Delfelder Inn History

Riverton's Premier Address

Delfelder Inn gets its name from its most famous resident, Jacob Astor Delfelder, who moved to Riverton in 1913. Already an established stockman in the Wind River Country, Mr. Delfelder was enthusiastically welcomed to town. He was the president of the Diamond C Sheep Company and the President of the Wyoming Woolgrowers Association. Delfelder also served as a member of the Wyoming State Sheep Commission. He was appointed to that post in 1903 by then Governor Fenimore Chatterton, who himself would later become a Riverton citizen.

The mere fact that Mr. Delfelder moved to Riverton gave the town a sense of pride. In fact, Mr. Delfelder was elected mayor of the town within months of his arrival here. He served as mayor until one month before his death in 1921. He is credited with getting the city’s all important irrigation system in place.

Delfelder Inn was one of the first structures in Riverton, built within one year of the town’s settlement on August 24, 1906. The founding of the town coincided with the arrival of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, which was extending its line from Casper to Lander, the county seat and Riverton’s neighbor to the west which had its beginnings in the 1870's.

Riverton's establishment was made possible by an agreement signed in 1904 between the U.S. government and the tribes of the then Shoshone Indian Reservation. The agreement set aside lands north of the Big Wind River for homesteading. The town site was approved by the Department of the Interior on August 15, 1906 and people started moving in nine days later.

One of those early settlers was another stockman, J. W. Blake of Casper, who came to Riverton to help start a bank. Shortly after arriving in the new town, he built the three-storey home at the corner of Adams and South Broadway. Blake died seven years later of injuries suffered when he was out horseback riding. His horse stepped in to a prairie dog hole and fell, throwing Blake to the ground. A short time later, Blake's widow sold the home to Delfelder.

When the home was first build, it was not built with running water, electricity or natural gas. All of those "necessities, came later, water in 1910, electricity in 1914 and natural gas in 1921.

Mr. Delfelder, and his wife Evelyn, "were hosts in the grand style of the era, lavishly entertaining Riverton people as well as distinguished visitors from other places,, according to the Delfelder story contained in Riverton Family Stories and archived at the Riverton museum. The local newspaper of that era, the Riverton Chronicle, also documented lavish social events hosted at the house.

Following her husband's death, Evelyn Delfelder continued living in the house, but did very little entertaining. As the years passed, Mrs. Delfelder was often seen walking around town wearing her trademark big hats and button up shoes. While out and about, she always covered her face with a black veil. She eventually sold the home in 1960 and the house has changed hands several times since then.

The home has now been restored to it's former grandeur and again is welcoming guests. The only change to the home is the addition of the south-facing porch. Still intact is the glass-enclosed front sun porch, which opens onto the main entrance hall.

The staircase rises from this room, leading to the second and third stories. The home features its original lighting fixtures, hardwood floors and has been decorated to highlight the period of its construction and hey-day.

The Defelder Inn welcomes you to enjoy your stay and while here, to step back in time and imagine life on the Frontier Prairie