Preliminary Historic Structure Report: Golden West Lodge, Feasibility Study, North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Florence H and Luxenberg G. 1987. Preliminary Historic Structure Report: Golden West Lodge, Feasibility Study, North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Historic Structure Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Seattle, Washington
The Golden West Lodge is a contributing element of the Golden West Lodge Historic District at North Cascades National Park. It has historically been used for guest accommodations and as a National Park Service visitor center. The proposed rehabilitation would more fully utilize the building by providing for year-round staff offices and visitor center facilities. The proposal, which would reinforce the structural integrity of the building and refurbish significant historic fabric, is consistent with planning documents and standards. Built in the latter half of the 1920s, the Golden West Lodge and its associated buildings and grounds represent the last remaining example of an early large-scale resort in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Overlooking Lake Chelan, the Golden West Lodge complex is significant on a local level for its association with recreational development in the remote North Cascades. Located in north central Washington State, piercing the heart of the North Cascades, Lake Chelan was recognized as a recreational resource soon after homesteaders and miners infiltrated the territory. As early as 1891 tourists could reach the mountain wilderness using the 55-mile-long, glacially-fed lake as their transportation route. Activities on the lake and in the surrounding mountains accelerated the establishment of a community at the head of the lake. There, in the late 19th century, at the end of water navigation, settlers and miners claimed land, built cabins, and the settlement called Stehekin began to develop. Lodging became readily available within a short period of time. The Golden West Lodge was the creation of a Stehekin resident named E.O., or "Jack," Blankenship. It was constructed using materials from an early hotel that was dismantled. This report describes the history and existing conditions of the lodge and the feasibility of the proposed rehabilitation project.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Florence, Hank; Luxenberg, Gretchen
- Date of Issue
- 1987
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- LACH , NOCA , PWR
- Keywords
- E.O. Blankenship, Field Hotel, hotel, Lake Chelan, Mountain View House, park housing, recreation, rehabilitation, resort, Stehekin, tourism