Sheridan Inn

In addition to the Irma, another one of Buffalo Bill’s favorite hotels was the Sheridan Inn. It was built in Sheridan WY by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy RR, opening in 1893. Buffalo Bill managed it from1884-1886, when he often held auditions for his Wild West Show. The first photo is undated.

Hotel De Paris

The Hotel De Paris was built in 1875 in Georgetown CO. It was purchased in 1854 and converted to a museum with 90% of the artifacts from the original hotel still on display. The first photo is undated.

Jerome Hotel

The Jerome Hotel was built in 1889 in Aspen CO, being one of the first hotels west of the Mississippi River to have electricity. During Prohibition, the bar became a soda fountain which saw creation of a milkshake spiked with bourbon called Aspen Crud–named for the slushy snow around town. It is still served today. The first photo is dated 1900.

Lightwell Hotel

What is now the Lightwell Hotel was the Waucoma Hotel when it opened in Hood River OR in 1904. It was renamed the Oregon Hotel in 1910 after an extensive restoration. It closed in 1923 and sat idle until 2025 when a major renovation was completed. It is now the Lightwell Hotel and Spa. The first photo is dated 1904 and the third is ca.1910.

Montezuma’s Castle

Montezuma’s Castle was built in 1886 in Las Vegas NM. It had 400 rooms in the 90,000 sq.ft. structure. It ceased hotel operations in 1903 and later was occupied as a college then a seminary. It sat vacant for 10 years. Then, in 2002, a 10-million-dollar renovation was completed. It is now known as the Davis International Center. The first photo is dated 1888.

Irma Hotel

The Irma Hotel in Cody WY was built in 1902. It was named by the owner, Buffalo Bill Cody, after his daughter. The cherrywood back bar was given to Cody by Queen Victoria following a command performance he gave. The first photo is undated and shows Cody with his wife. The second is dated 1905.

The back bar in 1907.

St. Charles Hotel

The St. Charles Hotel was built in 1862 in Carson City NV. It is the oldest, continuously operating hotel in the state. Over the years it became several bars, a restaurant, even a Greyhound bus depot. An extensive renovation in 1993 failed, but, in 2008, it re-opened as the St. Charles with great success. The first photo is undated and the second is from the 1870s.

National Exchange Hotel

The National Exchange Hotel was built in Nevada City CA in 1856. It is the oldest hotel in California and one of the oldest west of the Rockies. There was a major renovation in 2018 that closed the facility until it re-emerged in 2021 as a 40-room luxury hotel. The first photo is dated 1920.

Beaumont Hotel

The Beaumont Hotel opened in Ouray CO 1n 1887. It eventually closed in the 1960s, but re-opened in 2005 following a six-million-dollar rehabilitation. Like the National, it is considered one of the top boutique hotels in the West. The first photo is dated 1896.

Main Street is the center of site seeing and shopping. Here is a vintage photo dated ca.1897.

A little different scene at the very same spot. This is the annual, 100 antique car rally. For reference, note the first building on the left

Hadwen House

The Greek Revival Hadwen House was built in 1846, the year after its twin next door. The Hadwen House is now a museum and a wedding venue and is open for garden tours as well. The first photo is dated 1870s.

Sconset Store

Originally built as a stable in the 1700s, this building later became a general store, a salon, and a private residence. Then, after a major renovation, it became a luxury duplex going for $1,200 a night in high season. The first photo is dated 1890s.

Old Grist Mill

This windmill was built in 1746 and is considered the oldest working windmill in the U.S. In 2024 a renovation began and quickly showed far more work than anticipated would be needed. While open for tours during renovation, it is currently not operating. The first photo is dated 1897 and the second is from the 1880s.

Founded in 1659, Nantucket is an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod. The year-round population is about 15,000, but in July and August it swells to 85,000+. The people come not only for the beaches and food, but also to visit the many historic sites as well. Here are a few of them:

Coffin House

The Coffin House was built in1686, a wedding gift from Tristram Coffin to his grandson Jethro. It is now a museum. The first photo is dated 1860s.

4 Mill Road

The dwelling at 4 Mill Rd. was built in 1801, and it, too, offers insight into daily life in the 19th century. It also holds classes on early American decorative arts. The first photo, dated 1893, shows the owner preparing fish for drying.

Jail

The Nantucket jail was built in 1805 and ceased operations in 1933. It opened for public viewing in 1949. The first photo is dated 1893.

Chanticleer Restaurant

Originally built as a dwelling, the Chanticleer Restaurant began operating in 1909. The first photo is dated 1890s.

Brandt Point Lighthouse

The current Brandt Point Lighthouse was built in 1901. It is the 9th lighthouse built on the site dating back to 1746. The first photo is dated 1897, the second 1918 and the third 1940s.

Pasadena Playhouse

The Pasadena Playhouse opened in 1925. It has five stages, with over 300 performances annually. After a 17- year-vacant period, it re-emerged in 1986. In 1925 a fire curtain was installed to shield audiences, and it is still there. The first photo is dated 1930 and the third was taken during the curtain’s installation.

Mount Lowe Railroad

The Mount Lowe Railroad operated from 1893 to 1938. It had a total elevation gain of 3,100 ft. over 5.7 miles with 127 curves and 18 bridges. Passengers would switch to a 3 ft.-narrow-gauge, incline railway for the last 1/2 mile to the summit and a visit to Echo Mountain Resort. Another engineering marvel was the Circular Bridge, which allowed the train to loop the trail using 6,000 ft. of cable for the round trip. The first photo shows the incline construction in 1892, the second as completed in 1893, and the third on the Circular Bridge on opening day July 4, 1893.

Echo Mountain Resort

The 70-room Echo Mountain Resort opened in 1894, but was destroyed by fire six years later. There are now popular hiking trails that reach the 3,200 ft. summit. Hikers can view abandoned equipment and read interpretive signs along the six-mile-round-trip route. The first photo is dated 1899.

Think of Pasadena, and the Rose Parade immediately comes to mind. The Parade is now 5 1/2 miles along Colorado Blvd, Pasadena’s main thoroughfare. It was first held in 1890 and originally designed to attract tourists from the wintery “back East”. On the first day, there were 3,000 in attendance; in 2026 there were somewhere between 700-850,000 with 56 million viewing worldwide. The first two photos show the initial parade and first float winner.

Rose Bowl

The first Rose Bowl game was in 1902 – the first post-season collage football game. The game was added to help finance the Rose Parade. As crowds grew, a new stadium was needed. Construction began in 1922 in time for the 1926 game. The venue has since hosted 5 Super Bowls, the 1984 Olympic soccer match, the 1994 and 1999 World Cup, and 4 BCS football championships. The first photo is dated 1922.

Green Hotel

The Green Hotel was built in 1893 and later expanded to include two new structures. One of them became apartments in 1924 and the original hotel was demolished in 1935. The remaining building is known as Castle Green with condos. It also hosts weddings and film productions such as The Sting. The walkway was a popular area to view the Rose Parade on Raymond Ave. and it still is as it passes on a street nearby. The first photo is dated 1904.

Huntington Hotel

The Huntington Hotel opened in 1914 on 20 acres of land. In the early 20s, 27 bungalows were built for permanent residents. In 1989, a 100-million-dollar renovation project was completed. It is now known as the Langham-Huntington Hotel. The first photo is dated 1927.

Colorado Street Bridge

The Colorado Street Bridge opened in 1913 at a cost of 6.5 million in today’s dollars. It is 1,500 ft. long and 150 ft. high. Upon completion, it was the largest concrete bridge in the world. The first and third photos are dated 1931.

Desiderio Park

Hoquiam WA

The former Northern Pacific RR Station was built in 1914. It ended passenger service in 1955 and is now occupied by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The first photo is dated 1917.

Los Angeles Union Station

Los Angeles Union Station opened in 1939, seen here in a photo taken on it’s dedication day. It became “The last of the Great Railway stations” in the U.S., at one time carrying 110,000 passengers per day.

Boston and Main Depot

The Boston and Main Depot in Lowell MA was built in 1876. By 1895, it had ceased operations. Numerous occupancies followed, including movie theater, bowling alley, paint store, and real estate office. In 1989, a major renovation was completed. It involved saving the existing brick walls and constructing an entirely new building inside. It is now an academic center. The first photo is undated.

Independence IA Depot

The Illinois Central Depot in Independence IA was built in 1892. In 1994 it was sold for $1 and moved to its present location. It is now a railroad museum. The first photo is dated 1910 and the second is undated.

Portland OR Depot

The Portland OR Depot opened in 1896 after six years of construction, and it is still operating with 900,000 passengers per year. In the 1920s, it had about 90 trains per day. The first photo is dated 1913.

Grand Central, the grandest of them all, is located at 42nd St. and Park Ave. Sitting on 48 acres, it opened in 1913 after ten years of construction. The first photo is dated 1913.

Above the main entrance is a group of statues weighing 1,200 tons. The largest is Mercury. Here also is a photo of a worker in the shop in 1912 positioned on it’s 11-foot arm to give a sense of scale.

North Creek Station

North Creek Station, located in Johnsburg NY, looks exactly as it did when it opened in 1872. It is where Teddy Roosevelt learned of McKinley’s death and his own ascension to the Presidency. For more history and great old photos, visit North Creek Depot Museum website. The first photo is dated ca.1911.

Santa Fe Station

The first railroad station in San Angelo TX was built for the Santa Fe Railroad in the late 1800s. It closed in 1929. Since 2004, it has been occupied by Catholic Outreach Services. The first photo is dated ca1908.

Denver & Rio Grand Station Durango CO.

The D&RG Station in Durango opened in 1882, in part to service the narrow gauge line to the mining town of Silverton. It still operates in the summer months taking tourists up the gorge. The first photo is dated 1923 and the third is dated 1938.

Same photo Colorized

In addition to many historic buildings, St. Louis also has numerous structures that help define its past, such as:

Eads Bridge

Built over the Mississippi River between 1867 and 1874, Eads Bridge was designed to connect St. Louis with East St. Louis on the Illinois side. It is the oldest bridge on the Mississippi. The first photo was taken during construction, the second is dated ca1870, and the third is dated 1890.

Grand Ave. Water Tower

The Grand Ave. Water Tower was built in 1871 and remains to this day the largest free-standing column (154ft.) in the world. It actually never held water; it just regulated the pressure. It was taken out of service in 1912. The first photo is dated 1915.

Free Flight Cage

The Smithsonian Institution commissioned the Free Flight Cage for the 1904 Fair with the intention of having it become part of the National Zoo in Washington D.C. That did not happen since St. Louis bought the Cage, starting St. Louis’s famous zoo–the first municipally funded zoo in the world. The first photo shows the Cage under construction and the second photo is undated.

Finally, here is a then and now photo of the Fair site taken from Art Hill.

A significant part of St Louis history is its hosting of the 1904 World’s Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, commemorating the 1803 Purchase. The Fair was held on 1,200 acres with 1500 buildings all seen by 19 million visitors in just seven months! With one exception, all buildings were torn down as they were all along expected to be temporary. The Fair ran from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Here is a photo of opening day.

Palace of Fine Arts

The one exception is the Fine Arts Building, now the St Louis Art Museum. The first photo is dated 1903 and the next from 1904.

It sits atop Art Hill which has long been a popular sledding spot as seen in this ca1930s photo.

Brookings Hall

Although used as the temporary administrative offices for the Fair, Brookings Hall opened on the grounds of Washington University in 1902 as a permanent facility for the Brookings Institute, headquartered in Washington D.C. The first photo is dated 1901.

Old County Courthouse

The Old County Courthouse was built from 1839 to 1862. It was the site of the famous Dred Scott decision. It is now part of the Gateway Arch National Park. The first photo is dated 1865.

St. Louis Union Station

The St. Louis Union Station opened in 1894, and, at the time, was the largest in the world. It is currently a hotel, entertainment complex, and shopping center. The first photo is dated 1938.

Linnean House

The Linnean House was built in 1882 on the grounds of the Missouri Botanic Garden. It is the oldest, continuously, operating greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. The first photo is dated ca1905.