Virginian Hotel (Medicine Bow, Wyoming)
Encyclopedia
The Virginian Hotel is a historic hotel
in Medicine Bow
, Wyoming
, United States
. Construction on the hotel began in 1901 and was completed in 1911. It was built by August Grimm, the first mayor of Medicine Bow, and his partner George Plummer. The hotel is thought to be named for the famous novel written in Medicine Bow, The Virginian
by Owen Wister
. Although it provided a place for cowboys and railroad workers to stay while they were in town, the hotel was actually built to serve a much broader clientele. It became a headquarters for all to meet and eat as well as a setting for many business dealings.
The significance of the hotel rests upon its architecture and its history. The building is massive in size for a town the size of Medicine Bow, which has less than 500 residents. The hotel has served as a landmark for the town of Medicine Bow as well as a Historic Landmark for the state of Wyoming for nearly 100 years[].
and fashioned at the building site. Along with the significance of the size and architecture of the hotel, it boasts the first electric lights and sewer in town.
The hotel proper is papered in Victorian gold and burgundy medallion wallpaper, has velvet draperies and pressed tin on its 12 foot high ceilings. The main floor has a "Eating House," the formal "Owen Wister Dining Room," and the "Shiloh Saloon," which still has bullet holes riddled throughout to remind guests of some past shootout. The rooms have antique brass beds, tulip-shape lights are still heated by steam radiators. Only the suites have private baths, replete with claw foot bathtubs. The other rooms have access to separate bath facilities located in the halls. True to its time, the rooms in the original hotel do not have modern amenities such as telephones or televisions.
and Rawlins, Wyoming
on the Old Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30
).
In 1957, two cement block extensions were added on the hotel; one of which was, until recently, used as living quarters for the hotel owners but now contains rental units. These newer unit have coffee makers, small refrigerators, phones, cable TV as well as their own attached bathrooms.
In 1978, the Virginian Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
The hotel had a grand reopening in 1984, after it had been completely renovated and restored to its current turn of the century decor.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Medicine Bow
Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Medicine Bow is a town in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Medicine Bow is located at ....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Construction on the hotel began in 1901 and was completed in 1911. It was built by August Grimm, the first mayor of Medicine Bow, and his partner George Plummer. The hotel is thought to be named for the famous novel written in Medicine Bow, The Virginian
The Virginian (novel)
This page is about the novel, for other uses see The Virginian .The Virginian is a pioneering 1902 novel set in the Wild West by the American author Owen Wister...
by Owen Wister
Owen Wister
Owen Wister was an American writer and "father" of western fiction.-Early life:Owen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a well-known neighborhood in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of...
. Although it provided a place for cowboys and railroad workers to stay while they were in town, the hotel was actually built to serve a much broader clientele. It became a headquarters for all to meet and eat as well as a setting for many business dealings.
The significance of the hotel rests upon its architecture and its history. The building is massive in size for a town the size of Medicine Bow, which has less than 500 residents. The hotel has served as a landmark for the town of Medicine Bow as well as a Historic Landmark for the state of Wyoming for nearly 100 years[].
Construction and architecture
The original building is a 3½ story structure built in a freely adapted example of Renaissance Revival in the Italian Style. Its simplicity of outline and symmetrical exterior lines are evidence of its Renaissance Revival architecture. It is constructed of concrete blocks containing sand drawn from the Medicine Bow RiverMedicine Bow River
The Medicine Bow River is a tributary of the North Platte River, in southern Wyoming in the United States.It rises in the Snowy Range, flowing out of the North Gap Lake, in southeastern Carbon County...
and fashioned at the building site. Along with the significance of the size and architecture of the hotel, it boasts the first electric lights and sewer in town.
The hotel proper is papered in Victorian gold and burgundy medallion wallpaper, has velvet draperies and pressed tin on its 12 foot high ceilings. The main floor has a "Eating House," the formal "Owen Wister Dining Room," and the "Shiloh Saloon," which still has bullet holes riddled throughout to remind guests of some past shootout. The rooms have antique brass beds, tulip-shape lights are still heated by steam radiators. Only the suites have private baths, replete with claw foot bathtubs. The other rooms have access to separate bath facilities located in the halls. True to its time, the rooms in the original hotel do not have modern amenities such as telephones or televisions.
Location
Upon completion, it was the biggest hotel between Denver and Salt Lake City. It is located midway between LaramieLaramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
and Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins, Wyoming
Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
on the Old Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
).
History
On September 30, 1911, the Virginian celebrated its grand opening.In 1957, two cement block extensions were added on the hotel; one of which was, until recently, used as living quarters for the hotel owners but now contains rental units. These newer unit have coffee makers, small refrigerators, phones, cable TV as well as their own attached bathrooms.
In 1978, the Virginian Hotel was added to the 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...
.
The hotel had a grand reopening in 1984, after it had been completely renovated and restored to its current turn of the century decor.
External links
- Virginian Hotel at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office