Wigwam Village #7

Nineteen concrete cones turn a motel court into roadside theater. Frank Redford began with a teepee-shaped Kentucky service station in 1933, patented the idea, and built this seventh Wigwam Village after moving west. The first eleven cabins opened around a shared lawn in 1950; eight more followed as Route 66 traffic and the San Bernardino Valley boomed.The name and forms collapse distinct Indigenous cultures—a fact the National Park Service addresses directly. Redford called the concrete teepees “wigwams,” and the architecture reflects mid-century non-Native stereotyping as much as entrepreneurial spectacle. That tension belongs in the story: the place can be admired as rare roadside design without treating its imagery as authentic tribal architecture.The Patel family purchased the run-down property in 2002, restored it, and kept it operating as the Wigwam Motel; the historic complex entered the National Register in 2012. This is active lodging, not an open-air museum. Respect guest privacy, use only designated parking and public areas, and confirm room, office, pool, photography, and visitor access directly. An exterior look does not promise a tour, available room, or partner benefit. More

Nineteen concrete cones turn a motel court into roadside theater. Frank Redford began with a teepee-shaped Kentucky service station in 1933, patented the idea, and built this seventh Wigwam Village after moving west. The first eleven cabins opened around a shared lawn in 1950; eight more followed as Route 66 traffic and the San Bernardino Valley boomed.The name and forms collapse distinct Indigenous cultures—a fact the National Park Service addresses directly. Redford called the concrete teepees “wigwams,” and the architecture reflects mid-century non-Native stereotyping as much as entrepreneurial spectacle. That tension belongs in the story: the place can be admired as rare roadside design without treating its imagery as authentic tribal architecture.The Patel family purchased the run-down property in 2002, restored it, and kept it operating as the Wigwam Motel; the historic complex entered the National Register in 2012. This is active lodging, not an open-air museum. Respect guest privacy, use only designated parking and public areas, and confirm room, office, pool, photography, and visitor access directly. An exterior look does not promise a tour, available room, or partner benefit. More