The Forgotten Stone Hut, Rockland, Klickatat County, Washington
N 45° 33.989 W 121° 07.631
10T E 646144 N 5047588
These remains of an old rock cabin are located near Horsethief Lake in Klickatat County, Washington.
Waymark Code: WMHRWV
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2013
Views: 10
The remains of a 12x16 rough-stone cabin can be seen on the hillside across from Horsethief Butte, on Lewis and Clark Highway (Highway 14) near the present-day entrance to Horsethief Lake State Park.
ABOUT THE CABIN:
The cabin was built around 1925 by Lawrence McNary, a railroad attorney and cousin to U.S. Senator Charles L. McNary (Oregon), both whom grew up in the area. Lawrence is said to have returned here after retiring, and being plagued with diabetes, wanted to spend time in the area he had spent his youth. He pursuaded the Native Americans to sell him 40 acres, then hired stone mason Joe Studenecker to build the cabin out of the basalt rocks that were plentiful in the area. When complete, Lawrence rode the train from Portland to the cabin to spent weekends.
When viewing the cabin, you will notice openings for two windows; they originally had glass which has since been broken out. There was a skylight that had wire mesh about the size of chicken wire, sandwiched between heavy panes of glass, and strengthened by heavy iron grating. The ceiling had beams that were held in place with large iron bolts, with the beams stained a warm brown color. The floor was simply tamped earth, smoothed and leveled. There was a small fireplace and hearth on the north wall.
There is a rock with the chisled word "Rockland" near the entrance driveway to the cabin. The words can best be seen in early morning light, as they fade into the natural crevases of the rockface when the sun shines brightly on it.
Charles McNary was a proponent of building a dam near Umatilla which was later named after him (McNary Dam).
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
When this area (across from The Dalles) was first settled by the pioneers, it was called Rockland or Rockland Flats (1859), then North Dalles (1890), then GrandDalles (1891) and finally Dallesport (1907). The Klickatat County seat was located in Rockland until 1878 when it moved to Goldendale.
This is private property and it is not safe to venture up to the cabin, but feel free to view it from the wide shoulder of Highway 14. You may want to bring binoculars or use the zoom on your camera to get a closer look.
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