Enchanted Valley Chalet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Enchanted Valley Chalet
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Nearest city | Port Angeles, Washington |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Criswell, Glenn & Tom E. |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| MPS | Olympic National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000737 |
| Added to NRHP | July 13, 2007 |
The Enchanted Valley Chalet is a special lodge located deep inside Olympic National Park. It's a place far from roads, about 13 miles (21 km) from the nearest one. This historic building was built in 1931 by Tom E. Criswell, his son Glen, and the Olson family.
The Olson family ran the chalet as a popular spot for visitors. Hikers and people on horse tours loved to visit it in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1943, the chalet closed as a place to stay. During World War II, it was used for a short time to watch for Japanese airplanes.
The National Park Service bought the chalet in 1939. It reopened in 1953 after the Park Service bought the rest of the company's property. After some time of not being used much, the chalet was fixed up in 1983-84. It was one of four similar lodges built by the Olympic Recreation Company. Today, only the Enchanted Valley Chalet and a bathhouse at Low Divide are still standing.
Contents
What Does the Chalet Look Like?
The Enchanted Valley Chalet is a two-and-a-half-story building made of logs. It has a pointed roof covered with cedar shingles. The outside walls are made from silver fir logs. These logs were carefully shaped and fit together at the corners. The logs on the first floor are thicker than those on the upper floor. Some logs on the outside walls were replaced in 1980 and 2010 to keep the building strong.
The front of the chalet has a porch with an overhanging roof. This porch has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 2010. The roof is steep and covered with large cedar shingles. These shingles were originally made from trees found nearby. The roof also has a small window structure called a gable dormer on one side. The chalet has different types of wooden windows, all with multiple small glass panes over a single larger pane.
Inside the Chalet
When it was first built, the ground floor of the chalet had two main rooms. There was a kitchen and a large room for a lobby and dining area. Upstairs, on the second floor, there were seven sleeping rooms. One of these rooms became a bathroom in 1934. The very top floor, the attic, was one big open room.
Today, the ground floor has a kitchen, a dining room, and an open living space with a sleeping area. There is also an emergency shelter. A staircase on the east side connects the floors. The second floor now has six sleeping rooms and one storage room. The attic is still one large open space.
The building was repaired and updated in 1980 and 2010. It is in good condition. The outside, the second floor, and the attic are very well preserved. The ground floor has changed more over time, but you can still see how it was originally set up.
The Area Around the Chalet
The Enchanted Valley Chalet sits in a wide, grassy meadow. All around the meadow are forests with silver fir trees, cedar trees, and alder trees. You can also see ferns and other plants common in the Pacific Northwest.
There are a few small alder trees about 30 feet (9 meters) west of the chalet. Many campsites are spread out along the riverbank, at the edge of the forest, and in the meadow. There is a water spigot southwest of the building for visitors. A cedar post for tying up horses has been rebuilt several times. The last one was washed away by the river in 2014.
Why the Chalet is Important
The Enchanted Valley Chalet is important because it shows a type of building called "rustic architecture." It also shows how people started to develop places for fun and recreation in the western United States. Today, it is the biggest log building in the Olympic Mountains. It is also the best example of early recreation buildings still left in the national park.
The chalet is important to the local towns of Quinault and Grays Harbor. This is because of its history with local families, like the Olsons, and groups like the Olympians Hiking Club. The building still looks very much like it did when it was built, even though it's in a remote location. Its design, materials, and how it was built are still very clear.
History of the Chalet
The National Park Service bought the Enchanted Valley Chalet from the Olson family's company in 1939. They also bought the Graves Creek Inn at that time. In 1951, the Park Service bought the rest of the company's property.
In the early 1980s, the chalet was not used for people to stay overnight. Only the first floor was used by park rangers during the summer. The Olympians Hiking Club from Hoquiam helped to fix up the chalet a lot in 1983-84.
The chalet is located in the area where the East Fork of the Quinault River can flood. This means the building is at risk from the river changing its path and causing erosion. In September 2014, mules and horses were used to move the chalet 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 meters) away from the river. This was done to stop it from falling into the river.
In the late 1990s, the chalet was used as an emergency shelter for people on the trail. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 13, 2007.
