Amenities

HISTORY and Things to Know About the Stone Lodge

I will attempt to give you a brief history of part of our home.  I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

The Stone Lodge was built in 1930 ostensibly to house the workers of the WPA brought into the area to construct the bulkhead on the Skykomish River with the Army Corps of Engineers.  The rock used to build the walls came from the river.  Since we recently completed the restoration, we can tell you that the lodge was built over trees fallen to make room for the building.  Some of the debris is even today still in the crawl space.

The walls originally supported the roof.  The new roof is supported with a post and beam construction.  The walls no longer bear any of the weight of the roof.  Under each post is a concrete pad, three foot square.  They are under the Lodge, so you can’t see them.  Sorry.

Originally, the roof was spanned by sixteen trusses. There are now three trusses, with a spider truss on each end of the room.   The roof decking is three inches thick and designed to carry an eight foot load span between each truss.

We have chose to leave this construction exposed, because is is quite impressive.

Our goal was always to use natural materials to give it an authentic depression era appeal.  We cheated just a little, but I am sure you will agree that the final result achieves near perfection.

On the walls, we have used old growth cedar, at least 500 years old, which we found in a back yard in Centralia.  It wasn’t logged.  It was scavenged from the floor of the forests near Mt. Rainier, before the Forest Service stopped issuing permits for such debris removal.  The find was milled, but not finished, so we bought a planer and did it ourselves.  Run your hands across the face of the boards and appreciate the smoothness.  Take in the cedar scent with your nose.  We are in the woods.

The floor is old growth heart pine from New Hampshire.  Wide Plank.  The floor was milled to our special order.  It was meticulously installed, by hand, each piece.  Oh, it’s not stained, just oiled.  And not sanded. The Carlisle Company, who sold it to us, says to treat it like fine furniture.  So, we insist that you remove your shoes.

For our personal enjoyment, and yours if you book the Lodge, is an English Bar, hand crafted in Indonesia and shipped around Cape Horn.  Please use the coasters to protect the Indonesian Mahogoney.  In the bar area there is a 40 inch TV hanging from the rafters, with satellite access, and an antique Pioneer Square “stand up” bar, for those who can stand.

We don’t supply the alcohol, but we will supply a bartender (required for your use of the bar).  There is also a restaurant quality kitchen, dishwasher and walk-in cooler.  Perfect for the catering needs of your event.

We long ago added a Bar-B-Q pit.  Not original, but we are sure the WPA workers had barbeques of some sort.   Ours is perfect for pig or lamb roasts.  And we are talking the whole animal.

I almost forgot.  We have an on-premises flaked ice machine, perfect for drinks, sodas and fish wrapping.
In the Spring, Summer and Fall, we have an awning to cover a huge deck, which is accessed by sliding mahogoney doors that open wide (13 feet) to allow access to the deck and  a view of the yard, river and mountains.

We can arrange catering, help you find food, security, service and alcohol.  Please view your experience at the Stone Lodge as one where we will help you plan every detail of your event.  We are offering our home and hospitality in the hopes that you will enjoy the Cabin experience as much as we do.

Call us directly and we can discuss the cost of renting The Stone Lodge at the Cabin in Baring for you intimate catering event.