Occidental Hotel

Occidental Hotel Review

Voted a True West magazine's "Best" two years running, this enchanting, fully restored grand hotel, founded in 1880, served emigrants on the Bozeman Trail, two U.S. presidents, and some of Wyoming's most colorful characters. Owen Wister immortalized the Occidental in his 1902 novel, The Virginian, about the Johnson County Cattle War. After winning a high-stakes poker game in 1918, one family held on to the hotel for 58 years, keeping intact all of its original furnishings and architectural accents. A lavish $1 million-plus restoration under current owners John and Dawn Wexo spruced up the Victorian-style rooms and tin-ceiling lobby, saloon, and restaurant, sparing this living treasure from the wrecking ball. Most spectacular among the many nostalgic suites are the Clear Creek, with its six-post cherrywood bed, adjoining sitting room, and spacious bathroom, and the elegant Teddy Roosevelt Suite, furnished with a high-back walnut bed, an antique hardwood desk, and a claw-foot tub. Making the time machine complete are the ubiquitous old-timey tube radios playing such yesteryear classics as "Calling All Cars," "The Lone Ranger," and early cowboy crooner Gene Autry. Down in the saloon, the 25-foot bar, stained-glass shade, and tin ceiling look brand new—except for 23 bullet holes, revealing its origins in the cutthroat, quick-draw era. On Thursday nights nowadays, there's usually a bluegrass hootenanny jam-packed with friendlies.