On October 19, 2019, the National Park Service and the McLoughlin Memorial Association celebrated what would have been the 235th birthday of Dr. John McLoughlin. McLoughlin served as the Chief Factor of Fort Vancouver, and provided much-needed assistance to Oregon Trail emigrants. His retirement home in Oregon City, a part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, is one of Oregon’s oldest houses.
"On the St. Lawrence River at Riviere du Loup," Library of Congress, LC-D4-12779
On October 19, 1784, Dr. John McLoughlin was born in Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, along the St. Lawrence River. His father, also named John, was a farmer from an Irish Catholic family; his mother, Angelique Fraser, was from a prominent Scotch Presbyterian family. At a time when religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants ran high, their marriage in 1778 stirred controversy, and Angelique was disinherited. Over time, though, the rift mended, and Angelique's father bought the McLoughlin family a farm, where John and his siblings grew up.
Historian Dorothy Nafus Morrison described the McLoughlins' farm like this: "Their farm was on level land, backed by hills and sloping down to the river. Nearby were woods that sheltered deer and wolves and bears, open fields spangled with flowers in the spring or dazzling with winter's snow. From the riverbank, the children could see white-winged ships sailing up the St. Lawrence to the city of Quebec or down to the wide Atlantic Ocean."
At the celebration of Dr. John McLoughlin's 235th birthday on October 19, 2019, we shared samples of the house's new wallpaper, carpets, and curtain with the public for the first time!
The historic McLoughlin House is about to receive much-needed repairs and rehabilitation. During this work, it will close to the public starting December 2019, and is scheduled to re-open in spring 2021.
The McLoughlin House will receive:
- A new foundation, gutters, mechanical system, stair rail, and ADA ramp.
- New, historically accurate wallpaper, carpets, and curtains.
As construction progresses, we will be sharing updates from the project and historical information about the house on this blog. Stay tuned!