During the winter months after the lodge was built, Charlie Boostrom and his friend Bill Needham would work on building furniture from wood collected over the summers. As a result, Clearwater Lodge has one of the best collections of diamond willow furniture, made with no nails and still sturdy after 75 years. Diamond willow is a tough fibrous wood which is native to this area. It is most commonly found growing in clumps. The leaves are long and narrow and the bark is dark gray, rough and very tough.
The diamonds are formed from a fungus which kills the sapwood in the affected area. These areas become dormant and the rest of the tree keeps growing leaving the diamonds.
The willow is picked between July and August when the sap is running. It is then peeled, revealing the diamonds. After drying for a year, the wood is ready to work.
The photo is diamond willow plant stand in the lodge. It actually started out many, many years ago an ashtray but works best for us with as a plant stand.
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