The Tyrannosaurus Rest: A House That Remembers
Prairies to Badlands: Locally Grown Stories
Stories Rooted in Community & Event Partnership
Location: Drumheller, Alberta | Logged by: The Gallivanting Gals
Some houses creak because they’re old. The Tyrannosaurus Rest creaks because it remembers.
The first thing you notice isn’t the creaks at all, it’s the history that greets you right at the door. A wide, covered porch stretches across the front of the Tyrannosaurus Rest, the kind of porch built for rocking chairs, summer evenings, and unhurried conversations. From the wood trim to the leaded windows, every detail whispers of a different time. Step inside, and those historic touches continue the carved staircase, pocket doors that still slide smoothly, and windows that frame the prairie light just so. It’s not just old; it’s alive, carrying the weight of stories in every board and brick.
This red-brick home was built in 1912 by Jessie Gouge, one of Drumheller’s big characters, and it’s seen everything from coal strikes to Sunday suppers. It’s sheltered widows, families, and boarders who lived their entire lives on the main floor. There’s even a story about two sisters who knocked a hole through the wall so they could pass teacups back and forth. If these walls could talk, you wouldn’t just get a story—you’d get a whole volume.
Today, Shawn is the keeper of it all. He doesn’t think of himself as an “owner.” He calls himself a steward. “This house is temporarily mine,” he says, “and it’s my job to keep it alive for another hundred years.” So yes, the plumbing and wiring are fresh, but the quirks—the drafty old windows, the floorboards that sing, the little hobbit door once used by a servant sneaking out to stoke the furnace—those all remain. Because that’s the soul of the place.
And then there are the stories—hidden in the walls, floors, and every stubborn layer of paint. Shawn has peeled back decades of wallpaper to reveal forgotten colours, and sometimes, forgotten smells. A maid’s cheap perfume still lingers in the plaster. The echoes of miners once surrounding the house during a strike still seem to hum beneath the porch, where dynamite was hidden as leverage. Each layer he uncovers feels like a conversation with the past.
The soul of the house shows up everywhere. Oval attic windows, once meant to steady rifles during those tense coal strike days, now frame prairie sunsets. The shaped shingles have been restored to their patterned glory, like the house pulling its Sunday best back on after a long sleep. And in the kitchen, Shawn ripped out the tired 1970s reno and rebuilt it with imagination and salvage—an 1850s table turned into an island, an old pharmacy cabinet reborn as shelving, and six layers of linoleum peeled back until century-old hardwood floors breathed again.
Breakfast is where Shawn shines. He serves up dishes you’d never make at home—a golden potato-crust breakfast pie layered with sausage, eggs, and zucchini, or whatever new inspiration grabs him that morning. And always, always on vintage china. He’s got eight patterns to choose from, plus silverware sets and tablecloths to match. Guests come from all over—Romanian professors with homemade plum brandy, families from France and Belgium, even a Vancouver couple who wore a different dinosaur onesies every single day. And Shawn? He remembers them all. He sends out hundreds of Christmas cards each year, because once you’ve stayed, you’re part of the T-Rest story.
It’s why the Tyrannosaurus Rest is such a natural partner for the Prairies to Badlands Dinner Series. Just like the Arboretum, Siplicious, and DNA Gardens, this isn’t just a venue—it’s living history. It’s a house that remembers and makes sure you’ll remember too.
This stop in the dinner series is already sold out, but you don’t need a ticket to experience its magic. Book a night at T-Rest and you’ll find more than a bed. You’ll find yourself written into a story that’s been unfolding for over a hundred years.
Until the next creaky floorboard tells its tale,
The Gallivanting Gals
About the Tyrannosaurus Rest
The Tyrannosaurus Rest is a historic bed & breakfast housed in one of Drumheller’s most iconic century-old homes. Built in 1912 by Jessie Gouge, the residence has been lovingly restored and preserved, blending original craftsmanship and character with the comfort of modern amenities. Guests from around the world are welcomed with warm hospitality, hearty breakfasts served on vintage china, and the chance to stay in a living piece of Drumheller’s history. Whether you’re visiting for the dinosaurs, the badlands, or simply the charm of a home that remembers, T-Rest offers an unforgettable stay rooted in both heritage and heart.
