If you’re looking for legendary history in the southern quadrant of Oregon, there are few contenders to the lore of my next destination. Our travels next took us way out from the beaten path to Wolf Creek Oregon and the Wolf Creek Inn.
Originally opened in 1883, Wolf Creek Tavern as it was then known was a “first class traveler’s hotel.” Wolf Creek Inn is Oregon’s oldest continuous use hotel. Many of the trappings of the area in Wolf Creek remain today as they were when pioneer merchant Henry Smith first broke ground on this land more than 125 years ago. Through the years Wolf Creek Inn has also played host to numerous luminaries in popular culture including 19th US President Rutherford B. Hayes, Clark Gable, Mary Pickford, Patrick Stewart, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Jack London.
Jack London may have written the 1911 short story, “The End of the Story” while staying here, but how are the beds? How is anyone supposed to get a good night’s sleep in a home so apparently haunted and hampered in its own history? Let’s head inside Wolf Creek Inn and see if this is somewhere that you should sleep here now.
Clark Gable has been making American cinema fans swoon since the 1930’s. I’m standing in the Clark Gable room here at Wolf Creek Inn; the very room and bed where Gable and wife Carol Lombard spent more than one night in on some of their escapes from Hollywood. This same bed frame has been here since 1926; many of the rooms other pieces here have been here as long. Visitors to the Wolf Creek Inn may wish to stay in this room because here is a room where a woman should be kissed, and kissed often by someone who knows how.
Wolf Creek Inn doesn’t have any televisions. Guests who have stayed here before are able to tell you why. The impressive authentic history of this property combined with the magic of being swept up in it all means that there is really no room for anything like televisions in these rooms. Often times when guests stay somewhere where the antiques make touching things frightening, the feeling can be a turnoff. However at Wolf Creek Inn it’s fascinating to just imagine a time when these real legends stayed here and your hand graced the same space.
Wolf Creek Inn wasn’t all about Clark Gable or others who have stayed here before; it was a large part of the Wolf Creek Inn experience though. For those looking for a cookie-cutter hotel type experience, Wolf Creek Inn is not the place for you. However if you are interested in a southern Oregon spot totally different from other places you may be vacationing, Wolf Creek Inn is there for inspection. With nine guest rooms, one of the areas few dining options, and a wealth of history to boot, Wolf Creek Inn is a place to soak in the history and unlock the doorway to the past.
Sources:
(1) http://historicwolfcreekinn.com/
(2) http://www.youtube.com/user/SleepHereNow?feature=mhum#p/a/u/1/jNBKcMntqfk
