Listed as one of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places in 2018, the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge has made much progress on its path to restoration thanks to the Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge and the Forest Service.
The Lodge was constructed between July 1939 and February 1940. It is located in the Central Cascades of Oregon as an integral part of the Three Fingered Jack Winter Recreation Area. The two and one–half story Santiam Pass Lodge building was originally designed as a ski lodge that could accommodate approximately sixty guests. Rooms within the lodge included dormitory quarters, a dining room, a lounge and specialized ski–related rooms such as a waxing room and storage for skis and related gear.
The Santiam Pass Lodge has been vacant since 1986 due to the expiration of a special-use permit for the Presbytery of the Willamette Church. Although the lodge has stood vacant for more than three decades, it receives periodic maintenance by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The most recent action conducted by the USFS was a submittal of a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the historic structure. Not long after that submittal, Dwight and Susan Sheets stepped in to take on the restoration.
Dwight and Susan have a history with the lodge and a passion to see it become alive once more. They applied for Oregon’s Most Endangered Places in 2017 for guidance on the restoration work of the building. A key feature of the program is the direct consultation offered by Restore Oregon staff who have experience and expertise in historic preservation. Since the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge was listed as a Most Endangered Places, Dwight and Susan have been granted a special-use permit by USFS to restore the structure. They have also formed a nonprofit, Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge who will be spearheading the restoration work.
The Sheets currently envision the structure serving a few purposes. The first floor will be a rest stop with a café, gift shop, and restrooms for individuals traveling or hiking in the Willamette National Forest. The second story will offer a community center for events. To spearhead this restoration work, the Sheets have formed a nonprofit, Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. Their efforts have received much press coverage from news outlets such as the Seattle Times to multiple Oregon newspapers and a local TV station. In response to this coverage, many individuals have told their stories about the lodge and expressed their interest in the project.
“The interest and the response of people learning of the fact that we want to bring it back, it’s been overwhelming to us,” Dwight Sheets said in The Bend Bulletin’s latest story on the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. “Overwhelmingly positive. We are excited about what is going to happen here.”
Restore Oregon is excited to be working with the Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge and the USFS to return the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge to a vibrant and thriving place.
You can sign up to receive updates on the progress of the project, as well as ways to donate to Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge: https://www.santiampassskilodge.org/contact
