Bingham Springs, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Bingham Springs is an unincorporated
community in Umatilla County
, Oregon
, United States. It is located about eight miles east of Gibbon
in the Blue Mountains
near the Umatilla River
.
Bingham Springs was a station and tollgate
on the Thomas and Ruckle
stagecoach
line through the Blue Mountains. The stage house was built in 1864. Alfred B. Meacham
operated the station from 1867-1868. There was a post office at the locale named "Purdy" from 1881 until 1891, named after one of the early owners of the stage house. Later the community had a Gibbon mailing address, and today it receives its mail through Adams
.
Beginning in the late 19th century, Bingham Springs was the site of a popular hot spring
resort. Today the hot mineral water is a feature of the pool at Bar M Ranch, a dude ranch founded in the 1940s that uses the historic stage house as its ranch house. Notable guests of the resort include President Calvin Coolidge
and then-Secretary of State Herbert Hoover
.
45.7420774°N 118.2318973°W
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community in Umatilla County
Umatilla County, Oregon
Umatilla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the Umatilla River. In 2010, its population was 75,889...
, 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. It is located about eight miles east of Gibbon
Gibbon, Oregon
Gibbon is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is about 20 miles east of Pendleton on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, near the Umatilla River....
in the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
near the Umatilla River
Umatilla River
The Umatilla River is an tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Draining a basin of , it enters the Columbia near the city of Umatilla in the northeastern part of the state...
.
Bingham Springs was a station and tollgate
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
on the Thomas and Ruckle
Thomas and Ruckle Road
The Thomas and Ruckle Road, also known as Ruckles Road or Ruckels Road, was a wagon road over the Blue Mountains.George Thomas was a stagecoach driver who came west to California in 1849, before moving to Walla Walla. Colonel J. S. Ruckle arrived in Oregon in 1855 as a steam boat pilot for the...
stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
line through the Blue Mountains. The stage house was built in 1864. Alfred B. Meacham
Alfred B. Meacham
Alfred Benjamin Meacham was an American Methodist minister, reformer, author and historian, who served as the US Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon . He became a proponent of American Indian interests in the Northwest, including Northern California...
operated the station from 1867-1868. There was a post office at the locale named "Purdy" from 1881 until 1891, named after one of the early owners of the stage house. Later the community had a Gibbon mailing address, and today it receives its mail through Adams
Adams, Oregon
Adams is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States, located about northeast of Pendleton on Oregon Route 11. The population was 297 at the 2000 census and a census estimated population of 291 as of 2009. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical...
.
Beginning in the late 19th century, Bingham Springs was the site of a popular hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
resort. Today the hot mineral water is a feature of the pool at Bar M Ranch, a dude ranch founded in the 1940s that uses the historic stage house as its ranch house. Notable guests of the resort include President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
and then-Secretary of State Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
.
External links
- Historic image of Bingham Springs from Salem Public Library
- Historic image of Bar-M Ranch from Salem Public Library
45.7420774°N 118.2318973°W