Built by the National Park Service in 1927, the style of this historic lodge is a mash-up of Art Deco, Native American, Middle Eastern, and Craftsman styles and decor. With 123 rooms available ( 99 in the lodge proper and 24 adjacent cabins) the Ahwahnee has amenities galore (ATM/bank, children's programs, transportation, concierge, gift shop, sweet shop, dining room, outdoor pool, and more). The upscale dining room enforces a dress code and has a specially designed service pattern that features the Ahwahnee "logo".
The "three-legged Indian" ( as in he's running so fast it appears he has 3 legs) was designed by Jeanette Dyer Spencer in 1927, based on a symbol found in native American basketweaving patterns. "Ahwahnee", however, is an actual Indian name of the village
( meaning "large mouth") in the Yosemite valley. The valley was the "large mouth" and Yosemite (English spelling ) was the Native American tribe that lived in the valley before the land became a national park in 1890.
So the Yosemite tribe chose the Ahwahnee name correctly because the KC Matchgirl had a jaw-dropping "large mouth" when she learned the price, $471 to $1229 a night, for a room with a view at the Ahwahnee.
Note: Due to the simple design, this matchbook is hard to date- a wide guess is late 1920's to early 1950's.
