North Cascades

RECREATION AND TOURISM IN THE MOUNTAINS

HOSTELRIES AND RESORTS

Stehekin Valley

The 1940s and post-war years brought no great resurgence of tourists into the valley, despite advertising efforts by Stehekin resort owners. What did become apparent was a rise in the building of vacation or retirement homes. The USFS encouraged the building of such places and carefully surveyed areas along the lakeshore for homesites of this nature. In a brochure entitled "Lake Chelan: Health and Recreation, Chelan National Forest," the USFS promoted summer home sites in an enticing manner:

For those who wish a permanent camp or summer cottage, located in some favorite spot to which they can return each year, some flower-starred mountain peak, some forest stream, or some spot on the lake shore, there are numberless delightful spots about Lake Chelan. Suitable tracts can be leased from the Forest Service for a nominal rental, and the timber for your building will be given to you under a free use permit . . . [40]

Peterson's cabin at Bridge Creek, built by Jack Blankenship.
The structure is used today as an NPS shelter.
(Photo by G. Luxenberg, NPS, 1984)

Possibly the earliest of the so-called recreational homes built at the head of the lake belonged to F.W. Vollmer. On land he purchased from M.E. Field, Vollmer constructed a "handsome bungalow on his property . . . to be used as a summer residence" in 1907. [41] This site was eventually inundated in the late 1920s with the raising of Lake Chelan, but the trend of summer home building was established. Art Peterson had a log cabin built by hotel owner Jack Blankenship on 15 acres he had purchased at Bridge Creek. Peterson had mining claims on upper Bridge Creek and use this cabin in conjunction with that activity and for recreational use. In the mid-to- late-1930s Jack Blankenship built a small log cabin for rental purposes on a picturesque site along Purple Creek. The first renter was a fisherman named Everett McKellar, hence the name "McKellar Cabin," a designation still used today. Later, Blankenship sold the property to Cap and Inez Nast of San Francisco, who hired Blankenship to build them a sizable log cabin next door in 1940 (the "George Miller House," now serving as NPS housing). Retired plumber John C. "Skinny" Wilson arrived in Stehekin in the late 1940s and built a home for himself and his wife. [42] Literally dozens of vacation and retirement homes were built over the years as property owners sub-divided their land, selling off smaller parcels. In the valley, "Keller's Stehekin Homes," "Keller's Park," the cluster of houses at Purple Point, and the land-filled "Silver Bay" area represent the more recent examples of sub-division. Further evidence of sub-division is manifested in the vacation and permanent homesites which dot the lakeshore, flanking the Company Creek and main valley roads, and tucked away deep in the pine forests.

George Miller house at Stehekin. Built by Jack Blankenship in the 1940s.
(Photo by G. Luxenberg, NPS, 1984)

The raising of the lake in the late 1920s forced the relocation of the boat dock at the head of the lake from the northern shore to the eastern shore of the lake. Visual focus was no longer on a grand hotel at the head of the lake, but on a small residence known as the White House, and the Stehekin post office, both located at the new landing. Except for the latter, one would not know one had finally reached the small settlement called Stehekin. After the war, when activity picked up somewhat at the Golden West Lodge, and Morse's and Daisie Weaver's camps were open for business, Stehekin resident Beryl Courtney began a business catering strictly to a lunch-time boat crowd. There at the landing "Beryl's Cafe" served hamburgers and homemade pie to customers seated on stools at a small, horseshoe-shaped counter. Fellow resident Paul Bergman owned a photography shop at the landing. These few operations together, perhaps, with a side trip to Rainbow Falls, shaped the post-war tourist's perceptions of Stehekin. Since then, the landing has continued to evolve. Courtney sold off parcels of her land to others who erected summer homes on the lakefront. The White House was demolished, making way for the (former) "Boatel," and numerous additions to Beryl's Cafe were undertaken. Peter Miller completed the (former) Swissmont Lodge in 1950. Tourism began a slow increase in the late 1950s and early 1960s. [43]

Recreational activities have not changed significantly in the North Cascades since the turn of the century, when people first came to the mountains seeking scenery and pure pleasure. From Stehekin the lake boat makes daily runs on Lake Chelan all summer long, stopping here and there to drop off or pick up hikers. Stehekin Landing continues to serve tourists and now has a lodge, restaurant, store, and boat moorage for the dozens of pleasure boats which arrive throughout the season. Most day visitors still take a quick bus ride to marvel at Rainbow Falls, or eat lunch at the landing and visit the former Golden West Lodge (now an NPS Visitor Center) and cabins, three of which have recently become retail shops. Tourists remaining in Stehekin overnight can room at the newer North Cascades Lodge or in a number of privately-owned rental cabins available in the valley. Mountain climbers hikers, campers, fishermen, and photographers can all be seen riding the NPS shuttle bus which transports visitors upvalley to trailheads and campgrounds.