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NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:15600 Deedon Rd historic name:Deedon, Ed and Genevieve, Homestead
La Pine vcty, Deschutes County current/other names:This'll Dew Ranch
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:district height (stories):1.0 total elig resources:5 total inelig resources:1
elig evaluation: eligible/contributing NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1914 second date:1916 date indiv listed:03/06/2013
primary orig use: Single Dwelling orig use comments:
second orig use: Camp
primary style: Vernacular prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Log: Other/Undefined siding comments:
secondary siding: Shake
plan type: architect:Edwin J. Deedon and Frank W. Deedon
builder:Edwin J. Deedon and Frank W. Deedon
comments/notes:
Two contributing cabins, garage, outhouse, and well, non-contributing shed.
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 03/06/2013
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date:
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
The 160-acre Ed and Genevieve Deedon Homestead is located in Section 28, Township 21 South, Range 10 East, Willamette Meridian at 15600 Deedon Road, La Pine in Deschutes County, Oregon. The homestead is located between the Deschutes River and the Little Deschutes River, on level land. The 160-acre Deedon homestead is covered with sparse stands of lodgepole pine trees and low-growing native plants, including bunchgrass and bitterbrush. The rural community in this township and the township to the east was known historically as Rosland. In 1910, the buildings in Rosland were moved to La Pine, which is four miles southeast of the homestead. The area retains its rural forest feeling, but is now dotted with residences on lots ranging in size from one acre to two-hundred acres. The U. S. Forest Service administers about 17 square miles of the township, most of it being multi-use forest land. One working cattle ranch remains along Paulina Creek where it joins the Little Deschutes River. The homestead contains five, small, one-story buildings and a hand-dug water well clustered together in the southeast corner of the property on the 3.05 acres which are being nominated. They include (in order of construction) the 1914 water well and 1915 hand pump, 1914 guest cabin, 1914 outhouse, 1914 main cabin, 1915 garage, and a 1999 storage building. All are contributing structures with the exception of the non-historic storage shed. Three of the four contributing buildings and the well remain on the property in their original locations. The fourth contributing building, an outhouse, remains in use and is moved periodically for sanitation. A significant element of the homestead is that the two cabins, garage, outhouse and well are essentially as they were during the homesteader’s lifetime and continue to reflect life during the historic period. The historic buildings are simple, functional and rectangular. They were constructed with logs, poles and rough-sawn lumber cut from trees harvested on site. Roofing includes hand-split cedar shakes and composition shingles. Decorative tin caps finish the ridges of the garage and kitchen porch. Window frames and doors are wood. None of the buildings has indoor plumbing or running water. All of the historic buildings were constructed by brothers Edwin J. Deedon and Frank W. Deedon and a neighboring homesteader, Edwin K. White, working together.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Ed and Genevieve Deedon Homestead is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places for its local significance under Criterion A, exploration and settlement, for its association with the early-twentieth century development of the Rosland/La Pine area under the Homestead Act of 1862, as amended in 1912. The property is also eligible for listing under Criterion C, architecture, for the collective architectural significance of the four contributing buildings and one contributing structure that demonstrate the utilitarian vernacular construction commonplace on homesteads in southern Deschutes County. The Deedon Homestead is a good example of the homesteads that were entered in southern Deschutes County. It is the last intact group of primitive buildings constructed by the homesteader with assistance from his family and neighbors while he was frugally meeting the requirements of the amended Homestead Act. The period of significance begins in 1914 with the construction of the two log cabins, outhouse, and well. A garage/shop/boathouse and the kitchen porch were constructed in 1915. It ends in 1925 with the addition of a bedroom onto the main building Central Oregon was passed over by the first waves of migrants to the Oregon Territory. But, by the late-nineteenth century, present-day Deschutes County’s ponderosa pine timber and grassy meadows attracted lumber companies and ranch operations, which led to the founding of the region’s first rural communities. The La Pine/Rosland area was attractive for settlement because of the plentiful fish and game, the ease of digging wells, the high water table, and the plentiful timber for firewood and to construct homes, barns and fences. Despite the plentiful resources and relatively flat land, many found that farming was not practical due to the 4,236-foot elevation, volcanic soils, long dry periods and frequent overnight freezes throughout the year. The area always has been isolated. Despite these challenges, many hopeful settlers took advantage of the 1862 Homestead Act to claim their 160 acres of still-available federal land in central Oregon. Homesteading became particularly attractive when the U.S. Congress approved a significant amendment to the Act in June 1912. Unlike previous reiterations of the law that required year-round occupation of the property, the new law allowed entrymen and entrywomen to leave their claims for up to five months a year after establishing a residence. As a participant in the early-twentieth century settlement of the La Pine area under the Homestead Act of 1862, as amended in 1912, Ed Deedon became one of the many individuals who claimed 160 acres in 1914. Unlike others taking advantage of the law, Deedon realized that the land could not support a profitable farm, and instead used the parcel as a summer retreat, fall hunting lodge and gathering place for his large extended family. While proving the claim, Deedon maintained his permanent residence in Portland and his job at a men’s bath house. Nevertheless, in order to acquire title to the property, Deedon was obligated to meet the requirements of the Act, including living on the property for seven months of each year, cultivating at least 1/16 of the land for three years from the date of entry, and constructing permanent buildings on the claim. As a result, Deedon’s recreational property exhibits all the essential characteristics of traditional homesteads established during this period, and therefore physically represents this important settlement trend in southern Deschutes County. In 1914, the year he established the claim, Deedon constructed the well, two log cabins, and an outhouse using available materials – logs, poles, rough-sawn lumber, hand-split shakes and a combination of salvaged and hand-constructed doors and windows. During the three-year period, these structures and the garage constructed in 1917 operated as the nucleus of an operating farm. The smaller “guest” log cabin served as a barn in the early years, and Deedon cultivated twenty acres, raised a small garden, and built a half mile of fence. In 1918 Deedon received the patent for his claim after successfully completing his obligations under the law. Ed Deedon’s regular employment in Portland for part of each year provided the income necessary to pay his taxes, purchase necessary supplies and maintain the property. Notably, the Deedon family’s continued use of the parcel for the past 98 years as a seasonal home ensured the preservation of this representative and intact homestead, the only known resource of its type in southern Deschutes County. As noted in the analysis of nearby homesteads (See Appendix 3), about a third of the people who were awarded patents to their homesteads around the Deedon homestead lost their land when they were unable to pay their property taxes, including Ed Deedon’s brother, Frank Deedon. Only ten of 78 homesteaders in the 36 square miles around Deedon’s land owned their land longer than fifteen years. Many of the homestead buildings were deconstructed and materials were reused elsewhere by other homesteaders. Others disappeared by neglect or were demolished when the area was subdivided during the last sixty years. The two log cabins, outhouse, well and garage embody the homesteader’s distinctive quickly-made log and rough-sawn lumber construction of small, habitable, utilitarian, vernacular buildings made from locally-harvested pine trees. The Deedon Homestead buildings remain in their original location and setting, have not been remodeled, and retain their historic feeling and association with the homesteader. Historic photos of area homesteads and photos in the local history books show that the cabins at the Deedon Homestead are typical of those built during the settlement era in the immediate area. The buildings are constructed of whole logs without foundations and are finished with medium-pitched gable roofs that are clad in hand-split shingles. Once common, homesteads and their collections of single or double-pen, single-story log cabins and associated outbuildings and structures fell into disrepair in the later-twentieth century and were demolished over time. A singularly unique resource, the Deedon Homestead retains the original buildings and structures, which maintain their historic integrity as expressed through the nearly intact original design, materials and workmanship. Remaining at their original location and within the same rural and forested setting, the buildings and the homestead as a whole retain their historic feeling and association. Unique and possessing a high degree of historic integrity, the Deedon Homestead is eligible for listing under Criterion A, exploration and settlement, and Criterion C, architecture, because the property uniquely conveys the history of the settlement of the La Pine/Rosland area under the Homestead Act and the vernacular construction typical of these small family farms.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Publications Central Oregon Business FACTBOOK. Central Oregon Economic Development Council (COEDC). 1995. City of La Pine Comprehensive Plan Chapter 5, Historical and Cultural Resources, Kliewer, Patricia. March, 2012, La Pine City Hall, La Pine, OR. Crescent Lake: Archaeological Journeys into Central Oregon’s Cascade Range. Mulligan, Daniel M., A thesis submitted to Oregon State University on April 21, 1997. Crook County Historical Society. Following The Oregon Trunk Railroad in Central Oregon, A Historical Tour Sponsored By The Crook County Historical Society, June 16 And June 19, 2004. Lent, Steve. Crook County Historical Society. Prineville, Oregon, June 16, 2004. Hall, Michael A. Irrigation Development in Oregon’s Upper Deschutes River Basin 1871-1957, A Historic Context Statement., 1994. Oregon 1900 Crook County Census With Index. Genealogical Committee of Deschutes County Historical Society. 1989. Oregon 1910 Crook County Census With Index, Genealogical Committee of Deschutes County Historical Society. 1988. Oregon 1920 Deschutes County Census With Index. Genealogical Committee of Deschutes County Historical Society. 1995. Waring, Richard, Oregon State University College of Forestry, “Climate Change Causing Demise of Lodgepole Pine in Western North America”, Corvallis, Oregon, February 28, 2011. Paulina Prairie Cemetery (Rease Cemetery) Historic Cemetery Restoration Project Final Report. Kliewer, Patricia. August 24, 2004, Deschutes County Community Development Department, Bend, OR. Reconnaissance Level Survey of La Pine, March 1, 2009, Kliewer, Patricia and Schwartz, Cherrie. Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, Salem, OR. St. Johns Review Newspaper. Obituary of John Thornton. Feb. 7, 1913. Books Bogart, Barbara Allen. Homesteading The Oregon Desert. Bear Creek Press, 2007. Cranson, K. R. Crater Lake, Gem of the Cascades, The Geological Story of Crater Lake National Park. KRC Press, 1982. The Deschutes County Historical Society. A History of the Deschutes Country in Oregon. Midstate Printing,1985. Friends of the La Pine Library. History of La Pine Pioneers. Maverick Publications, Inc., 2000. Haynes, Ted and McNellis, Grace Vandevert. The Hundred-Year History of a Central Oregon Ranch, The Robleda Company, 2011. Jensen, Robert A. Roadside Guide To The Geology Of Newberry Volcano, Third Edition, CenOreGeoPub, 2000. Lowry, Nita. The Triangle Outfit, The true story of one man’s dream and the many people who helped make it a reality in central Oregon country. Maverick Publications, 2006. McArthur, Lewis A. Oregon Geographic Names Sixth Edition, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1992. Metsker Maps. Metsker’s Atlas, Deschutes County, Oregon, 1935. Metsker Maps. Metsker’s Atlas, Deschutes County, State of Oregon, 1944. Metsker Maps. Metsker’s Atlas, Deschutes County, State of Oregon, February 1972. Morisette, Martin Gabrio. Green Gold: The Incomplete, and Probably Inaccurate, History of the Timber Industry in Parts of Central and Eastern Oregon from 1867 to near the Present, self published, 2005. Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1912. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1912.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1917. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1917.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1918. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1918.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1920. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1920.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1921. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1921.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1923. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1923.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1925. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1925.] Polk's Portland (Oregon) City Directory 1930. Portland, Oregon: R. L. Polk & Co., 1917.] Ridgley,Veerland A. History and Homesteaders of the La Pine Country. Maverick Publications, Inc., 1993. Other Sources Bureau of Land Management and United States General Land Office Website, www.glorecords.blm.gov, copies of Homestead Patents for Edwin J. Deedon and Frank W. Deedon and all homesteaders in Township 21 South Range 10 East, W. M. Bureau of Land Management and United States General Land Office Website, www.glorecords.blm.gov; copy of January 1869 Oregon Survey for Section 28, Township 21 South Range 10 East, W. M.; E. L. Applegate, Oregon Surveyor General; Oregon Surveyor General’s Office, Eugene City, OR. Deschutes County Assessor’s Office, Tax Maps, Historic Property Photos and improvement Descriptions, Bend, OR. Deschutes County Community Development Department, Aerial Photos, Sanitation Records, Static Water Level Records for La Pine, Bend, OR. Deschutes County Clerk’s Deeds for Township 21 South Range 10 East Willamette Meridian, Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, Bend, OR. Deschutes County Road Records for Deedon Road, Deschutes County Road Department, Bend, OR. Deschutes County Land Survey and Subdivision Records for Township 21 South Range 10 East Willamette Meridian, Deschutes County Surveyor’s Office, Bend, OR. Family Trees for Thornton Family and Deedon Family and Photos submitted by Ed Deedon’s granddaughter, Jean Woodworth of Vancouver, WA.; Ancestry.com; Family Trees. Hogman, Hans. The History of Swedish X-Joint Log Houses 2010. Accessed August 14, 2012. Homestead File No. 632777, Edwin J. Deedon, June 4, 1918, Lakeview, Oregon Land Office; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49, National Archives Building, Washington D.C. Homestead File No. 645780, Frank W. Deedon, August 22, 1918, Lakeview, Oregon Land Office; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49, National Archives Building, Washington D.C. State Census of Minnesota, Pope County, Grove Lake Precinct, June 8, 1905. United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Multnomah County, Oregon, Roll: 1852146; Draft Board: 9. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 for Edwin John Deedon and rank William Deedon. United States Federal Census Records, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin, Polk County, Wisconsin, Avery Township, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930. Polk County Wisconsin, Beaver Precinct, 1900 Ramsey County, Minnesota, St. Paul City, 1910, 1920 Coos County, Oregon, Lake Precinct, 1910, Coos County, Oregon, North Bend Precinct 1920, 1930. Multnomah County, Oregon, City of Portland precinct, 1920, 1930 Yamhill County, Oregon, 1910, 1920, 1930 Unpublished Sources, Email Woodworth, Jean, Emails, Kliewer Engineering and Associates office, Bend, OR, Feb. 9, 2012; Feb. 10, 201; Feb. 12, 2012. Rister, Crayton, Emails, Kliewer Engineering and Associates (KEA) office, Feb. 7, 2012; Feb. 8, 2012; Feb. 17, 2012. Interviews Daly, Michael, 3651 NE Walnut Avenue, Redmond, OR, June 2004. Notes on file at Deschutes County Museum, Bend, OR. Deedon, Donald, Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, phone conversation, Feb 10, 2012. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Deedon, Norman, Minneapolis, Minnesota, phone conversations. Feb. 10, 2012 and Feb. 12, 2012, Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Dooley, Jim, Ph.D., Forest Concepts, Auburn, Washington, phone conversations, February 4, 2012 and December 15, 2012. Lent, Steve, Bowman Museum, Prineville, Oregon, Feb. 9, 2012. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Rister, Crayton E., 3824 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR, May 11 and May12, 2011 and July 2 and July 3, 2011. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Rister, Linaya L., 3824 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR, May 11 and May 12, 2011 and July 2 and 3, 2011. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Rister, Marjorie E. , 3824 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR, May 11 and May 12, 2011 and July 2 and July 3, 2011. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Rister, Melissa, 3824 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR, May 11 and May 12, 2011 and July 2 and 3, 2011. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR. Rister, Renee, 3824 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR, May 11 and May 12, 2011. Notes on file at KEA, Bend, OR.