Denver, CO
The Emery Hotel Was Built To Make Thermopolis Bigger Than Denver, Then It Was Torn Down
Just after the turn of the 20th century, anyone looking for the most luxurious hotel in Wyoming didn’t go to Cheyenne or Casper. They’d hop on a stagecoach for Cody and made sure to spend the night in Thermopolis.
Visitors traveling by stagecoach between Denver and Billings, Montana, would step out at the corner of 6th Street and Broadway in Thermopolis’s downtown, where they’d be greeted by the three-story stone facade of the Emery Hotel.
The Emery Hotel, opened in 1907, was built to be the most modern, luxurious spot not only in Wyoming, but was regarded as one of the best hotels in the American West.
“It was built to be a spectacular hotel,” said Jackie Dorothy, tourism director for Hot Springs Travel and Tourism. “It’s where the legislators came, where people rubbed elbows with all walks of life. It was renowned as one of the best places in the Rocky Mountain region.”
Despite its lavish accommodations and stellar reputation, Thermopolis’s first and only three-story building would be gone less than 60 years after it opened.
The Next Big Thing
Thermopolis was embracing a thoroughly modern mindset in the first half of the 20th century. The abundant natural hot springs were already attracting tourists for the area’s high-quality water and rejuvenating qualities, and more infrastructure was being built to accommodate those tourists and many more to come.
During this time, local leaders and entrepreneurs were building their fortunes from the first big boom in oil and coal. They envisioned a prosperous future for Thermopolis and had the money to lay a foundation for that future.
“They had visions of grandeur,” Dorothy said about the vision for the town. “Thermopolis was going to be the next big tourist destination. They had dreams of being bigger than Denver. It’s hard to imagine when you look at what we are today, but Denver wasn’t anything when (Thermopolis) started building up.”
The visions of grandeur brought a flurry of new construction to Thermopolis. Six hotels were built in the area that is now Hot Springs State Park, including the large Washakie Hotel and Bathhouse and the Washakie Plunge, a large aquatics facility.
Local businessman H.O. Emery was one of those visionaries who decided to make a significant investment in Thermopolis’ future. He committed $15,000 (more than $467,000 in 2024) to build a massive, modern hotel for the flood of tourists that were sure to come.
The concept and design of The Emery were ahead of their time, especially for a remote Wyoming town like Thermopolis. However, according to Dorothy, it made sense then.
Emery and others “had a lot of money to invest, and they wanted to see this town be modern as well,” she said. “That was the reason behind building a beautiful hotel here.”
Strictly Modern
Ground was broken for the three-story Emery Hotel at the corner of 6th Street and Broadway in 1906. When it opened in November 1907, it was unlike anything else in Thermopolis, then and now. It was built to rival any hotel anywhere in the West.
The Emery’s amenities immediately made it one of the most luxurious stays that made it a go-to spot for visitors, locals and celebrities. It was Jackson before Jackson was. The lobby was peppered with tropical plants, a large bar and dining room were prominent, and a soft artesian water well fed hot and cold water taps in each room.
The hotel also featured a steam-powered central heating system, electric lighting and was one of the first buildings in Thermopolis with indoor plumbing. Guests could enjoy a bowling alley and pool hall in the hotel’s basement.
Once it opened, the Emery was heavily promoted as “strictly modern” and “the home of the tourists.” Despite its remote location, the Emery Hotel promptly developed a reputation as the best hotel between Denver and Billings, eclipsing even Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel in Cody.
Local Legend
The Emery may have been “the home of the tourists,” but it also quickly became a central location for Thermopolis nightlife. After long days working in the oil fields, the large bar and pool hall were favorite hangouts for locals.
The Emery’s dining room often featured live music. One account claims legendary American bandleader Lawrence Welk performed there while touring with his “little German band from Yankton, South Dakota,” in the early days of his career.
Large, lavish events were held at the luxurious Emery. One was an annual New Year’s Eve Ball, which became the event many Wyoming legislators wanted to attend and be seen attending.
Dorothy said one of the Emery’s charming aspects was how it epitomized the cultural personality of turn-of-the-century Wyoming. Barriers like class and social status didn’t matter at the Emery’s bar or in its dining room, something unique to the Cowboy State at that time.
“One of the things you got to remember about early Wyoming is that there wasn’t much of an upper class,” she said. “There were so few ‘upper-class’ people that they associated with everybody. There wasn’t a separation at the beginning. Everyone who wanted to go to a bar or get a drink would come to the Emery Hotel.”
The Emery Hotel changed ownership several times over the next few decades, and several improvements ensured it stayed luxurious by the ever-evolving standard of “modern.”
Even so, The Emery would transition from modern luxury to distant memory in less than 60 years.
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A pile of rubble is piled in front of the Emery Hotel in 1965 as workers above tear it down to make way for a motel. (Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center) -
After a run of less than 60 years, the Emery Hotel was demolished in 1965 to make way for the Moonlighter Motel, which now is the Fountain of Youth Inn in Thermopolis. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) -
After a run of less than 60 years, the Emery Hotel was demolished in 1965 to make way for the Moonlighter Motel, which now is the Fountain of Youth Inn in Thermopolis. (Cowboy State Daily Staff)
Casualty Of Modernity
Priorities changed as Wyoming moved into the latter half of the 20th century. In Thermopolis, the Emery Hotel and other monuments of modernity were seen as relics of the past and subsequently destroyed for an even more modern, technological future.
In 1964, Fred and Geneva Hansen became the newest and last owners of the Emery Hotel and decided that the lot at the corner of 6th and Broadway was more valuable than the 50-year-old hotel standing on it.
In 1965, the Emery Hotel, once one of the West’s most modern and luxurious, was completely demolished.
Dorothy spoke to Jim Daniels, the man who operated the wrecking ball used to tear down The Emery. He told her it “wasn’t an easy teardown” because of its resilient brick construction, and watching its demise was “sad to see.”
Ironically, the philosophy that built the Emery was also what destroyed it: strictly modern.
“The new owners wanted to modernize,” Dorothy said. “That’s what happened to Thermopolis in the late ’60s and early ’70s. They were tearing down all the old buildings because they wanted modern. They wanted to be a modern town.”
The Emery wasn’t the only casualty of mid-20th century modernity. The Washakie Hotel and Bathhouse was torn down in 1966, along with most of the historic infrastructure around the hot springs. Only the Plaza Hotel, now a Best Western Plus, remains.
Losing The Emery was unpopular in 1965 and remained a sore spot for some in the Thermopolis community decades later. Dorothy said many people who remembered its destruction were bitter, saying the Hansens tore it down simply “because they could.”
“We’ll talk to people who went to the owners before they tore it down,” she said. “They told the owners, ‘We don’t want to lose our hotel. This is iconic. We love this place.’ But it was their property, and they chose to tear it down and put a modern building in its place.”
The three-story Emery Hotel was replaced by the Moonlighter Motel, a two-story motor lodge that stands today as the Fountain of Youth Inn.
All That Remains
Today at the intersection of 6th and Broadway, there are no signs of the three-story luxury hotel that once occupied the northwest corner that was once “the place to be” for Wyoming’s high society and locals. But further down the block, a vestige of the former grandeur remains.
While The Emery was utterly destroyed, its “parking garage” is still standing. The adjoining carriage house, built at the same time and from the same material, held the carriages and horses of the hotel’s guests and has survived as a storage building since the 1960s.
The carriage house has become a priority project for the Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center. The museum is working toward a fundraising goal to restore some of the structure’s former grandeur.
Dorothy said that preserving the Emery Hotel’s carriage house ensures at least one part of Thermopolis’s three-storied past will be permanently preserved for the future.
“We have the opportunity to bring that back to life,” Dorothy said.
Remember The Emery
There are no three-story buildings or bowling alleys in modern-day Thermopolis, and the newest hotel built in the tourist community opened in 1995. The dreams of becoming “bigger than Denver” are a distant fantasy, given that Thermopolis’s 2020 population of 2,725 residents is 0.000092% of Denver’s population of nearly 3 million.
Dorothy hopes Thermopolis residents don’t dwell on the disappointment and frustration over the loss of the Emery Hotel. In her view, recognizing its ongoing legacy is what matters.
“The legacy (of the Emery Hotel) is that we had it,” she said. “We have the pictures and the memories. We always had that segment of people that loved our history, and we’re proud of who we were.”
Dorothy sees the story of the Emery as a reflection of Thermopolis history. The hotel was built to realize a bold vision, and she believes it can inspire local leaders and residents in the 21st century and beyond.
There are ongoing efforts to revitalize Thermopolis and increase its allure. Dorothy said that over the last 10 years, Thermopolis has returned to its founders’ vision of becoming a world-class tourist destination.
“We can still be a tourist town,” she said. “And we can still move forward in that direction and bring people in. That’s what they dreamt of for Thermopolis. The story of the Emery Hotel is for the next generation to know what we have and can still have.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at: ARossi@CowboyStateDaily.com
Craig Morton, a Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback who played professionally for nearly two decades, died Saturday at his home in Mill Valley, Calif., at the age of 83.
Morton’s family confirmed his death through the organization, which announced the news on Monday.
Morton led Denver to its first Super Bowl appearance in 1977, quarterbacking the team best known for its ferocious Orange Crush defense. That season, at the age of 34, Morton earned the league’s comeback player of the year award and sparked a six-season run with the Broncos.
“He was our leader that year that we went 12-2, the first year he came to Denver,” fellow Broncos Ring of Famer and former safety Steve Foley told The Post. “It was a magical season. He was just tough as nails.”
Morton was hurt throughout the playoffs and Foley said the quarterback was in the hospital before the AFC Championship Game, when the Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, 20-17, and advanced to their first Super Bowl appearance.
“I don’t know how he even suited up,” Foley said. “He was black and blue and yellow all over his hip. … Man, he came out and had a great game. He was just tough.
“And what a gem of a guy. Oh, yeah. He had the best heart.”
Morton was the first quarterback to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl, taking the Cowboys there in 1970 before later leading the Broncos.
Morton was born in February 1943 in Michigan, but graduated from high school in California and played quarterback in college at Cal. He also played baseball in college. He was selected No. 5 overall by Dallas in the 1965 NFL Draft, five years before the AFL and NFL merged.
Early in his career, Morton started for Dallas over Roger Staubach before Staubach eventually took over the job.
Morton, though, engineered a long and successful career in pro football.
He played in 207 career games over 18 seasons, including 72 games (64 starts) for the Broncos from 1977-82. Morton was 41-23 as a starter and threw for 11,895 yards for Denver.
“He had a confidence about himself. Kind of a swagger,” Foley said. “Our offense picked up when he arrived. We just knew he could win. He brought that to the team. And man, he had an arm. Oh, yeah. He had a gun.”
Morton was inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1988 as part of a three-man class along with Haven Moses and Jim Turner. Four years later, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Morton’s tenure in Denver helped put the Broncos on the map.
“Absolutely, it did,” Foley said. “It made everybody wake up and say, ‘Who is this team on the interior of the United States?’ Unless you played on the East Coast or West Coast, you weren’t getting much coverage.”
Foley said he last saw Morton in the Champions Club at Empower Field during a game sometime in the past two seasons and said he remembered thinking, ‘Man, he looks great.’” Players from the Orange Crush era were surprised and saddened, then, to learn of the quarterback’s passing.
“It’s a little bit shocking,” Foley said. “He was a beautiful guy.”
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
Rocky Mountain sandhill cranes battle warmer conditions due to drought
Wildlife biologist Jenny Nehring and farmer Rob Jones talk about Sandhill cranes and their impact on the San Luis Valley.
DENVER — Zoos are of necessity big gulpers of water, a fact that has some zookeepers in the drying American West working to rapidly upgrade efficiency and reduce unnecessary irrigation or leaks.
Denver Zoo, formally known as the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, has rapidly reduced its demands on threatened and declining water sources, including the Colorado River.
Among the upgrades is a sea lion water filtration system that allows most of the water to be cleaned and reused each time the pool is drained. That’s saving more than 8 million gallons a year, zoo sustainability director Blair Neelands said. “You can get in there, scrub it with a toothbrush and refill it with the same water,” she said.
Similar upgrades to an African penguin showcase reduced its water use by 95% by largely eliminating what’s sent down the drain. (Like a backyard swimming pool, though, these tanks sometimes still need to be drained and refreshed with new water to reduce mineral buildup.)
“The biggest thing for us is swapping from dump-and-fill pools to life-support systems,” Neeland said.
Another biggie is replacement of a 50-year-old water main with funding of about $3 million from the city. There’s no way of knowing how much that pipe had leaked over the years, but Neeland suspected it was more than a million gallons a year. The savings should become apparent as the zoo tracks its water use over the next few years.
Creating hippo-sized water savings
When The Arizona Republic visited in 2025, the zoo was on the cusp of eclipsing a goal to reduce its water use by half of what it had been in 2018. The zoo had used 80 million gallons in 2024, or about 219,000 a day, a 45% reduction in just a handful of years. Much of the savings had come in the form of smarter irrigation practices and use of drought-tolerant native plants where possible. The landscaping also pivoted to recycled “purple pipe” water from the city, which owns the zoo’s land, restricting potable water to areas where animals really need it.
“When people hear ‘recycled water,’ they get worried about cleanliness and hygiene,” zoo spokesman Jake Kubié said. “But it’s safe for the animals, and it’s not their drinking water.”
Getting past the water conservation goal would mean draining the pool where Mahali the hippo spent most hours lurking with just his eyes, ears and snout visible to visitors. Because he spent so much time in the pool, the water needed daily changes. It amounted to 21 million gallons a year, not to mention water heater bills that drove the cost to $200,000 a year, according to zoo officials. They estimated that Mahali used as much water as 350,000 four-person households.
“This facility is outdated,” Kubié said. “Some day this will become a huge saver of water.”
That day came before year’s end, and it indeed brought a tremendous savings. The zoo shipped Mahali to a new home (and a potential mate) at a wildlife preserve in Texas and drained the pool one last time. Ending the daily change-outs shaved more than a quarter of the zoo’s entire water usage from the previous year. It put the zoo significantly beyond its goal.
Denver Zoo’s water savings are part of a broader waste- and pollution-prevention effort aimed at being a good neighbor in uncertain times, Neeland said.
“Water savings and drought is top of mind for anyone who lives in the Western United States,” she said.
In Phoenix, a different mix of animals
That’s true of the Phoenix Zoo, as well, where zookeepers must maintain landscaping and animal exhibits in a city that baked under 100-degree-plus high temperatures for a third of the days last year. The zoo creates a “respite in the desert,” spokeswoman Linda Hardwick said, but has no hippos, penguins, grizzly bears or many of the other species that would require big water investments for outdoor swimming or cooling.
“We really specialize in animals that will thrive in the temperatures here,” Hardwick said.
The Phoenix Zoo uses most of its water on landscaping. After a consultant’s 2023 irrigation assessment, the staff centralized irrigation scheduling under a single trained technician and employed technologies including weather-based controllers and smart meters. Salt River Project awarded $70,000 in grant funds for the upgrades and several thousand more for training.
The zoo uses about 189,000 gallons a day, she said. That represents a 17% reduction from 2023, or 20% when adjusted for the year’s particular weather and evapotranspiration demand.
Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.
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