I have read about it my whole life, so it was a thrill to see and experience the park’s most famous geyser. Just as spectacular was our visit to the historic Old Faithful Inn that was built during the winter (I can’t imagine that) of 1903 – 1904. Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature, designed this hotel. The lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine. Wings were added in 1915 and 1927. The Northern Pacific Railroad financed the original construction of Old Faithful Inn and the Department of the Interior allowed building materials to be gathered within Yellowstone National Park itself. Railroad workers who normally build the trussells over which the trains travel did the construction of the massive logs. Disney’s Ft. Wilderness was built based on the design of this impressive and historic building that sits directly in front of the Old Faithful Geyser.
