Crown Point Chalet
Clarence E. Mershon, East of the Sandy: The Columbia River Highway
Another renowned restaurant, the Crown Point Chalet, owned and operated by Mrs. Margaret E. Henderson, was located on the ridge above the Vista House.
This facility, with its famous décor, provided jobs for many Columbian High School students. The waitresses earned a dollar a day plus tips. They boarded at the Chalet six days per week, staying in dormitory rooms, with one day off to visit home. The workday commenced at 10:00 a.m. and concluded at midnight.
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For several years Mrs. Henderson gave partied for CHS students, which Ted Berney remembers with fondness. "She was a generous person and the view from the Chalet was truly memorable.
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The restaurant featured indoor and outdoor dining areas, a fine hardwood dance floor, and Mrs. Henderson's renowned hospitality and chicken dinners.
The unique dance floor, with its beautiful, smooth surface, was made of oak flooring laid edge to edge.
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In 1928, Mrs. Henderson suffered a broken hip in a fall, and sold the Chalet soon thereafter. In 1947, the Chalet, vacant for some time and subject to vandalism, was demolished by a subsequent owner.
Mershon, East of the Sandy III, 38 – 42
"In December, the first winter it was open, the roof blew off and it was quickly replaced."
PDX History: Columbia River Roadhouseshttp://www.pdxhistory.com/html/roadhouses.html
One of the local high school girls who worked there, Inga Arneson, said, "Mrs. Henderson trained us well and would brook no nonsense. Working there was fun, anyway." (qtd in Mershon, East of the Sandy III, 40)
In the photo below, the chalet is visible over the "shoulder" of the Vista House...
The house below looks fairly close to the location of the old Chalet. Because the site of the old establishment is on private property, I haven't been able to get up there to really check the site out.
Below are some photos that appear to be shot from the Chalet grounds...
