Molalla Log Cabin could have been built as early as 1795
Experts proposed this new theory in a recently released 200-page report on the Molalla Log Cabin, a structure they believe could have been built as early as 1795 - ten years before Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean.
Historic building repairer Gregg Olson and architectural historian Pam Hayden have been analyzing the log cabin for seven years and say it is unlike anything else found in Oregon.
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The unique construction and extraordinary craftsmanship of the Molalla Log House offer fascinating clues to a mystery that we didn't even know existed about the earliest white exploration and settlement of the Pacific Northwest,' Peggy Moretti, executive director of Restore Oregon, a non-profit helping fund the research, told the Oregonian.
'It may well add a new chapter to our history and we hope more evidence will be uncovered to further substantiate Pam and Gregg's very compelling theory,' Moretti added.
Olson and Hayden are now hoping to find a permanent location to house the structure, as well as someone with a deeper knowledge of European construction to analyze the cabin.
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In the wake of Lewis and Clark's expedition, which reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, French Canadian trappers and missionaries started arriving in the eastern part of the state. Their presence in Oregon's early pioneer history is evidence in the many French names throughout the state including Malheur Lake, the Grade Ronde and Deschutes rivers and the city of La Grande.
Read more:
Could this be Oregon's first house, if so, who built it? Unraveling a mystery (photos) | OregonLive.com
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3027464/Was-Oregon-house-built-DECADE-Lewis-C lark-arrived-Experts-believe-log-cabin-home-Russian-farmers.htmlThat the log cabin was made by foreigners is clear. It's unlike pioneer construction seen in Oregon until now.
The 25-foot-long Douglas fir logs, stacked 17 high, originally fit together so tightly there was no need to add chinking to fill in gaps.
Fine woodworking, similar to making a cabinet rather than a settlers' cabin, joined the floor, walls and roof so well that no nails were needed until a century later. In 1892, the whole building was taken apart, moved on a wagon from its original site and reconstructed by craftsmen perhaps with lesser skills than the original builders.
http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2015/04/pioneer_log_house_oregons_firs.html#in cart_m-rpt-1
