The Yodeler Motel became a Bookcrossing Zone when
Shadows: A Novel by Edna Buchanan, was released here on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. When we stayed here in the summer of 2017 we expect the book was long gone and is "in the wild" at present. At least we didn't happen to spy it during our stay.
Built in 1909 as a brick 8-unit apartment building for coal miners, of which there were many in the area at the time, in 1961 and 1962 the building was renovated and became a 23 unit motel. Local lore has it that the apartments, located in the Yugoslavian section of Red Lodge, were built specifically to provide housing for Serbo-Croatian miners employed at the nearby Rocky Fork Coal Company mine. Built with no discernable style, when remodeled, a chalet style office was added to the north end of the building, in keeping with the ski motif adopted by the motel in an attempt to attract skiers who came to Red Lodge to avail themselves of the
Red Lodge Mountain ski area.
We knew that the Yodeler had been entered in the National Register before arriving in Red Lodge, so we decided this had to be our roosting spot in the town. Luckily, they had rooms available at the time and we checked into one near the centre of the building. It's a nice motel, especially so for a 110 year old building and, for the fact that it's a historic site alone, we recommend it to anyone in search of accommodations in Red Lodge. While we had no pets with us, we noted that they are a "Pet Friendly" motel. Following are some of the features/amenities of the Yodeler.