Go back: The Cartier Years at Copper Creek Lodge. . . Go back: The Van Cleave Years, page 1. . . The Van Cleave Years at Copper Creek Lodge, continued

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In 1954 Roy and Glen Frayne (from Cedars Motel) dug a pond on the South side of the property near the road. This venture was never lucrative and demanded a lot of attention. They also considered building a small ice cream and hamburger stand by the pond, but that never materialized. Glenn and Roy with tractor breaking ground for the pond, at right. Guests fishing in the pond below.

In 1958 all the cabins, the lodge back bedroom and loft were full to the brim - two to a bed - with telephone crews. The Van Cleaves kept the single bedroom and the rest of the family rolled out beds in the kitchen and on the porch. They cooked hot breakfast , packed lunches, made beds and cooked dinner for the crew. At dinner time the furniture in the Lodge livingroom was all moved to make room for dining tables. It was a busy time for the Van Cleaves. Ann and Vernon Van Cleave and their two daughters, 2 and 6 months lived at Copper Creek in 1958 and 1959. They stayed in cabin 3 right behind the Copper Creek Lodge. Vernon worked on construction of a bridge in Mt Rainier National Park. He commuted to Tacoma for barber school. He set up a mini barber shop on the porch off the kitchen and haair by appointment at night.

The Van Cleave years continued. . .

Pearl and Roy ran the resort from 1951sold it in 1967 to Buck and Freida Christain. The Christain family, Freida, Buck and their children Ken and Brook, operated the Copper Creek Lodge until 1975. Freida Christain Blomberg still lives in Eatonville. (Photos donated by Freida) The lodge was sold to Fred and Patty Dills in 1975. The Dills continued to rent the lodge and small cabins to Mt Rainier visitors. The Dills and their 9 children gathered frequently at Copper Creek over the next 30 years.

Small cabins at Copper Creek Lodge in the 60's

Ken, Freida, Buck and Brook Christain in front of the creek side cabin where they lived.

In April of 2001 Catharine Gallagher and Phil Freeman purchased Copper Creek Inn and Restaurant across the creek from Copper Creek Lodge. While remodeling the guest rooms, they discovered three 1946 photos of Copper Creek Lodge. They fell in love with the log structures. The lodge was not for sale, but after 3 months of negotiation they purchased the property from Fred and Patty Dills in April of 2002. They have restored the Lodge and Creek Side Cabin to its old glory over the past year, and are in the process of restoring the other smaller cabins. They now live in the Creek Side Cabin, and rent the lodge to Mt Rainier visitors as did the families before them.

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