On the Road The Older the Better I like the oldies! This sturdy, stone hotel (at least the first 2 floors) was built in 1892. I think they should flaunt that. Originally, shops were on the first floor and rental rooms on the top. Carl Eklund bought the building, some years later and added a saloon. The saloon brought in enough money to add that third floor. Stone Meets Brick ![]() I always like figuring out the puzzle pieces of old buildings and their additions. On the side of the hotel, there was a pleasant little sitting area with tables and flowers. We could see where a brick addition had joined the old stonework. The Lobby The lobby had a living room feel, with a small sitting area and some unusual rockers. Nuns and Popes for Sale Near the entrance, there was a small gift shop where we could buy postcards or jewelry. But for a more unusual travel souvenir, we could have bought a gourd painted like a nun or monk or pope! The "innkeeper" was busily working on her gourd crafts when she wasn't attending to desk. Framed Hotel History While Don distracted our gourd artist to get us checked in, I found some historical goodies. Hotel wallpaper, circa 1893 (with an arrow on the bullet hole) and a rosary, found imbedded in the plaster wall of room #2, when they did renovations. Up We Go There was an elevator, but the stairs were handy to our second floor room. 206, The Dorsey There were 3 rooms on the second floor, that shared the hotel's balcony. Our room #206 was the middle one. It was named Dorsey, not for Tommy of Big Band days, but Stephen Dorsey. Mr. Dorsey started up this town of Clayton, and gave the town his son's name. Western Decor Originally there were 42 guest rooms and some community bathrooms. After renovations were completed in 2004, there were 26 rooms with private baths. I was happy to not share a bath down the hall. Ours was spotless and the towels were fluffy. The western style furniture was newish, but not exactly hotel quality. I don't think it would have stood up to those rough cattlemen who stayed here 100 years ago. Outside Time There was a steady wind, gusting through town all evening, but we were determined to make use of the balcony. Don and I spent a little time hanging out on the breezy terrace, keeping an eye on Main Street. The Luna If it had been a weekend, we could have strolled across to the old movie house. There were no shows on Tuesday night, so we took a walk down Main Street. Train Tracks We walked down past the Feed & Supply warehouse. We didn't see any trains, but we heard them in the night. You have to get used to train sounds if you want to stay in old hotels. The Saloon We had to wait for the big set of metal gates to be unlocked, before we passed through the swinging saloon doors. Funny, they had similar locked gates keeping us out of the dining room as well. Maybe that's because Clayton has had to deal with some notorious characters in the past. We learned about Blackjack Ketchum when we had a drink in the saloon. There were some rather eerie pictures of him being hung. The Old Oak Bar The beautiful bar, that Mr. Eklund won in a poker game, was mighty impressive. You could picture some dusty characters lined up along the stand-up bar. The lack of stools meant you could get a good look at the arches and pillars in the design. The lack of a bartender, made it hard to get a drink. Quiet at First We amused ourselves with the buffalo head and some old photographs until a young woman wandered out to serve us a drink. The dining room was closed, so we ended up eating dinner in the bar, which eventually filled with a crowd of mostly locals. The meatloaf, salad and soup was actually quite tasty. Morning Don and I waited for the gates to open in the formal dining room for the complimentary breakfast. The woman putting out the food seemed to have a system that we didn't want to disturb. A Little Scared
Look at the whispy bit of a ghost that seems to be photobombing this image! Yikes, that might be the spirit of Blackjack Ketchum! What's Notable?
The ranchers and railroad men would be pretty thirsty when they arrived and headed for the great oak bar in the saloon!
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![]() Ninety Notable
Nights My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains. I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth. Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years. The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures. I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding! Archives
September 2020
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