Welcome once again to Sepia Saturday! I may be stretching this a bit to claim that I am on theme this week, but I have included a sign and a business. To see what others have written this weekend after Thanksgiving, please "CLICK HERE", after you are all done here at Oregon Gifts. Thanks!
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Oregon Hot Springs Map Courtesy of The Oregonian |
The Hotel McCredie Springs
"Frank Warner"
In 1878, a trapper named Frank Warner discovered a series of hot springs as he hiked an Indian trail on Salt Creek in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Frank staked a claim and built himself a cabin, living there until the early 1900's. He probably would have stayed there, living happily ever after, if the U.S. Forest Service had not come into existence and kicked him off of his land. Dang! It was public domain at it's best; such a piece of property was claimed for public use instead of private. (I don't know if the picture above is of Frank's cabin, but it could be. It was in the group of McCredie Hot Spring historical photos that I am using courtesy of The Lane County Historical Society.)
"John Hardin"
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
If you were pretty smart and a developer from Eugene, you could still figure out how to get your hands on that land though. This is exactly what John Hardin did in 1911. Knowing that the law allowed you to file a mineral claim if there was salt around, he did just that, on land at Salt Creek near the hot springs. Come to find out, Mr. Hardin never did intend to become a salt miner, he just wanted to build a resort. It seems that he leased the land from the Forest Service and got to work. By 1914, the hotel was completed and open for business.
"Walter 'Judge' McCredie"
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
Two years later, in 1916, John Hardin let go of the resort and a certain baseball player named Judge, from Portland, eventually took it over. (One account says this happened in 1916, another states 1926.)
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| Source: Judge Walter McCredie |
Quite a character and owner of a semi-professional baseball team (The Portland Beavers), Walter "Judge" McCredie bought the hotel with the idea of using it as a baseball camp. Judge brought his baseball team members up frequently to relax, soak in the hot water, and to just enjoy themselves. The name McCredie Springs stuck.
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
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| Source: Lane County Historical Society.com |
You could get to the hotel by car, but by 1923 the train was an easier option. The resort was a favorite of those living in Eugene and Portland, and was at its most popular during the 1930's. The train stopped up to five times daily to drop off and pick up travelers.
"The Madam"
By the 1940's the resort had changed hands several times, and began to fall out of favor as a destination resort. In the late 1940's it was managed by a madam, and actually became a bordello. There were three shifts of prostitutes working daily. The woman gave the Forest Service and local sheriff fits, but they failed to close down her operation. She threatened them with guns, and would always seem to make bail and get right back to work. When her work was finally complete at the resort in the 1950's, she left without any trouble. (I still need to research her and learn more of her story, which shouldn't be very difficult and quite interesting.)
"George Owen"
A man named George Owen took over the resort next. Poor George would be the last owner. The hotel burned to the ground in 1958; and then a major flood in 1964 wiped out the bridge that crossed Salt Creek; how you got to the lodge. After the flood, the Forest Service took the lease back from George Owen. They burned the remaining buildings, removing nearly every remaining trace of the establishment. The pools are now primitive soaking pools along the river. (I paraphrased much of this information from Jeff Birkby's book, "Touring Washington and Oregon Hot Springs" c. 2002, p. 90-91. Jeff has a whole chapter full of interesting facts about this cool spot to visit.)"Present Day"
Cary and I like to stop there and stretch our legs when we travel to Eugene. I have done several posts with photos of the river before, and you can see them if you would like by "CLICKING HERE" and by " CLICKING HERE: "Naked in Nature", and here: "Road Trip, May 2010.The area was flooded again in 2010, and the river has changed course. It wiped out some of the pools. We stopped there on Wednesday, and I was very surprised at how different things are now. There are three main pools, and two are super hot. The big pool is not as muddy as it used to be. Here are some of the pictures that I took that day:
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
I found this live video of Salt Creek and McCredie Hot Springs on You Tube ...
So, there you go for this week's little story about some Oregon history. Happy Sepia Saturday!
Kathy M.
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At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot! All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.  |
