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Teepees: Wigwam Villages (page 2)

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Wigwam Village #2
Cave City, KY
Ladies Room:
Gift Shop:
Room Interior:
Redford patented his Wigwam Village concept in 1936 and built this second location in 1937 in Cave City. It is the oldest surviving location. The main teepee housed Redford's collection of Indian artifacts. Unfortunately, new owners in the 1990s stripped the museum and rooms of their Indian relics and auctioned them off. The motel was then put on the market and purchased by a local preservationist who restored the property.

The central teepee is 52 feet tall. Advertisements from the 1940s claimed it was the largest wigwam in the world. There were also Standard Oil gas pumps beneath the sign. The 15 cabin interiors were restored with hickory and cane furniture. Each cabin has a bathroom and color TV. When the sign was built in the 1940s by the City Neon Co. of Owensboro, KY, it read Eat and Sleep in a Wigwam. In 2021, new owners are restoring the property. The neon sign was removed and restored at Rueff Signs in Louisville, KY. The largest teepee originally housed a restaurant and gift shop, but in the mid-1960s the restaurant closed. That is probably when the "Eat and Sleep" on the sign was painted over. The sign was built with painted panels not porcelain enamel. For more, see this website. [map]

Wigwam Villages
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Wigwam Villages
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