Historic photo provided by The Resort
Scrap of History
Pondering The Past
A traveler's rest - then and now
In 1842 Samuel Welch migrated to Oregon from Virginia and in 1882 he and his son Billy acquired roughly 1,000 acres along the Salmon River where The Resort at The Mountain now lies. In 1893, father and son began the first resort, which was a campground for travelers and vacationers.
Samuel died in 1898 and Billy took over the land and the resort. In 1902 he leased a parcel of land to two businessmen who built a two story hotel. This building, known today as "Old Welches Inn Bed and Breakfast" still resembles how it looked then and can be seen across Welches Road from The Resort's golf course.
Today, as guests now stay in luxury guest rooms, enjoy 27 holes of golf, two restaurants, two gifts shops and more, they can stroll around The Resort's grounds and find eye-catching covered wagon shaped signs identifying points of historic interest. July/August 2006
Welches Hotel, 1905 or 1906: Once a year in the early 1900's the Molalla Ford dealership would bring all new Ford owners to Welches Hotel for a weekend. Billy Welch is in the white shirt in the right side of photo.