DescriptionIn 1927, the Milwaukee Road built a spur line from Three Forks to this site, with the idea of building a hotel that could serve as an interim stop or a home base for Yellowstone National Park visitors. Designed by Seattle architects Schack, Young and Myers, the fabulous inn opened on June 27, 1927, creating the county’s first traffic jam and even overshadowing Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic. On opening day, 10,000 people enjoyed lunch and 2,000 attended a gala ball that evening. The Spanish Colonial Revival–style hotel featured skillfully landscaped grounds, Philippine mahogany finish work and beamed ceilings, and a grand ballroom and dining room with narrow oak flooring and stone fireplaces. The kitchen, hailed a “marvel of modern machinery,” included the latest technology as well as a device that cut blocks of ice into cubes that perfectly fit the water glasses on the dining room tables. Within the next decade, however, as buses and automobiles replaced trains, many tourists went directly to the park without an interim stop, and the inn fell into disrepair and changed hands several times. Now extensively refurbished and listed in the National Register, the Gallatin Gateway Inn is again a gracious, full-service hotel.Other Name(s)Gallatin GatewayContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation4941 ft.CountyGallatin County
