National Register of Historic Places

Enchanted Valley Chalet

Port Angeles, Jefferson County, Washington
Listed
July 12, 2007
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
07000737

About this property

The Enchanted Valley Chalet is a backcountry lodge in Olympic National Park. The chalet was built in 1931 by Tom E. Criswell, his son Glen and the Olson family of Quinault whose Olympic Recreation Company operated it as a destination lodge deep up the Quinault River Valley, about 13 miles (21 km) from the nearest road access. Under the Olsons' ownership through the 1930s, and for decades under the National Park Service, the chalet has endured as a destination in its own right. It was a popular destination for hikers and horse tours through the 1940s. In 1943, the chalet was closed as an accommodation. It was used for a short period as an Aircraft Warning Service station during World War II, watching for Japanese airplanes. It did not reopen until 1953, after the National Park Service had purchased the Olympic Recreation Company's holdings in 1951, having purchased the Chalet itself in 1939. After a period of neglect, the chalet was restored in 1983-84. It was one of four such accommodations built by the Olympic Recreation Company and the Olympic Chalet Company; Low Divide Chalet, Nine Mile Shelter, Graves Creek Inn and the Enchanted Valley Chalet. Of the four, only the Enchanted Valley Chalet and the bathhouse at Low Divide remain.

Location

Port Angeles, Jefferson County, Washington
47.67503, -123.39051

Categories

COMMERCEENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Botten Cabin
Industrial
6.8 mi
Hayes River Fire Cache
Industrial
9.7 mi
Graves Creek Ranger Station
Industrial
11.4 mi
Elk Lick Lodge
Industrial
13.1 mi
North Fork Quinault Ranger Station
Industrial
13.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Enchanted Valley Chalet listed on the National Register?

Enchanted Valley Chalet was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 2007.

What type of historic resource is Enchanted Valley Chalet?

Enchanted Valley Chalet is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Enchanted Valley Chalet?

The period of significance for Enchanted Valley Chalet is recorded as the industrial era.

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