our history

First there was a spring. Crystal clear water bubbling up from the basalt rock. The Native Americans traveling seasonally between the Columbia River and the Blue Mountains knew the spring, stopping to camp and water their horses. As settlers came into the area by way of the Oregon Trail, the spring was named Summit Springs. Around this source and migration, Condon, Oregon was eventually formed. It has seen well over a century of transformation but still retains it’s original DNA; a town built by pioneers, farmers and ranchers respecting the land and building their community. There have been droughts and double winters. Market booms and recessions for wheat, wool, and cattle. Population booms and sustained slumps. In 1912 the L.G. Barnes Circus came to town, pulled by horse drawn carriage up main street. In the 1940’s a Military Air Base came to town and stayed 3 decades. Two Nobel Prize winners, William P. Murphy and Linus Pauling, called Condon home during their formative years. There have been 6 generations of families and passers through. There are century old buildings and businesses still operating on main street and there have been lots of losses to fires. At one point Condon was home to 4 different hotels. Of these, Hotel Condon is the only one that remains. For nearly a century Hotel Condon has offered welcome accommodation to travelers in Oregon. It has been a go to spot for locals celebrating Sadie Hawkins dances and 90th bithday parties. The hotel has had many makeovers and owners but has remained steadfast in it’s usefulness. There must be something about Condon as an eternal byway. Just like the native populations and Oregon Trail pioneers traveling from the Blue Mountains to the Columbia River (and beyond in every direction) people frequently pass this way and like to stop in Condon. Join in the tradition and explore this charming piece of history. Hotel Condon is here to offer a warm welcome… and plenty of water.