Start Construction of Tyee Lodge (letter)
June 4, 1989
To Graham Townsend

With the new information you sent I now believe this is an accurate account of the start of Tyee Lodge construction.

Jake and I went to Zigzag Ranger Station on Saturday, June 18 and got permission from the Forest Service to begin work. Then we went on up to Site#3. Laura and I had been there on Memorial Day and had found deep snow. It was surprising, I thought, that Jake and I found that the snow was gone! We hurried home and set up a telephone campaign for people to come and work the next day.

On June 19 considerable effort was devoted to clearing the site. I recall setting up a string line establishing the location of the building and then working to remove all obstacles on that line. I hacked away on one old stump for two or three hours. After the site was cleared we started digging the basement. Digging seemed easy that first day, but as you know, it got tougher as we went down.

Basement excavation was our primary project on June 25 and 26 and on July 2 and 3. We had also planned to excavate on July 4 but we were so nearly finished and so tired that little was done that day. Counting 1/2 day for June 19, the excavation was done in 4 1/2 days! That's hard to believe, but I think it's true.

Then we moved to excavating and pouring the concrete foundation piers and afterward began the framing of the building. Along the way, I think on one of the August week-ends, we built a stone retaining wall inside the basement. Stones for the wall came from the excavation. Remember that we left them there for that purpose?

A bit later, still in August, I think, we added concrete walls all the way around the perimeter of the building and, with lumber, enclosed the space between that wall and the 6 X 8 sills at the base of the main structure. Thus we enclosed the basement.

Was a full basement ever intended? I still doubt that very much. The concrete pier foundations were in the plans all along and I felt we had to keep our excavation well inside those piers to avoid undermining them. That, I believe, accounts for keeping the basement smaller. Actually, the basement area was large enough for our needs. The space there was adequate for the furnace and fuel storage.

I am still curious as to what was done in 1958 when the old basement was enlarged. Were the sides lined with concrete block walls? Were the original foundation piers left in place? Do new concrete block walls bear any of the weight of the building?

I would value critique of the foregoing, Graham, and any knowledge you might have about the 1958 changes.