The Interesting History of Wyoming's Dizzying Smith Mansion

From stunning mansions in the mountains to beautiful beachfront homes, there are many examples of remarkable architecture throughout the country.

One incredibly unique dwelling can be found just north of Colorado, in Cody, Wyoming. The Dizzying Smith Mansion is a prominent local landmark with a very interesting history.

The large log tower is located near the eastern entrance of Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming's picturesque Wapiti Valley. It's easily visible from the roadway, and many motorists passing have wondered about its origin.

The Dizzying Smith Mansion once served as the family home of builder and engineer Lee Smith. He called his design for the approximately 75-foot mansion atop the hill "A Tribute to the North Fork Mountains."

Smith began building his dream home in 1971. The structure started with a traditional form, but once the first floor was completed, Smith decided to keep on building. His family lived in the dwelling during construction, without any electricity, running water, air conditioning, or gas.

The ambitious architect continued with his distinct vision for the home, adding wooden terraces and staircases created from locally harvested wood and logs. Much of this timber was from trees that had fallen during a recent wildfire in Wyoming.

According to Atlas Obscura, the giant labor of love caused strife in Smith's actual love life. His ongoing obsession with the project led to his wife Linda, filing for divorce in the 1980s. This only pushed Smith to lean even further into building his mansion.

He continued tacking on extra floors and winding staircases. The house was beginning to resemble a mine shaft.

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On April 25, 1992, Smith was working on one of the upper balconies when a large section of timber came loose, causing him to plummet 20 feet to the ground, hitting his head or neck on the way down. Smith was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.

Following its founder's death, the Smith Mansion sat vacant for many years. As the primary caretaker, Smith’s daughter had hoped to raise funds to open the building to the public but never succeeded in doing so.

In October 2019, the Dizying Smith Mansion was sold to Zhiru Huang of Mountain Lodging, a lodging company that owns many properties in the surrounding Cody area. It's unknown what the future holds for this special property.

Check out another historic Wyoming home below.