Steve Graeper, President of the Rhododendron Community Planning
Organization (CPO), first came to Rhododendron in 1953, the year of his birth.
His family bought a Steiner cabin (built in 1932) in the community in 1942,
and it’s been in the family ever since.

“Rhododendron has been in my blood my entire 66 years,” Graeper said,
noting his summers were spent on the mountain.

This month, Graeper and the whole community will celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service commissioning the Rhododendron Post
Office, 11 years after the unincorporated community of Rhododendron first
formed as Rowe (named for Portland Mayor Henry S. Rowe). The centennial
celebration will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Still Creek Inn,
73365 E. Hwy. 26 in Rhododendron. Renee Lamoreaux created a special
postmark cancellation for the event.

Out of its humble beginnings, Rhododendron became a thriving community of
homes and summer cabins, then saw the construction of Hwy. 26 and its
impact as drivers sped through or stop only to put chains on their tires during
winter weather.

Graeper noted a number of moments that helped define the community,
including some not for the positive, such as the flood of 1964, the widening of
the highway, the closing of Gadwoods Market and the liquor store moving to
Welches. But he also has an eye to the future, with the CPO’s Rhody Rising
subcommittee, which formed in 2016 and hopes to spur redevelopment of the
community into more of a destination.

“The vision for the future is that maybe we can redevelop that sense of
community that Rhododendron once had,” Graeper said. “There was a little
village atmosphere in Rhododendron. Right now we don't have that village
atmosphere anymore.”

Among the possibilities that the Rhody Rising subcommittee is looking into for
the community are a sign to identify Rhododendron and welcome visitors;
sidewalks on both sides of Hwy. 26; pedestrian safety islands; street lighting;
bike paths; and parks and paths leading to the Zigzag River and on the north
side of the “Swinging Bridge.”

“It’s the future that I’m looking at,” Graeper said. “What is Rhododendron
going to look like 10, 20, 30 years from now. But it’s not my vision; it’s a
community vision.”

The group also developed a logo in 2018 as part of a contest, which appears
on t-shirts and hats to help raise funds. The t-shirts will be available for sale
at the Jan. 25 celebration, which will also include presentations on the history
of the community and the post office, refreshments, cake and sheets of
stamps with the Rhododendron logo, postcards and envelopes for sale.

A second celebration is also expected to take place on Saturday, Aug. 8, in
concert with the annual Steiner Cabin Tour, which will feature 12 cabins along
a 2.5-mile loop in Rhododendron this year. Graeper hopes to have different

vendors and organizations stationed throughout the loop, offering food and
information on the community.

The Rhododendron CPO will also hold a business meeting at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Mt. Hood RV Village Resort, 65000 E. Hwy. 26 in
Welches. Agenda items including the Centennial Celebration and a follow up
on the Zigzag Integrated Resource Project, consisting of two timber harvests
in the Mount Hood National Forest (MHNF) expected to take place in 2020.