The lodge was constructed between 1936 and 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression. Workers used large timbers and local stone, and placed intricately carved decorative elements throughout the building. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Lodge on September 28, 1937. I have visited the lodge about once a year for the years. It is not to be missed on a visit to Oregon. During the mid eighties my father would visit the lodge with many Japanese customers. They were enthralled.