Collection is open for research.
Gift of Lois E. Helvey Ray, May 2024 (RL2024-028).
Judith Sanders Chapman and Lois E. Helvey Ray are residents of Molalla, Oregon. Chapman works as a professional historian; Ray is a local research historian and former newspaper editor.
Source: Author biography for Wilhoit Springs: Molalla's Lost Resort, Arcadia Publishing,
Springing from the Rocks: The Story of Wilhoit Mineral Springs, Coll 1054, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Additional materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library about Wilhoit Springs include a book also written by Judith Sanders Chapman and Lois E. Helvey Ray, titled "Wilhoit Springs: Molalla's Lost Resort," call number 613.12209 C466w; and a vertical file, Hotels and Taverns - Wilhoit Springs Hotel. Images of the Wilhoit Springs resort are included in the June D. Drake photographs, Org. Lot 678, and in the Al Monner news negatives, Org. Lot 1284, and are
The collection consists of a 36-page booklet containing historical information about and images of Wilhoit Springs near Molalla in Clackamas County, Oregon. The booklet was compiled by Judith Sanders Chapman and Lois E. Helvey Ray. It describes the history of the springs' development and use as a health resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using quotes and information from historic newspaper articles and advertising materials. This historical information includes: the springs' initial purchase and development by John Wilhoit (1815-1895); subsequent owners of the resort; the resort's rise and decline in popularity; and its eventual development into a county park in the late 20th century. The booklet also contains 18 historic photographs of the resort, as well as brief biographical sketches of photographers June D. Drake and Arthur M. Prentiss, who both photographed Wilhoit Springs.
Judith Sanders Chapman and Lois E. Helvey Ray retain copyright until April 2049. Reproduction of this collection's contents is prohibited until that date.