Tawney Hotel

The Tawney Hotel was an inn in Welches, Oregon, USA. It operated under that name from 1910 to 1947.

On the western base of Mt. Hood there is a town known as Welches. In the early 1900s, Welches was located about 3 hours from Portland. Today it’s only about 45 minutes to an hour. Within this town there were two inns. One was the Welches Inn and the other was the Tawney’s Mountain Hotel. The Tawney Hotel was located at the end of Welches Road, very close to the Salmon River. The Tawney Hotel wasn’t known as this until a few years after 1910. Prior ro 1910, it was still known as Hotel Maulding. The Maulding's were the original owners until 1909 when Mr. Gene and Mrs. Francis H. Tawney leased the property. When they bought the property in 1910 they were planning to improve it. On March 26, 1913, the hotel burned down. The building of the new hotel started immediately and was ready to go in the summer of 1914. [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/Pictures/buildings/tawneysad001.jpg] The Tawney Hotel had 15 rooms inside and 10-15 tents outside. “You entered the hotel into a huge living room that had a large fireplace and wide staircase going to the upper floor” (Howe 1971). Once you were in the living room there was a huge dining room off to one side along with another fireplace. Upstairs was where the rooms were located. There was no heat in the rooms. There was a bathroom located just off the dining room “…which you almost needed a reservation to use. It had a bathtub and all” (Howe 1971). In the time that the Tawney Hotel was run, it cost $10.00 to stay for a week including the meals. The Salmon River was located nearby and provided lots of swimming and fishing. In 1910, B. Trenkman, C.J. Cook, and L. Therleson made a 1.5-hour trip up to Camp Creek for fishing. The three men came back with 286 trout. It was said to be one of the best meals at the Tawney Hotel. [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/Buildings/tawneys.html Tawneys Mountain Home] The laundry was done in the washhouse by hand. The whites were boiled and washed. Then sheets were ironed. Children often wanted to help with the chores. Another chore the kids liked to help with was the preparation of cooking the meals. The Tawneys had their own cows, pigs, horses and chickens, along with berry bushes and an apple orchard, all of which they used to produce meals for the hotel. When older Welches residents look back on their stay at the Tawney Hotel, they say they remember Mrs. Tawney’s jams, breads, pies, cookies, sausages, and canned foods. Children often liked to help milk the cows and pick blackberries for the pies. There were large sugar cookies for the kids to enjoy. Nell Howe, a long time resident, remembers on summers’ days the most wonderful food. He said, “In the summertime the tables in the dining room were full for every meal and sometimes people were waiting their turn.” [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/towns/welches.html Welches, Oregon]

People came from all over to this family summer home. Some people came from around all around Oregon, while others came from around the country and the world. The guest book records list some of the cities, states, and countries that people came from. People visited from: Seattle, Yakima, Walla Walla, Washington; Los Angeles, Napa, California; Canton, Ohio; Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Missouri, Hawaii, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, and France. As long time residents look back, they remember their fun summer memories of swimming in the river, fishing, helping with the chores, and enjoying the food. Many from all over Oregon, the United States, and the world loved this hotel. For many, memories are the only thing former guests have left to cherish of the Tawney Hotel. In 1945, the hotel was closed for residents. Mr. and Mrs. Tawney still lived in the hotel until the death of Mr. Tawney in July 1947. After his death, Mrs. Tawney closed the hotel for good and moved down to Portland to live with her daughter. She lived there until her death in the fall of 1950. Sometime during the late 1950’s, there was a snowstorm that caused the collapse of the main room of the hotel. The Tawney’s property was soon sold to new owners who eventually tore down the rest of the standing structure. Today, two fireplaces and a few pipes are the only physical part that remains from this hotel, but the memories haven't died. They will last forever.

References

* Howe, Nell. "People from far and near stayed at mountain hotal." Sandy Post May 6, 1971.
* Howe, Nell. "The old Tawney hotel is a mountain memoery." Sandy Post April 29, 1971.
* Randall, Gary and Kenney, Steven. "Tawneys Mountain Home." 26 September 2004. 1. 19 May 2007. [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/Buildings/tawneys.html]
* Randall, Gary. "Tawney's Mountain Home Ad." 26 September 2004. 1. 23 May 2007. [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/Pictures/buildings/tawneysad001.jpg]
* [Randall, Gary. "Welches, Oregon." 26 September 2004. 1. 18 May 2007. http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/towns/welches.html]