Queen's Laundry Bath House
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Laundry Bath House is a ruinous structure in Yellowstone National Park
. The log building sits on the edge of the Queen's Laundry thermal feature in the Lower Geyser Basin. The water at this location is somewhat cooler than the norm, allowing early tourists to bathe. Begun by Yellowstone park superintendent Philetus Norris
, the bath house was intended to have two rooms and a dirt-covered roof, but was never completed. Begun in 1881, it may be the oldest extant park visitor structure in the National Park Service
system.
The ruins are located near the western end of Sentinel Meadows on a travertine
mound formed by Queen's Laundry Spring. The structure measures 8.16 feet (2.5 m) by 19 feet (5.8 m), and had a low shed roof. The log walls were vee-notched. The roof structure is incomplete and gradually deteriorating, and was intended to be covered with earth.. The interior comprises two rooms of approximately equal size, which are in the process of gradually being covered by hot springs deposits.
In his 1881 annual report, Superintendent Norris proposed the construction of the bath house for public use. After the structure was partly built, Superintendent Patrick H. Conger took over management and declined to pursue its completion. The park proposed removing it entirely in 1964, but opted to retain it as the only example of a park structure from Yellowstone's early period of civilian management.
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...
. The log building sits on the edge of the Queen's Laundry thermal feature in the Lower Geyser Basin. The water at this location is somewhat cooler than the norm, allowing early tourists to bathe. Begun by Yellowstone park superintendent Philetus Norris
Philetus Norris
Philetus W. Norris was the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and was the first person to be paid for that position.- Early life :...
, the bath house was intended to have two rooms and a dirt-covered roof, but was never completed. Begun in 1881, it may be the oldest extant park visitor structure in the 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...
system.
The ruins are located near the western end of Sentinel Meadows on a travertine
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
mound formed by Queen's Laundry Spring. The structure measures 8.16 feet (2.5 m) by 19 feet (5.8 m), and had a low shed roof. The log walls were vee-notched. The roof structure is incomplete and gradually deteriorating, and was intended to be covered with earth.. The interior comprises two rooms of approximately equal size, which are in the process of gradually being covered by hot springs deposits.
External links
- Photographs of the Queens Laundry Bath House at the National Park Service's NRHP database