The Lake Hotel is one of a series of hotels built to accommodate visitors to Yellowstone National Park in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was originally built in 1891, and re-designed and expanded by Robert Reamer who is the architect of the Old Faithful Inn in 1903, the Canyon Hotel, the Mammoth Dining Room, Motor Inn, and cottages, as well as the Child's residence at Mammoth Hot Springs.
The original 1891 hotel was a large three-story structure with projecting bays at each end. Its construction was supervised by R.R. Cummins for the Northern Pacific Railroad, which was building two other, similar hotels in the park. Reamer's 1903 remodeling changed these projections to the present Ionic porticoes. An eastward extension was added at this time, with a third matching portico. In 1922-23 a further extension to the east was undertaken, this with a flat roof. In 1928 a two-story west wing was added, expanding the dining room and adding a solarium to the front. The entire hotel was extensively renovated from 1984 to 1990. It was added to the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Register in 1991.
Source: Wikipedia article on Lake Yellowstone Hotel
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| Lake Yellowstone Hotel Facade |
On the lake's north shore is the historic lake village with a marina at Bay Bridge and bustles with sight seers at the Fishing Bridge and visitor center. The south shore, however is much more remote where long backpacking trips will lead you far away from paved roads and commercial USA.
The Lake Hotel Dining Room is most likely where Mike will work (we'll fill you in on all that once we get there). It has a reputation for the best food in the park especially at dinner though it is open for all three meals. Seems you can get anything from lobster ravioli to tenderloin with rosemary-cabernet sauce. Sounds awesome! Or for breakfast Black forest ham and artisan cheeses or a breakfast buffet!
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| The Dining Room |
There is also a General Store which sells cheap breakfast and lunch with counter seating. It is a cedar framed octagonal store from 1922.
Lastly, there are also cabins at Lake Yellowstone that were built in the 1920s, remodeled in 2004, and located close to the hotel.
Source: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by Brian Kevin
