Chelan, WA, February 10th, 2026 – The floods of December 2025 were only an inconvenience in Chelan but were devastating to their Stehekin neighbors at the other end of Lake Chelan. On December 10th, a devastating flood altered the Stehekin River’s course, destroying a protective levee and redirecting the river channel through private property and over the former Company Creek Road. This change has left approximately a quarter of the community isolated, impacting critical access for families and schoolchildren, and posing ongoing risks to safety, infrastructure, and property.
In response, Tsillan Cellars pledged to donate 10% of pre-Christmas wine sales to flood relief. $3,000 was raised and will be donated to Stehekin Heritage to assist their efforts working with Chelan County to initiate emergency work along the river before imminent snowmelt and additional spring flooding.
“Stehekin Heritage gratefully accepts the generous donation by Tsillan Cellars to aid with issues related to recent December flooding in the Stehekin Valley.” Said President Ron Scutt, “We will put these funds to immediate use.”
Stehekin Heritage is dedicated to perpetuating and protecting a viable community presence in the Stehekin Valley, as well as sharing and enhancing public recreation throughout the North Cascades.
Tsillan Cellars owner, Bob Jankelson, said that a visit to Stehekin in 1957 when he was an undergraduate at the U of W started his love affair with the Lake Chelan Valley. Having been raised on an old homestead farm, he has always admired the tenacity and resilience of Stehekin’s pioneering families. He is confident that the same resilience will again restore Stehekin to its former place as the crown jewel at the head of Lake Chelan.
