Old Faithful Inn by Brent Wilkins (Blog Ten)

Old Faithful Inn is located adjacent to the famed Old Faithful geyser of Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming. Although the park opened in 1872 as our first national park, the lodge wasn’t constructed until the beginning of the 20^th century after the burning of an existing hotel near the site. Designed by Robert Reamer, the building was constructed from local resources, and is currently the largest log hotel in the world.

I visited Old Faithful Inn in 1999, and was particularly surprised by the openness of the lobby. Most hotels crowd rooms in order to maximize revenue, but this one is more concerned with the quality of the experience. This building not only promotes social interaction, but epitomizes the frontier ethic of the west.