s unique exterior while using vintage diner booths inside to display examples of authentic miner’s helmets and old photos of the building. When in Kellogg, visitors are welcome to stop and visit Miner’s Hat Realty, even if just to snap a picture.