During nearly five decades of visiting America’s national parks, we have stayed in a series of campers and tents, plus all but a few of the parks’ lodging facilities. Several lodges including Old Faithful Inn, Crater Lake Lodge and Yosemite National Park’s Ahwahnee, (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel), are national park icons familiar to most travelers. Another well-known lodge we have visited would certainly qualify for membership in this group, except it is in a national forest rather than a national park. Perhaps you know it best from “The Shining,” a movie featuring a gone-nutty Jack Nicholson breaking down a door with an axe before sneering “Heeeere’s Johnny.” The exterior of Timberline Lodge was used to represent the movie’s “Hotel Overlook.”

Timberline Lodge, situated at an elevation of 6,000 feet on the south shoulder of Oregon’s Mount Hood, is a handsome and interesting structure both inside and out. We experienced our first stay at Timberline nearly a decade ago and decided to pencil in another visit near the end of this year’s September trip following the Oregon Trail. By chance, we visited on the same date, September 28, that President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the lodge 80 years earlier.

During the earlier trip we enjoyed a scheduled lodge tour offered by the U.S. Forest Service. The guide discussed the history and pointed out the building’s extensive artwork. During our most recent visit, we toured the lodge with John Tullos, director of public affairs for Timberline. He brought us up to date on some of the changes that have taken place along with several future plans. It was pretty obvious that John is in love with Timberline.

Timberline was built during 1936-37 as a Federal Arts Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program initiated by President Roosevelt to put unemployed Americans back to work. Art category funding allowed hiring skilled artists and craftspeople, who, in turn, trained unskilled workers. Almost 500 male and female employees with the average age of 55 were hired and paid a fair salary for working at Timberline.

Gilbert Stanley Underwood — who had previously designed several national park lodges including the Ahwahnee, Bryce Canyon Lodge and Grand Canyon Lodge — was Timberline’s original architect. Underwood was known for using local materials in an attempt to create buildings that blended into the landscape. On-site architects for the U.S. Forest Service altered some of Underwood’s plans, but the stunning design was his.

Laborers utilized hand tools in constructing the building. The stone buttressing and central fireplace were constructed of volcanic stones chiseled into shape and then lifted into place using block and tackle. Fir and pine from local forests were used for beams and supports. The men used broadaxes for the cutting and shaping and then an adze to smooth the surfaces.

A master blacksmith taught others the craft, making hand-wrought furniture, decorative gates, unusual light fixtures, attractive door hinges and handles, ornaments, and sturdy andirons from railroad rails. Cabinet makers built practical furniture that was turned over to skilled carvers who added beautiful designs. Craftspeople also carved murals and newel posts from recycled utility poles. Each post has an animal or a bird carved on its top.

Weavers wove the fabric for the drapes and upholstery; rugs were hooked by hand, and the curtains and bedspreads in the guest rooms were appliqued. Artists were also hired to create oil paintings, watercolors, lithographs, a glass mural and a glass mosaic.

Two original features incorporated into the lodge during construction were quite unusual for 1936: an elevator and a fire sprinkler system. Carpenters were able to mostly hide the sprinkler system by placing pipes inside of beams.

Timberline was built in 15 months at a cost of $1.2 million. It has 70 guest rooms and 10 chalet rooms (bathrooms across the hall); a dining room and bar. A conference wing, heated swimming pool and other guest amenities have been added through the years but most artwork remains in their original locations. The drapes and upholstery have been replaced, but, like the originals, with hand-woven fabrics created by local crafts people.

Timberline Lodge is open year-round, and with an average yearly snowfall of 540 inches, enjoys one of the longest ski seasons in the country. Snowshoeing and snowboarding are also popular activities. The area boasts several hiking trails, including the Pacific Crest Trail that passes directly behind the lodge.

Timberline Lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and more than 2 million people visit annually. While amenities have been added to accommodate today’s travelers, the original style and purpose of the lodge remain. Timberline is one of America’s treasures.