There are hundreds of lodges, inns and hotels in America's West, but only a handful of historic Great Lodges. Great Lodges were constructed in the Western United States from the turn of the century through the 1930s. Today, they offer more than just a place to stay, but an opportunity to relive the past. Through stunning color photographs, historical pictures, rare architectural drawings and a well-documented text, Great Lodges of the West uncovers the story of twelve of the West's most significant historical lodges.
National Parks, Forests and Monuments are hosts to most of these wilderness landmarks. The book opens with the first (and some feel the finest) Great Lodge of the West, Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Four lodges in the Northwest are featured including Paradise Inn, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, and Oregon's Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood National Forest; Oregon Caves Chateau, Oregon Caves National Monument; and Crater Lake Lodge, Crater Lake National Park.
The canyon land lodges, El Tovar, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, and Bryce Canyon Lodge, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, are architectural treasures of the southwest.
Tour the most elegant of our National Park landmarks, The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park, California, as well as the chalet-inspired lodges in the Glacier National Park region: Glacier Park Lodge, Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, and the whimsical Prince of Wales Hotel in adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada.
In the foreward, National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe captures the heart of the story, Great Lodges of the West reminds us that America's scenic wonderlands, best known for their mountains, canyons, geysers and waterfalls, are also dotted with the brick andboard evidence of our nation's history. These buildings are a part of the American soul.
Yes, America loves their Great Lodges. They house not only the political, social, and architectural history of our national past, but thousands of individual memories. That's what is so important about preserving the Great Lodges of the West. While some have been blessed with extensive rehabilitation, others are aging less gracefully. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the splendid Many Glacier Hotel on its Most Endangered list of historic structures and Paradise Inn, the 81- year-old inn at Mount Rainier National Park, is in need of millions of dollars of rehabilitation work. Yet, the grandeur of these structures always overshadows the tracks of time.
Great Lodges of the West is being received with enthusiasm and praise:
Old Faithful Inn is the first lodge featured in Great Lodges of the West. The Inn is as much a part of Yellowstone National Park as the geyser it is named after. The author covers its history and architecture and brings to life a much loved landmark. Lee Whittlesey, Park Historian, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Christine Barnes has pulled together some little known history about the historic lodges of Glacier National Park and the region, then spun a story history buffs and park visitors will truly enjoy. Historic photos from the park archives along with architectural drawings and color photography makes Great Lodges of the West both informative to read and beautiful to look at. Deirdre Shaw, Curator, Glacier National Park, Montana
Great Lodges of the West tells the important story of Oregon's Crater Lake Lodge. Christine Barnes informs the reader of a Lodge built on naive optimism, its deterioration, and the real threat of demolition. She then illustrates how the Lodge's rebirth is evidence of what citizens can accomplish when they value their architectural heritage. David Wark, Historic Architect, Crater Lake Lodge rehabilitation project
