The Summit, 1924 looking West toward the descent down Telephone Canyon.

The Summit, 1924 looking east.

To the west of the Tree-in-the-Rock, travelers came to the highest point on the Lincoln Highway, the "Summit". In the late 1920's, the site was occupied by a log combination gas station and road house known as the Summit Tavern. Allegedly, some type of accommodation for travelers existed on the site as early as the late 1880's. In any event, however, the editor of the State Tribune, William C. Deming, in 1922 began beating the drums for construction of a hotel on the site. See State Tribune, Aug. 17, 1922.

Indeed, although the site does not look mountainous, if affords beautiful views south to Colorado and of Crow Creek Hill.

The Summit Tavern, 1920s.

With the elevation, as indicated below, winter at the tavern could come early and last well into normal spring time.

Summet Tavern, approx. 1929. Photo by H. Svenson.

Winter at the Summet Tavern, approx. 1937.

With improvements made to the highway, the building was replaced in 1930. One of the attractions for toursits at the tavern was the proprietor's pet bear

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Summit Tavern Bear, 1930; Summit Tavern Sign, 1947

Summit Tavern, approx. 1945

Next page: Lincoln Highway continued, Telephone Canyon and Laramie, The Great Race of 1908, the Coast to Coast Race of 1909, "Somewhere West of Laramie."