Why these historic cabins on Mount Hood have people scrambling for tour tickets each year

No other home tour can offer this: Entry to Mount Hood log cabins that were built during the Depression by the

Steiner family of carpenters and stonemasons

and that have been treasured by owners for generations.

The

20th anniversary Mount Hood Steiner Cabins Tour

is Aug. 9, but the 300 tour tickets

go on sale

at 8 a.m. July 1 at

mthoodmuseum.org/events

and could sell out within hours based on previous years, said organizers with the

Mt. Hood Museum’s Steiner Society

.

The reason: People love the

Oregon Rustic

character and artistry of the cabins made by Henry and Mollie Steiner and their 13 children without electricity or power tools, but lots of ingenuity.

The family foraged the wooded land around Rhododendron starting in 1927 for logs used for walls, split in two for staircase steps and bench seats, and shaved into veneers for shelves and cabinets.

The younger children searched for tubular tree roots to be made into curtain rod hooks. Hand rails, chair backs and latches were crafted from naturally bent wood, and river rocks and basalt formed the fireplaces.

The only store-bought materials were windows, sinks, bathtubs and hinges.

Between 1927 and 1953, the Steiner family built around 100 cabins and two churches in the Mt. Hood area. Approximately 84 structures have survived decades of snow-pounding winters.

Tour goers on the self-paced, one-mile walking tour in Rhododendron will see the work close up and hear the stories told by the owners. One of the stops is a cabin called The Three Sisters, which has been in the Nizic family for 82 years.

The Three Sisters cabin was built by the Steiners around 1932 and purchased by

Samuel

and

Harriet Nizic

in 1943.

The cabin was named to honor the Nizics’ three daughters:

Barbara

(who married Jack O’Brien),

Harriet

(who married Tom Gorman) and

Sister Patricia Nizic

of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

Marilyn Foster, Samuel and Harriet’s granddaughter, and Jack and Barbara O’Brien‘s daughter, said members of the third generation

—

the Foster, Gorman and O’Brien families

—

care for the cabin. The fourth and fifth generation, who are 2 to 5 years old, also enjoy time at the cabin.

The families have hosted post-golf barbecues, bocce ball tournaments and weddings. But mostly, they cook, play card, go outdoors and look at the stars throughout the year.

It didn’t used to be that way. The log cabin was too drafty and cold to use in the winter when there was just warmth from the fireplace and oil stove.

Family members stayed only in the summer months until the 1970s when Foster’s late father, Jack, installed heaters so they could ski in the winter. To this day, her late mother’s college skis and childhood ice skates hang on a cabin wall.

There was no phone when Foster was a kid and if expected guests didn’t show up, her dad drove around looking for them.

In the earliest days, Foster heard road conditions were so rugged that her grandmother had to get out of the car

—

a salmon-colored Chrysler New Yorker

—

and walk to the property.

The cabin between Still Creek and Zigzag River is on land that was subdivided in the late 1920s by hotel owner

Susette Franzetti

. She hired Henry Steiner to build a chalet-style resort and she sold lots for summer cabins.

A tour ticket is $50 for museum members and can be ordered at

mthoodmuseum.org/events

. Museum membership is $30 a year and a member can buy a number of tickets.

The event benefits the nonprofit

Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum

at

88900 Government Camp Loop

in Government Camp, which is open year round. Volunteers with the fundraiser plan to use the proceeds to exhibit more of the museum’s archived artifacts and continue to promote Steiner cabin preservation.

Here are other stops on the

2025 Steiner Cabin Tour

:

1933 Trillium cabin:

Welches schoolteacher

Nancy Dougherty

shooed away squatters after purchasing a

rundown cabin

in 1975. She battled a sink spraying water on the first day, unearthed a Steiner-made table and benches buried in snow, and eventually restored and expanded her home.

Sharing the same can-do spirit as the Steiners, Dougherty poured cement between the foundation rocks to secure them. And she bought oakum, sailor’s tarry rope, and wove it between the wall logs to keep the wind out.

The Steiners oriented cabins to frame the best view. The living room of this cabin is in the back of the house and overlooks the Zigzag River.

The family of the longtime owner continue to preserve and maintain the home that inspired

Dougherty

, who died in 2024.

Dougherty joined forces with the late

Lloyd Musser

of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum two decades ago to inventory the surviving Steiner cabins and hold an annual fundraising tour.

This year’s tour is dedicated to Dougherty and Musser, who recognized the cultural significance of these cabins and sought to share them with the wider community, said tour organizers.

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, a process that sped up construction to 90 days, according to the family’s conversation with the late

John Steiner

, who worked with his father, Henry.

The straight grain, dimensional Douglas fir used for floors on the main and second level were milled by West Oregon Lumber in the Northwest Portland neighborhood of Linnton.

The

owners have retained the integrity

and charm of the original design while upgrading the kitchen and bathroom as well as enclosing the basement and installing a modern furnace.

The name Still Th’Air honors nearby Still Creek, the crisp forest air and the feeling of appreciation that four generations of the Graeper family have now enjoyed a log house that is still there.

1930 Bearly Holden On cabin has a walking bridge spanning the family room that connects the upstairs to the primary bedroom.

Garrett Stokes

1930 Bearly Holden On cabin

has the original board-and-batten construction, entry porch and an interior walking bridge that spans the family room and connects the upstairs to the primary bedroom.

Only six of the surviving Steiner cabins have an original bridge. This one is reached by ascending half-log stair steps with a naturally curving wood banister rail.

The two-story river rock wall surrounds a fireplace topped by a log mantel. Keeping the winter chill away are a modern furnace and pellet stove, and a hot tub under an outdoor pavilion.

1935 Belladonna cabin: Major improvement work was performed by Mark Fritch Log Homes, from a new perimeter foundation to an insulated cedar shake roof.

George and Binnur Jutras

1935 Belladonna cabin:

The unaltered World War II-era home, hidden for years under towering trees and

largely ignored since the 1950s

, was purchased by a veterinarian hiking during a vacation in 2014.

A new perimeter foundation, insulated cedar shake roof and other major improvement work was performed by

Mark Fritch Log Homes

.

Interior floors were refinished and a refurbished 1930s cook stove and refrigerator were added. Nearby, a rare, unrestored wood garage has a narrow opening just wide enough to park a Ford Model A.

1930s Hucklebeary cabin: The owners have restored the fireplace and chimney, and constructed an adjoining log workshop.

Suzanne Zoller and Gerald Oden

1930s Hucklebeary cabin

has wooden spokes radiating like a sunburst


underneath gables and other Steiner signature features.

Since the

current owners

purchased the once-neglected cabin in 2020, they have restored the fireplace and chimney, and replaced damaged logs. They also constructed an adjoining log-wall workshop.

1930 Laughing Bear cabin is a short-term vacation rental that has two tables, two beds and other furniture made by the Steiners.

Brad and Jewel Stockli

1930 Laughing Bear cabin

is a

short-term vacation rental

that has tables, beds and other furniture handmade by the Steiners.

John Steiner told the owners after purchasing the cabin in 2001 that the kitchen counter was intentionally sloped so water would drain toward the sink.

The cabin retains many of the Steiner signature architectural features including sunburst gables, entry door and fireplace, and some minor improvements such as a new deck and hot tub.

If you go:

The

20th Annual Mount Hood Steiner Cabins Tour

is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and starts at the

Alpine Events Center

,

73365 E. Highway 26, Rhododendron

. The one-mile walking tour is not ADA accessible. Children and pets are not allowed. Information is at

mthoodmuseum.org/events

; 503-272-3301.

Visit

mthoodmuseum.org

to learn more about the

Steiner Society

and museum events dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the history of Mount Hood.

— Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072,


jeastman@oregonian.com


and follow her on X


@janeteastman


.

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