Lodges on the Rogue River

Morrison's Rogue River Lodge

The lodge was built in 1945 by river guide and lumber mill worker Lloyd Morrison. He had several fishing clients that would drive out from Grants Pass to this area to fish, and at that time the road to Grants Pass was simply awful. Because of World War II, building a lodge wasn’t going to be easy. Building supplies such as nails were hard to come by. With the help of a few San Francisco clients he was able to secure the essentials. He handpicked his lumber, and the choice bird's-eye pine he used throughout the lodge has become even more lustrous and beautiful with the patinas of time. Mr. Morrison then gradually added one cottage and moved two little houses onto the property to accommodate his fisherman clientele. After he sold the lodge the buildings grew somewhat neglected for a time under other ownership.

In June of 1964, B.A. and Elaine Hanten bought the lodge and moved in with their 3 small children; Mike (5), Michelle (4) and Mark (2). Originally from South Dakota, B.A. & Elaine had happy memories of working at Yellowstone Park and were looking for a similar resort type atmosphere. Elaine did all the cooking, she was a home economics major in college and had always loved to cook and B.A. took to guiding. The first season in a new lifestyle proved to be hard work, but well worth it.

In December of 1964, the rampaging Rogue flooded and wiped out all the cottages, which the Hanten’s had just begun to renovate. The water rose in the main lodge to above the mantel on the fireplace. The main building survived but the cottages were nothing but a pile of bricks. With the help of a disaster loan, they cleaned up and repaired the main lodge with a few little additions and built 3 new cottages, up on stilts this time.

In 2005 Michelle along with Johnnie and Linda Crean bought the business from B.A. While continuing the traditions of Morrison’s, Michelle added her personal touches to upgrade and expand the facility. Unable to fully realize her dreams she passed away in the spring of 2007 after a hard fought battle with cancer.

The lodge has grown from the old days and it now requires a full staff to operate. We are very lucky to have a wonderful group of people who work hard together.

Located by Taylor Creek, 10.4 miles upriver from Grave Creek.

Black Bar Lodge

Black Bar Lodge was named after gold miner William Black.  Black was murdered near this property, put into his boat and shoved off down the river.
 
The mining claim dates back to the late 1800's and was actively mined until the early 1930's when Tom Orderman from Portland, Oregon, purchased the claim.  He hired miners to build the lodge in 1932.  The lodge was primarily used to entertain friends and business associates as they packed down the Rogue River trail to visit their good friend, the famous western writer, Zane Gray, at Winkle Bar.
 
Tom Orderman hired Hal and Bea Witherwox as his caretakers.  They hosted Tom's friends until Hal and Bea purchased the lodge around 1950.  Hal and Bea patented the claim making it deeded land.  In the early 1950's they began operating as a commercial fishing lodge, similar to today's operation.
 
In 1960 Bill and Sally Hull purchased the lodge from Hal and Bea Witherwox.  The Hulls guided fishing groups until the late 1960's when rafting became popular on the Lower Rogue.
 
The Hull's children Zach and Vanessa were raised seven months of the year at the lodge.  Zach went off to become a river guide at the age of 16.  Eventually Zach became the head guide for Rogue River Raft Trips Inc.  Later Zach was to meet with untimely death from a construction accident.
 
Vanessa, Zach's sister, and her husband John James purchased a partnership in the lodge in 1992.  After being managing partners for 16 seasons they purchased Black Bar fully from Sally Hull in 2007. John and Vanessa are enjoying continued operation of Black Bar Lodge and hope to pass it on to their daughter Rheanna someday.

Located 10 miles downriver from Grave Creek across the river from the Rogue River Trail.
Back Bar Lodge will accommodate anyone in May; limited spaces after June 1.

Marial Lodge

The lodge and the community of Marial were named after the first proprietress of the lodge, Marial Billings Akesson. Marial was raised on the river and operated Marial Lodge until 1967. The lodge is located on the Rogue River trail and up until 1963 all mail from Marial was taken to Agness by mule or horse and then boated to Gold Beach because roads were not established in the Agness area until after the 1964 flood.

In the summer of 1964 the lodge was purchased by Ted Camp around the same time that BA Hanten purchased Morrison’s Lodge. Both new lodge owners had less than a full season under their belts when they were hit by one of the biggest floods on record in December of 1964. In 1982 Ted sold to the present owners Pat and Lori Cameron. Marial accommodates hikers in the spring, rafters through the summer and commercial fishing trips in the fall. The lodge has always been known for its good old fashion family hospitality.

Located 20 miles downriver from Grave Creek. Reservation only. Open May 1 - November 15.

Paradise Lodge

In 1903, Charlie Pettinger homesteaded an 85 acre parcel on the banks of along, calm stretch of the Rogue River known as Paradise Bar. Here he raised a family of eight children. The location was so remote that very few outsiders ever visited, with the exception of Hathaway Jones, who delivered the mail from Grants Pass to the Coast along what later became known as the Rogue River Trail. As late as 1963, mail was still delivered from Marial to
Agness by boat or pack mule, as no roads were ever cut into this pristine wilderness.

In 1959, the main lodge was constructed by Deak and Louise Miller. In the early seventies, when Mr. Miller's health began to fail, he offered the Lodge to Curry County Sheriff Allen
Boice.

In the early eighties Mr. Boice then sold the Lodge to his son, Court Boice. The Boice
family was the third owner of the Paradise Wilderness Lodge parcel since the original
homesteaders.

The lodge has been owned by the Schleining family since 2005.

Located 24 miles downriver from Grave Creek, below Blossom Bar, 52 miles upriver from Gold Beach.

Clay Hill Lodge

The Thomas family began homesteading Clay Hill in the late 1800s. The son, George Thomas, received the patent in 1919. The home was built in 1914 and still stands on the property.

Hathaway Jones carried mail by mule trail in the canyon and married Flora Thomas, whose father homesteaded Clay Hill. Flora's younger sister, Ethel, is buried at Clay Hill. The homestead stills stands today about 200 yards up the trail from Clay Hill Lodge. Hathaway was the "Tall Tale Teller" of the Rogue River.

Glen Wooldridge began guiding the river in 1917 and was the first man to run it upstream. He bought Clay Hill in 1942 from George Thomas and began using the homestead to accommodate his fishing clientele, which included Clark Gable, Herbert Hoover, Victor Moore and Ginger Rogers.

Located 29 miles downriver from Grave Creek, about 6 miles upriver from Foster Bar.

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