Hotel Oregon History

A hundred years of comfort

Walking guide  Room Names

On McMinnville's charming, old main street, Hotel Oregon strikes an inviting pose – as it has since 1905. With practically a century of history under its belt, the Hotel has plenty of stories to tell. The building has welcomed many thousands at various times during its rich history to enjoy its restaurant, lounge, dance spot, bus depot, Western Union office, beauty parlor, soda fountain, and lodging rooms.

McMenamins has created a living history, by naming the lodging rooms after the colorful and worthy cast of characters who shaped this exceptional place.

The 1950's were a particularly "musical" time for the hotel, as reflected in a couple of the rooms you may book today. Room 306 pays respect to Heck Harper, whose country-and-western band played the Hotel's lounge several times during that decade. Meanwhile, the room we call "Wayne the Singing Chef," room 401, is dubbed so after the Hotel Oregon's kitchen wizard, who would often remove his apron to pick up the microphone to entertain in the lounge.

For those who like to go back even further in history, one room is named after the Amazing Louis la Bonte, a French-Canadian fur trapper who settled near McMinnville in 1830.

As you enjoy the many period appointments and fixtures at the hotel, as well as the historic photographs that grace the walls, you'll see why, for a century, the hotel has been considered a particularly warm and comfortable place to get away – and relax!


 

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