A Visit to the Poor Farm

If tax preparation has left you feeling it's time for a visit to the poor farm, there’s one close to Portland uniquely suited for those taxpayer blues. It even boasts of a brewery, distillery, and winery all within walking distance.

Edgefield, located in Troutdale, about 20 minutes east of Portland, is the lovingly restored, reincarnation of the old Multnomah County Poor Farm. Begun in 1911, the farm provided a refuge for the county’s indigent population.

At its peak in the 1920s and 30s, the farm operated a dairy, cannery, meat packing plant, and was successful in providing enough food to feed its nearly 500 occupants as well as the county jail, hospital, and juvenile facility. The extensive grounds included the brick main building where the residents lived, as well as many service buildings and barns.
During World War II, the population increased with the arrival of sick and wounded soldiers. But, the boom times after the war, along with changes in the social welfare system signaled the decline of the poor farm. Caring for its growing elderly and sickly population created a shift in focus and the farm was renamed Edgefield Manor in the late 1950s. Over time, the land was leased to a local farmer, the dairy herd sold, and the main lodge became a nursing home.

The cost of upgrading the aging facility was too much for the County, and residents were moved into private facilities with the last one leaving in 1982. The empty buildings soon became a popular target for vandals and graffiti artists. Eventually, the County concluded the structures were dilapidated beyond repair and should be razed.
The local historical society challenged this decision, thus setting off years of bureaucratic battles. Finally, the farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, saving it from destruction, but not from continuing deterioration.
In 1988, the McMenamin brothers, owners of several pubs and breweries in Oregon, toured the facility, saw its potential, and bought it from the County for $500,000. It took years of renovation and reconstruction to upgrade the property to its current grandeur.
Today, Edgefield is the crown jewel of the McMenamins’ microbrewery empire. In the Main Lodge, the old dorm rooms have been converted to over 100 bed and breakfast rooms ranging in price from $30-$175. The men’s dining room is now the Black Rabbit Restaurant, while the women’s dining room is the ballroom, a popular venue for weddings.

To remove some of the institutional feel of the building, the walls, doors, and even exposed pipes are covered with paintings by local artists. A walk down the corridors is like a visit to an art gallery. Whimsical murals run the entire length of the third floor and reveal the history of the farm as does the mural surrounding the Black Rabbit restaurant. Free guided tours help sort out the symbolism and tell the tale of some of the more colorful guests.
The old Power Station has been converted to a cozy pub serving hamburgers, and other pub fare. A sampling of six beer varieties, some produced at the brewery next door, is available. Beverages and food may also be ordered in the adjacent 125-seat movie theater for a “brew and view” experience.

In front on the main lodge, is a three acre Pinot Gris vineyard. These grapes as well as tons of other Northwestern grapes are crushed here annually to produce 18,000 cases of wine. The winery, located in the former infirmary, provides a cozy seating area for tasting wines amongst the fermenting tanks.

If that isn’t enough to do, there’s the distillery bar, beer garden, golf course, herb and vegetable gardens, massage studio, and gift shop. The overall atmosphere is very casual and guests are encouraged to wander and explore.
The property is ideally located at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge with its spectacular vistas, waterfalls, and hiking trails. If a tax refund is on the way, there’s plenty of temptation in the antique shops, outlet mall, and galleries in nearby Troutdale.

Valentine's Day Winery Visits

Looking for something different to do on Valentine's Day? Several Oregon wineries are offering some imaginative substitutes for the typical chocolate and red wine tasting experience.

At Montinore Vineyards in Washington County you can try the dancing grape. Their Two to Tango event on  Sunday, Feb. 14 includes latin tango music and an instructor offering tango lessons on the hour from noon to four. If you have never visited Montinore, you really must. The winery is located off Highway 47 south of Forest Grove in Washington County. At the end of the oak-lined lane is a southern-style mansion where it would not be at all strange to see Miss Scarlet in her hoop skirt standing on the columned porch sipping a chilled glass of Riesling.

Built in 1905 by John Forbis, a former attorney for Anaconda Copper in Montana, the ranch was named Montinore, a contraction of Montana in Oregon. With over 585 acres producing 40,000 cases, Montinore is one of the largest Oregon wineries. Owner Rudy Marchesi combines traditional wine making with biodynamic vineyard management to produce highly regarded Pinot Noirs, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Muller Thurgau. The tasting room’s large picture windows offer an expansive view of the vineyards.

If dancing is not your thing, perhaps answering that burning question of "what wine to serve with a BLT sandwich" might be your Valentine choice. Chehalem wine tasting room in Newburg is having a We Love Bacon event pairing Pinot Gris, Chardonay and three different Pinot Noirs with bacon. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 pm and includes live music beginning at 3 pm. Cost is $5.

Still undecided about the pig and wine? Continue on to Dundee to Sokol Blosser Winery where they are sponsoring a Pork and Pinot event pairing local pork mole sliders and a flight of Pinot Noir for $15.

Top that Napa!

View from Sokol Blosser

Steens Mountain

The lead story in today's Oregonian suggests that the scenery around Steens Mountain in southeastern corner of the state is in for a big change. Columbia Energy Partners has recieved county approval to build a large wind farm with turbines over 400' tall on the mountain's north flank. While this economic activity may be a lifesaver for Harney County, it will be at the expense of an area of remote, rugged beauty.

Most mountains come as plurals: the Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains. But, Steens Mountain is a singular...a lone up-thrust of the earth rising above the sagebrush. Known as a fault-block mountain, it was created ten million years ago when massive internal pressures forced the eastern edge upwards. During the Ice Age, glaciers scoured gorges through layers of basalt creating several U-shaped valleys visible today.

The loop road to the summit leaves from the tiny town of Frenchglen and is like an uphill ramp climbing over 5000 feet in 15 miles. Sagebrush gives way to juniper forests, then aspen groves, and finally alpine meadows.

The summit, at 9700’, is the highest point you can drive in Oregon. The mountain ends abruptly with a mile-long, dramatic drop to the Alvord desert and offers spectacular views of the empty expanse of southeastern Oregon.

Better put this destination on your bucket list for a summer road trip real soon.

Winter Beach Getaway in Seaside

Gone are the crowds; gone is the traffic; gone the carnival atmosphere of video arcades, bumper cars, t-shirt and Surf Dog stands. Still, Seaside offers the long, flat expanse of sand and stunning setting that have made this town Oregon’s oldest beach resort. In the middle of a wild winter storm or on one of those rare sunny February days, Seaside has none of the lonely, deserted feel of an off-season beach town. On the contrary, it’s the ideal time for a coastal getaway.

Seaside has been hosting visitors since the local Clatsop and Tillamook tribes greeted members of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery in 1805. A few of the men established a salt works in the area, and by boiling down sea water were able to extract several bushels of salt for the long trek back to St. Louis.

In the early 1870s, Ben Holladay, a Portland developer, built a luxury resort hotel here known as the Seaside House. With heavy promotion throughout the West, the resort became a popular destination and the growing town took on the name Seaside. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, city folks from Portland would travel by ship down the Columbia River to the Astoria area and then by stagecoach, and later by train, south to Seaside. While families stayed at the beach all summer, working fathers would commute back and forth from Portland on the weekends. Trains arriving at Seaside early Saturday and returning late Sunday became known as the “Daddy Trains.” By 1938, the Sunset Highway (US 26) was completed to the Coast and the rail service closed.

All this history is interpreted in detail at the Seaside Historical Society Museum with displays of American Indian artifacts, photos and memorabilia of Seaside’s early hotels and resorts, a diorama of the town in 1899, and some unusual, old fire fighting and printing equipment. Next door is the Butterfield Cottage where volunteers lead tours through a restored beach cottage furnished and decorated in 1912-style. Available at the museum is a brochure, “Walking Tour of the Historic Seaside Prom,” which describes some of the interesting sights along Seaside’s most famous manmade attraction.

The Promenade, or Prom as it is known locally, was built in 1920 to replace an earlier wooden boardwalk. The 1.6-mile concrete walkway parallels the ocean offering panoramic views of the beach and Tillamook Head to the south. It’s the perfect spot for a leisurely stroll or bike ride. Where Broadway meets the Prom is a traffic roundabout called the Turnaround. In the center, a bronze statue of Lewis and Clark occupies the most prominent spot in town. From here, broad staircases lead down to the beach.

A few blocks north of the turnaround is a small, quaint aquarium. Originally built in 1914 as a natatorium or indoor, saltwater pool, it was converted to an aquarium in 1937, making it one of the oldest on the Pacific Coast. It houses a collection of northwest marine life. To the south, the inland side of the Prom is lined with attractive Arts and Crafts style bungalows and English cottages built in the early 1900s as summer homes for some of Portland’s prominent families. About eight blocks south at Lewis and Clark Way is a reconstruction of the Corps’ salt-making operation.

After a walk along the Prom, it is time to sample some of Seaside’s fresh local seafood. Some of the popular standbys in the center of town include Norma’s Ocean Diner offering famous clam chowder, fish and chips, and crab melts; Dooger’s Seafood, a casual family style restaurant serving a variety of seafood followed by homemade marionberry cobbler; and the Pig ‘N Pancake with popular breakfast items all day and chowder and other seafood at lunch and dinner.

As might be expected, Seaside has a variety of accommodations from charming bed and breakfasts to upscale, luxury hotels. Many offer attractive, reduced winter, mid-week rates. To learn more, check out the Seaside Visitors Bureau .

Officers' Row

What do a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a U.S. President, and the founder of a prestigious Black university have to do with the Pacific Northwest? All three of these men spent time on Officers' Row at Washington's Vancouver Barracks.

Built in the late 1800s, this collection of stately homes served as residential housing for many of the officers and families stationed here. From its beginnings in 1849, this army base functioned as the center of military operations in the Pacific Northwest until World War II, when activities moved north to Ft. Lewis near Tacoma.

The row of officers’ homes gradually fell into disrepair and in 1984, the neglected properties were deeded to the City of Vancouver for $1. While it might have seemed like a terrific bargain, one city official referred to the properties as “21 white elephants nose to tail.” It took four years and $11M in renovation funds from the city and state to transform the properties into today’s line-up of beautifully restored houses stretching along the north side of Evergreen Boulevard. Most of these are occupied by private businesses or townhouses, but a few are open to the public.

In the middle of Officers’ Row, is the Marshall House, built in 1886 for the local commander and, by far, the most imposing building. With its broad front porch, bric-a-brac trim, and rounded tower, this Queen Anne Victorian served as the center for social life in the 1880s and 90s. Between 1936-1938, the house was occupied by General George C. Marshall, who served as commander of the base and supervised nearly 30 CCC camps scattered about the Pacific Northwest. Later positions in his illustrious career included Army Chief of Staff in World War II, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of State. But, he is best known for the Marshall Plan which directed the economic development of post-war Europe and won him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. He and his wife described their time in Vancouver as the best of their lives.

A few doors down, is the Grant House, constructed in 1849 and the first house on Officers’ Row. Ulysses S. Grant served as quartermaster of Vancouver Barracks during the 1850s, and, while he never lived in the house, he did frequent it often. The property served as an officers’ club for more than a quarter of a century and was named for Grant in honor of his impressive military career and years as President. Easily identifiable by its two-storied porch and display of American flags, it now houses the Restaurant at the Historic Preserve.

The Howard House, near the west entrance, carries the name of one of its occupants, General Oliver Otis Howard. After a successful stint in the Civil War, Howard was placed in charge of the Freedmen’s Bureau, commissioned to develop education programs for newly-freed black slaves. He went on to found Howard University in Washington, DC and later served as its president. In 1873, he was sent to Vancouver Barracks where he directed several campaigns against native Tribes, including the infamous Nez Perce War. The house, built in 1879, is an excellent example of late-19th century Italianate style.

Officers’ Row is only one attraction in a locale jam-packed with history. Across the parade grounds and down towards the Columbia River are reconstructed Fort Vancouver and Pearson Field, the oldest operating airfield in the U.S.

Sea Lions On the Move

The popular, beloved sea lions of San Francisco's Pier 39 began to disappear around Thanksgiving. Apparently, like many Californians, they decided to move north to Oregon. Since December, thousands of sea lions have turned up north of Florence on Oregon's Central Coast. Scientists say it's all about anchovies; I say it's all about the scenery!

In Search of the Perfect Nanaimo Bar

While planning a trip to Vancouver Island last summer, I made it one of my goals to find the quintessential Naniamo Bar. Naniamo is a town on Vancouver Island, about a 2 ½ hour drive north of Victoria; and, while there may be a pub or tavern in town called the Naniamo Bar, the REAL Naniamo Bar is a deliciously rich cookie confection with a coconut-graham cracker crust, custard filling, and chocolate topping. No one knows for certain how the cookie acquired this name, but the recipe first surfaced in 1952 in a local cookbook published by the Women’s Auxiliary of the Nanaimo Hospital under the name, Chocolate Slices. Later, this recipe was published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper where it was labeled Nanaimo Bars. Serious cookie scholars have subsequently traced its origin to Irma, Alberta, where it was known locally as Smog Bars or London Fog Bars.


Whatever the source, the cookie is now a Canadian institution. While there are many flavor variations and recipes, purists agree that the custard filling must be made from Bird’s Custard Powder, available only in the UK and Canada. If you live in the United States, you can substitute the powder with instant vanilla pudding mix and still come close to the original recipe.

Several Vancouver Island locals recommended the Old Country Market in Coombs, BC, as the best place for me to experience the absolute perfect Nanaimo Bar.

Coombs is a small town not far from Nanaimo and close to Parksville, off the main road to the West Coast of the island. Beginning as a simple produce stand some 40 years ago, the Old Country Market has evolved into a Whole Foods Grocery on steroids. There is still the selection of fresh local produce, but now they offer an amazing array of international cheeses, artisan breads, local smoked salmon, gourmet goodies, bakery items, imported gifts, tasteless souvenirs, and 69 flavors of ice cream. There’s a restaurant, antique store, and surf shop, but the main attraction is on the roof. The Norwegian owner planted a sod roof above the store and acquired a team of goats to do the necessary mowing.

Now it is known all around as the goats-on-the-roof place and is wildly popular. An entire community of galleries, studios, and gift shops has grown up around the store, making it one of the top tourist attractions on Vancouver Island.

And the Nanaimo Bar? It was very attractive and seemed close to the traditional recipe.

Unfortunately, it was far too sweet for my sweet tooth and I ended up giving half of it to one of the goats!