It was pure American genius. By 1935 he added six tepee-shaped motel units to it. Two years later he built the larger Wigwam Village No. 2, the still-thriving motel complex in Cave City. Redford patented his motor court design in February 1936, and by 1950 there were seven Wigwam Villages around the southeast and southwest. It's still busy in the summertime, said Elinor Lewis, part owner of the Holbrook motel complex.
People come from near and far to stay in a wigwam.
When the Horse Cave and Cave City Wigwam Villages were built, Americans were just beginning their love affair with automobile travel. Sculle is director of research and education for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in Springfield and has written extensively about the history of American auto travel and roadside attractions. Sculle has written about Cave City's Wigwam Village and another quirky Western Kentucky motor court, Glasgow's now-defunct Dutch Mill Village, which featured motel cabins shaped like windmills. Sculle said the tepee-shaped buildings were designed to catch the eye of travelers, and in that, they've always been a success. Back in May 1956, newlyweds Bill and Edna McElfresh were tooling down the Dixie Highway on their honeymoon when Edna McElfresh spotted the tepees with their distinctive red zigzag design.