Arizona's Gadsden Hotel plays host to history The doors of the Gadsden Hotel first swung open in 1907, in the days when Wyatt Earp and Geronimo still blazed the West, and Arizona was not yet a state. The hotel would soon become the home-away-from-home for cattlemen, ranchers, miners and businessmen in the territory. It seemed like the Gadsden was doomed on Feb. 7, 1929, when fire ripped through the hotel. But, like many of Arizona's Old West men and much of its history, it was just too tough to die. The hotel was rebuilt more grandly than its original incarnation. No expense was spared. An authentic Tiffany stained glass mural runs across 42 feet of one wall of the lobby. A beautiful stained glass skylight lets light in from outside and brightens the massive lobby. The columns in the lobby are covered in 14K gold leaf — worth $20,000 in 1929. There were not a lot of hotels in the day that could boast an electric elevator, complete with operator. Travelers were amazed at the accommodations. The five-story Gadsden Hotel was one of the first to feature indoor outhouses in all 160 air-cooled rooms. You could even take a bath and then go down and enjoy a steak in the dining room, as well as a drink or two in the Saddle and Spur Saloon. On your way out the next morning, you could grab a quick cup in the Cattleman's Coffee Shop....