My oldest daughter came running into grandma’s kitchen holding a bright yellow flower. Look Mommy! A beautiful flower! Oh, my! I replied. You found a dandelion! She ran outside to pick a full bouquet. To her, the dandelion was a flower. I smile when I reflect on that moment. Spring has sprung at the Rankin and I spotted the first dandelion. It brought back that memory of so long ago. Growing up at the Rankin, I remember my Dad was always alert to dandelions on the lawn but to Dad, dandelions were weeds. So, as I looked at this fresh dandelion, I asked myself, when does a dandelion become a weed? Why can’t it be a beautiful flower? We can always contemplate new perspectives. I’m glad I have the dandelion to remind me of those days with Dad mowing the lawn and discussing weed management. My daughter gave me delightful insight into a new possibility. No only can the dandelion be a colorful blossom, when it matures, you can blow those delicate seeds into the wind. I’ve had many a sweet time with my children blowing dandelion seeds into the wind. Live each day remembering those simple experiences. Perhaps, the dandelion becomes a weed when we lose touch or lose sight of where we have been or where we are headed. Things might not be what they seem. David had much different perspective when he faced Goliath and look how that changed everything. I’m thankful for that yellow blossom. My it sprinkle your paths!
Old Faithful
It is official! West Yellowstone National Park West Entrance will open April 18, 2025. Yellowstone reports that visitors may access Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and the Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana. The road is ready for you! On Saturday April 19, in celebration of National Park Week, entrance fees will be waived. Flowers are blooming and little bison are on the horizon. Enjoy these sweet days of spring. The Rankin will be opening the cabins early in May. We are excited to plant flowers and spritz up the grounds. See you soon!
Every year in the early fall, our green apple trees became alive with tart green fruit. These apples made the best applesauce. My mother would cook the apples and make her magic dish appear. I recently picked green apples this week on our farm and am reminded of the days of my childhood. These apples were small and often had a few worm holes which fascinated me. I remember helping prepare them for cooking, looking for the little creatures! Here is a picture of grandpa DK Rankin in front of one prized tree. We loved the smell of those apples cooking. The memory lives on. I embrace it like I was back in that kitchen as a little girl with my mom by my side. My own batch this year was a testimony to her tutelage. Each day is a journey of new memories and old. I treasure the journey of green apples and applesauce.
I remember my father’s gold, International Harvester Scout. It was an important part of growing up in the small town of Ashton, at The Rankin Motel. We went as a family to St. Anthony (14 miles south of Ashton) to look at a pretty, shiny, gold IH Scout. Dad needed something to haul wood in that could also take garbage to the dump. From the seriousness of the discussion mom and dad were having, it was a serious investment.
Kim, Robert and I (us kids) circled the dealership’s gravel driveway playing tag with each other and the huge grasshoppers were all over that fall. They were easy to catch and our hands were covered in the tobacco spit they ‘urped’ up. The decision was made to purchase the beautiful Scout. Chores could now get done fashionably. Adventures took us many places. After cleaning the motel rooms and cabins, we packed our bologna sandwiches and headed to the river (Jim’s boat dock) with Gomer, our black lab.
I don’t think we all could fit into the Scout, so our Ford Galaxy (Gold also) was also driven to the boat dock area. Gomer was an amazing dog who loved to find dead fish and stinky stuff. Of course, he always found it before we could stop him from rolling in it.
We got him into the river to wash as much of it off as possible. But a very wet, stinky dog had to be transported home. I remember sitting in the back seat of that Scout, trying not to throw up the whole trip home. Little brother got to sit in the front passenger seat next to dad.
Every spring, as a child, I would love to see yellow daffodils rise up along side the brick farmhouse, now long gone. The flowers would pop against a smidgeon of snow still lining the perimeter of the house. The old farmhouse was a fascination to me, abandoned, yet it once resonated with love from a hard working family of five siblings, a sturdy farmer, and a strong mamma. Love was spoken over the farm and the family stayed connected to the land, the vista and each other. The Rankin Motel was built on this love as an extension of a busy family.
The 100th Anniversary of the Rankin Motel is welcoming us all into 2024! Tulips and daffodils are pushing through the remaining snow drifts and are ready to welcome you on your journey! Come Celebrate with us.
Travel Safely!
Grover Hospitality LLC
This last year, the Rankin Motel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We are ordering the plaques now! The historic significance of the Rankin is in its architecture. It is representative of the early architectural development of the motel building type, exemplifying the cabin camp, cottage court, and motor court phases of early roadside hostelry architecture. It is a testimony to the entrepreneurial spirit capitalizing on the industrial development of the automobile and West Yellowstone National Park.
The period of significance for the Rankin A
uto Court is 1920-1973, beginning with its opening and ending with the construction of its most recent buildings.
These photos represent Ashton’s appeal to the fisherman, hunter, and traveler. Right off of Hwy 20, The Rankin Auto Court was a favorite stop. We look forward to your visit and hope you will make it a favorite memory as well.
We are excited about our upcoming 2022 season! We look forward to seeing you on your journey. Thank you for making us a stop on your path. The beauty of this country is breathtaking and the mountains beckon us to visit. Growing up in this area afforded my family many opportunities to fish, picnic, and look for huckleberries.
Here, Dave Rankin, brother to Betty, and Betty enjoy a picnic at Big Springs. Big Springs, located in Island Park, is the headwater of the Snake River. Be sure to visit Johnny Sacks cabin when you arrive. It is a wonderful cabin filled with a rich history of the area.
Mom (Betty) loved to fly fish on the Fall River and she hiked w
ith her friends every afternoon. She took many pictures of the mountains and wildlife on her treks. She loved to take photos of the landscape against a mountainous background.
Don’t miss out on simple ventures, picnics and mountains. Have a huckleberry ice cream cone and be ready to relax.
The 2020 Season for the Rankin Motel is off to a very interesting start. We are deeply concerned for our travelers and guests. We are watching the current pandemic closely. Your heath and safety are most important to us.
We have reflected on what is best for the Rankin and you. As we wait and watch, we will plan on opening on May 17th, 2020. While we are optimistic about this date, we will follow the guidelines as proposed by the CDC and our local authorities.
Please continue to watch for updates on our rankinmotel.com website. You can also check the reservation system for openings. Know that when you arrive as our guest, you can find rest. Every measure will be taken to ensure a clean room and warm welcome. We look forward to seeing you this summer. Many blessings and Safe travels!
Old Faithful got its name appropriately. This geyser erupts faithfully every 35 to 120 minutes for any where between 1.5 to 5 minutes. Throughout the summer people gather to watch this magnificent geyser shoot to heights from 90 to 184 feet. I remember, as a child, sitting on the benches and waiting expectantly for the geyser to launch.
Early spring in the Park is beautiful with new life and baby buffalos. The water is high with run off from the mountains. Geysers and paint pots of vivid colors emit steam into the cool spring days.
This year the West Entrance to West Yellowstone National Park will open April 27th. Be sure to check West Yellowstone National Park’s opening and operations website for more details to many of the Park’s campgrounds and scenic areas. Click here for opening and operations info.
You’ll pass right by us on the way to the West Entrance via Hwy 20. Old Faithful is waiting for you.
Do you have a memory of Bob you want to share? Click here.
We have so many wonderful memories of our time with Robert at Rankin Motel. Each winter Jenny and he would plan ways to improve the motel and make it a place of restoration for their guests. As Spring approached each year, so did their excitement about meeting and hosting new guests and friends from all over the world, who would come to stay with them. The Rankin is like a little slice of Heaven, and Bob so enjoyed sharing its beauty and wonder with his guests.
As Bob and Jenny have said to so many of their guests, “Enjoy, the Journey,” it has become their life quote. Robert lived well knowing you on his life journey’s path. We are sad he isn’t with us to share more, but we are thankful for the wonderful memories of him that we will always share with each other and you.
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