This year, the Shoshone Lodge marks an incredible milestone—100 years of history, hospitality, and family legacy. As one of the original dude ranches in the West, it has welcomed guests from all over the world while remaining deeply rooted in the traditions and community of Park County. We at the Dude Ranch Foundation congratulate the Christiansen family on this remarkable achievement and applaud their dedication to preserving the rich heritage of Shoshone Lodge. Join us in celebrating this centennial story of resilience, family, and the enduring spirit of the American West!
The 100th Anniversary of the Shoshone Lodge
“We have been celebrating our 100-year anniversary with our guests all summer, and now that things have slowed down at the end of the season, we are excited to have been able to celebrate with our community, too. We hosted an open house on Saturday, October 19, and were thrilled by how many people turned up to celebrate with us,” said Mike Christiansen, 4th-generation owner of the Shoshone Lodge. “It was so fun to visit with many people who had great memories of the ranch. One woman came down from Montana for the open house and had worked here 40+ years ago. She said it was her first job, and she didn’t think she did great as my Grandma Betty kept moving her to a different position each week. Another gentleman came up for the celebration who is turning 90 this year. He was one of the few people I have met who remembered not only my Grandpa Harry but also my Great-Grandfather Henry. He remembers a hunting trip with Harry when he was a young boy and Henry showing him his sheriff’s pistol.”
The 100th anniversary of the Shoshone Lodge is being celebrated this year as the Park County Archives and Shoshone Forest records show that the first permit was issued to the Dahlem family to begin construction on the Shoshone Lodge in 1924, with several cabins and outbuildings being constructed in that year; however, the build-out of the entire complex was a process that took many years. They began construction on the lodge in phases, with the first section, which now houses the office and check-in area, completed in 1926. Additional sections of the lodge were added between 1927 and 1935, with the final addition not completed until 1944.
“We replaced the roof on the main portion of the lodge about 15 years ago,” recalls Mike. “When we tore off the old roofing materials, we found a board on the original decking signed by Harry Dahlem, which read: Red Star Camp December 1934. I’m sure they were hustling to get a roof on before winter set in and the snow got too deep.”
In the meantime, the guests stayed in small log cabins spread out around the Main Lodge and shared a central bathhouse. According to Mike, many of those original cabins are still on the property today and are utilized as tack sheds, tool sheds, and staff housing.
Because of Shoshone Lodge’s location, situated only 3.5 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, it has always been a perfect location for travelers wishing to enjoy the park. It sits in the majestic Grinnell Creek drainage in the Shoshone National Forest, part of the Absaroka mountain range. Shoshone Lodge, its associated guest ranch, and hunting camps have been in the Dahlem family since its inception. The lodge itself was built from native timber wood, milled on-site at a sawmill the family had about 3/4 mile up Grinnell Creek from where the lodge was built. The lodge and original buildings were largely constructed by Henry Dahlem with the help of friends and hired men, as well as his wife, Bertha, a rock hound who collected many of the rocks inlaid in the fireplace in the expansive great room.
In addition to founding and building the Shoshone Lodge, Henry was Park County’s first sheriff. He arrived in Cody in 1903 and worked for the Holm Transportation Company, taking tourists through Yellowstone National Park. He was known as ‘Honest Henry Dahlem’ among the locals at that time. He and Bertha had three children: Mary Helen, Clarence, and Harry. They passed the ranch along to Harry in 1951.
Harry Dahlem died just a few short years later in 1954, leaving his wife Betty widowed with two young children, Keith, then 2 years old, and Debbie, a 9-month-old infant. Betty continued to run the Shoshone Lodge in her husband’s stead for more than 50 years, not officially retiring until she was in her 80s. She also owned and operated the Sleeping Giant Ski Area, which the Dahlem family founded with the Shoshone Alpine Club of Cody in the late 1930s. It originated on the slopes directly behind the lodge to the North but was eventually relocated across the river to the South when Harry and Betty obtained a new Forest Service permit and named it Sleeping Giant. It was Betty’s life’s work, as she ran both businesses full-time and raised the kids in the middle of it all. In 1959, Betty married Lee Woodruff and welcomed their daughter Diane a few years later. As the kids got older, they helped at the ranch, too. The girls married and moved off the ranch but Keith stayed and helped run the businesses into his adult life.
The lodge is now owned and operated by Henry Dahlem’s great-grandson, Debbie’s son, Mike Christiansen. He and his wife Betsy bought the lodge in 2006 while in their early 20s from Betty, Keith and Debbie. They grew up fast, learning the ropes of the family business and working to make improvements to the cabins and operations. They are now raising their two kids at the lodge as well. Mike and Betsy have now gone full circle back to the family legacy of milling their own wood on-site for cabin remodels by replacing the original wood paneling with log slabs milled from local timbers. They also are back to hosting weekly dude ranch vacations. “It is so amazing to get to share our family’s legacy, get out and ride with the guests, and show them the incredible nature in our beautiful area. It’s also fun to see how in awe folks become with the wonders of Yellowstone National Park as they tour, hike, fish, and enjoy God’s creation. There’s a little work in there somewhere, too,” Mike says with a chuckle, “but after 19 years, it’s still really enjoyable.”
“The lodge has been such a special place to so many people in this community, as well as guests from all over the country and our own family. We are so thankful that we are able to keep this family legacy alive and are excited to celebrate this amazing milestone anniversary. We hope to celebrate many more to come, and who knows… hopefully generations to come.”
For more information, visit shoshonelodge.com.