We are so fortunate to have recently been contacted by the Roundhouse Foundation of Sisters, Oregon. They expressed interest in learning more about the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge restoration. They gave a generous gift of $5,000 and were eager to explore the ways they could help. We are thrilled to announce that the Roundhouse Foundation has committed over $10,000 in support to pay for work that will be performed at the lodge by crews from Heart of Oregon. This partnership is an enormous help! Much like the original CCC builders of the lodge, the Heart of Oregon workers are 16 to 20 year old youths who will take on projects that require intense labor and learning. We are so thankful for both of these wonderful organizations and the benefit they will bring this summer and in the future. Please click the logos to learn more about these fine organizations and the work they do!

Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge has recently received two generous advised fund grants from the Oregon Community Foundation. These funds will be used in their entirety to fund the work to complete Phase One of the lodge restoration. We want to thank the Dr. John L. Jr. and Marilyn E. Stevensen Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation for a $10,000 grant. A second advised fund grant was given in the amount of $20,000 from the Helen E. Austin Pioneer of Oregon Community Foundation. We are so grateful for the generosity of these funders! These monies come at a very critical time, as a significant amount of work is taking place on various projects; these funds will be used where they are needed most. Oregon Community Foundation has supported the restoration of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge since the very first year of work. Thanks so much for your faithful giving!

For the third year in a row, the Kinsman Foundation has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge a generous grant for the restoration of the lodge. The $20,000 in grant funds will be specifically applied to the restoration of the lodge’s siding. With little maintenance the siding has endured over 30 years of harsh Santiam Pass weather. Most of it is cupped and cracked, and some is falling off. These funds will pay for the milling and installation of new siding over most of the lodge. The result will be a dramatic change to the exterior appearance. We are so very thankful for the consistent support of the Kinsman Foundation. Since its beginning historic preservation has been Kinsman’s principal funding area. The Foundation has helped us make regular progress on the restoration and for this we are so grateful! Please learn more about the Foundation at: https://kinsmanfoundation.org/

A huge thanks goes out to the Autzen Foundation for awarding Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge a grant of $8,300 for the completion of Phase One work on Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. Since 1951, the Autzen Foundation has supported charitable work to make Oregon a better place. True to their mission, the completion of this historic lodge will make Oregon better for all. This is the first grant made from the Foundation to the lodge project, and we appreciate so much the trust they have shown FSPSL. These funds will be spent completing the entire exterior of the lodge, bringing back its 1940 appearance and restoring its structural integrity. We are so pleased to have the Autzen Foundation on board! Find out more about the Foundation at https://www.autzenfoundation.org/.

The Oregon Cultural Trust has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge a grant of $22,684 to be used to complete Phase One of the restoration of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. Phase one will restore the exterior of the lodge to bring back its original look and protect it from the elements and animals. The completion of Phase One will involve repair of dry rot, rebuilding of a damaged wall and hallway, and restoration of the “stockade” style entry. Once these repairs are completed, we will repair or replace the siding and window frames, followed by the installation of the already restored sashes. The stone foundation and chimney will be cleaned, repointed, and sealed. The firebox will be repaired along with the chimney flues. Finally, a new cedar roof will be installed.

This is the second year OCT has awarded a grant to the Friends group. Last year’s grant was used to install a new electric system. OCT has been a very significant supporter of the lodge restoration. Please visit the Trust web site to learn more about the Oregon tax credit program. This is a wonderful program that allow a full tax credit for your donations to the Trust—what a deal!

For the second year in a row, thank you Oregon Cultural Trust!

A huge THANKS! goes out to Restore Oregon for a $3,000 grant to help pay for structural engineering costs associated with the restoration. These funds will provide us with the drawings needed for structural work on the lodge. These are mandatory for all plans submitted to the US Forest Service, the Oregon SHPO, and to the Linn County Building Department for building permits. Restore Oregon has been a consistent supporter of the restoration, and has put Santiam Pass Ski Lodge on its list of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places for three consecutive years. This is a list we are actually trying to get off! But we appreciate being on the list because highlights the need for this beautiful historic lodge’s restoration. THANKS so much Restore Oregon!

Large foundation beams with dry rot need to be removed and replaced.

For a second year The Kinsman Foundation has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge a generous grant for restoration work. The $15,000 grant will go toward paying for structural repairs. Dry rot on foundation sill plates must be repaired before any other work can be completed. This will require jacking the structure and replacing all rotted wood. The front wall of the lodge, the hallway, dining hall and the original stockade style entry all require some foundation work. The total cost of the repairs will be about $100,000. This generous grant puts us on our way to making these repairs. Once these repairs are completed the lodge will receive a new roof and siding, the windows will be installed, and the rock foundation mortar will be pointed. This will complete Phase One of the restoration, with the exterior “envelop” of the lodge closed and secured. All deterioration will be halted at this point, and we will move the restoration work to the interior. A huge thanks goes to The Kinsman Foundation for their continuing support.

Please check out Oregon Cultural Trust tax credit opportunities. You can give to Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge, then give a matching donation to Oregon Cultural Trust. The amount given to Oregon Cultural Trust is a tax CREDIT! You get all of it back when you file your taxes! See the video for more information.

We are very pleased to announce that the Oregon Cultural Trust has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge $35,000 for structural and electrical work on the lodge. Santiam Pass Ski Lodge operated from generators until the mid 1970s. Power lines were eventually run from just south of US Hwy 20 and continuous power was established. The existing power system must be replaced. This will require running a new line under the highway, trenching about 900 feet to the lodge, laying of conduit, two transformers and power cable. Generous grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust and the Oregon Community Foundation will pay for much of this work. Once completed the restoration work will be much easier with onsite power. Your support of the Oregon Cultural Trust helps us and many other like projects. Thank you Oregon Cultural Trust!

We are pleased to announce that the Oregon Community Foundation has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge $25,000 to restore the electrical service to the lodge. Power is an absolute necessity, and a completely new service lines much be installed. These funds will provide significant help moving this project forward. We are so very grateful to the foundation and those who contribute to it. We offer our sincere thanks for their generosity! Your contributions to the Oregon Community Foundation help projects like the restoration of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. This grant will be combined with grant funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust to pay for the needed electrical service.Thank you Oregon Community Foundation!

Please consider a donation to the Oregon Community Foundation. Your support of the foundation helps Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge, and many others. See more information at the link.

This is the plaque that will be installed at the entrance of the restored lodge..

We are so pleased to hear that Santiam Pass Ski Lodge is now on the National Register! Thanks goes to Cathy Lindberg for her work beginning way back in 1989 with the report on the lodge’s possible candidacy. In the report she stated:

The Santiam Lodge possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. It is significant in terms of its association with the CCC era and the economic recovery from the Great Depression. Furthermore, it is representative of a unique period of recreational development on public lands and a distinctive architectural philosophy embodied by the rustic design style. These qualities merit its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the considerations that that status commends.

Inclusion on the National Register is confirmation of these qualities. In the spirit of the CCC we are committed to restoring the beautiful structure for all to enjoy in the years to come. Alongside the forest that surrounds it, Santiam Pass Ski Lodge …“it’s coming back!”

Work is moving forward with these grant funds. The exterior hallway is now off, exposing the beautiful rock foundation.

The yellow sections show later exterior additions to the lodge that will be removed to restore the structure.s original look.

The Kinsman Foundation has awarded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge a $25,000 grant for work on the restoration. These funds will be used to clean and disinfect the inside of the lodge, and remove some of the later exterior additions. We are also using the funds to hire a Structural Engineer to evaluate the condition of the lodge and provide a report. We are so thankful for the generosity of the Kinsman Foundation! These funds are moving the restoration forward.

The sashes have been rebuilt and reglazed. New glass has been installed. Asbestos was found in the glazing, requiring its removal before the restoration work could be completed.

All of the 75 windows will be removed and restored during the winter months 2018-2019. This project is supported in part by a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

We are grateful for a Preserving Oregon Grant from the State Historic Preservation office, and to Mack Strawn and the crew at Stayton Wood Windows for making possible the restoration of the sashes. Almost half were damaged or destroyed by vandals.

We are so pleased to announce that Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge is the recipient of a $20,000 Preserving Oregon Grant! The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has awarded the grant for the rehabilitation work of the lodge’s 75 beautiful windows. These funds will go in their entirety to the window restoration. A huge THANK YOU goes to everyone at Oregon Heritage and the SHPO for awarding the funds to this wonderful project. We are also so thankful to the community leaders who have written letters endorsing the project. A special thanks goes to U.S. Representative for Oregon's 4th congressional district Rep. Peter DeFazio, Oregon House of Representatives for the 17th District Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, The Linn County Board of Commissioners (Roger Nyquist, John Lindsey and Will Tucker), and McKenzie River District Ranger Darren Cross. This is the beginning of the road and we could not be more pleased with those willing to help us get the work started. Santiam Pass Ski Lodge -- It’s Coming Back