[or-roots] Estacada Hotel and Log La Barre Hotel or La Bar Hotel circa 1904-1912

[Leslie Chapman]

Well for starters if anyone is fixing to regale us with recommendations to
visit the Safari club, you are too late;

The Safari Club is no more. It has been sold to a new owner and the animal
trophies have been moved to somewhere in the Seattle area. [Jim Hilton,
12/03/2005]

from;
http://dirtroadsandhighways.blogspot.com/

OK, a drive to Estacada is more accurate. Estacada is about 30 miles east
and a little south of Portland. It is in the foothills of Mt Hood and on the
north bank of the Clackamas River. Oregon Geographic Names by Lewis A.
McArthur states that Estacada got its name from the Texas town of Llano
Estacado. The name was used in Oregon because it had a pleasing sound, with
not thought of its orginal significance.

Estacada, at one time, was a thriving mill town. Now it seems to be a sleepy
commuter town for many people that work in Portland and want to live in the
country. Estacada is on of the many towns across the country that have put
murals on the sides of the buildings. Estacada has many including large ones
of their logging, milling history and how the trains played a very important
roll in their work.

Carver, was orginally called Stone because of the great number of boulders.
About 1915 Stephen S. Carver promoted an interurban line from Portland into
this part of Clackamas County. The townsite of Stone was changed to Carver
in 1924.

http://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_and_env/hydropower_and_fish/clackam
as/history/clackamas_river_history_full.pdf

Settlement came slowly to the Clackamas River Valley until the late 1800s
and early 1900s. The
settlers were first drawn to lands along the lower reaches, which were close
to activities in the
Willamette Valley. The area saw more growth in the late 1800s after rails
replaced the river as the
transportation choice for travel from Portland to Oregon City. The
Willamette Bridge Railway
Company, a predecessor of Portland General Electric, began operating a
trolley line in Portland in
1889. This was the first electric trolley on the Pacific Coast. Then in
1893, the company started
running a 14-mile interurban electric railroad between Portland and Oregon
City, the first in the United
States. The electric railway had an enormous impact on the social and
economic development of the
Oregon City area. Business boomed in Oregon City when the trolley from
Portland began service
every half hour. The electric railway brought businesses same-day delivery
of merchandise and
supplies from Portland wholesalers. It also opened new weekend recreation
destinations. Canemah
Park, at the southern end of the line, became a popular recreation site
(Portland General Electric 1982).
Through the 1800s, the area around the present town of Estacada remained at
the edge of the settled
lands. The area was sparsely populated and surrounded by dense forests. In
1859, settlers built a
bridge across the Clackamas River near the mouth of Eagle Creek. The bridge
was replaced and
improved regularly after suffering flood damages, but remained an important
point for crossing the
Clackamas through the 19th century (Lynch 1973).
After the turn of the century, the Estacada area became the nucleus of hydro
development. Power site
investigations, and plant and railroad construction and operation all
contributed to the stable economy
IPS2-17188 15 Salmon and Steelhead Runs and Related Events of the
Oak Grove/North Fork Projects Clackamas River Basin – A Historical
Perspective
(FERC Nos. 135/2195) February 1999
and
 growth of Estacada. In 1903, the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company,
also a predecessorcompany of Portland General Electric, built a rail line to
the area. The railway ran from Portlandthrough Gresham and Boring to
Estacada and served primarily to haul workers, equipment and suppliesto the
Cazadero site, just east of Estacada. The original plat for the “Town of
Estacada” was filed inOregon City on January 9, 1904 and the city was
incorporated in 1905.Development of the railroad also brought more pleasure
seekers to the area — particularly after thecompany built a hotel and picnic
park, and started running excursion trains on weekends. Theelectrified
railroad brought crowds of Portlanders to Estacada and to recreation sites
along theClackamas River. The visitors would board the train in Portland and
spend their day picnicking, fishingand swimming. The excellent, affordable
meals offered by a local hotel drew other visitors. The situation was well
described in the Street Railway Journal, October 29, 1904:“Estacada is a
town of 300 or 400 people . . . where six months ago there wasnothing but a
small farm and standing timber . . . The Hotel Estacada is owned bythe
Oregon Water Power and Railway Company and has been constructed with aview
of providing accommodations for those desiring short and inexpensive
outings....As a special inducement for Sunday traffic, a rate of 50 cents is
given for a roundtrip from Portland to Estacada, instead of the weekday fare
of $1.35. A rate of $1.50is offered for the round-trip including dinner at
the hotel.”The completion of River Mill Dam in 1911 brought more visitors
and residents to the area. Thedam formed Estacada Lake and created slack
water up to the Cazadero powerhouse. Railwayservices were expanded, with as
many as seven extra trains scheduled on Sundays for pleasureseekers. The
interurban lines were advertised as “The Trout Route” in anglers’ guides.The
basin’s population expanded rapidly through the early 1900s. New settlers
and entrepreneursmoved in, using the basin’s rich resources to meet
increasing demands for goods and services inlocal communities, and in
Portland and Oregon City. For many years poor access limiteddevelopment to
the lower basin. At the time only a few roads existed and they were
usuallymuddy or dusty. Consequently, settlers cut timber and cultivated
lands along the lower Clackamasand tributaries.

I would hunt some more, but for some reason my internet explorer is having
problems and I need to go back to the honeydews.

Les C

-----Original Message-----
From: or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
[mailto:or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us]On Behalf Of Tom
Tregoning
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 5:14 PM
To: Oregon List
Subject: [or-roots] Estacada Hotel and Log La Barre Hotel or La Bar
Hotel circa 1904-1912


Hi List,
I had some family that visited Estacada frequently and was told by an
Estacada resident that many Portland people took R&R's at these hotels.
The railroad started there in July 4, 1904 and an interurban service run
into the 20's.

I would appreciate any history about these hotels.  Are the hotel
registers available?  Etc.

Thanks,
Tom
Issaquah, WA