(Wyoming News Service) As families in Wyoming head out for a summer holiday, historians are encouraging people to explore a range of historic lodging options, such as the Chambers House Bed and Breakfast in Pinedale.

The core of the pine-log building is actually the town's first one-room schoolhouse, built in 1904.

Ann Chambers Noble, owner of Chambers House Bed and Breakfast in Pinedale and an author and historian, said local owners take a lot of pride in their historic buildings. They've spent a lot of time and money preserving these unique sites, and they love to share the history.

"And when you do stay at a local place -- I know in Pinedale, but as well as anywhere across Wyoming -- the owner just loves to share that rich history," Noble emphasized. "You can appreciate the craftsmanship and the art of these buildings that were built generations before us. "

There are some 40 historic hotels and motels scattered throughout Wyoming, ranging from large urban hotels like the Plains in Cheyenne, railroad hotels like The Virginian in Medicine Bow and the Sheridan Inn, as well as numerous log cabin motor courts. The Alliance for Historic Wyoming has a list available online at historicwyoming.org.

The bulk of the Chambers House in Pinedale was built with logs from a stand of pine trees above nearby Fremont Lake. Noble explained the trees were standing dead, but were sought after because they were straight and uniform in size. Many of these trees were felled during the winter of 1932 when the lake was frozen two feet thick.

"The early settlers took teams of horses up to the head of the lake," Noble recounted. "And dragged those logs 10 miles across that lake and then another three miles to downtown Pinedale and built the Chambers House with those logs."

You don't have to forego modern amenities when staying at historic sites. Noble pointed out there are top-notch locally-owned cafes and restaurants, high-speed fiber internet and good cell service in town. But it is not the case when you head up into the nearby mountains, where Noble added folks can unplug and just take in the beautiful outdoors.

"Why do you head to the mountains, why do you go for a hike, or why do you go fishing in the beautiful mountains surrounding our towns?" Noble asked. "And the answer is, it's cheaper than therapy."