A brief history of Old Faithful Inn

nickiam (53)in #yellowstone • 7 years ago (edited)

The Old Faithful Inn

Photo from Wikipedia
Usually, the first thing everyone thinks of when they think of Yellowstone is Old Faithful Geyser. Not far from the geyser sits the hotel of almost just as much fame. The Old Faithful Inn, or OFI. It truly is a sight to behold. It is one of the oldest, and largest log hotels in the United States. From the lobby floor to the top of the roof it stands 92 feet high. The building has stood the test of time, and survived fire, and earthquakes. Earthquakes are quite common in the park, but most are small, as it sits atop the worlds largest active volcano. The front door is oriented north, rather than facing the Old Faithful Geyser.

The history of the Inn

Photo from Wikipedia

The hotel was designed by architect Robert Reamer in 1902 for the Yellowstone Park Company, in partnership with the Northern Pacific Railroad. The recent loss of the Upper Geyser Basin Hotel due to fire left the Yellowstone Park Company in need of a new hotel for the area. The original section of the building, known as the Old House, was constructed between 1903-04, mostly during the harsh winter. It features a fireplace in the main lobby made of stone, standing 85 feet tall, and had electric lighting and steam heat. It was later realized that the hotel didn't have enough rooms, so two additional wings were added first in 1913 with the east wing, then in 1927 with the west wing. In 1925 a Female Dorm was constructed behind the Inn to house employees. This L shaped dorm, currently known as Laurel dorm, is still in use today. I lived in it for my first season.

Photo from the US Library of Congress

In 1959 the park was hit with a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook the foundation of the Inn. It caused the fireplace chimney to collapse on to the dining room and made the upper pieces of the hotel unstable. In 1988 the Inn was once again threatened, this time by the North Fork Fire. The summer of 1988 was a summer to remember, as nearly two-thirds of the park burned. The Inn was saved by firefighters and a sprinkler system what was installed just the year before. Several small cabins and other buildings in the village perished.

Some of the design

Photo is mine
The front door was designed to look like a fortress. Stories of bears and other animals made the public perception of the park to be dangerous. The door is very heavy, and feature cast iron handles, and a large lock mechanism. The door originally remained locked at night. If employees or guests were locked outside, a large cast iron chime was installed, so a Bell Hop could open the door for anyone outside. More about the door can be found here.

Near the top of the lobby, there sits a small landing called the Crows Nest, where musicians played during the early days of the Inn. The stairs are now closed to the public after the third floor, because of the earthquake in 1959.

The windows near the top open up into the lobby to let natural light in. The windows are not symmetrical and designed to look like a tree canopy letting in light to the forest. There are a few fake windows visible on the exterior of the building.
Photo is mine

The main fireplace in the lobby has a massive cast iron clock hanging from it. It is driven by gravity. The weights used to have to be reset by hand, but now it has an electric motor to rewind it as needed.
Photo is mine