Nestled at the base of a hillside sits Hot Lake Lodge in La Grande, OR. Native Americans often used the hot springs themselves for it’s medicinal powers before settlement and colonization occurred in the area; the lake was named “Ea-Kesh-Pa” by the Nez Perce. Later it became a popular stop for weary travelers on the Oregon Trail. The famous 1906 brick hotel, now under renovation, was once called the “Mayo Clinic of the West” and attracted visitors and patients from around the world.
Hot Lake’s heyday lasted into the mid-1930s. A devastating fire in 1934 destroyed all wooden structures, but the 1906 brick building survived.
In 1864, Fitzgerald Newhard built the first wooden structure of the building, which faced toward the bluff rather than outward toward the lake. The structure was similar to the contents of a modern-day shopping mall, containing a post office, blacksmith, dance hall, barber shop, bath house, and several other businesses.
By 1884, the Union Pacific Railroad commenced its construction, running near Hot Lake. In 1903, the original wooden structure was demolished, and construction began on a new hotel and various bathhouses.
Dr. Phy became involved with the project in 1904, and the brick structure of the building began to be built two years later. Well-renowned architect John V. Bennes of nearby Baker City has been attributed to the architectural design of the building, reminiscent of the Colonial era; Bennes also designed countless buildings on the Oregon State University campus, as well as several buildings in Portland, Oregon. By 1908, the brick building was complete, housing just over 100 guest rooms. Soon after, the Central Railroad of Oregon built a 4-mile (6.4 km) line from Richmond directly to the hotel in 1912.
In 1917, Dr. Phy purchased the hotel and resort, renaming it “Hot Lake Sanitorium”, housing guest rooms, medical wards, offices, and a kitchen/dance hall. The building was from then on known not only as a resort for the rich, but also as a hospital for the ill; the geothermal mineral waters from the springs were used and experimented with to help treat patients and guests, making the resort a pioneering figure in western experimental medicine.
By 1924, the hotel was a major tourist attraction; countless new visitors arrived daily from all over the world. The Mayo brothers, founders of the Mayo Clinic, were frequent visitors to the hotel, as well as Wild Bill Hickok. Dr. Phy, the central manager and owner of the property, died in 1931 of pneumonia.
On May 7, 1934, a fire destroyed the majority of the building’s right side, completely demolishing the wooden structures of the hotel; the 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) brick portion of the building, however, survived. The building had contained nearly 300 rooms and dining areas for over 1,000 guests prior to the fire. From then on, business at the hotel declined, and eventually, the hospital area on the third floor was the only functioning business.
A flight school and nurse’s training center were established at the hotel during World War II, and U.S. Route 30 was later built, with Oregon Route 203 branching off of it and running right by the front of the hotel grounds. The attraction of the complex declined in later years, and its use as a resort came to a halt in 1953 when it was converted solely to a nursing home by Dr. Roth. By 1975, ownership of the building had changed, and a short-lived restaurant and nightclub was opened, which only ran for two years.
In the mid-1980s, Dr. Lyle Griffith purchased the property and used one corner of the hotel as a bathhouse; by 1991, the bathhouse closed down, and the hotel was abandoned, falling prey to local vandals and the elements.
In 2003, the building, which was literally falling apart, was purchased from Charles and Louise Rhea by David Manuel. Restoration began soon after; the building was greatly dilapidated, with all 368 windows broken and/or missing, and a sparsely-remaining roof. After two years of construction, it was opened to the public for tours in 2005, while individual guest rooms were still being sponsored and renovated. In 2008, the west wing of the building collapsed. In 2010, the building functioned as a bed and breakfast, with dozens of restored rooms, a spa, a restaurant, a bronze foundry, and a museum. By 2019 the harsh Eastern Oregon elements had begun to undo years of hard work by the Manuel family.
The owners of Grande Hot Springs RV Resort next door to Hot Lake Springs purchased the Hot Lake property in 2020. Restoration is underway and will include many historic preservation projects, including the Grand Entry Porch, Veranda, Balustrade, and Historic Spring House. Current amenities include an updated hot springs soaking area, updated rooms, and beer, wine, and cider sales on-site.
I have been fortunate to work next door at the RV park and also join the other staff in the theater and ballroom for staff events. I have been known to frequent the pub on some occasions as well. But I never got to soak there in the hot tubs overlooking the lake, nor got to go up onto the third floor where the old medical equipment is stored until recently. And let me tell you that was an experience!
The hotel has an ancient Otis elevator that is no longer in service but the inner workings and the gated car is on display for all to see. With no elevator on site, you have to take the grand staircase up to the third floor which was hot and musty. Old ornamental radiators line the hallways and grace each room. Pretty sure some of them were on because it was HOT in there!
The rooms proudly displayed how the days of old might have looked when the upper floors were a medical facility used for nursing staff and patients. An x-ray room with the oldest x-ray machine in existence (that’s what the sign said) was in there. Medical cots stuffed with sawdust were disintegrating in the corner, along with very fragile wicker wheelchairs. Even metal bassinet shells, painted blue and pink were on display. Very eerie but very cool.
I was able to experience the soaking pools near the lake as well. The rock pool was my favorite. It was sitting at a blissful 99 degrees. The other pool we got into was around 103 and was almost too hot for me, so I didn’t last long in that one. The sunsets were amazing and I even was able to catch a movie and have some popcorn in the theater the next night. What a wonderful experience!
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