.gif)
Hamilton's Stores (Yellowstone National Park)
Encyclopedia
Hamilton's Stores were concessioners in Yellowstone National Park
from 1915 to 2002. The stores were founded by Winnipeg
native Charles Hamilton, who arrived in Yellowstone in 1905, aged 21, to work for the Yellowstone Park Association. The stores provided food, souvenirs and sundries to tourists at the major attractions along Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road. Several of the buildings constructed for Hamilton's are significant examples of the National Park Service Rustic
style of architecture and have assumed prominence as attractions in their own right. Most or all are included as contributing structures in National Register of Historic Places
historic districts.
. Alma was from Ottawa
, C.E., a lawyer, was an immigrant from Kent, England. At the time of their son's birth, C.E. was mayor of Winnipeg and attorney general of Manitoba
. The family moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota
in 1884, where the elder Charles had been appointed British Vice-Consul for Minnesota. After attending high school in Saint Paul, the younger Charles enrolled in a business school. This training helped him obtain a summer job in 1905 as an assistant to the purchasing agent for the Yellowstone Park Association at Mammoth Hot Springs
. Hamilton spent subsequent summers as secretary to Harry W. Child
, president of the Yellowstone Park Company, which operated the hotels in the park. From 1907 Hamilton was assistant to T.E. Farrow, Superintendent of Hotels. During this time, Hamilton became friends with Huntley Child Sr., son of Harry Child. In 1915 the Klamer store at Old Faithful came on the market and was offered to Huntley, who turned it down, but who informed Hamilton of the opportunity. Hamilton bought the store for $20,000 with Huntley Child's backing. Hamilton established himself at the Klamer store, which eventually became known as "Hamilton's Lower Store", in a six-room apartment on the upper floor. His office, papered with $1,839,105.60 in checks, was called the "Million Dollar Room." After Army service during World War I, Charles Hamilton married Eva Victoria Spence in 1920.
Hamilton's sisters, Alma Sybil (Syb) Hamilton Parkes, Pauline (Pearl) Hamilton Samson and Eva (Eve) Kraebel de Greve, and cousin Laura Christine Marston d'Allemagne all worked in the stores.
In 1953 Hamilton gained control of most park concessions with the purchase of stores at Mammoth Hot Springs and Canyon. Hamilton also operated bathhouses at Old Faithful from 1933, when he bought the geyser-fed pool from Henry Brothers until 1951, when they were demolished as inappropriate for a national park.
As a result of a 1998 change in National Park Service
policy which eliminated preferences for established businesses in parks, Hamilton's Stores lost the concessions contract in Yellowstone to Delaware North in 2002, and ceased operations.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
from 1915 to 2002. The stores were founded by Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
native Charles Hamilton, who arrived in Yellowstone in 1905, aged 21, to work for the Yellowstone Park Association. The stores provided food, souvenirs and sundries to tourists at the major attractions along Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road. Several of the buildings constructed for Hamilton's are significant examples of the National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style of architecture and have assumed prominence as attractions in their own right. Most or all are included as contributing structures in National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
historic districts.
Charles Hamilton
Charles Ashworth Hamilton was born in Winnipeg on November 19, 1884. His parents were Alma Lizzie Ashworth Hamilton and Charles Edward HamiltonCharles Edward Hamilton
Charles Edward Hamilton was a Canadian politician serving as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and as the seventh Mayor of Winnipeg in 1885....
. Alma was from Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, C.E., a lawyer, was an immigrant from Kent, England. At the time of their son's birth, C.E. was mayor of Winnipeg and attorney general of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The family moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
in 1884, where the elder Charles had been appointed British Vice-Consul for Minnesota. After attending high school in Saint Paul, the younger Charles enrolled in a business school. This training helped him obtain a summer job in 1905 as an assistant to the purchasing agent for the Yellowstone Park Association at Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate...
. Hamilton spent subsequent summers as secretary to Harry W. Child
Harry W. Child
Harry W. Child was an entrepreneur who managed development and ranching companies in southern Montana. He was most notable as a founder and longtime president of the Yellowstone Park Company, which provided accommodation and transportation to visitors to Yellowstone National Park from 1892 to 1980...
, president of the Yellowstone Park Company, which operated the hotels in the park. From 1907 Hamilton was assistant to T.E. Farrow, Superintendent of Hotels. During this time, Hamilton became friends with Huntley Child Sr., son of Harry Child. In 1915 the Klamer store at Old Faithful came on the market and was offered to Huntley, who turned it down, but who informed Hamilton of the opportunity. Hamilton bought the store for $20,000 with Huntley Child's backing. Hamilton established himself at the Klamer store, which eventually became known as "Hamilton's Lower Store", in a six-room apartment on the upper floor. His office, papered with $1,839,105.60 in checks, was called the "Million Dollar Room." After Army service during World War I, Charles Hamilton married Eva Victoria Spence in 1920.
Hamilton's sisters, Alma Sybil (Syb) Hamilton Parkes, Pauline (Pearl) Hamilton Samson and Eva (Eve) Kraebel de Greve, and cousin Laura Christine Marston d'Allemagne all worked in the stores.
Expansion
In 1916 Hamilton agreed to a 50-50 share of the automotive service concession with the Childs and opened filling stations at Old Faithful and West Thumb. Hamilton offered cooked meals in the stores from 1927.- Lower Store, Old Faithful - Built in 1897 as Klamer's General Store, Charles Hamilton bought this store in 1915 from Henry Klamer's widow, Mary. Substantially altered in 1904 with log and twig decoration, this store epitomizes the rustic style. The rustic detailing is attributed to Robert ReamerRobert ReamerRobert Reamer was an American architect, most noted for the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. Reamer was born in and spent his early life in Oberlin, Ohio. He left home at the age of thirteen and went to work in an architect's office in Detroit as a draftsman...
, who had completed the nearby Old Faithful InnOld Faithful Inn-Sources:*Barringer, Mark Daniel. Selling Yellowstone: Capitalism and the Construction of Nature, Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 978-070061167-3...
the year before. The building was enlarged in 1924, and the elaborate burled log porch was added in 1925. A plaque on the porch reads "Designed and built by M.C. Schwerdt, 818 Trd. Ave, SE, Great Falls, Mont". Old Faithful Historic DistrictOld Faithful Historic DistrictThe Old Faithful Historic District in Yellowstone National Park comprises the built-up portion of the Upper Geyser Basin surrounding the Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Geyser... - Upper Store, Old Faithful - A much larger store built in 1929 near main parking areas with employee dormitories upstairs. The store was originally known as the Basin Auto Camp store, and was built to serve automobile-borne visitors staying in the Old Faithful tent camp. Old Faithful Historic District
- Lake Store - Octagonal center structure with radiating wings near the Lake Hotel, built in 1922.
- Fishing Bridge Store - Faux-log concrete structure.
- West Thumb Store - Located in an old lunch station.
As a result of a 1998 change in National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
policy which eliminated preferences for established businesses in parks, Hamilton's Stores lost the concessions contract in Yellowstone to Delaware North in 2002, and ceased operations.
External links
- Lower Hamilton's General Store, General Store, 625' Northwest of Old Faithful Inn & 2000' North of Grand Loop Road, Old Faithful, Teton County, WY: 15 photos, 1 photo caption page, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- Upper Hamilton's General Store, General Store, 1250' Southeast of Old Faithful Inn & 900' southwest of Old Faithful Lodge, Old Faithful, Teton County, WY: 5 photos, 1 photo caption page, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey