LECTURES and WORKSHOPS
by Christine Barnes
Author, Journalist
& Architectural Historian
LECTURE Architecture to Match the Mountains
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
wrote in his foreword of Great Lodges of
the West, that while the national parks of the West are "best know
for their mountains, canyons, geysers and waterfalls, (they) are also
dotted with the brick-and-board evidence of our nation's history." The
great lodges built in our national parks are beyond shelters; they are
monuments to the wilds of the West and the perseverance of the men and
women who created them.
Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., a member of the Commission of Fine Arts and noted landscape architect; Daniel Hull and Thomas Vint, NPS landscape architects; dozens of politicians, including presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt; and rail barons like Louis Hill and E.P. Ripley all played pivitol roles in the formation of parks and construction of the lodges.
But it was those who took pencil to paper and drew plans for the lodges who deserve the real credit for these landmarks. Some, like Gilbert Stanley Underwood, became quite famous, others faded into obscurity, but most went on to careers that included designing hotels, theaters, train depots and homes. Much of their work was lost to fire or "progress," felled by wrecking ball and bulldozer.
The slide presentation takes you on a journey through the West's national parks where armchair travelers or architects can check into - if only for a few minutes - the spectacular Great Lodges of the West.
- 45-minute, 82-slide presentation featuring the photography of Fred Pflughoft and David Morris along with historic photographs and architectural drawings based on the book, Great Lodges of the West.
- 15-minute question and answer period
- Book signing optional
LECTURE The Castles and Cabins of the Canadian Rockies
By the turn-of-the-century, the Canadian government and the newly created Canadian Pacific Railway Company had laid not only an iron link across the massive hulk of Canada, but routed the rail line through some of the most astounding scenery in the world.
The slide show and lecture begins with the CPR's last spike being driven for the transcontinental line in western Canada. The government developed the swath of the Canadian Rockies into reserves and parks, and the CPR built hotels where railway travelers could stop and stare wide-eyed at the wonder of it all.
Castles, like the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, catered to tourists on the Grand Tour. But venturesome travelers of the era lusted for a look at the backcountry. That prompted the construction of a remarkable series of cabins, chalets and bungalow camps, predominately built by the railway, that dot the crags and valleys of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. These retreats are a huge pendulum swing from the opulence of the grand resorts or the cozy atmosphere of the deluxe bungalow camps, yet the experience of staying in each offers its own sensory overload.
Many of the lodges, chalets, huts and tea houses are in remote and spectacular settings, and today, guests are still required to work -- in varying degrees -- to get to these surviving retreats. None are accessible by car.
- 45-minute, 82-slide presentation featuring the phtography of Fred Pflughoft and David Morris along with historic photographs and architectural drawings based on the book, Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies.
- 15-minute question and answer period
- Book signing optional
CONTACT CHRISTINE BARNES AT: 541-382-3898 FAX 541-382-4542 for booking information or EMAIL at: 