The Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone is as impressive today as it was when it opened in 1904.

A friend of mine just got back from the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone with stories of an extraordinary combination of old-growth wood and great design. If you’re a dedicated woodworker like me, the inn is a testament to true craftsmanship. Fifty carpenters spent 12 months between 1903 and 1904 building a cathedral to the best engineering and building practices in the woodworking trade (at $2.50 a day). The crew built the inn from native lodge pole pine – using burled wood for accents around the building.

The inn is an architectural marvel, but much more than that it demonstrates that greatness in the trade is eternal. People the world over come to this place to see what American ingenuity really looked like in the early 20th century. And the fact that they get a look at the most famous geyser in the world is almost an afterthought. Got a favorite old-growth wood you prefer to work with? Let me know.