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 The Hotel Spofford to be Opened Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 11.224 W 109° 14.826
12T E 637704 N 5005225
Built in 1893 as the Spofford Hotel, this has, since 1902, been known as the Pollard. Hence, the Registration Form refers to it as the Spofford, and the NRHP plaque as the Pollard. This building was the first brick building erected in Red Lodge.
Waymark Code: WMXNKJ
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 02/03/2018
Views: 0
In 1902 Thomas F. Pollard purchased the hotel, renaming it the Pollard Hotel. Since the Pollard family last owned the hotel, it has been variously known as The Chief, The Tyler, and The Cielo Grande. The hotel was purchased in September, 1991 by the Hotel Company of Red Lodge and fully restored. Two gathering rooms, The Gallery and the History Room, were created and a kitchen and dining room were created from what had been office space and a barber shop.
Shortly after the opening of the Spofford one of the local papers, the Red Lodge Picket, ran the following short article on page three of its May 20, 1893 issue.
The Hotel Spofford to be Opened
RED LODGE PICKET, May 20, 1893
Mr. H. J. Edson, formerly of Deer Lodge, is in town. Mr. Edson will be the landlord of the Hotel Spofford.
The Hotel Spofford, at this place, has been leased to a gentleman of long experience in hotel management and the house will be furnished at once and opened about the first of June or as soon thereafter as possible. It is the duty of every merchant in Red Lodge to assist in maintaining the patronage of the hotel by having their employees and themselves board and room there as far as possible. A hotel run in a first-class manner at this place will be the means of bringing a large number of travelers to the town who otherwise would never come here.
The more people who come to Red Lodge the greater will be the volume of business to be done by the merchants. The manner in which a hotel is patronized is also an indication of the thrift and enterprise of the town. Let us unite in making the hotel a success.
From the Red Lodge Picket
POLLARD HOTEL
The Rocky Fork Coal Company constructed this hotel, originally the Spofford, which welcomed its first guests on July 4, 1893. This architectural landmark, built before the commercial district was platted, originally had its main entrance on 11th Street, which was the busy roadway leading to the Eastside coal mines. Early guests included Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, and William Jennings Bryan. In 1903, an annex added twenty-five guest rooms and the Golden Rule Store. By 1907, the entrance was relocated to Broadway. The Pollard’s commercial space housed the post office, a bank, and other tenants, and it soon became a primary business and social center. Today the brick walls chart a century of remodeling and change.
From the NRHP plaque at the building
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 05/20/1893
Publication: Red Lodge Picket
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: local
News Category: Business/Finance
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