The Black Hawk Hotel in downtown Cedar Falls will be celebrating its 170th birthday on Thursday, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. The hotel opened in 1853 as the Winslow House Hotel. At that point Cedar Falls had around 450 residents and had just been dedicated as the county seat. The Black Hawk Hotel is Cedar Falls’ oldest business and is the United States’ second longest continuously operating hotel. It has been restored several times, most notably after burning down in the 1900s. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 170th birthday party will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday and will include tours of the hotel, live music, drink specials, and, of course, birthday cake.
