"McKenzie River Valley Hosts President Hoover"

The McKenzie River Valley of Oregon

Do you ever wonder about where president's go for vacation?  One place that President Herbert Hoover liked to visit on vacation was the McKenzie River Valley of Oregon.  President Hoover loved to fish, and he also appreciated the pristine beauty of the valley.  So do I.  I lived there for 8 years before moving to Central Oregon, and I even have a blog about it (even though it hasn't been updated in awhile, it is still worth a look.  If you would like more info about the McKenzie, please CLICK HERE.)

Here are some pictures of what things looked like when Hoover was hanging out in the valley. 

Source: Lane County Historian, Vol. 44. No.2, Summer 1999

This photo was taken in 1915 of Martin's Rapids on the McKenzie River of Oregon.  Perhaps President Hoover fished this very spot:

 Source:  Lane County Historian, Vol. 44. No. 2, Summer 1999

The trees looked like this, and there were so many of them:

  Source:  Lane County Historian, Vol. 44. No. 2, Summer 1999

This one was taken in the nearby Willamette Valley at what is now Dexter, Oregon.  I just wanted to show you how big the trees were compared to the cabin, and how hard folks worked to set up their homesteads.

Source: The Lane County Historian, Vol. 41, No. 3 Fall 1996

So, here is a bit about President Herbert Hoover.

These photos are of President Hoover, but they were not taken on the McKenzie River. (I found them on the internet, but could not find exactly what I wanted.)  He fished all over the United States, and was a world-traveler millionaire before he became president.  In fact, he did not accept any money when he was in office, opting to donate his salary to charity instead.

 Source: Fishing Presidents

Herbert Hoover was America's 31st President.  He held office from March 4, 1929 until March 3, 1933.  Hoover was president when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, in 1929.  He was born on August 10, 1874 and died at the age of 90 on October 20, 1964.  His wife's name was Lou, and one of his boys had two pet alligators that roamed the White House grounds while the family was living there.

 Source: Orvis News.com

Famous Quotes by President Herbert Hoover:

"Every time the government is forced to act, we lose something in self-reliance, character, and initiative."


"The sole function of Government is to bring about a condition of affairs favorable to the beneficial development of private enterprise."


"War is a losing business, a financial loss, a loss of life and an economic degeneration."


"The course of unbalanced budgets is the road to ruin."


"Free speech does not live many hours after free industry and free commerce die."


"When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned."


"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war."


"True Liberalism is found not in striving to spread bureaucracy but in striving to set bounds to it."


"It is a paradox that every dictator has climbed to power on the ladder of free speech. Immediately on attaining power each dictator has suppressed all free speech except his own."  Ask.com Quotes by Herbert Hoover


Here are some more links about both President Hoover and the McKenzie River Valley.  One link tells of how when Oregon was going crazy building dams for flood control and electricity, that they were thinking of damming off the McKenzie itself and flooding the whole valley in doing so.  I about had a heart attack when I read that!  Instead, they built Cougar Dam and Blue River Dam.  I did a blog  post the other day about Cougar Dam, and here is the link to it:
 
Cougar Dam, Blue River OR

Click here to see some of our presidents fly fishing.

Click here to read Oregon Encylopedia's article on the McKenzie River.

Click here to read The Oregon History Project's article "Post-War Adjustment"

Click here to go to the Oregon Lakes and Drives website to read about McKenzie Bridge, OR

Click here to go to the Travel to Oregon website and read about the McKenzie River.

Click here to go to Classroom Help.com and read some fun facts about President Herber Hoover.

Click here to go to The Presidential Library website and read about The Hoovers.

Ollalie Campground, Upper McKenzie River OR, Kathy Matthews 2010

I hope that you enjoyed your history lesson 

and got some travel ideas too!

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.