Evidence of the Northwest’s ski heritage is dotted up and down the Cascade Range.
But if you’re speeding over Santiam Pass it’s easy to miss a key piece of that history.
The Civilian Conservation Corps began construction on The Santiam Pass Ski Lodge in 1939; it opened seven months later in February of 1940.
Serving as an overnight lodge for skiers traveling to Hoodoo, and later as a church retreat, the structure, now on the National Register of Historic Places, sat empty for three decades.
In the fall of 2016, Dwight and Susan Sheets decided to restore the lodge to its original shape.
They received a special-use permit from the Willamette National Forest and helped create a non-profit Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge to oversee the remodel and operation of the lodge.
The rustic outpost that landed on Restore Oregon’s Most Endangered Places list in 2018, is getting a make-over.
The couple hopes to have the lodge partially open by the fall of 2023 with a warming area, restrooms, cafe, and gift shop.
Tonight we introduce you to the duo working to put this Linn County landmark back on the map.
