Product Description

Get ready for a fascinating tour of America's national park lodges and read about ten of its most charming structures and their locations.

This is the official companion book to the popular PBS television series Great Lodges, and the second volume in Christine Barnes s popular Great Lodges of the National Parks series. Volume Two contains stunning contemporary photographs of the exteriors and interiors as well as historic photographs of these ever popular buildings.

From the grand resorts such as the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park and the Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley National Park to the classic lake lodges such as Lake Crescent and Lake Quinault Lodges in Olympic National Park to the new visions such as Volcano House in Hawai i Volcanoes National Park and the Glacier Bay Lodge in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, this stunningly illustrated and meticulously researched volume offers new insights into these historic landmarks and the scenic American landscapes where they are located.

This beautiful 176-page full-color book will transport the reader to recall past vacations and inspire future travels and adventures to these magnificent locations in our national parks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #173578 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Review
You won't find Internet service or televisions at Wallowa Lake Lodge, nor are there telephones in the rooms. But according to Bend resident Christine Barnes, author of the new coffee-table book "Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume Two," those minuses are pluses for those who take the trouble to get away to Oregon's far northeast corner.

The three-story lodge and its attendant cabins are one of 10 entries in Barnes' latest book, a lavishly illustrated volume that profiles 10 lodges in the western third of the nation, including -- in addition to Oregon's entry -- two each in Alaska, Washington and Wyoming and one each in Hawaii, California and Colorado.

Published by Graphic Arts Books in Portland, "Great Lodges" is a companion piece to a continuing television series on the Public Broadcasting System. In her author's note, Barnes describes the book as "an eclectic collection of buildings that reflect America's social changes. From neoclassical resorts to Spanish villas to contemporary concrete and glass lodges, each lodge is more than shelter; they are solid, functioning examples of American history."

Wallowa Lake Lodge opened in 1923 with an addition three years later. Barnes describes the lodge as "charming in a no-nonsense, Eastern Oregon kind of way."

In other words, angular, wooden and functional.

But beautiful, too, tucked back from the south shore of Wallowa Lake, its dark brown wood-sided walls set against steep mountain faces covered in Ponderosa pine and red fir, and a deep-green lawn stretching out in front.

Fortunately, the section on Wallowa Lake Lodge doesn't gloss over the fact that its eventual popularity with relatively wealthy tourists came at the expense of longtime residents of the area, the Nez Perce tribe. The Nez Perce camped along the banks of the lake in the summers until 1877, when the U.S. government forced them from their lands.

The name "Wallowa" comes from the Nez Perce word for its fish traps, which the tribe used to catch migrating salmon. By the early 1900s, when the area entered the tourist lexicon, "Folks tried other names: Spalding Lake, Arabella, Silver Lake and Joseph Lake, but the Native American name, Wallowa, finally stuck," Barnes writes.

The privately owned lodge fell on tough times following the Great Depression, and in 1945 a recently divorced schoolteacher who loved the area, Irene Wiggins, used her divorce settlement as a down payment on the 250-acre property and its dilapidated buildings.

Wiggins and her three sons ran the place for 43 years, making most of the improvements to the property themselves and selling off parts of it through the years, before selling the lodge and eight surrounding acres in 1988.

The ownership has changed again since then, with significant financial and structural improvements made during those years.

The Wallowa Lake Lodge bears some resemblance to the Lake Crescent Lodge and even the much-larger Lake Quinault Lodge, both in Washington state and from the same era. But it's vastly different in appearance, feel and history as Barnes' book describes from others such as the adobe Furnace Creek Inn in California's Death Valley, the contemporary glassed-in Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming or the rustic log cabins at Alaska's Camp Denali.

"Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume Two" can be found in bookstores or online. --By Randi Bjornstad / Associated Press, 12/06/2008, "Book of lodges provides window on Western history"

Review
The job Christine Barnes has created for herself involves traveling around the United States to national parks and visiting their historic lodges.

She writes books about the structures, and her series on "Great Lodges" has grown into a brand. Three of her lodge books earned televised life as PBS programs.

But her occupation isn't all glamorous. She's a rigorous researcher, and her practice of ferreting out primary sources in lodge archives often keeps her indoors within the great outdoors.

"I say it's just not fair," she laughed. "I'm in the basement in the archives."

Her sacrifice is the traveling public's gain. Barnes recently released "Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume Two," her latest book, and one that brought her back to Colorado, where she grew up.

The Stanley Hotel, an iconic Estes Park structure that is a lodge in function if not in style, is on the cover.

The colonial revival Stanley is an exception to the rustic "parkitecture" that populates the "Great Lodges" series.

"It is so defined with Rocky Mountain National Park, and it's the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park," Barnes said.

Other lodges highlighted in her latest book include Lake Yellowstone Hotel at Yellowstone National Park, Furnace Creek Inn at Death Valley National Park, Lake Quinault Lodge at Olympic National Forest, Jackson Lake Lodge at Grand Tetons National Park, Glacier Bay Lodge at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, and Camp Denali at Denali National Park and Preserve.

Besides being informative, the book contains handsome photographs by Fred Pflughoft and David Morris.

Barnes was raised in Denver and Longmont. When she attended Longmont High School, she was a student correspondent for the Times-Call.

She stayed in journalism into adulthood and was an editor at several newspapers, including the San Francisco Examiner. Today Barnes lives with her husband in Bend, Ore.

An article she wrote in 1996 about the reopening of Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon sparked her interest in lodges.

Asked if she has a favorite lodge, Barnes didn't hesitate to say, "The last one I was at."

About the Author
A freelance writer & editor of quiltmaking & home-decorating books. She holds degrees in both design & journalism. Christine prints fabric, stitches contemporary & Crazy Quilts, & teaches classes in Crazy quilting & color theory for quilters.

Pflughoft began his professional photography career in 1988. His full-color photography appears regularly in both regional and national publications, as well as on postcards and calendars. He has more than 2 dozen books in print.

Customer Reviews

Definitely a keeper!
I have a number of "coffee table" books containing good photography that enticed me to make the purchase and take them home, only to soon find myself placing the books on a shelf in a closet because, beyond the photography, there was not much there to engage my mind. To my delight, this is not the case with Christine Barnes' latest offering. Here I've found a treasure that has earned its place in my living room where I can discover the who, what, when and how of these great lodges. It presents a fascinating and detailed review of the architectural history of these American cultural assets, and is made all the better by the high quality of the accompanying photographs.

Great Lodges is a Great Read!
As with Christine's other publications...a great read. Especially if you've visited some of these lodges, but weren't aware of their history and architectural significance. Reading her latest book inspires me to visit the lodges I've yet seen. Her series of books is a great tribute to these national treasures. She shows a true connection to these magnificent buildings and their surroundings. There is a noticeable passion for this topic in her writing. The photography compliments the text perfectly; making you feel as if you've just walked through the door or are taking in the breathtaking panoramic view of one of these fabulous lodges. I can only hope she continues to find, explore, and write about these diamonds in the rough. An excellent Christmas gift for anyone interested in travel, architecture, the National Parks, or all of the above!

She's Done It Again!
When I saw GLNP on PBS, I was surprised to find that Christine Barnes had yet again discovered more national treasures to share with us all. I have all of her books, and like the earlier ones, she makes these lodges come alive in so many ways. I suggest you only read one chapter at a time, then let the experience sink in overnight. The photography by itself tells a story with a great selection of photos including priceless historical shots. Those who appreciate history will not be disappointed as the author covers each topic in an accurate, but interesting way. Architects will appreciate the detail and early renderings. And finally, for those who are looking for new places for the family vacation, this book is a must. I visited many of the lodges featured in her previous books, both in the US and Canada. I can assure you there is nothing artificial about any of these places. As they say, they are the "real deal" and part of our history we can all be proud of and experience ourselves