In 1970 Jack and Nancy Holman decided to take their two young children and move from Upstate New York to bush Alaska. They had enrolled in a program designed to attract new teachers to remote villages, the pay was good and they wanted to see the world so they signed on for a year. As Jack was an avid hunter and fisherman, the idea was very appealing and he took right to the lifestyle. On his weekends he traveled with locals learning the river and exploring the wilderness of Bristol Bay. On many a trip up river he would stop and visit a Norwegian fisherman that wintered in a cabin on the banks of the river. He had been fishing Bristol Bay since the days of double ender sail boats, was in his 80's and alone so very much enjoyed the company. One day over coffee he told Jack that he was leaving the river to move closer to his daughter and would be willing to sell the property, he wanted what he had paid, $5000. Jack didn't need to think long on that and accepted the offer, $5000 for 160 acres with two cabins a sunk barge and several hundred yards of river frontage. In 1975 he brought in his first fishermen to the "Lodge" and in 1982 built the first guest cabin. In the mid 80's he quit teaching and devoted the next 30 years building and improving the facilities while exploring and learning the many different rivers of Bristol Bay.

In 1994 his oldest son John entered the business as a new pilot/ aircraft mechanic and guide in training. Jack retired in 2008 and resides in northern California where he is still an avid hunter and fisherman. He is occasionally spotted around the lodge though some claim it's an apparition named Craig Z.