The Oregon Caves National Monument draws thousands of visitors every year to tour one of just a handful of marble caves in the United States.
The rustic lodge was built nearby in 1934. Its cedar bark wrapped exterior was designed to blend in with the natural environment.
According to Nicole Possert from Restore Oregon, once rebuilt, it will be the only historic lodge in the National Park system to feature all of its original interior furnishings in the Monterey Style–handmade western-style furniture made in the 30s and 40s.
Sue Densmore from the Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau said when they began restoration work in the late 2000s, they found the building needed more work than expected.
“We did start with the life, safety and accessibility. We thought we'd be done in just a few years,” she said. “And we did find that the lodge, being 90 years old, needed some stabilization of the foundation and some upgrading for seismic expectations.”
The National Park Service funded immediate stabilization, which will hopefully prevent any further damage until more restoration can begin. But, the park service doesn’t have additional funding for the lodge which is currently stripped down to the studs.
Densmore said they need to raise at least $10 million just to finish the exterior work. She said they’re launching a fundraising campaign to find the money for this historic landmark.
Colin Deverell from the National Park Conservation Association recalled the fire that damaged the historic Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood last month. He said it’s important to protect these landmarks.
“Places like the Chateau, places like Timberline aren't just amazing historic resources, but they're part of our identity as Pacific Northwesterners,” Deverell said. “What would that loss mean to those communities? What would the loss of this building mean to communities like [the] Illinois Valley.”
In 2022, visitors to the Oregon Caves spent an estimated $6.8 million dollars in communities like Cave Junction according to the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Deverell said it’s important that Congress approve more funding for national parks to ensure that projects like this can continue.
