Virginian Hotel (Medicine Bow, Wyoming) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Virginian Hotel
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The hotel in 2014.
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | U.S. Route 30, Medicine Bow, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1911 |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Italian Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002818 |
| Added to NRHP | May 22, 1978 |
The Virginian Hotel is a really old and important hotel. You can find it in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, United States. Building the hotel started in 1901 and finished in 1911.
August Grimm, who was the first mayor of Medicine Bow, and his friend George Plummer built it. People think the hotel got its name from a famous book. The book is called The Virginian by Owen Wister. This book was even written in Medicine Bow!
The hotel was a place for cowboys and railroad workers to stay. But it was also built for many other people. It became a main spot for everyone to meet, eat, and do business.
The Virginian Hotel is special because of how it looks and its long history. It's a very big building for a small town like Medicine Bow. For almost 100 years, it has been a landmark for the town. It's also a Historic Landmark for the state of Wyoming.
Contents
Building the Virginian Hotel
The original hotel building is 3½ stories tall. It was built in a style called Renaissance Revival. This style is inspired by old Italian buildings. The hotel looks simple and balanced, which shows its Renaissance Revival design.
Materials and Features
The hotel was built using concrete blocks. The sand for these blocks came from the nearby Medicine Bow River. The blocks were even made right where the hotel was being built!
The Virginian Hotel was very modern for its time. It was the first building in Medicine Bow to have electric lights. It also had the town's first sewer system.
Inside the Hotel
Inside, the hotel has a classic look. The walls are covered in gold and burgundy wallpaper. There are fancy velvet curtains. The ceilings are 12 feet high and made of pressed tin.
On the main floor, you'll find a place to eat called the "Eating House." There's also a more formal "Owen Wister Dining Room." The "Shiloh Saloon" is also there. It even has bullet holes in the walls! These holes remind guests of old shootouts.
The hotel rooms have old-fashioned brass beds. The lights are shaped like tulips. The rooms are still heated by steam radiators. Only the special suites have their own bathrooms. These bathrooms have old claw-foot bathtubs. Other rooms use shared bathrooms located in the hallways. The original hotel rooms do not have modern things like phones or televisions.
Where is the Hotel?
When it was finished, the Virginian Hotel was the biggest hotel. It was the largest between Denver and Salt Lake City. You can find it right in the middle of Laramie and Rawlins, Wyoming. It sits on the Old Lincoln Highway, which is now U.S. Route 30.
Hotel History Timeline
- September 30, 1911: The Virginian Hotel had its grand opening celebration.
- 1957: Two new sections were added to the hotel. These were made of cement blocks. One part was used by the hotel owners. Now, it has rental units. These newer units have coffee makers, small fridges, phones, and cable TV. They also have their own bathrooms.
- 1978: The Virginian Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a very important historical building.
- 1984: The hotel had a big reopening. It had been completely fixed up and restored. It now looks like it did around the turn of the 20th century.
