The Old Shell Lodge was build in 1897 by Mr. Mackenzie, the grandfather of Mrs. Ann Simson of Cody.
Mackenzie was on his way to the gold fields of California when he stopped in Shell and decided that he liked the Big Horn Basin. He and his partner built a lodge out of local sandstone and operated the lodge as a general store until it was sold in 1915 because people started to use automobiles and went shopping in Greybull.
The store sold saddles, seeds, food, guns, bullets, flour, carriages, tools, etc. - like most of the general stores at the time. Watch some old Western movies and you can picture the kind of activity that went on in such a store.
The Michelena family owned and operated the store since then, but in recent years, the building had fallen into disrepair and the store has been closed for five years.
We are not sure if you remember how The Shell Lodge looked like 3 years ago prior to the restoration works? Please find some pictures to refresh your memory. As you drive by The Shell Lodge you will notice a little change of course. If you are interested in visiting the lodge, please let the folks at The Trapper Creek Lodge or The Hideout know, and we will arrange a tour. We have many more pictures of the restoration and the “before restoration”.
What happened since last summer with The Lodge?
The restoration of this project is done in partnership with Roy Peterson, owner of Roy Peterson Construction based out of Greybull, WY. A company we can warmly recommend for its quality, seriousness, transparency and willingness to work with us on this project. They were brave enough to step in when most people declared us both crazy and stupid for wanting to restore this building. Most would have torn down this gracious old lady which is in many ways the face of Shell.
Basement
All good things in life start with making sure the foundation on which one builds is solid; the same is true when it comes to restoring old buildings. After lifting up the log side building, digging 16 feet deep and installing a full basement the log building was dropped back on its new foundations and building. The dirt work was done by The Greybull Ditching Company.
A doorway was cut out of the almost three feet thick, solid rock foundations of the main building to enter the rock basement underneath. In the basement, the old entrance stairway, one of the old windows and the coal shoot were closed to reinforce the basement. The window in the east wall of the basement was widened and French doors with a stairway that lead outside were installed. The new stairway also leads directly into the basement.
Next the old red fur beams harvested and milled above Trapper Canyon in 1896, were put on concrete footings which then leveled out the main floor.
Structure
After cleaning out and cleaning up the store, the main structure of the building, the foundations and the beams of the roof were found to be solid.
We did install a concrete rim around the outside walls since the outside was frosted out given the fact that the roof lacked little or no eves.
At the inside ground level 2x4 framed walls where installed leaving an airspace between the new wall and the outside rock wall. All walls of the lodge, roofs, attic, basement, etc. were insulated with closed cell spray foam insulation for the highest R-values.
Roof
Our partner in restoration of The Shell Lodge, Roy Peterson Construction, removed four layers of the old roof ranging from tarpaper, shingles and tar shingles and installed a complete new metal roof with longer eves. The longer eves will serve to protect the building better against moisture and prevent water directly from penetrating the rock wall and, in the winter, freezing.
The north front of the store was entirely restored and new red cedar shingles were installed on both sides of the building.
Septic and Leach Field
A state of the art environmental and commercial capacity septic system and leach field was installed at the south side of the building without displacing, or harming in any way, the century old trees. Once more The Greybull Ditching Company and Don Pickens of Shell Manufacturing delivered outstanding work.
Electricity
The entire building was rewired with a commercial grade electric system installed by Process Power in Worland.
Doors and windows
New doors were added to the side building to bring in more light. The old windows at the front and the south side were the windows that we reclaimed from The Trapper Creek Lodge where they had been replaced with French doors on the deck.
The doors in the main building at the west (road) side and the north are custom built by Wyoming Woodworks in Greybull, WY. They will also repair some of the original windows.
Floors, Walls and Ceiling
We carefully demounted the red fur siding that covered the walls in the side buildings backroom. After cleaning and restoring we will reinstall the panels back where they belong. The chimney in the backroom was sandblasted and is ready to be used again.
After the sheet rock is on the walls and ceiling, the ceiling will be covered with tong and grove white pine and wide plank fur.
A new ash floor will be installed in the entire building on top of the existing floor.
Yard and garden
Shoshone Valley, out of Powell, together with Don Pickens installed the drains around the building and the irrigation systems.
Building materials
Most of the building materials and especially the wood we used was delivered by The Greybull Building Center known for its first quality service and prime building wood.
The Shell Lodge Cabin at the South Side of the Property
This cabin was built in 1932 and was sold to Agnes De Cabooter of Belgium. We lifted up the cabin and installed a 9 foot deep basement. Currently the roof is being rebuilt and a deck added. The bathroom and kitchen are also being replaced. Especially installing the new roof was a challenge because the original roof structure was not straight. Roy Peterson Construction did a good job in renewing without loosing the authenticity of the cabin.
Maintenance
The maintenance, the red fur shingles, the chinking, the flagstone rock walls, the maintenance and the care of the yard, lawns and garden is the work of Marco and Ever Chavez who also maintain The Hideout Buildings, Trapper Creek Lodge and the houses across the street from The Hideout.
The stacked Rock Walls
These where constructed by Marco’s team and they used recuperated rock from the Lodge and nearby areas.
The Shell Neighbors
As usual we thank our neighbors and the many supporters for the patience they showed looking at this building project that started last summer.
The Antler Inn
Many thanks also to The Antler Inn for always being ready to help out and serve refreshments.
Dirty Annies
We also want to thank Jim at Dirty Annies and his team for the many refreshments and food they served to the workers, visitors and whoever works at The Shell Lodge.
Read more in the article "New owner restoring historic store"
Trapper Creek Guest Ranch and Inn is a member of The Hideout Group,
3170 Rd 40.5 Shell WY 82441
Normal business hours are Thursday through Saturday from 5 PM to 9 PM.
Please call 1 307 765 9900 for reservations and eventual other days we are open.
For lodging and overnight stays, please call The Hideout at 1 307 765 2080
or e-mail info@thehideout.com
