Enchanted Valley Chalet | |
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| Nearest city | Port Angeles, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 47°40′31″N 123°23′21″W / 47.67528°N 123.38917°W |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Criswell, Glenn & Tom E. |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| MPS | Olympic National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000737 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 13, 2007 |
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.[2]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Evans, Gail E.H.; Toothman, Stephanie; Luxenberg, Gretchen; Wray, Jacilee (1998) [1986]. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Enchanted Valley Chalet" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2011.