Wyoming’s Iconic The Virginian Hotel Has New Out-Of-State Owners

MEDICINE BOW — A historic Wyoming landmark, The Virginian Hotel has many references to the famous Owen Wister novel that inspired its name.

From the wall-sized mural painted by artist Joan Harper of Laramie with the famous tagline, “When you call me that, smile,” to the photograph signed by Wister himself, which says The Virginian is his favorite hotel.

All of that history is the heart and soul of this iconic Wyoming destination, and that’s something The Virginian’s new owners, Aaron Mumford of Denver and Jesse Baker of Washington, say they are keeping.

“We love the state of Wyoming and all of the history that’s going on here,” Baker told Cowboy State Daily. “And I think you’ll find that we’re willing to do what it takes to move the ball forward and help the community.”

Part of moving The Virginian forward into the next 100 years will be revamping its Cowboy Bunkhouse to get those eight rooms upgraded and finishing off the attic suite.

“That penthouse is fully, down to the studs, ready to be finished out,” Baker said. “And (previous owner) Vernon (Scott) had some other ideas, too, but what you’ll see us do kind of right away is to try and upgrade the exterior facade of the RV park with some fencing, and clean up the grounds, and stuff like that, that catches the eye.”

Baker and Mumford both said they believe that The Virginian Hotel is in tremendously good shape for being more than a century old.

“The sense of time and place, all of that is the biggest asset,” Mumford said. “There’s a lot of assets here, but that’s a very important one.”

Baker agreed with that assessment.

“There’s not a lot to do,” Baker said, glancing around and gesturing at the walls of the Owen Wister dining room, which is set up as a turn-of-the-century space. “Nor would we want to even touch some of it.”

Pearl Of The Plains

The Virginian Hotel opened to much fanfare in 1911.

It was the first place in the area to have the modern amenities of electricity and indoor plumbing. That earned it the nickname Pearl of the Plains.

There’s something else unusual about the 113-year-old landmark — until now, it’s been in the same family for four generations.

“I bought the hotel from my mother,” Vernon Scott has told Cowboy State Daily previously. “And she bought it from my grandfather, and he got it from his dad. So, it’s been in the family forever.”

The Virginian was originally built by August Grimm and Joe Plumber, who took the name from Wister’s novel.

The two knew that the Lincoln Highway was coming through Medicine Bow. That, and the railroad that was already there, was going to bring a lot of travelers their way.

But the duo ran out of money halfway through building The Virginian, so the town’s fathers all bought shares in the sandstone hotel to help complete it. That is how Vernon’s grandfather came to own it. He bought out all the other owners, becoming its sole owner sometime in the early 1930s.

In 1978, the family added the hotel to the National Register of Historic Places. It was renovated and returned to its turn-of-the-century décor as part of all that.

A Place Where History Lives

Because of its continuous ownership by one family, The Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow retains quite a collection of historical artifacts. It’s like a living museum, and that is part of its enduring charm.

There are the bullet holes in the bar where someone literally shot the sheriff, and there is period furniture on every floor. Much of it has been donated by locals — who can tell you stories about each and every item.

The bed in Suite 27, for example, once belonged to Grandma Sarah. It still has bumps on the bottom rail from where Grandma Sarah as a child would jump onto the rail before diving headfirst into the haven of her giant feather bed.

The Owen Wister room is probably the most fabulous example of the history that’s been captured at The Virginian. It’s appointed with fancy china and lace tablecloths, which cover solid wood tables from the turn of the century. The room looks ready to host Teddy Roosevelt and Wister himself on any given day of the week.

A photograph on one of the buffets in the dining room is signed by Wister, and describes the hotel as his favorite.

Wister first came to Medicine Bow in 1885, only to find there were no hotels or beds to be had.

So, he slept on the counter of the Medicine Bow General Store, which was owned by Vernon’s grandfather at the time.

It was there, listening to the chatter of Wyominigtes passing through to catch the train, that Wister got the inspiration for his blockbuster novel “The Virginian,” which effectively created the Western genre of today, where cowboys are heroes of epic proportion, grappling with the land, hostile Indians, wildlife and often each other, as well as their own internal, moral dilemmas.

Wister, as well as many other famous people, have passed through The Virginian during its more than 100 years of history.

Roy Clark. Elvis. Buck Owens. Walter Cronkite.

Passing The Torch

At a party Friday night celebrating the transfer of the Virginian to its new owners, Vickie Scott was beaming as the Medicine Bow community had turned out in force to reminisce with her and Vernon, as well as greet the new owners, who have purchased the Virginian for an undisclosed price.

She told Cowboy State Daily that she and Vernon have 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, and they’ll be making plans “as we go” for the first time since the 40 years that they owned the hotel.

“I have so many beautiful memories,” she said. “From our wedding to our children’s weddings, they were all here.”

But the time has come for the Scotts to retire, she added.

“We had our time to do this, and now it’s time for someone else,” she said.

Vickie added that she’s excited to see what the next era, under new owners, will hold.

“You’re building a new, beautiful era for you and the town of Medicine Bow under your leadership,” Vickie told Baker and Mumford during a short presentation from the new owners. “It’ll be wonderful, honey.”

Baker told the crowd both he and Mumford are small-town guys like them.

“We’re stuck in the big city,” he said. “And we’ve been, you know, buying properties in these great towns like Tetonia or Salmon, Idaho, or Medicine Bow and trying to reposition these assets for another 100 years. That’s what our business is doing.”

Those in the crowd, meanwhile, expressed optimism that an infusion of new money is what The Virignian needs to keep going.

“I love the history of the hotel,” Lee Cook told Cowboy State Daily. “Hopefully, an influx of money can help make it more of a destination.”

Who Is Jet Hospitality?

Jet Hospitality, the company that Baker and Mumford own, bills itself as a leader in alternative accommodations in the Rocky Mountain Pacific Northwest.

The company has bought and refurbished a range of accommodations, from bungalows and tiny homes to glamping locations, cabins and RVs.

The company started with a location on Copalis Beach in Washington in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

That was a tough time to start a new business, but the company has managed to overcome and now owns nine locations in all, some in various stages of restoration.

The six so far listed at their website include Pacific Dunes Resort at Copalis Beach in Washington, Columbia Point Resort at Kettle Falls in Washington, Teton Peaks Resort at Tetonia in Idaho, Sacajawea Inn at Salmon in Idaho, and Cottonwood Camp at Fort Smith in Montana.

The main reason Baker and Mumford bought The Virginian is that it rounds out what the company is trying to offer, Baker told Cowboy State Daily.

“We’ve got the action sports, and the coastal stuff, and the snow sports, and the mountains,” he said. “Getting out here (to Wyoming), and Americana, we didn’t have. So, this kind of checks that box.”

The Virginian is Mumford and Baker’s first location with a restaurant. They plan to rely on the existing team in place to help them run that effectively. To that end, Scott’s grandson, Aaron, will continue on as the hotel’s manager.

Although this might be their first location with a restaurant, it’s not their first rodeo when it comes to restoring historic properties, they told Cowboy State Daily. And that’s the main expertise they’ll bring to The Virginian, that they hope will give the hotel a shot at another 100 years of history in Medicine Bow.

“This guy’s a visionary,” Mumford told Cowboy State Daily. “He’s done an excellent job of taking something that was dilapidated and making it shine bright again.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.