Balch Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Balch Hotel is a historic commercial lodging
building in Dufur
, Oregon
, United States
. It was built in 1907 by Charles Balch, a local land owner and businessman. The hotel has changed hands a number of times over the years, but it has remained in continuous use since it was constructed. Today, the Balch Hotel is an active hotel serving visitors to the Dufur area. Because of its importance to local history, the Balch Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
was established in 1878. The town of Dufur was incorporated 1893.
The need to accommodate travelers grew along with the town of Dufur. The Balch Hotel was designed by F. M. Andrews for Charles P. Balch, a local rancher and pharmacist. It was built in 1907, and opened on 17 January 1908. When the hotel opened, the cost of a room ranged from $0.50 to $1.25 per night. The hotel boasted that it had hot water in every room, electric lights, and steam heat. At that time, there were only two places in the Dufur Valley that had electricity, the Balch Hotel and Dufur’s saw mill. The two businesses shared the limited power supply; each got twelve hours of electricity per day. The lumber mill had electricity for 12 hours during the day, and the hotel was connected for twelve hours beginning in the evening. In its early years, the Great Southern Railroad
would drop off salesmen at Dufur. The salesmen usually stayed at the Balch Hotel, and would set up their wares in the hotel’s parlor. This made the hotel a center of community activity as well as a haven for travelers.
In 1914, Balch sold the hotel to Frank and Ethel Ingels. The Ingels family operated the hotel until the 1940s. When they sold the building, it was converted into apartments. It was a rooming house for a number of years and later a private residence. The building was eventually purchased by Howard and Patricia Green in 1988. The Greens restored and modernized the building and reopened the hotel. In 2006, Jeff and Samantha Irwin purchased the hotel from the Greens. The Irwins continued the Greens' restoration work. Today, the Balch Hotel is a small but well-appointed tourist hotel.
Because the Balch Hotel played an important role in the commercial development of Dufur and central Wasco County
, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8 September 1987. The historic site covers ten acres, with one historic building (the hotel) and three other non-contributing structures on the property.
on Charles Balch’s ranch, near the building site. The hotel’s brick walls are 18 inches thick. This keeps the hotel’s interior cool during the hot summer months.
All the rooms were restored and modernized between 1988 and 2007, so the Balch Hotel is quite modern; however, it still retains an early 20th century feel. There are no telephones or televisions in the rooms, but there are wireless Internet connections. The building's historic character has been maintained in many small details; for example, original fire hoses hang in the hallway and an old electric meter is still in its original location on the second floor.
The hotel has 19 guest bedrooms plus a suite on the third floor with a view of Mount Hood
and private whirlpool tub. Each room has an individual style with antique furnishings and unique period décor. All the rooms on the south side of the building have private baths. The rooms on the north side share common bath facilities with original claw-foot tubs.
, and 98 miles east of Portland
. There are a number of activities available in the local area including golf
, winery
tours, biking, hiking
, fishing
, and rafting
. Snowmobiling is popular during the winter season. There are also several small museums in the local area. These activities are all easy day trips from the historic Balch Hotel.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
building in Dufur
Dufur, Oregon
Dufur is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 588 at the 2000 census. It is a farming community, with wheat being an important crop, along with tree fruit and grapes....
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built in 1907 by Charles Balch, a local land owner and businessman. The hotel has changed hands a number of times over the years, but it has remained in continuous use since it was constructed. Today, the Balch Hotel is an active hotel serving visitors to the Dufur area. Because of its importance to local history, the Balch Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
The first homesteader arrived in the Dufur area in 1852. The earliest community records are of church meetings beginning in 1862. The town was named for the Dufur family, successful ranchers who settled in the Dufur Valley in 1872. The Dufur post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in 1878. The town of Dufur was incorporated 1893.
The need to accommodate travelers grew along with the town of Dufur. The Balch Hotel was designed by F. M. Andrews for Charles P. Balch, a local rancher and pharmacist. It was built in 1907, and opened on 17 January 1908. When the hotel opened, the cost of a room ranged from $0.50 to $1.25 per night. The hotel boasted that it had hot water in every room, electric lights, and steam heat. At that time, there were only two places in the Dufur Valley that had electricity, the Balch Hotel and Dufur’s saw mill. The two businesses shared the limited power supply; each got twelve hours of electricity per day. The lumber mill had electricity for 12 hours during the day, and the hotel was connected for twelve hours beginning in the evening. In its early years, the Great Southern Railroad
Great Southern Railroad
The Great Southern Railroad was a 41-mile short-line which connected to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, later the Oregon-Washington Railway and Navigation Company , in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, and ran south along Fifteen Mile Creek through Boyd to Dufur, and on to the small...
would drop off salesmen at Dufur. The salesmen usually stayed at the Balch Hotel, and would set up their wares in the hotel’s parlor. This made the hotel a center of community activity as well as a haven for travelers.
In 1914, Balch sold the hotel to Frank and Ethel Ingels. The Ingels family operated the hotel until the 1940s. When they sold the building, it was converted into apartments. It was a rooming house for a number of years and later a private residence. The building was eventually purchased by Howard and Patricia Green in 1988. The Greens restored and modernized the building and reopened the hotel. In 2006, Jeff and Samantha Irwin purchased the hotel from the Greens. The Irwins continued the Greens' restoration work. Today, the Balch Hotel is a small but well-appointed tourist hotel.
Because the Balch Hotel played an important role in the commercial development of Dufur and central Wasco County
Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who lived on the south side of the Columbia River. In 2010, its population was 25,213...
, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8 September 1987. The historic site covers ten acres, with one historic building (the hotel) and three other non-contributing structures on the property.
Structure
The Balch Hotel is a three-story Italianate style brick building. The bricks used in the hotel’s construction were made at a brickworksBrickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
on Charles Balch’s ranch, near the building site. The hotel’s brick walls are 18 inches thick. This keeps the hotel’s interior cool during the hot summer months.
All the rooms were restored and modernized between 1988 and 2007, so the Balch Hotel is quite modern; however, it still retains an early 20th century feel. There are no telephones or televisions in the rooms, but there are wireless Internet connections. The building's historic character has been maintained in many small details; for example, original fire hoses hang in the hallway and an old electric meter is still in its original location on the second floor.
The hotel has 19 guest bedrooms plus a suite on the third floor with a view of Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
and private whirlpool tub. Each room has an individual style with antique furnishings and unique period décor. All the rooms on the south side of the building have private baths. The rooms on the north side share common bath facilities with original claw-foot tubs.
Location
The Balch Hotel is located on South Heimrich Street on the south side of Dufur. The hotel is 15 miles south of The Dalles, OregonThe Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
, and 98 miles east of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. There are a number of activities available in the local area including golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
tours, biking, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
. Snowmobiling is popular during the winter season. There are also several small museums in the local area. These activities are all easy day trips from the historic Balch Hotel.
External links
- Balch Hotel (official website)
- Dufur listing in the Oregon Blue BookOregon Blue BookThe Oregon Blue Book is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon copyrighted by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. As Governor Ted Kulongoski notes in his introduction for the 2005–2006 edition, it "provides...
with image of the Balch Hotel