Wilhoit Springs

History and legend mingle at Wilhoit Mineral Springs, a former health and recreation resort south of Molalla in Clackamas County. Although nothing remains of the rustic lodge buildings and campground today, tales of the healing soda springs enticed people to "take the waters," and indeed they did. By the late 1800s, this call for relaxation, social camaraderie, and a healthy cure escalated into a large gathering ground and community resort. The rustic getaway lured wealthy city guests from Portland, Salem, and Eugene, as well as the average local family. Wilhoit Springs Park, open to visitors today, is part riparian wilderness and part oak savannah and contains a fortress of older trees in a verdant setting. Today, people can picnic, walk through the mossy woods and meadows, and explore the lush surroundings. There are two springs, one pleasantly soda and the other highly sulfur--each is accessible today.

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press This is the definitive guide for things to see and to do in western Oregon. This volume is packed with historical details, folklore, anecdotes, geology, fishing, flora, fauna, biography, hiking trails, and a good deal more. These elements are combined with photos of thousands of off-the-beaten-path finds.

Molalla is a small community on the edge of the Willamette Valley where some of the first Oregon Trail settlers arrived in the 1840s. Thirty miles south of Portland and north of Oregon's capital at Salem, Molalla rests snugly against the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, watched over by snowcapped Mount Hood. Though close to the region's first capital at historic Oregon City, Molalla is an independent Western town famous for its annual Fourth of July Buckeroo rodeo and parade. Molalla grew as an important agricultural trade center but is best known for its logging operations and abundant lumber mills. People had long visited summer resorts along the Molalla River and rejuvenated at the now-vanished Wilhoit Mineral Springs resort. Molalla retains its small-town atmosphere and independent spirit, not unlike the pioneer forebears who made the Molalla Prairie their home.

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press Detailed maps and driving directions will lead the curious traveler to the best and most interesting places in Oregon that can be reached by roadway.