One of the most important places in my family is Breitenbush Hot Springs. My Great-Grandfather Merle Bruckman bought the property in 1927. His father had built and patented the first ice cream cone machine- sold to Nabisco. Wikipedia quotes, "The first cones were rolled by hand but, in 1912, Frederick Bruckman, an
inventor from
Portland, Oregon, patented a machine for rolling ice-cream cones. He sold his company to
Nabisco in 1928. Nabisco is still producing ice-cream cones, as it has been since 1928." So you, fair reader, now have less than 6 degrees of separation with your coveted ice cream cone.
Merle built what it was to become- a unique family-oriented hot springs resort. The buildings that still exist today were ones that they built in these early days- the lodge, cabins, the family home which is now the office, and others. Last week my Grandma and Grandpa had their 65th wedding anniversary and I was fortunate to be able to join them for a couple of nights at Breitenbush (where they first met) to celebrate.
One of the things that I was most pleased to witness was the welcoming attitude from the staff of Breitenbush. My Grandma Betty had brought her photos and articles concerning the history of Breitenbush, and Dav'id, the designated historian, was happy to meet with her to discuss the early days of the resort. Betty also shared what she knew at the weekly Wednesday night Breitenbush history talk where the audience laughed at her storytelling pizzaz. Always the entertainer, she treated the audience to a down-home sing-along at the end with the old favorites: Home on the Range, She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain, and others. A great time was had by all. On this trip, I learned more than I had previously, and I will share some of my newfound knowledge with you here.
My Grandma told us that, from the beginning, Breitenbush was a family resort that was purposely kept affordable for families to enjoy. Many families would come for at least a week every summer, and some families stayed for a month at a time. There were lots of things to keep the people entertained. First, the hot springs themselves. People came for the advertised health benefits of the healing waters for a variety of maladies, or simply to beef up their constitution. Families with children afflicted by Polio brought their children for the hot springs as well as to exercise in the 80-85 degree swimming pool. The hot spring tubs were very different from what they are today. Instead of outdoors, they were inside and composed of long soaking tubs. After a soak, people would enter a steam room or sauna, followed by the "sweat cots." They would lay on a cot and be covered by heavy wool blankets and would sweat profusely. This was followed by a massage by either a massuse or massuer. All of the facilites were separated by gender. According to the old postcards, people would also drink the water of the hot springs to receive health benefits.
One of the biggest draws was the swimming pool. Unlike traditional swimming pools, it was fed by both the water from the hot springs and the water from the river that were mixed to achieve the comfortable temperatures. The water would completely be replaced 2-3 times a day due to this cycling. My Grandpa was hired as a lifeguard "sight unseen" as, during WWII, young men were in short supply. Bud had asked a friend what he had been doing all summer, and his friend suggested that he go to work at Breitenbush. A lucky encounter to be sure. Unfortunately, the pool was to become one of the reasons why Breitenbush left the hands of my Great-Grandfather. We'll get more to that later.
Other entertainment included the dances that were held every Wednesday and Saturday nights in the dance hall. These dances were famous and my Grandma tells of how they were mostly for the people that lived in the area. People came up from Detroit, Mill City, and Idahna to come to the dances. No doubt many young lovers met eyes for the first time across its polished floor. Merle loved music and would broadcast the phonograph records on a speaker system throughout the resort for an hour every evening.
Meals were a stark contrast from todays buffet-style vegetarian fare (which is quite good, I might add). Meals were served in the main lodge and were full-service sit-down affairs. White tablecloths provided the atmosphere and guests were waited upon- sometimes by my Grandma who did various jobs in the resort as she was growing up. In fact, the dining room was where she first laid eyes on my Grandfather. She came out of the kitchen as he was entering. I can tell that some sparks flew from the way that she tells this story. She points out that she was "pinned" (that was the term for going steady at that time) to another at the time. When pressed for details, she said that this gentleman was also quite handsome but I have to wonder if anyone could be as handsome as my Grandpa at that time. He was one tall drink of water and my Grandma was quite the beauty. I can imagine what a striking couple they must have made.
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| Betty and Bud Fairham June 14th, 1946 |
The resort was also more extensive than it is today. There was a store and gas station where people could obtain the necessities. The lodge was in full use, meaning that people stayed in its many guest rooms (today there are only 2 as they are currently working to renovate the upper floor). There were many more tent sites as well and, of course, the cabins. My Grandma says that they stayed busy throughout the whole summer. In addition to working as a waitress, she rotated to the office, store, and other locations. She says that they would do 2 hours at a time at different jobs and this must have kept things interesting. Even after she married my Grandfather, they continued to live and work at Breitenbush often during the summers. The Vista House was their family home. Today it is where massages and other spa treatments are administered and a second story has been added.
Little by little, Merle began to encounter obstacles as he was trying to maintain the resort. A series of bad circumstances occured. One winter, they hired a caretaker to take care of the resort and a large part of this job was keeping snow off the roofs. The caretaker neglected his duties, and many buildings collapsed or were badly damaged. This included the beautiful dance hall, the store, and some of the cabins. In order to try to cover his neglect, he then doused the store with gasoline and set it on fire. A caretaker of a neighboring area called Merle to inform him of what was going on, and they launched an effort to save what they could. My Grandpa tells of him skiiing all the way in to Breitenbush from Detroit (the roads weren't plowed in those days), a distance of 10 miles. On the way he passed a heard of Elk that were trapped in the deep snow and were wailing in the thoes of death. When he got to the resort with his friend, they tried to save many of the linens that were now soaked by builing large fires in the lodge and hanging them up to dry. This was the first of a series of events that would lead to the resort's closing. A flood came through another year that caused major damage to the pool and other riverside structures. Eventually the resort became inoperable and an era had come to an end.
The property stayed in the family for quite some time after its closing. Merle attempted to sell the resort, but a series of new owners "did things he told them were stupid ideas" and the property would fall back into his hands since it was bought with credit. At one point, my Grandma's sister Mary lived on the property to keep out the squatters. This woman was a ballsy lady. She had dogs tied on lines around the lodge and carried a gun. Apparently she was shot at several times from across the river. My Grandma reports that Russians, big fans of the hot springs, would try to squat in the cabins and had to be rousted out.
Merle decided that, after the bad business deals, he would no longer "take papers" on Breitenbush. He would only sell if the buyer could pay cash for the entire sum. This was a tall order, but a younger man of a wealthy family finally did buy the resort during the late 1950s. According to Breitenbush's website, "Merle operated Breitenbush for 20 years, then retired and sold the property in the mid-1950s. The property changed hands a number of times until 1972, when after two devastating floods the business was closed, strung with barbed wire and posted with armed guards. In 1977, Alex Beamer bought the land after looking at old spas throughout the Cascades. Breitenbush was his choice to begin the building of an intentional community to operate a retreat and conference center at the hot springs."
Today, the resort offers restorative retreats designed to nurture the body and soul. Guests soak in the hot springs which are now co-ed and clothing optional- something I think that my Grandma is still a little bit shocked at as she repeatedly emphasizes that when
they were running the place it was a
family resort. Daily well-being programs, such as yoga and meditation, are included with your stay. They yoga in which I was a participant was excellent, especially the Lion's pose. Ask me about that one. The cabins are much the same as they used to be- small and modest. Take note that you must pay extra for a toilet. Area hiking trails allow guests to bask in nature's prisine beauty. And the food is probably the best vegetarian cuisine you can ask for. I especially enjoyed the black bean brownies and "sunshine burgers."
I was also touched at the welcoming attitude of the Breitenbush staff, as I have alluded to previously. Dav'id Rath and Quija Moonflower Keogh generously offered to allow my family to come and stay as their guests at any time. As Dav'id eloquently stated, "We stand on the backs of our ancestors." I feel honored that they acknowledge and respect my family's role in the creation of Breitenbush, and I look forward to continuing this connection in the years to come. I never expected to receive such welcoming treatment, and am still in awe of their kindness... but perhaps I shouldn't be. Breitenbush is now stands of principles of cooperation, love, and respect. It is a worker-owned cooperative, and I can see that the people who work there care very deeply for this place. What once was more of a tourist attraction is now a place that can provide deep spiritual renewal.
After having the priveledge to stay at Breitenbush, I wanted to share what I had learned and experienced at this amazing place. I have tried to be as accurate as I can in my retelling. If you get the chance, visit Breitenbush and take it all in. Try to see the lodge as it once must have looked and envision the dances and music floating through the evening air. Visit the pool and picture it as it was in its heyday. After your visit, I know that you will agree that Breitenbush is a place that you will keep with you long after you are gone.
Breitenbush Retreat and Conference Center is a
worker-owned cooperative and intentional community.
Our Mission
To provide a safe and potent environment
where people can renew and evolve in ways they never imagined.
Our Credo
We of the Breitenbush Community dedicate ourselves to living mindfully in the spirit of love, unity, honesty, and service.
We see ourselves as guardians of Breitenbush Hot Springs, safeguarding the earth and healing water, assuring their continued availability to all beings who respect them. Our primary service is to provide a healing retreat and conference center which promotes holistic health, spiritual growth, and facilitates the gathering of people in celebration of the experience of life.
Our Community is supported by the services we provide. We are committed to the health and well-being of ourselves and our families, to live, work, play, and grow together harmoniously.
We mutually support and respect each persons dignity, and awaken to the Spirit within each of us which acknowledges that we are all One.
The Community is committed to a life style conducive to holistic childrearing and personal growth. Our precepts for self growth include: Personal accountability, honest communication, awareness of our actions and the quality of their results, directing our energies to the positive, expressing appreciation for what others do, correcting what is clearly not working for the community or for us as individuals, assuming the responsibility for creating and sharing abundance, and choosing and rechoosing to be together.
We structure our lives such that we can experience daily the rewards of success, peacefulness, and joy. It is our hope that the thriving community which we create will be an inspiration to others in their exploration of lifestyle and community.
We also extend ourselves to the greater society in which we live, the world community, and commit ourselves to being socially, spiritually, politically, and environmentally responsible.
This Credo was born of deliberations that lasted weeks in which the small circle of Breitenbush founding members worked hard to articulate its collective vision for the intentional community it was dreaming into. The Credo has remained as written, unchanged, since voted and agreed upon by consensus in the late 1970’s.
