Wolf Creek Inn State Heritage Site
Encyclopedia
Wolf Creek Inn State Heritage Site is a state park
in the U.S. state
of Oregon
, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
. The inn was built along the Applegate Trail
in 1883 for Henry Smith, a local entrepreneur. It is the oldest continuously operating inn in the Pacific Northwest, and is the site where author Jack London
completed his novel Valley of the Moon
. It also housed actors from the early days of Hollywood when they wanted to escape from the studios. Clark Gable
, Carol Lombard, and Orson Welles
stayed at the inn. The inn was acquired by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1975. The restaurant and inn are still in operation. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Wolf Creek Tavern in 1972.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department , officially known as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks...
. The inn was built along the Applegate Trail
Applegate Trail
The Applegate Trail was a wilderness trail through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and was originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory.-Background:...
in 1883 for Henry Smith, a local entrepreneur. It is the oldest continuously operating inn in the Pacific Northwest, and is the site where author Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
completed his novel Valley of the Moon
Valley of the Moon
-Places:*For the California valley see: Sonoma Valley**For the legend The Valley of the Moon, see also Sonoma Valley**For the California valley see Sonoma Valley AVA*For places called Moon Valley in Spanish see Valle de la Luna...
. It also housed actors from the early days of Hollywood when they wanted to escape from the studios. Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, Carol Lombard, and Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
stayed at the inn. The inn was acquired by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1975. The restaurant and inn are still in operation. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Wolf Creek Tavern in 1972.