Sandusky said a renter had been in the cabin days earlier and the fire is thought to have started in the chimney.
“As one of the two rental cabins in the forest, it represents a big loss to the Gifford Pinchot forest, not only for its recreation value but for its historic value, as well,” Sandusky said Tuesday night.
He said the cabin is so old the forest was called Columbia National Forest when it was built. In 1949, the national forest was renamed for Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the Forest Service.
In 2007, Columbian Outdoors Editor Allen Thomas wrote, “Winter is a great time to rent the cabin to enjoy a double dose of solitude and scenery. … The guard station has a bedroom, small kitchen and living room.”
He continued, “A night at Peterson Prairie isn’t really roughing it. There are propane lights in all three rooms, two propane furnaces in the living room and a four-burner propane stove and oven in the kitchen. A nearby shed is stocked with firewood, and there’s a clean vault toilet about 150 feet behind the back door.”
The visitor register at Peterson Prairie is full of loving comments from guests.
“No mice. Nice that everyone keeps the place up so well,” wrote Tom McGilvra and Sheri Melling of Scappoose, Ore., in late January. “We love it and plan to come up in summer. Wonderful memories for a lifetime. The food always tastes better out here.”
The cabin rented for $50 a night.
