Search the Encyclopedia Mavericana:   ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Palace Hotel

Hotel chain throughout the West.[1]

Like the Pioneer Hotel before it, the Palace Hotel established agreeable accommodations in prefabricated buildings in promising frontier towns. Generally not as luxurious as the Pioneer, the Palace offered reasonable rates and comfortable rooms. Many Palace Hotels also contracted with the U. S. government to provide a post office for a town and as such, often acted as a stage stop.

According to Hoyle: In 1870,[1] Big Mike McComb took up residence in Wagon Wheel, Wyoming Territory and moved into the Palace Hotel. In October of 1876, Bret Maverick and Samantha Crawford went to Wagon Wheel to establish the Square Deck, an honest gambling house. While in town, they each took rooms in the Palace, across the street from Joe Riggs' Golden Bucket Saloon.[2]

Ghost Rider: In June of 1872, Bret Maverick tracked the Kid to White Rock, Texas to reclaim $3,000 the Kid stole from him in Gunsight. After finding the Kid playing poker in Fred's Paradise Saloon, a trail-weary Bret checked into the Palace Hotel across the street to clean up before confronting the Kid. Before Bret could approach him, the Kid lost the last of Bret's $3,000 playing poker and was killed by Sideburns for calling him a cheat. The next day, Felton came to White Rock looking for Mary Shane and the Wells Fargo money her husband had stolen. He checked into the Palace Hotel and saw Bret's name in the registry. After asking a few questions of the Palace Hotel clerk, Felton was able to track down Bert Nicholson and kill him.[3]

Locations of Palace Hotels:

TEXAS

• White Rock[3]

WYOMING TERRITORY

• Wagon Wheel[2]