For anyone who has driven through the Snoqualmie Pass area over the years, they will likely have noticed an old, empty lodge right by exit 62 of the I-90. If they’re a good deal older, they may remember seeing it in its heyday in the 1950s, pre-I-90, when it was ‘The Rustic Inn’, an inviting destination nestled in the woods along a road called the Sunset Highway. Other people may know it as ‘Camp Kachess’ after a church group took it over in the 60s, but for most local people it has always been known as Kachess Lodge.
Since the 1970s, the lodge has fallen gradually into disrepair, occupied by loggers, residents, a towing company and most recently by evo, the outdoor lifestyle company, but the land nearby teems with wildlife sustained by an idyllic landscape of woods, marsh and streams.
Forterra stepped in and acquired the property back in the fall of 2024 through Section 6 funding under the Endangered Species Act, seeing among other things the potential for the building of a wildlife crossing near the site under the I-90. Consequently, part of the acquisition agreement was that Forterra demolish the now derelict lodge and all the lodge’s empty structures, including cabins and outbuildings.
Early this year, Cheri Marusa, Forterra’s Senior Director of Community Development, began to ask herself how all these empty buildings might be used in a beneficial way for the wider community before the inevitable demolition took place. Soon Cheri’s long friendship with Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue Chief Jay Wiseman became the inspiration for a rather novel idea – what if the local Fire & Rescue department used the buildings for training?
Chief Wiseman jumped at the chance. Though live fire training was not on the table because of the proximity to the I90, the lodge was perfect for dry run firefighter training exercises, and so from July through September this year, volunteer firefighters embarked on intense training to develop their essential skills in a realistic setting.
Chief Wiseman praised the transformative impact of training at Kachess Lodge in a recent email to the Forterra team:
Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue (SPFR) recently completed Recruit Firefighter Class 2025-01, in which 13 volunteer firefighters graduated with national certification (IFSAC) Firefighter I and Hazardous Materials Operations levels.
This marks the first recruit class in our department’s history to host a national testing team as part of our training program – a milestone that elevates the standards of skill, professionalism, and certification at Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue.
The use of the Kachess Lodge was instrumental in providing the space and environment these recruits needed to train and prepare for their certifications.
SPFR extends sincere thanks to Forterra for the use of the property and to the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office for providing instructor support and the IFSAC testing team.
Clearly, the purchase of Kachess Lodge has turned out to be remarkably rich in the breadth of environmental benefits – from stream restoration work by the Kittitas Conservation Trust and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, to protection of endangered species, such as the native bull trout and the spotted owl.
To this list, we can now add the benefits to community safety and emergency preparedness in the Snoqualmie area.
The demolition of the lodge finally took place in October, so the site will continue to pay dividends far into the future as planning continues for the wildlife corridor under the freeway.
Kachess Lodge is an eloquent expression of how Forterra’s ‘Land for Good’ ethos can take many forms.
