Homestead, Catlow Valley, Oregon

2014 was the 100 year anniversary of my Grandpa Hutch homesteading in Oregon. We decided to have a family reunion on the homestead which is 320 acres in the Catlow Valley of Eastern Oregon. Catlow Valley is in Harney County, near the town of Frenchglen, about 4500 feet of elevation and part of the Oregon high desert. About 6 inches of rain this year, a few grasses and lots of sage brush. It doesn't look like much of a place to homestead and in fact it wasn't. Previous years to 1914 had much more rain and when Grandpa first arrived it was pretty green. The first year year there was the last year of sufficient rainfall to raise any crops. This is what it currently looks like. 

Pretty dry country and not what you would call farm land. It is surrounded by Rock Creek Ranch which raises some hay but is mostly cattle grazing. The Miller's let us cross their land to make our infrequent visits. We head down this fence row for a few miles and then about a mile out into the sage brush to get to the home site on the homestead. 

 When my Dad passed away we built a marker and spread some of his ashes here. This year my Mom also passed away and we spread some hers here too.

While parts of the foundation from the house are still visible, the only artifact on the site is the remains of the tractor that Grandpa brought to plow the land. It was delivered to Crane, OR by rail and then drove cross country to Catlow Valley, a distance of about 85 miles. The steel wheels and frame are all that's left. 

Sunrise in the Catlow Valley

Campsites on the homestead. 

This is way more comfortable than our first time staying here. By the 1st of September nighttime temperatures are below freezing. 

Mt. Fannie Ag Center

This is the original Mt. Fannie Grange located a couple of miles from Cove, OR. The Grange was an association of farmers who gathered for educational and social purposes. There are Grange halls all over the western United States, some of them still active and some like this where the membership has grown older and the local Grange has ceased to be active. When my brothers and I bought the building a couple of years ago, planning to make a non profit ag education center out of it, there were only two members of the original Mt. Fannie grange still living. 

There wasn't any electrical, heat or water in the building when we bought it and it is going to be a project to get it back in shape. We've got electrical and gas to it and will be working on the water after the winter is over. Lots of interior work to be done, including a new kitchen and bathrooms. 

The top floor is an open space with some beautiful floors and lots of natural light coming through the windows. 

The basement has got kitchen space, dining space and storage. We will be adding sleeping areas. 

The building sits on an acre of land shaped like a triangle, in between a county road and the highway to Cove from Island City. Its in a beautiful spot, surrounded by farm land and cattle ranches. 

Exterior views of the building and land. 

Lovejoy Fountain

This is the Lovejoy Fountain in SW Portland. We went by it on our walk after dinner tonight. It's one of my favorite fountains in Portland. The Keller Fountain down by the Auditorium is similar with a very outdoorsy feel. Portland got both these fountains in the 70's. you can climb on and around both of them. 

Coffee in the morning.

Every morning when we are camping I get up and make coffee. I usually have a cup outside and watch the campground wake up. These are the special mugs we have in the trailer. A pop-up was our first trailer and we camped in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona and California. A lot of wandering, but never lost.