More About the Roosevelt Inn

Formerly The GuestHouse Mt Rushmore
The present inn sits on a site at the edge of Grizzly Creek which was originally claimed as a placer gold mine back in the 1890s by Dave Swanzey, the man who named Mt. Rushmore. There was -- and still is -- some gold in the hillside above the inn, though the ore is not rich enough to mine. Dave dug a few holes before giving up on the gold. But since the area appealed to him, he built a small cabin nearby and lived in it for the rest of his life.

     Some time after his first wife died, Dave married Carrie Ingalls, whose sister, Laura Ingalls Wilder, was well-known as the author of the "Little House on the Prairie" which was later adapted into a popular television series. Carrie lived in the cabin until she died in 1946. According to local legend, Carrie used to sit on the porch of the cabin and watch workers drive back and forth on the old gravel road to Mt. Rushmore during its carving. Later, after the faces were completed, she liked to watch the comings and goings of the tourists who visited the monument.
     The Roosevelt Inn started out as Sweet's Candy Shop, selling pies and candy alongside the old highway which replaced the gravel road up to Mt. Rushmore. The shop, operated by the Sweet family, became well known for some of the best homemade pies in the area. Later, as the business grew, the tiny roadside stand was replaced by a larger store with indoor seating.
      The establishment became the Roosevelt Inn in 1992 and by 1996 it had grown to 19 guest rooms. But there was no way to add on more rooms to meet the growing demand from guests who returned year after year. That's when the owners decided that a new inn was needed. Construction on the project began in October 1996 and continued throughout 1997. The new Roosevelt Inn opened in the spring of 1998.

Dave Swanzey -- Learn more about the man who named Mt. Rushmore.

Carrie Ingalls -- The little sister in the book "Little House on the Prairie."

BACK

MAIN MENU