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Peace
& Quiet Along the Rogue River
Weasku Inn reclaims role as famous fishing
lodge
By
Dan Shryock
Oregon.com
It's
peaceful, relaxing here.
Peaceful,
that is, if you don't mind the soft splashing of the Rogue River
100 yards from the cabin porch.
The
Weasku Inn, positioned along Highway 99 between Grants Pass
and the tiny community of Rogue River, defines vacation getaway.
The frills of high-end luxury hotels are absent. There's no restaurant
here. No bar. No crowds.
But
don't call the Weasku Inn rustic. There's no lack of amenities.
This cabin, for example, is complete with a large wood-burning fireplace,
full bath with Jacuzzi tub, cozy sitting area, cable TV and VCR
and a king bed with feather pillows so comfortable it easily soothes
the weary traveler to sleep.
And,
of course, there's the porch looking over the majestic Rogue River.
A
History of Fishing
Watch for the small 1930s-era neon salmon sign along Highway 99.
It's the first clue you're headed for something different.
At
the heart of the Weasku Inn is the lodge, a recently remodeled fishing
refuge that dates back to 1923 when Sarah and Bert Smith built the
original lodge and cabins. Under the ownership of Peggie and William
"Rainbow" Gibson from 1927 to 1962, the Weasku became the fishing
getaway of choice for the rich and famous including former President
Herbert Hoover, author Zane Grey, entertainment icons Walt Disney,
Bing Crosby, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard and others.
"Fishing
was wonderful in those days and so was business," Peggie Gibson
wrote later. "Even during the Depression, we had excellent business.
Fishing is what made Weasku Inn famous in its day. We believe Weasku
Inn is situated on one of the most beautiful pieces of property
on the Rogue."
There's
no disputing that point even now.
"It still
is a fisherman's place to go," says Charmaine Brown, operations director
for parent company Vintage Hotels. "You can still catch a 35- to 40-pound
salmon right here."
Clark Gable Slept Here
This is the place for relaxing as much as fishing. You can request
the favorite room of Gable and Lombard. It's No. 4 upstairs in the
lodge. There are five rooms in the lodge itself and an additional
eight cabins closer to the river.
There's an open lawn area between the lodge and the cabins that
overlooks the river. It's perfect for a big event such as a wedding,
a casual event such as a barbecue or simply idling away a pleasant
Southern Oregon afternoon.
What
to do once you arrive
The first thing you can do is sit back and put your feet up.
There's no need to worry about time, unless you have an appointment
with a salmon, some river rapids or perhaps found rocks to climb.
The
inn's back deck offers a wonderful place to
get away and see the river.
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"We have
pretty much any outdoor activity you could imagine," Brown says, "kayaking,
rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and, of course, fishing. If
you want to do it, we can arrange it."
By
"arrange it," Brown means calling on one of many area outfitters
and guides who know the territory and help
you make the best of your visit.
Hungry?
A breakfast of fresh fruit, hot and cold whole-grain cereals, freshly
baked muffins and bagels, juices, coffees, milk and tea is available
at 7:30 a.m. each day. There's also wine and cheese in the lodge
at 5 p.m. and cookies and milk by the fire in the evening.
The Weasku
does not serve lunch and dinner so guests head for Grants Pass
or the town of Rogue River.
Rebirth of the Weasku
Times weren't always so good. The Weasku Inn fell in disrepair
over time and was up for sale for years. Vintage Hotels owner Carl
Johnson bought the property in 1993 and took a personal interest
in its reconstruction.
"We
enjoy putting money into projects that are fun to fix and fun to
operate," Johnson says. "If you do these two things, it makes things
a lot easier. Anybody can build a motel on Interstate 5. But we
like saving something. If you would have seen the Weasku before
we started …"
"Carl
is focused on historical sites. His passion is restoring hospitality
sites to their original grandeur," Brown says.
A
roaring fire greets guests in the lodge's main
room.
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This
isn't the first time Johnson and his Vintage Hotels organization
took on a fixer-upper. Several historic hotels in California are
running again following a Vintage redevelopment. The Hotel St. Helena
in the Napa Valley and the Monterey Hotel in Monterey, for example,
are Vintage efforts.
That
same passion took hold at the Weasku. After extensive research,
work began in the mid-1990s and the lodge started to take on its
old touch once again. "We looked at everything from the carpeting
to the furniture," Brown says. "We wanted to give the lodge the
modern conveniences with an authentic feel."
The
lodge doors re-opened in 1996. And the best form of advertising
- word of mouth - began to spread the news. The lodge has been busy
ever since. "We set a little market niche," Brown says. "It's an
enchanted place. We believe that if we treat people nice, provide
them warm beds and a good breakfast, they will come."
The
industry has taken notice. Travel and Leisure magazine has recognized
the Weasku Inn as a Top 25 Great American Lodge and declared the
Weasku the magazine's Inn of the Month in July 2000.
We
welcome your comments and suggestions concerning this or any
other content on Oregon.com. Please send your comments to dshryock@oregon.com.
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