Golden West Visitor Center facts for kids
The Golden West Visitor Center is a special place in North Cascades National Park. It's found in the beautiful Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, right at the end of the small town called Stehekin, Washington. This center is super important because it's the main spot for park rangers to help visitors. People arrive here by boat, seaplane, or by hiking on trails that connect to the Stehekin River Valley. It's the only visitor center in this part of the park.
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What You Can Do Here
The Golden West Visitor Center is open every day in summer, from June to September. During the winter, from November to May, it's open sometimes. Since there are no roads to Stehekin, most people arrive by boat, seaplane, or by hiking. Many trails lead to Stehekin for adventurers.
Summer Fun and Learning
In the busy summer months, the Golden West Visitor Center offers lots of cool activities. You can find a small gift shop and a bookstore here. They also have information about the area's history and nature. You can get updated trail maps and see an art gallery. Park rangers give interesting talks about nature. They also lead tours to the amazing Rainbow Falls, which is 312 feet (95 meters) tall!
A Look Back: The Center's History
The Golden West Visitor Center used to be a hotel! Before it became the Golden West Lodge, another hotel called "the Argonaut" welcomed visitors to Stehekin.
From Miner's Boarding House to Hotel
The Argonaut started in the early 1890s. It was a simple place for miners to stay. Over time, it grew into a fancy hotel called Hotel Field. A smart businessman named Merritt Field owned and ran it.
A New Beginning for the Lodge
In 1926, the Hotel Field's time came to an end. A new dam was built in Chelan. This dam raised the lake's water level, which flooded the land where the hotel stood. Jack Blankenship was the last manager of Hotel Field. He knew the hotel would be flooded. So, he saved important parts of the old hotel. He moved them to higher ground across the lake. There, he built a brand new resort called the Golden West Lodge in 1926.
Through Tough Times
The Golden West Lodge faced many challenges. It stayed open through the Great Depression, a time when money was very scarce. It also survived World War II. Later, more people started traveling by car. This made it harder for a remote place like Stehekin to attract visitors. The Lodge had seven different owners over the years. It finally closed in the 1970s. That's when it became the Golden West Visitor Center for North Cascades National Park.
Today, the Visitor Center is a special National Historic Site. It is part of the Golden West Lodge Historic District.
