Monday Memories: Ogden Canyon’s Hermitage Hotel
The Hermitage Hotel in Ogden Canyon is the focus of this week’s Monday Memories.
The upper classes referred to the Hermitage as the hotel of dreams. Indeed, it was Ogden Canyon’s most prominent landmark.
In the early 1900s, Scottish immigrant Billie Wilson had a vision, and began building a grand hotel. He would call it the Hermitage Hotel, and people from all over the nation would know it by reputation.
Wilson possessed a talent for working with lumber. He cut native oak, pine and maple straight from the canyon, and roads were constructed to reach the inn.
In the mid-1910 decade, the Hermitage opened, at a then-cost of $30,000. No expense was spared.
The hotel had more than 40 guest rooms illuminated by electric chandeliers and wall lights, complete with carved antique beds and floral-designed wallpaper.
A huge fireplace took up one side of a wall in the dinning area. Native-American rugs carpeted the floors, and tablecloths were made of linen, where guests would dine on trout and chicken. The menu became popular throughout the West, as the fish was provided from hatcheries at West Point and other locations.
During peak hours, there was said to be 20-30 waitresses, with four desk clerks scheduled on a shift basis.
By the side of the road were maintained stables, where guests kept their carriages. Among the guests were President William H. Taft, governors, congressmen, senators and many others.
Unfortunately, the famous Hermitage Hotel burned down in 1939.
The Standard-Examiner would like to invite its Top of Utah readers on a sentimental journey each Monday by checking out our photo gallery of days gone by. Each Monday’s installment will be courtesy photos from archives or from our readers.
If you have photos and memories you’d like to share with us that were taken earlier than 1990, send an email to digitaleditor@standard.net with the subject titled “Monday Memories,” and we may use it in an upcoming installment.