Archives West Finding Aid

The Enchanted Valley Chalet, located in the North Fork Quinault valley in the Olympic National Park, was constructed in 1931 by the Olympic Recreation Company who operated a backcountry resort for 11 years by a special use permit by the U.S. Forest Service. The resort ceased operation in 1942, because of the ongoing war (World War II) and the transfer of Olympic National Forest to the National Park Service. The chalet served as an air watch location during the war and later served as a backcountry ranger station for the National Park Service. In 2005, the river moved closer to the chalet but then stabilized until 2014 when it meandered up to the chalet and undercut the west side by eight feet. At this time the concise Environmental Assessment (EA) was initiated. This EA was for the single action of moving the chalet away from the river to prevent environmental harm if the chalet were to fall into the river. The final decision was to move the chalet approximately 100 feet away from the encroaching river to a temporary location and pursue a full EA to determine its final disposition.

The 2007 multiple property nomination describes the significance of the Enchanted Valley Chalet as a 2-1/2 story, hewn, dovetail-notched log structure is significant historically for its association with the recreational development of the wild and remote interior of the Olympic Mountains, a theme important in Olympic National Park history (Criterion A). It is unique in that it is one of only two public resort structures that was built and has remained distant from road access: this fact epitomizes the wilderness theme for which the chalet was promoted and operated. The chalet is the only structure originally built as a public resort that remains standing in the interior of the Olympic range. Architecturally, the chalet is an excellent example of a log cabin building type, and it displays skilled craftsmanship and possesses high artistic value (Criterion C). It is the only known log structure of its size and scale on the Olympic Peninsula today. The Enchanted Valley Chalet retains a high degree of integrity in its location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.