In July 1930, Ernest Schneider’s favorable first impressions of Illahe swayed him to remain in the remote settlement, despite its inconveniences. Present-day Illahe remains an hour’s drive from Powers or Gold Beach, Ore.
Schneider was part of a water-rights survey crew in the area. One owner persuaded him to stay and work for a year, which extended to 14.
In December 1939, Schneider took his car over the Agness-Powers road to Myrtle Point to stock up on winter supplies. Loaded with groceries, Schneider started for home in the midst of a severe storm, encountered a landslide at China Flat, and took refuge that night in a leaky cabin.
The Forest Service arrived the next morning to open the road. They had Schneider leave his car unlocked, so it could be moved to Illahe for him when the road was clear.
Five weeks later, Schneider heard that the car was still about five miles away, blocked by another huge slide. Schneider hiked in and carried groceries home in a knapsack.
In 1944, he built Schneider’s lodge. It still offers comfort to travelers in the back country today, but renamed as the Illahe Lodge.
Source: Excerpts from the Curry County Echoes. Vol. 2, Gold Beach, Ore., Curry County Historical Society Press, 1978, 2 vols.
