Holden Village, Washington
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Holden Village is self-described as "a year-round ecumenical Christian center for renewal. Once the site of one of the largest copper mines in the United States, Holden is nestled in the enchanting beauty of the Cascade Mountains near Chelan, Washington. Each year it attracts over 7,000 people for renewal through worship, study, work, recreation, celebration and conversation."
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[edit] Location
Holden Village is located in the Cascade Range in Washington State. It is inaccessible by car. Visitors must ride a ferry up Lake Chelan and then board a bus which takes them up the mountains and into Holden Village. Railroad Creek runs through the village before emptying into Lake Chelan.
[edit] History
[edit] Mining era (1896-1957)
In 1896, James Henry Holden made his first claim on the area which would later become Holden Village.[1] However, due to the expense and difficulty involved in transporting copper from the isolated mine, the operation did not begin its full productivity until 1937. By 1938 the mine had become successful and processed 2,000 pounds of copper ore daily[2] With the success of the mine came miners and their families, still recovering from the depression. The Howe Sound Company, which owned the mine at the time, built a townsite on the north side of Railroad Creek soon after the mine began to thrive. The townsite consisted of a number of dormitories, a gymnasium, bowling alley, mess hall, school, and hospital, among other things. West of the townsite was a patch of small houses intended for miners with families in tow.
The Holden Mine and its townsite flourished for many years despite the isolation. However, after World War II the price of metals fell and the resources of the mine began to diminish. The mine was closed in 1957.
[edit] The Village (1957-present)
With the closing of the mine in 1957 the Howe Sound Company sought a buyer for the Holden Mine and townsite. With an asking price of $100,000, the remote piece of property did not sell. However, Wes Prieb, a man active in the Lutheran Bible Institute (now known as Trinity Lutheran College), saw the potential for a spiritual retreat center at the old mine. Originally he asked the Howe Sound Company to give the land to the Lutheran Church as a gift. The Company initially refused, but eventually agreed to sell the mine and townsite and all the land for one dollar.
With the purchase of the land came a multitude of problems for the Lutheran Bible Institute. The structures were old and suffering from several years of neglect. Many were becoming structurally unsafe; the remainder did not meet modernized building codes. With the help of large brigades of volunteers, the Lutheran Bible Institute successfully restored and refurbished many of the buildings. The Village began to function as a summer retreat center soon afterward. Originally, the Lutheran Bible Institute imagined a summer-only center, and kept limited staff on-hand for the first few winters. However, both the infrastructure needs of the community and the natural beauty of Holden Village in the winter lead to the creation of a year-round retreat center.
[edit] Holden Village Today
Today, Holden Village operates as a year-round retreat center. It relies heavily on volunteers for all day-to-day services. Although still operated under the auspices of the Lutheran Church, the Village respects and welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds as a part of their community. Holden Village is inundated with visitors during the summer months when families come to stay for a few days, a week, or a month at a time. Holden Village runs a variety of programming in the summers with classes focusing on science, theology, art and philosopy for all age levels. Winters in the Village are much more quiet, although it is a popular destination during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Holden Village receives large amounts of snow in the winter (averaging over 260") making snowshoeing and cross-country skiing favorite activities.
[edit] Transportation
Holden Village remains nearly as isolated today as it was at its founding and it is still impossible to reach the Village by car alone. Buses leave Holden Village in the morning and head down the mountain on a treacherous set of switchbacks which can terrify even the most seasoned downhill skier. The landing on Lake Chelan associated with Holden Village is called Lucerne, and it is here that the buses meet the daily boats coming and going. The Chelan Boat Co., located in Chelan, Washington, runs four boats (the Lady of the Lake II (only every other day in the winter), the Lady Express, the Little Lady (only in the summers), and the Lady Cat) to and from the Village. The boats heading uplake (to the town of Stehekin at the head of the lake) drop off visitors heading to Holden Village. The boats stop again at Lucerne on their way downlake to take on visitors leaving Holden Village.
[edit] Community
The year-round residents are largely volunteers who have dedicated a year or two of their lives to Holden Village. Most residents have specific jobs—from kitchen duty and housekeeping to heavy equipment mechanic and utiliies manager—which they perform throughout the year. Communal living is the rule in the Village, and while the community may be isolated the people are not. Resident families generally live in a chalet, often with another couple or a second family. Other residents live together in the dormitories. Nearly all the meals are communal, and the food is generally very nutritious. Each night, everyone comes together for a vespers service. Holden Village is known for theHolden Evening Prayer service, a form of the traditional Vespers. Holden Evening Prayer was composed by Marty Haugen, a prolific liturgical composer.
