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Savoy is located in Lawrence County in Spearfish Canyon along South Dakota route 89 between Lead
and Spearfish. Because of its location on a main highway, it has not
remained ghostly at all. One photo is shown in the Parker/Lambert book.
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The Latchstring Inn as it appears on page 173 in the
Parker/Lambert book (1974). Once famous for its hospitality, it was
deserted by the time of this photo. |
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Here are a couple of old postcards
showing a more complete view of the original Latchstring Inn. The
Inn dates to 1919. |
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A view from about the same angle as in the
first photo above, but this one was taken in July 2001. The only way to tell it's the same
is from the rock formations above the building. The
downward-slanting feature in the rock directly above the peak of the roof
in the first photo is also visible in this photo just left of and above
the center of the photo. The original Latchstring Inn was demolished
in 1989. The building there now, which sits on the site of the former Latchstring Inn, looks
nothing like the former building and is a thriving restaurant. It
carries the same name. |
On June 28, 2002, I received an email from a gentleman whose girlfriend
worked at the old Latchstring Inn in the late 1980s. Here is what he told
me:
"As a high school student, my
girlfriend worked at the old Inn, and she is 35 yrs old today. She told me that
it was not deserted, but actually sold to the Homestake mining company, where
her father worked for many years. The cabins that stood around the original Inn
were all torn down, and the new existing Inn was built. The area
(governmentally protected) was never mined and stands there today in its natural
beauty. The Spearfish Canyon area is approximately six times older than the Grand
Canyon, if I remember correctly..."
"The cabins were torn down right after
the original Inn was sold to Homestake, and the new Inn was under construction
at the same time. A gal named Judy Woodworth owned the original Inn at the
time my girlfriend worked there. It was a pretty big resort at the time,
and she employed about 20 college kids who were also given room and board.
Unfortunately, a few kids were drinking and driving one night, and one of them
was killed. Judy quit hiring kids, the dormitory type building was torn
down, and the (wrongful death) court case was sent to the Supreme Court... Judy
was being held responsible, I believe. The Latchstring name was derived from the
form of lock/latch on the main door of the Inn. The mechanism was designed for
someone on the outside (of the door) to pull a string down, which would in turn
release the wooden latch on the door (inside), allowing the door to be opened.
Hence the name Latchstring Inn."
Here's some more information I was able
to find on the web regarding this case:
Barger v. Cox--Supreme Court of South Dakota, October 24, 1984.
a. Background: On May 13, 1978 Judith Woodworth, manager of the
Latchstring Inn, a resort, hired Samuel Wares, 16, as dishwasher and yard worker
for the weekends and the summer. In the summer he was put in a cabin with
the other youths. Ms. Woodworth imposed restrictions on the youth about
visits to the cabin, and no drugs or alcohol use was permitted.
On June 9, boys from the town and other youths went to the cabin to have a
party where drugs and alcohol were available. Later in the evening Wares
dislocated his elbow and asked to be driven to a hospital. Cox borrowed a
Jeep to drive him to the hospital. Cox did exceed the speed limit as they
approached a dangerous curve. Cox and another occupant were killed.
Barger (Wares' mother) sued Cox and Latchstring Inn for recovery of hospital and
medical expenses.
b. Result: Cox was found guilty of willful and wanton misconduct because of
excessive speed, dangerous road conditions, and use of drugs. The manager
of the Latchstring Inn was found guilty because she was responsible for the
actions of the boys.
On September 23, 2003, I received a series of additional photos of the
Latchstring Inn and environs from a fellow who is related to a former owner of
the Inn. These are below, along with the information he was kind enough to
provide.
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Martha Railsback and Maude Watts. Maude Watts was born
in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, and she was the great aunt on the father's
side of the family of the fellow who sent me these photos.
Martha
Railsback was from Indianapolis, Indiana and a graduate of DePauw
University.
Together, these two owned the Latchstring Inn from 1919 to 1929.
The came to buy it after visiting Savoy on a tour of the western U.S.
At the time they purchased it, it was called the Glendoris Lodge, and that
name came from a combination of the first names of the previous owners, Glen
and Doris Inglis, who bought the Inn in 1906.
Each of the heavy, old-fashioned doors in the Inn were opened by a
handmade latchstring. To lock a door, the string was pulled in, and
those on the outside could not enter. When the new owners decided to
rename the old lodge, it becamse the "Latchstring Inn." |
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| This is Maude Watts' brother Bruce Watts, who was the
grandfather of the fellow who sent me these photos. He was from
Hamilton, Ontario, and he visited the Inn often while his sister was
renovating it. In this photo, he is standing on the railway tracks at
Savoy Station, Spearfish, South Dakota. In the background are the
famous (or infamous!) Black Hills of South Dakota. This photo was
taken about 1922. |
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A train at the Savoy Station. |
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Maude occasionally sent postcards back home to her parents
William and Emma. This is one of them, and it depicts her favorite
fishing hole. |
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This is another postcard from Spearfish
Canyon, and it shows Rough Lock Falls. |
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Another photo of the Inn contemporary with Maude and
Martha's ownership. |
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A view from the Inn |
| On July 5, 2007, I
received an email from a fellow in Maine who has a connection to the
town. He wrote "From June through
September of 1967, I had a college summer job doing mineral exploration
in the vicinity of Tinton, SD (a real ghost town). We stayed in
one of the cabins at the Latchstring Inn (LSI) and ate our supper at the
LSI daily. It was a busy but enjoyable summer, and we spent a lot
of time talking with Judy Woodworth, her husband, and an older couple
who worked there, as well as the college students who worked there
(being of the same age as me). I have attached several pictures,
of rather poor quality I'm afraid due to the inexpensive camera I used
at the time, the age and deterioration of the slides, and the scanning
process to get them to a digital format. I spent a lot of my
non-work time exploring the area, including climbing up to the top of
the rimrock above the LSI (see picture). Other pictures attached
include the dining room, the buffet table, the cabin I stayed in, and
the main building. I visited the Inn again in 1969 and 1971, and again
later in the 70's. I have fond memories of the time I spent there and am
looking forward to visiting the area again."
The photos are below. |
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| The
Latchstring Inn in 1967. |
A view of the
Latchstring Inn from atop the rimrock above. (To be honest, I'm
not exactly sure where it is in this picture!) |
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| The Latchstring Inn dining
room in 1967. |
The buffet all set up and
ready to go. |
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| One of the Latchstring Inn
cabins, complete with a mid-60s pickup truck parked out front. |
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