If not for a small sign, campers might not notice four deteriorating log cabins tucked between tall pine trees on the south shore of Paulina Lake.

The cabins, empty for more than three decades, have become a curious backdrop for campers, who are unsure why they are vacant.

But the historic cabins are in the process of being restored, and eventually opened for public use.

To reach that goal, the Deschutes National Forest partnered with the Deschutes Historical Society and HistoriCorps, a national nonprofit that rehabilitates historic structures on public lands.

There is no timeline for the restoration work, but the cost could reach $250,000, which will be covered by fundraising efforts and grants. So far, more than $50,000 has been raised through various grants — enough to start work on the cabins.

Repair work started last fall and continued this summer.

The work is handled by about a dozen HistoriCorps volunteers, who come from different states across the country. Their most recent session finished Sunday.

The volunteers replaced rotten logs at the base of the cabins, repaired the roofs and chimneys and installed new windows.

“The great thing about log cabins, the logs are designed to be replaceable,” said Jon Williams, a HistoriCorps project supervisor from Aspen, Colorado.

The four log cabins sit in a row near Paulina Lake’s south shore. The cabins were built by hand, which means no two are alike.

They were built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bend chapter of the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, an international service organization that dates back to 18th-century England. The organization’s name came from an old idea that anyone who does charitable work without ulterior motives is an odd fellow.

“It’s pretty cool how they are all similar, but a little bit different,” Williams said of the cabins. “You can get a real feel for the people who were building them. You can tell it wasn’t just some construction crew coming in here and cranking out four identical cabins.”

The Odd Fellows originally built and used 11 cabins and a lodge at Paulina Lake. The lodge and seven cabins have been torn down, but the remaining four were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Kelly Cannon-Miller, director of the Deschutes Historical Museum, said the cabins have a rich history, but in past decades were not viewed as anything but forgotten, dilapidated property.

Not anymore.

“The Forest Service and the public have totally changed how they view properties like this,” Cannon-Miller said. “There was a point in time where these were just old buildings. As more time passes, there is actually real historic value.”

The cabins represent a time when people were starting to explore the forest. Roads were being built into the woods, and the U.S. Forest Service was encouraging the public to lease facilities as a way to increase recreation.

“You get this first wave of the Forest Service reaching out to people to recreate and explore the forests,” Cannon-Miller said. “There is this emphasis on camping and fishing and that kind of recreation.”

Stepping inside the cabins feels like traveling back to a 1930s summer camp. The cabins still have old wood furniture, brick fireplaces and one has an iron oven.

The cabin on the westernmost side is in the best condition. The plan is to get that cabin open to the public first and then finish the others, Cannon-Miller said.

“If we can get the one finished, that’s going to help us fundraise and get the other three done,” she said.

Jillian Gantt, archaeologist with Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, said the effort to restore the cabins has been a race against time.

The work done by HistoriCorps volunteers last fall was considered emergency stabilization work to salvage the old cabins, Gantt said.

“They are not falling down or being vandalized, but they are at a place where if we waited another 10 years they might not be salvageable,” Gantt said.

The Deschutes National Forest first considered repairing the cabins in 2009, and had a feasibility study completed in 2010. The study found the cabins were, “significantly deteriorated due to a problematic design and construction, precarious location (high elevation susceptible to harsh weather), years of deferred maintenance, and pest infestation. However, these buildings are not beyond restoration.”

The cabins are located at the Newberry Group Camp Site at Paulina Lake, which is an area reserved for large camping groups.

When the cabins are reopened, they would be perfect for group camping, Gantt said.

The restored cabins would also include interpretive signs to share the history of the Odd Fellows and Paulina Lake.

“There is a story to tell,” Gantt said. “We are working to figure out how to tell that story.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com