Smith Mansion

The famous Smith Mansion sits along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway, approximately 15 miles East of Yellowstone National Park. Located in the heart of Wapiti Valley Wyoming, the Smith Mansion is surrounded by wild back country and beautiful wilderness. In April of 1992, Lee Smith passed away while working on his home, the Smith Mansion. He fell twelve feet. It was Lee's life long dream to create a cabin that would naturally fit into the countryside; he succeeded. There were no blue prints for the mansion's construction, only what was thought up in Lee's mind. He would then create it. The Smith Mansion sits in the middle of Wapiti's Valley. It made it a special spot for Lee. The mansion stands approx. 75 foot high. Its built primarily by hand and most of the timbers used in its construction came off Rattle Snake Mountain. After the terrible fires in 1952, it became free picking to help clean out the burnt timber. Smith brought 5-6 timbers off the mountain, by hand, one truck load at a time. The mansion has sat abandoned for twenty years. Its skeleton and contents have slowly started to rot and decay from exposure of the elements. Timbers need to be replaced and entire roof systems need to be rebuilt. Among other things, many of the 1/4 inch thick storm windows are broken due to vandalism. There are also many safety issues that need to be addressed. The mansion itself is a piece of art which was created by my one man, by hand. And this enormous log creation manifested itself from deep inside his mind. That is one of the neatest things about the structure. Lee dedicated over two decades of his life to the mansion and unfortunately, lost his life doing what he loved. The Mansion is a landmark to the locals, tourists or anyone with a real interest in the home. This legendary structure holds a significant value to the town of Wapiti Valley. The Smith Mansion, also known as the crazy house stands high in the beautiful Wapiti Valley. It is a piece of the Wapiti Valley's history and is known to locals, tourists or anyone will a real interest in the home, as a landmark.It is a piece of artwork left for the public, built by the late Architect/Engineer: Francis Lee Smith. Smith's daughter has started The Smith Mansion Preservation Project which is in full swing.