13 min
Overview
This 18-acre site was part of John Wilhoit’s land claim in 1866. Wilhoit sold to Frank McLaren, who developed the site into a mineral spring spa and resort. Between about 1890 and 1915, the rustic attraction, with its two mineral springs, was a very popular tourist destination, with its own 40-room hotel, restaurant, store, post office, bathhouse, separate cottages, and bowling alley. For a time, Wilhoit Springs mineral water was bottled and sold throughout the Pacific Northwest. The hotel burned down in 1916, but McLaren quickly replaced it with a large log structure; however, when this replacement also burned down in 1928, the resort was closed. A later owner, the Schoenborns, constructed a few cabins, but these were destroyed in the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. Clackamas County Parks took over administration of the site in the 1970s. None of the buildings remain except for the house of the former owner, constructed in the 1950s, which is now the home of the park’s long-time caretakers, Deborah Winter and Steven Bishop. In addition, the soda spring continues to bubble up its healthy brew, and visitors imbibe its tonic. The other spring, with a heavy sulfur content, has been capped. The site is small and fairly remote, but in 2023, Trailkeepers of Oregon completed construction of a short loop trail in the woods along Rock Creek, which adds an additional activity.
Trail Stats
0.8 km
6 m
229 m
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Photos
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