Updated: Arson is alleged. Bond set at one million dollars.
Updated August 13, 2013: Here’s a link from The Bismark Tribune with a couple of photos of the remains.
Updated August 12, 2012: It looks like the Lone Steer is no more as of today. Judging by the comments on Amy’s page, the Lone Steer held a lot of memories for the residents of the community. Thanks for posting the link in my comments, Amy.
Updated May 26, 2012: Well folks, according to jim and Kenny down in the comments section –
the rooms they remodeled are nice… They have new carpets, beds
So then, all is now well and good at the Lone Steer Motel.
*
Well, let me tell ya about back in 2008…
I’ve been trying to get to Chicago for two days now, and the weather is just not cooperating in the slightest. Since yesterday I’ve been following a system with lightning, hail, extreme high winds and torrential rain with the possibility of tornadoes.
Last night I pulled over at a place called Steele, ND and checked out a room at the Lone Steer Motel. Yes, that’s right. The Lone Steer Motel Casino Restaurant Lounge Campground.
I have some advice for you, people. Before you pony up the cash for a room at this place, get your key and check out the room first at the Lone Steer Motel in Steele, ND off of I94. When I stayed there, it was filthy. The room was filthy. The carpet on the floor was filthy. The walls were filthy. The ceiling was filthy.
It was dark and dingy.
Would you like to know why the lights in the room were underpowered? They were underpowered to disguise the fact that the sheets on the bed were hiding pubic hair. Fresh pubic hair, as far as I could tell. I wasn’t going to get too close.
The restaurant chef – such as he was – cooked me an egg over and served it with toast that wasn’t warm and wasn’t toasted either. The toast was dried bread that had obviously been left out on the counter to get hard and/or stale, and thus was served as toast. It was as white and as cold-as-the-driven-snow cold, but let me tell you, it had a crust.
At 0130 hours I loaded up and headed east on the 94 one more time.
I got as far as Jamestown before yet again catching up to the storm system.
I should have followed my temptation to ride south on the 15.
It’s on fire today.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=513345238682182&set=a.502122036471169.135089.100000201312214&type=3&theater
Thanks for the update and the link, Amy.
June 2012
Stopped in at the Lone Steer motel here in Steele North Dakota. First of all any good review on this place is false. Must be the owner or employees writing those for job security. This is by far the most disgusting motel, building I’ve ever set foot in. They claim its under construction which is a lame excuse for the place to be completley trashed. 68 dollars for a room with two beds with old dirty mattresses woth blood stains dirty wrinkled sheets and hair all over them. Theres water leaks all over the cealing
, stains all over the carpet and walls, the pillows are extremely old and looked like they pulled them out of a dumpster. There is a terrible smell of cigarttes, fried grease, and B.O, i felt like i was going to get some sort of disease just by walking in there or be shot. There is a door from your room into the pool room that is blocked off by mountains of trash with a sign staying do not enterand hallways also full of trash which is also stuffed under the stairs. The lights in the building are extremely dim to hide all of the stains on the walls and floors. Walked down the hallway and about fell going over all the holes and bumps coverd up by the carpet, people across the hall who have been living there were obviously trashed and offered a ride to my daighter in theyre dump truck. We decided not to stay there and were refused a refund. The foreign man at the desk was extremly defensive and would not give us a refund so we left and got the hell out of there as soon as we could. I made sure to take plenty of pictures. 😉
jenny,
Send the pictures to twolane at gmail dot com and I’ll post some of them.
I have been staying here for around 2 months now for work. The owners help you out in anyway that they can. They have also been working on remodeling. The room I am in is clean and they have helped with doing laundry and the bar down stairs serves pizza and everyone around is really nice.
Kenny, thanks for the update.
Oh, yes.. This sounds familiar..oh too familiar.. It was, in it’s heyday under different management a place I used to stay at on summer trips to ND to see family. Unfortunately I’ve had the same experience as the writer the last time I stayed there yrs ago and stay elsewhere now. I’d love to hear where others stay..
I stayed here 2 weeks ago and the rooms they remodeled are nice… They have new carpets, beds and many more. They have a really nice staff and you people are lieing or something cuz the stuff u guy are saying is not true
I live in Steele. What the people are saying is true, but truth of the past. The Lone Steer is under new managment and in the last year have been remodeling the entire building.
I must agree with this post. I booked a room for 3 nights here and the room was the worst I ever stayed in. The floors were dirty, outlets were missing covers, and yes there were even cockroaches. Definitely will never even come close to this place again.
Thanks for the update, Jeremy. That place is in the middle of nowhere in an area where the oil patch is blooming. I suspect that since they’re the only game in town there’s not much reason to improve the place.
But they aren’t the only motel in town.
No, they aren’t the only game in town. Fortunately.