As busy as Moni was with Alpine Inn, she established a new place in Deadwood name FLYT Steakhouse by Alpine Inn with Kari Monger, Trudy Knapp’ s daughter, as manager. The understanding was that Moni would sell it to Monger after five years.
“ I was pretty busy that first year, running back and forth to Deadwood, but after that it wasn’ t too bad. Last August I sold the business to Kari,” said Moni.
Moni said her mother is a real go-getter, and it appears the apple doesn’ t fall too far from the tree. They close the Alpine down in January for a few weeks, conceivably for a time to get a little extra R & R. Not so, said Moni.
“ That is our time of year to accomplish some needed renovations. This year we put in a brand-new deck and handicap lift. Every winter we do something. In the past we put in new ceilings and redid the dish room. At the very least we spend three weeks cleaning,” said Moni.
For Wally and Moni, being a part of the community, making it a better place, is important. They have done well over the decades in Hill City and have given back in great measure. When the Tucker Rodeo was created several years back, they were in the middle of it donating food and volunteer time to it. They have provided desserts for many events in Hill City and packages of ground beef have been shared with many. When portions of the steaks are carved off for the dinner menu, that meat is ground and packaged.
“ A lot of the meat is donated to the Cornerstone Rescue Mission in Rapid City. Thousands of pounds of meat have gone there and the local food pantry, to churches and the school,” said Wally.
The creation of Alpine Inn has been a lot of work, but a labor of love for Wally and Moni, and they don’ t think too much about what the next step is. They are enjoying what they are doing, and the question they have pondered is,“ How do we celebrate the 40th anniversary?”
The anniversary date is April 17, and the decision has been made.“ To commemorate the day dining guests will have the opportunity to put their names in a drawing for a large gift basket and a two- night stay at the Inn. The drawing will take place on Memorial Day weekend,” said Moni.
The next few weeks are a perfect opportunity for community members to stop in for a meal and congratulate Wally, Moni, Deborah and their staff for 40 years of great food and service to Hill City and the surrounding region.
MUSEUM OF THE FUR TRADE
See the history of the 昀 rst business in North America- the fur trade.
10 Unique items to view!
Parchment HBC Of 昀 cers Certi 昀 cate Brass Handle Cartouche Knife John Kinzie’ s gun HBC Of 昀 cer’ s sword William Clark Fabric Samples Andrew Henry’ s Leggings
Chief’ s Coat Kit Fox Society Lance Russian American Co. note Oldest dated trap 1755
Open 8-5, May 1 to October 31 3 miles east of Chadron, Nebraska on US Highway 20.
www. furtrade. org 308-432-3843 museum @ furtrade. org
Black Hills Adventure Guide 2025 41