Pole’s Place Motel & Gift Shop on Highway 12 in Boulder — across from the Anasazi State Park Museum — was opened in 1987 by a grandson of Eugene Napoleon "Pole" Griffin, the legendary Boulder marksman whose story is told in the local museum and in regional historical literature. The founding family’s roots in Boulder reach to 1887, when the current owners’ great-grandfather, John King, arrived to graze horses in the summer range and subsequently purchased land in the area. Four generations of the same family have lived and worked in this canyon community since.
The property sits at the northern terminus of Scenic Byway 12 in Boulder — a town of roughly 250 people at the end of a long road through Grand Staircase–Escalante, adjacent to the Burr Trail and the access routes to Capitol Reef. The gift shop carries regional history, local craft, and a curated selection of items that reflects decades of the family’s relationship to the place. Current innkeeper Camille carries the family’s knowledge of Boulder’s history into every interaction with guests arriving for the first time.
Boulder is the kind of community where "locally owned" carries additional weight: when only 250 people live in a town, every business is somebody’s family operation or it doesn’t exist.
**Verification notes** Website live; 1987 opening by Griffin family confirmed; four-generation Boulder family confirmed; great-grandfather John King arrival in 1887 confirmed on History page; Eugene Napoleon "Pole" Griffin connection confirmed via Bryce Canyon Country historical article; address Highway 12, Boulder (across from Anasazi State Park) confirmed across multiple sources; Camille identified as current innkeeper via TripAdvisor review.