Walsh Wayside Memorial Outhouses - Lake Creek, OR
N 42° 22.776 W 122° 34.846
10T E 534512 N 4692009
Two older outhouses exist here at Walch Wayside Memorial Park, one is in use, the other is undergoing restoration.
Waymark Code: WMM2PR
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2014
Views: 1
Located at Walch Memorial Wayside Park, a privately-owned park open to the public exist two older wooden outhouses. One is made of natural, unpainted wood and hangs a placard that mentions it being built in the 1930s by Tom Stanley. It still functions and contains a couple of magazines and ample toilet paper for guests. The other outhouse is painted red and had caution tape hanging across the front and looks to be undergoing restoration.
In addition to this park is a covered bridge which at 39 feet is Oregon's shortest covered bridge as well as being the oldest. There is a laminated letter hanging above a guest book inside the bridge that highlights the pioneering family this wayside is dedicated to as well as the park and reads:
Walch Memorial Wayside
John W. Walsh was born Dec. 20, 1884, in Wellen, near Antelope. He was one of 14 children born to Jacob and Katherine Walch pioneer settlers of the Antelope Creek area near Eagle Point. In 1913 he moved to lake Creek and purchased a 1600-acre cattle ranch. On Dec. 19, 1915 he married the former Ida Marie Newtrom. Together they worked and farmed the same cattle ranch for 65 years. This park is located on a portion of the original ranch. John was honored as a lifetime member of the Oregon Cattleman's Association. Much of his time was donated to the U.S. government in experimental reseeding programs of rangeland. John was the first Jackson County rancher to raise both Angus and Galloway cattle. After several years he successfully bred an Angus-Galloway cross. John worked the ranch to just shortly before his death in 1978. Up at dawn and not back in the house until dark was not an unusual work day. John was an avid outdoorsman and passed down his love of nature and the outdoors to his children and grandchildren. Marie often worked alongside John but will always be remembered for her ability to convert basic food to heavenly ambrosia on her wood fired cook stove. Her skill in the kitchen was well known and rarely was dinner served without extra places set at the table for friends and neighbors that just happened to show up.
This park exists to honor this pioneer couple and to provide a place for friends and neighbors to pause, reflect and remember a simpler time when life and success was gauged by hard work, love and respect. A time when a man's word was his bond, Sunday was for worship, and marriage was a lifelong commitment. It remembers a time when the family farm defined America and produced what many consider the "Greatest Generation" -- the generation that did more with less, looked back only to move forward and made due with what they had when they could not do better.
This park is owned and maintained by the Walch family. We receive no government funding so if you would like to make a donation to help maintain and improve this park we have a donation box located just inside the gate. For questions or addition information you may contact...
Richard E Walch - 541-772-6255
engmgr@medfab.com
or
Russell Walch - 541-772-8832
Enjoy your stay and come again....