page_title: Breitenbush, Oregon
section_title: Bruckman Era
hierarchical_section_title: Breitenbush, Oregon / History / Bruckman Era
caption_attribution_description: English: Cabins at Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon. Original Collection: Gerald W. Williams Collection, 1855-2007 Item Number: WilliamsG: SVbreitencars You can find this image by searching for the item number by clicking here. Want more? You can find more digital resources online. We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons; however, certain restrictions on high quality reproductions of the original physical version may apply. To read more about what “no known restrictions” means, please visit the Special Collections &amp; Archives website, or contact staff at the OSU Special Collections &amp; Archives Research Center for details.
context_page_description: Breitenbush is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States, located approximately 10 miles NE of Detroit, Oregon, and 10 miles NW of Mt. Jefferson. The community is situated on private land, encompassed entirely by the Willamette National Forest, and is notable for having several hot springs, both nearby and on the property. It is said to have been originally homesteaded in 1888, and its hot springs have seen varied degrees of development and use since that time. In its heyday as a resort, the community was serviced by a post office, which operated between 1928 and 1953.
  Today, the community is the location of Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat & Conference Center, a worker-owned co-op. The physical community is sometimes extended to include a group of 72 privately owned summer vacation homes, situated on neighboring Forest Service land; these cabins receive periodic use from their owners, but are not intended for year-round occupancy.
context_section_description: Both the Upper and Lower Springs continued to gain popularity in the nineteen-oughts. A Portland-based Breitenbush Hot Springs Company was incorporated in 1924 and purchased the combined Hill & Mansfield portions of the property by means of a mortgage. The company hoped to make major improvements to the property, transforming it into a preeminent resort, by selling stock to investors; unable to make headway, the company extended a 30-year lease-to-buy option to Merele Bruckman, which commenced in 1925.
  Merele was the son of successful inventor Frederick Bruckman, the elder having been a childhood friend of Hattie Ross (Mansfield). In 1912, Fred invented a machine for rolling ice cream cones; in 1928, the patent for the cone making machine was sold to Nabisco, giving Bruckman a considerable amount of capital to invest in the family's Breitenbush enterprise.
  The Bruckman family—to include Merele's parents, wife, and later, daughters—would manage the property for the entirety of it lease as the Breitenbush Mineral Springs Company through its heyday as a health resort, and were responsible for making large improvements to the facilities. By 1936, the Bruckmans had completed construction on a large hotel (what is now the Breitenbush historic lodge), adding to a long list of projects to precede it, including: a large bathhouse, swimming pool, store, fueling station, dance hall, and many new guest cabins. A Pendleton water turbine was installed in 1927, allowing the wilderness resort to generate its power from the Breitenbush River. In 1938, Merele became postmaster of the Breitenbush post office.
  Hattie Ross (Mansfield) became a locally renowned artist and doll-maker during her years living in Portland. She would marry Frederick Bruckman in 1941, bringing her involvement with the springs full-circle.
  The resort was operated seasonally, as winter weather was challenging. The geothermal heating system in use at the present retreat & conference center had yet to be installed. A particularly hard winter in 1949 crushed several structures under eight feet of snow, and was followed by a fire. Merele Bruckman purchased the resort from the interests of the defunct Breitenbush Hot Springs Company thereafter, but, by the mid-1950s, was looking to sell the property. In history interviews, Bruckman's daughter has cited harsh winters and increasing government regulations as diminishing her father's enthusiasm for running the establishment.
caption: New cabins at the Bruckman resort
exif: {}