Roosevelt Lodge Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Roosevelt Lodge Historic District comprises the area around the Roosevelt Lodge in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park
, near Tower Junction. The district includes 143 buildings ranging in size from cabins to the Lodge, built beginning in 1919. The Lodge was first conceived as a field laboratory for students and educators conducting research in the park. It later became a camp for tourists, specifically designed to accommodate automobile-borne tourists. The Lodge is a simplified version of the National Park Service Rustic
style.
The location is close to the reputed campsites of U.S. Presidents Chester A. Arthur
and Theodore Roosevelt
. In commemoration of Roosevelt's 1903 visit, a tent camp called Camp Roosevelt was set up by the Wylie Permanent Camping Company.
The lodge was built in 1919, and with the nearby supporting buildings built in subsequent years, was planned to give the ambience of a dude ranch
. Significant buildings include:
These structures are surrounded by a variety of utility buildings and visitor cabins. The cabins can be divided into four main types:
The Roosevelt Lodge is located near Tower Junction on the Grand Loop Road
, which is itself a National Historic District
.
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...
, near Tower Junction. The district includes 143 buildings ranging in size from cabins to the Lodge, built beginning in 1919. The Lodge was first conceived as a field laboratory for students and educators conducting research in the park. It later became a camp for tourists, specifically designed to accommodate automobile-borne tourists. The Lodge is a simplified version 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.
The location is close to the reputed campsites of U.S. Presidents Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. In commemoration of Roosevelt's 1903 visit, a tent camp called Camp Roosevelt was set up by the Wylie Permanent Camping Company.
The lodge was built in 1919, and with the nearby supporting buildings built in subsequent years, was planned to give the ambience of a dude ranch
Dude ranch
The guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.-History:...
. Significant buildings include:
- Roosevelt Lodge: Built in 1919-1920, the L-shaped one story log building provides a communal meeting space and dining facility for visitors and staff. The larger spaces feature exposed log roof beams set into a lowered ceiling.
- Store: Built in 1936 for the Haynes Company, a small L-shaped log structure in the "logs out" style with flush sheathing between vertical logs.
- Caretaker's Cabin: Built in 1924 by the Yellowstone Company, a one story log cabin.
- Manager's Cabin: Built in the 1920s by the Yellowstone Park Company, a one story frame cabin.
- Powerhouse: A logs-out structure housing the auxiliary generator.
- Comfort Stations: Several buildings in the logs-out style
These structures are surrounded by a variety of utility buildings and visitor cabins. The cabins can be divided into four main types:
- Logs Out Cabins: Built 1924-1942, of frame construction with flush horizontal siding and log trim details.
- Board and Batten Cabins: Built between 1929 and 1947, of frame construction with board and batten siding and exposed log rafters or purlins.
- Flush Horizontal Siding Cabins: Built after the 1920s of frame construction with flush siding and exposed log purlins.
- Studs Out Cabins: The most recently constructed historic cabins, moved to Roosevelt from other locations, with framing exposed and sheathing on the inside.
The Roosevelt Lodge is located near Tower Junction on the Grand Loop Road
Grand Loop Road Historic District
The Grand Loop Road Historic District encompasses the primary road system in Yellowstone National Park. Much of the system was originally planned by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early days of the park, when it was under military administration...
, which is itself a National Historic District
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...
.
See also
- Fort YellowstoneFort Yellowstone-See also:* Grand Loop Road Historic District* Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District* Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District* North Entrance Road Historic District* Roosevelt Lodge Historic District* Old Faithful Historic District* US Post Office-Yellowstone Main...
- Grand Loop Road Historic DistrictGrand Loop Road Historic DistrictThe Grand Loop Road Historic District encompasses the primary road system in Yellowstone National Park. Much of the system was originally planned by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early days of the park, when it was under military administration...
- Lake Fish Hatchery Historic DistrictLake Fish Hatchery Historic DistrictThe Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District comprises nine buildings built between 1930 and 1932 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the National Park Service Rustic style. The buildings exhibit a consistency of style and construction, with exposed gable trusses and oversized paired logs at the...
- Mammoth Hot Springs Historic DistrictMammoth Hot Springs Historic DistrictThe Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District in Yellowstone National Park comprises the administrative center for the park. It is composed of two major parts: Fort Yellowstone, the military administrative center for the park in the years immediately following its founding as the world's first...
- North Entrance Road Historic DistrictNorth Entrance Road Historic DistrictThe North Entrance Road Historic District comprises Yellowstone National Park's North Entrance Road from Gardiner, Montana to the park headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, a distance of a little over five miles . The North Entrance Road was the first major road in the park, necessary to...
- 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...
External links
- Roosevelt Lodge Historic District, East of Mammoth Hot Springs on Grand Loop Road, Tower Junction, Park County, WY: 2 photos, 1 photo caption page, 3 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
- Roosevelt Lodge, Lodge Building, Tower Junction, Park County, WY: 7 photos, 1 photo caption page, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- Roosevelt Lodge, Cabin No. 442, Tower Junction, Park County, WY: 1 photo, 1 photo caption page, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- Roosevelt Lodge, Caretaker's Cabin, Tower Junction, Park County, WY: 1 photo, 1 photo caption page, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- Photographs of the Roosevelt Lodge area at the National Park Service's NRHP database
- Roosevelt Lodge Historic District at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office