Boychuk Studio
One of Lane County’s most historic, most well preserved, and architecturally charming houses is that known as the Cartwright place or Mountain House hotel. It is located on the Old Territorial Road, three miles south of Lorane, Oregon, and is now the property of Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Thompson.
It was built in 1853 by Darius B. Cartwright. Dee, as he was familiarly known, was born near Syracuse, New York, February, 1814. In 1832 he served in the Black Hawk War. Some years later his family moved to Illinois. Here a brother, Barton, became a Methodist circuit rider who saw to it that his family had educational opportunities, one son becoming an early-day judge.
Darius B. Cartwright with his wife and several children left Illinois for the gold rush in California in 1849. Sometime later they pressed on to Oregon, remaining for a time near what is now Medford. In 1853, the family took up 530 acres near what is now Lorane and called the location Cartwright. Upon this beautiful site was built the fine home which was also to serve as a stagecoach inn, the official stop between Portland and San Francisco, a telegraph station and a post office, with Mr. Cartwright as postmaster. One of the first messages received over these wires during the Civil War was that of the assassination of President Lincoln.
William Russell had accepted an offer from the Cartwrights to be their wagon-train driver, for which he was to be paid the considerable sum of five dollars per month. He was born in Gallia County, Ohio, in 1827, but later moved to Illinois. Upon reaching the Cartwright’s destination, he went on and settled in Salem, Oregon, where he married and had three children: Mary, Emma, and Charles. While the latter was still an infant, his wife died so he and the family went back to the Cartwright place.
Here, on January 12, 1866, he married D. B. Cartwright’s daughter, Katie. On May 3 of the same year, he purchased the property from Mr. Cartwright, and the home became known as the Mountain House hotel. Here two children were born to the Russell’s: Darius B. and Myrtle. Mr. Russell’s father-in-law stayed on as postmaster until his death on July 29, 1875.
Through the years the property changed hands a number of times until John and Nancy Addison purchased the house and land in 1902. Mr. Addison built the first sawmill in the area, at which time lumber was selling for six dollars a thousand. It was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Thompson in 1952, who are the present occupants. The house has a lovely setting. It is surrounded by softly rolling green hills, magnificent trees, and rich bottom soil. The black walnut trees in front were planted over a century ago, from nuts brought across the plains. Original flagstones lead up to the old eight-paneled front door.
The house is of all-wood construction, has two stories, and classical design. Hand-hewn timbers are used throughout. The walls consist of irregular-width, hand-split cedar, put together with square, hand-forged nails. Still visible are sizeable squared-off, round supporting timbers with bark still attached, which accounts in part for the fine condition of this 108-year-old structure. The floors are made of irregular, wide boards throughout the house. Still remaining are the woodwork, the high ceilings, the sixteen stairs with cedar balustrade, the nine original twelve-paned windows, the original wood trim, and the old red-brick fireplace with mantel, and small cupboards above, the gun closet, and marks of bullet holes in the baseboards.
The Condon House
Josephine Evans Harpham
