Henry Steiner: Quintessential Northwestern Cabin Builder

When Henry Steiner, a craftsman who emigrated from Germany, began making his signature cabins, his intent was to create functional and economically assembled homes, not idyllic cottages that seem to come right out of a fairy tale. However, that’s exactly what happened. His cabins –many of which are dotted around the Mt. Hood area— are precisely what one might imagine if asked to think of how that storybook “cozy little cabin in the woods” might appear. Over the years, Steiner’s sons, Fred and John, began helping their father with construction of the cabins.

Steiner is famous for using the native materials found onsite, or locally, for his cabins –sometimes used in very unique ways. Signature aspects of most Steiner Cabins include a “wagon wheel” or “sunburst” gable, a basalt rock fireplace, arc-shaped front door made of a split curved tree, gnarled tree root used for a front door handle, and unique log beams supporting the gabled porch roof.