Roosevelt Lodge

After seeing Tower Fall we drove just a bit further north towards Roosevelt Lodge.  We spent a short time looking around the area.  Just like the other lodges this building was beautiful inside, if a bit smaller.  We even considered eating dinner there, but decided against it after finding that there wasn't anything on the expensive menu that we really liked. We did seriously consider sitting down on the comfortable-looking front porch rocking chairs.

Roosevelt Lodge lies near one end of Pleasant Valley, where the first hotel of the area opened in 1884.  "Uncle" John Yancey, an early Yellowstone entrepreneur, constructed the Pleasant Valley Hotel near today's Roosevelt Old West Cookout site.  Few tourists visited this part of Yellowstone at that early time - Yancey's original purpose was to profit from miners, prospectors, and freighters who traveled from the Gardiner area to Cooke City, Montana.  The hotel had five rooms, which its proprietor claimed could comfortably accommodate twenty guests!  Yancey rant the hotel until April of 1903, when, at the dedication of the Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance, he caught a cold.  Pneumonia followed, and John yancey died on May 7th, 1903; his hotel burned down three years later. 

It was while the arch was under construction that then-President Theodore Roosevelt came to vacation in Yellowstone.  He spent a good amount of time in the area, fishing and observing wildlife, and agreed near the end of his vacation to dedicate the new arch that thereafter bore his name. 

During this time, those who lacked the wealth to stay at Yellowstone's grand hotels would often tour with one of the tent-camping companies.  The Wylie Permanent Camping Company toured visitors in their own stagecoaches, and offered candy-striped tents for accommodations and a larger one for dining at each of their locations.  In 1906, they opened Camp Roosevelt on this site, named in honor of the recent presidential visit, and described by the 1908 Haynes Guide as a place that offered "the pleasures of the outdoor life with the little inconveniences reduced to a minimum." 

Camp Roosevelt became Roosevelt Lodge with the construction of the lodge building 1919-20 and the replacement of the tents with cabins in the 1920s.  Striving for a "dude ranch" feeling, the log buildings "enhanced rather than detract from the spirit of the wilderness" (Denver Post, 1922).  The peaceful setting, cool nights, warm summer days, spectacular panoramic scenery and rustic beauty of Roosevelt Lodge give it an ambiance distinct from all other Park facilities.--from Xantera handout, Roosevelt Lodge

The lobby felt very rustic with exposed bark on the supports.  The bookstore was a very small area along the back wall.

The front doors weren't as impressive as those of Old Faithful Inn, but still quite interesting.

The decor was interesting throughout, including in the bathroom.  I especially liked the sink.

But the tile work was also well designed.

And other features.  I'll admit that I prefer to use paper towels to dry my hands, but if you are going to use a dryer the Dyson airblade system is one of the best.

We also stopped by the nearby general store for a few minutes.  It wasn't very big and didn't have anything unique that I recall, or at least not unique and terribly interesting.  But outside there was a little chipmunk running around.

He even ran into the hub of the wheel that was standing up in front of the store.

I tried to photograph him while he was inside the hub, but my camera wouldn't focus in time.

In only ended up with this blurry picture of him on the ground.

After this we drove back south to our campground, getting in a bit late.  We had to get up early the next morning for we needed to pack up and head out on our last day of exploration in the park that would be followed by a drive to stay with my Uncle Jim in Billings, Montana.

~Matt