OLYMPIA — A historic chalet has been successfully relocated away from the eroding edge of a river in a remote wilderness area.
Olympic National Park officials said that contractors used hydraulic jacks to push the Enchanted Valley chalet 100 feet along steel beams and away from the edge of the Quinault River. The work, which began on Sept. 1, was completed Friday.
The 42-by-28-foot structure was built as a backcountry lodge in the 1930s. It has been used as a wilderness ranger station and emergency shelter and is 13 miles from the nearest road in Olympic National Park in northwestern Washington state.
Park officials said storms last winter and high flows led to the river’s main channel shifting by at least 15 feet, and recent photographs showed that the chalet was undercut by the river by at least 8 feet.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
