1932 Still Th’Air cabin was built as a “spec” home and has been in the Graeper family since 1942. The board-and-batten exterior was made with rough cut boards between peeled log frames.
Fans of the fabled Mount Hood log cabins hand built by the resourceful Steiner family take note: A coffee table book, expected to be released next year, will have photos and stories about the sturdy, artistic homes made with trees, stones and few store-bought items during the Great Depression and World War II.
A preview of the book titled “Steiner Cabins: History and Style of a Mt. Hood Icon” will be presented at a free Steiner Cabins Celebration Open House from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at The Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum in Government Camp.
The guest speaker is Ian McCluskey, a filmmaker and storyteller who restored his 1930 Steiner cabin using hand tools and local natural materials as Henry Steiner and his wife, Mollie, taught their 11 children in the last century.
The museum has documented approximately 100 of these distinctive vacation getaways built by the Steiners from 1925 to 1952.
Most of the durable Alpine structures have survived decades of snow-pounding winters and are featured in the Mount Hood Steiner Cabins Tour, which takes place annually on the second Saturday in August.
Experts say the Oregon Rustic dwellings, guided by Nordic chalet architecture, rooted in the Arts and Crafts movement and executed by the Bavarian-born Steiners’ skills and work ethic, influence cabin design today.
“This book will celebrate the craftsmanship of Henry Steiner and his family, explore the cultural and architectural significance of the cabins, and place them in the broader history of outdoor recreation on Mount Hood in the early 20th century,” said McCluskey, who has volunteered to write the book.
Like the popular Steiner cabin tour, book sales will benefit the nonprofit museum.
McCluskey’s prose will be accompanied by architectural photographer Chris Brown’s images, from aerial shots to close-ups.
Brown, with the assistance of her husband, Greg, is capturing Steiner signature details such as arc-top front doors crafted from split naturally curved trees; handles made from gnarled tree roots; and spindles arranged in decorative starburst or wagon wheel motifs.
People attending the open house will meet longtime Steiner cabin owners who have retained the integrity and charm of the original design. Many cabins have been passed down over generations.
“Much of the current generation of Steiner cabin owners are dedicated to restoring their cabins, and many stories share similar themes of coming to their cabins by ‘fate,’ and their role being stewards,” McCluskey told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
McCluskey has interviewed more than two dozen cabin owners as well as the late museum curator Lloyd Musser to gather information about Steiner cabins.
Two decades ago, Musser and the late Welches school teacher Nancy Dougherty knocked on front doors and searched under fallen trees to start an inventory of surviving Steiner cabins. Many were vacant, run-down rentals and candidates for demolition.
Before Musser’s and Dougherty‘s efforts, there was scant information on the cabins’ construction and uses. New information gathered for the book will be accessible at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum, which is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“Since we’re still in the writing and photographing phase, people are invited to share their memories and suggestions,” said McCluskey.
The initial print run will cost around $25,000. Volunteers of the Steiner Committee have raised about a third of the goal through individual donations and support from Clackamas County Bank and the Kinsman Foundation.
Tax-deductible donations are accepted by the nonprofit Mt. Hood Museum at mthoodmuseum.org/donate.
Supporters attending the open house event or those wanting to donate online can purchase raffle tickets through the museum bookstore in advance and during the event ($25 each at mthoodmuseum.org/product-category/books). Winners do not need to be present.
Prizes include an overnight stay at an authentic Steiner-built cabin as well as lunch by Broder Soder cafe for six people and a private tour of the Fogelbo Steiner Log Home at the Nordic Northwest campus in Southwest Portland.
The open house is a chance to learn more about Mount Hood’s history and support ongoing preservation of the iconic log cabins, said museum board member Meredith Frigaard.
The cabin tours grant about 300 people each year an opportunity to step inside the privately owned log homes, but many more cabin enthusiasts could experience the Steiners’ work through the book, say organizers. The price of the book has not been announced.
Print designer Andrea McCluskey will help design the book from first draft to pre-press, and create original graphics.
The book will serve as a permanent historical record of Steiner cabins, with exterior and interior photographs and drawings of floor plans.
These documents will aid future research and preservation, said Ian McCluskey.
The book project also highlights the efforts of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum and the “passionate cabin owners” to preserve and share the unique structures, McCluskey added.
If you go: Steiner Cabins Celebration Open House is 1-3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum at 88900 Government Camp Loop in Government Camp; 503-272-3301; mthoodmuseum.org).
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