Sorosis is a club? 1904 had electric vehicles? Trading drinks for horns? That's right

By Ryan Lawrence

This past week CGCC students finished up finals for the Fall term. And after wiping the sweat from my brow, on Dec. 11, I had the privilege of taking a little trip back in time. 

If history and culture were worth their weight in gold, the Fort Dalles Museum at 500 W. 15th St in The Dalles would be a King’s Ransom.

There is so much there that when Museum Director Cal McDermid first arrived on the job six years ago he had to rearrange and put some away in storage. It was packed from the floor to the ceiling in some parts of the Surgeon’s Quarters, Cal told me.

Since then, he and the rest of the folks at the museum have done a great job in arranging and showcasing what is now on display. For me, there was just enough to look at without being overwhelmed. There is a fine balance there when catching the attention of guests, and they have found that happy medium. 

What’s even more interesting is that each piece, it seemed, had a story to go along with it. That was a big deal for Cal when he decided to take the job of director.  

“If they were going to hire me to do the job, then that was how I was going to do it. By telling stories,” said Cal. 

One of the coolest stories he told was the origin of a word that I have wondered about since moving to The Dalles a couple of years ago.

Sorosis. 

Sorosis? It is an all-women club that led to much public good in The Dalles, including our largest park and preservation of the Surgeon’s Quarters at Fort Dalles, which is now the Fort Dalles Museum.

Sorosis was actually the first all-women club in America and was started in 1869. 

After the Fort lost three of the original four houses to separate fires due to faulty flumes, the Surgeon’s Quarters had sat abandoned at the turn of the 20th century. 

It was in threat of being demolished when the Sorosis club saw the value in it and purchased it in 1905. 

Fort Dalles is now the second oldest museum in the state of Oregon. Thank goodness for the Sorosis Club. What makes the museum so unique, in my opinion, is that it not only covers history from the Fort, but also of the entire city. 

It is believed the Surgeon’s Quarters never caught fire because all of the chimneys were built on the exterior walls of the structure. Unlike the other three buildings that burned, whose flumes ran through floor, ceiling, and roof.

There is a room in the Surgeon’s Quarters dedicated to the old Horn Saloon, which was just east of The Last Stop Saloon and next to the Granada Theatre. This was a saloon that offered free drinks in trade for antlers to mount or animal pelts to stuff. The pictures of the saloon are astonishing. I have never seen so many stuffed animals and horns on one wall. 

Photos of the Horn Saloon, which traded drinks for antlers and otherwise. It operated next to the Granada Theatre.

There is also an antique car and horse & buggy garage. This garage features a 1904 Studebaker with an electric motor! This thing is too cool for school, folks. And the story that went along with it was too. 

In past parades here in The Dalles, someone would go around collecting golf cart and lawnmower batteries. They would then daisy chain them all together somehow (your guess is as good as mine) and drive it through the parade! 

This Electric Studebaker, Circa 1904, made it into several local parades charged on lawnmower batteries.

The third and last building is located across the street and was actually moved to the Fort Dalles location after the city purchased it in 1971- The Anderson Homestead.

The Anderson Homestead at Fort Dalles Museum. The craftsmanship on this building is superb, with wooden pins to hold it together. The fact that locals, such as Phil Pashek, were able to dismantle this building, move it 15 miles and reconstruct it on site at the museum ads another layer of mystery.

The homestead tells the story of a Swedish family that moved to America in 1895 and settled down about 25 miles south of The Dalles. 

It took fifteen years to move the two-story house, barn, and granary. But it was well worth the wait. The building is held together with wooden pegs. The job was done right. 

Everything about the Anderson Homestead is authentic. And it is sitting on a nice permanent foundation. 

There are also little stops along the way, as you travel from one building to the next. Such as the four bells that hang outside the garage. 

These bells were all retired from old ships and purchased by the city around the turn of the 20th century. They were used to alert for fires. What’s really neat though, is that each bell is a different size and makes a different tone. These specific tones notified townsfolk and firefighters, which part of town the fire was in. 

The City of The Dalles purchased these ship bells and used them to alert locals to fires in the early part of the 20th century. The four bells with unique tones were specific to four quadrants of the city - thus giving locals a general location simply based on sound.

This may just be my favorite fact I learned during my visit. I love learning how things were done before technology. 

That is what’s great about Fort Dalles Museum. There is something for everyone. Something there will light a spark that reminds you of an old family member or an old story that you would hear as a child. I smile just thinking of the possibilities.

There is even a scavenger hunt for the kiddos that incorporates all three buildings. 

The best part? It’s all right here in town!

Fort Dalles Museum is located at 500 W. 15th St The Dalles, OR 97058 and is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Admission is $8 per adult, $5 for seniors, $1 for ages 7-17, and anyone over 100 or under 7 gets in for free. 

More information about the museum and its long history can be found here. 

I really hope you will consider paying this place a visit. It is well worth the time. It has also given me more ideas of places to visit. So hopefully you can read about more of my little adventures in learning. 

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