The first Cooley Glen Shelter was a lean-to built in 1919 by the Green Mountain Club as a rustic camp structure on the Long Trail in Vermont. The shelter featured a simple design with peeled logs, pole bunks, a stove, a table, and an outdoor fireplace, with a reliable spring water source located just to the west of the structure. Located north of Mount Cleveland, the shelter provided basic overnight accommodations for hikers traversing the Long Trail during the 1920s and 1930s.
By the 1940s, the original structure had deteriorated significantly and offered minimal protection to visitors. As of the 1947 edition of the Long Trail Guide Book, the shelter was described as ruined, with plans noted for replacement: "A new shelter will be built on or near this location as soon as labor and materials can be obtained." The shelter did not survive beyond 1947, and no replacement structure was constructed at the site. Cooley Glen Shelter 1st thus served hikers for approximately three decades before falling into disrepair and eventual abandonment.
Sources
- Long Trail Guide Book 1928 (1928). Green Mountain Club. 30.
- Long Trail Guide Book 1930 (1930). Green Mountain Club. 25.
- Long Trail Guide Book 1932 (1932). Green Mountain Club. 41.
