Guests riding horses at The Wigwam. Courtesy of The Wigwam.

Before the historic hotel was home to three championship golf courses, The Wigwam in Litchfield Park was home to much larger, four-legged and hooved guests.

Horses were a big part of the resort when it first opened its doors. In 1918, the Goodyear Rubber & Tire Company purchased 17,000 acres of land in order to produce long staple cotton that extended the lives of its tires. Those days, horses were the most common form of transportation, especially for farming. The majority of the harvesting on the land was done by horse-drawn wagons. When The Wigwam was opened to the public, the horses expanded their duties – to tour guides.

Guests transported via horse-drawn carriages at The Wigwam. Courtesy of The Wigwam.

The historic hotel officially opened its doors as a guest ranch in 1929 with enough room to accommodate 24 guests. Some of the very first guests of The Wigwam were provided a key and horse to get to their rooms. As time went on the horses were also used to provide tours of the property for guests.