Henry and Fred Steiner Deaths in the Mount Hood Forest

A Loss on The Mountain: The Deaths of Henry and Fred Steiner

Tragedy Beneath the Tall Trees

Henry Steiner was known throughout the Mount Hood region as a master builder of log homes. He and his wife, Mollie, raised their family in Brightwood, where Henry built dozens of rustic cabins that still stand today. His sons, including Fred, learned the trade from him and often worked alongside him. The Henry and Fred Steiner deaths in 1953 would later mark one of the darkest moments in the community’s history, but by then, the “Steiner cabin” had already become a local hallmark of hand-built timber construction—steep-roofed, river-stone anchored, and shaped by hand rather than machine.

In the spring of 1953, the Henry and Fred Steiner deaths cast a long shadow over the Mount Hood community. Henry, a master cabin builder, vanished into the forest near Brightwood. Days later, his son Fred—who had traveled north from California to help find him—drowned in the river during the search. Their story is one of family, legacy, and quiet tragedy in the same forests where the cabins they built still stand.

Henry and Fred Steiner deaths
Henry Steiner Log Cabin Builder

The Disappearance of Henry Steiner

On Tuesday, April 7, 75-year-old Henry Steiner vanished from the wooded land near his home in Brightwood, Oregon. Though elderly, he remained active and independent. At first it was thought that he left to simply walk the forest trails he knew so well. When he failed to return, concern grew quickly.

State police, Clackamas County deputies, U.S. Forest Service crews, and Brightwood locals mounted a widespread search across the steep, forested terrain near Mount Hood. By Thursday, they had ruled out the possibility that he had taken a bus to visit family. All signs pointed to something having gone wrong in the woods.

Fred Steiner’s Search and Sacrifice

Fred Arthur Steiner, age 39, was working as a logger in Eureka, California when he learned of his father’s disappearance. He returned home to Brightwood to help with the search.

On Saturday, April 11, Fred set out with his brothers to search the Sandy and Salmon Rivers by boat. He entered the fast-moving water in a rubber life raft, with a rope attached to shore for safety. As he reached the confluence near Salmon River, the raft overturned in the rough current.

Fred could not swim, and despite the rope, he was swept downstream nearly a mile. Witnesses, including his brother John Steiner and brother-in-law Pat Carey, could do nothing. Cliff Finnell of Brightwood recovered Fred from the water after roughly 20 minutes. The Sandy Fire Department tried to revive him using an inhalator. He was rushed to Providence Hospital in Portland, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Henry and Fred Steiner deaths
Fred Steiner

Discovery of Henry Steiner’s Body

Three weeks later, on Sunday, April 26, Henry Steiner’s body was discovered along Hackett Creek, about 1½ miles northeast of Brightwood. Two men—Otto Laur of Brightwood and Lynn Fuller of Portland—were inspecting Fuller’s summer cabin when they came across the scene.

Henry had apparently sat down to rest on a stump, perhaps fatigued or disoriented, and fallen backward. His cane was still propped against the stump when his body was found. The Clackamas County Coroner, Ray Rilance, reported no sign of foul play. The cause of death was assumed to be a heart attack. His body was taken to the Holman, Hankins & Rilance Funeral Home in Oregon City.

Remembering the Henry and Fred Steiner Deaths

Henry Steiner was more than a builder—he was an artist in wood and stone. His cabins, known today as Steiner Cabins, grace the slopes of Mount Hood with steep-pitched roofs, peeled-log railings, arched doorways, and basalt fireplaces pulled from local creeks. He blended Old World technique with Northwest sensibility.

Fred, though a logger by trade, shared his father’s connection to the forest and deep sense of family. He died doing what many hope they would have the strength to do—trying to bring a loved one home.

The Henry and Fred Steiner deaths marked one of the most tragic chapters in the history of the Mount Hood corridor. But the cabins still stand, warmed by fires in hearths they built, nestled in groves they once walked. And in those woods, their legacy quietly remains.

Henry and Fred Steiner deaths
Fred and Mollie Steiner

Reliance Mt Hood Stages

Reliance Mt Hood Stages

Reliance Mt Hood Stages – First Autos to Mount Hood

Reliance Mt Hood Stages – In the early days of the road to Mount Hood, after the immigrant era, the road allowed the burgeoning new city of Portland to access the mountain for recreation. Mountain climbing and hiking the trails in the foothills in those days was the primary activity in the area. Skiing had yet to become an activity on the mountain.

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Automobiles were starting to become a practical means of transportation, but was still primitive. Most people didn’t own a car which gave stage companies an opportunity to carry fun seekers to and from the lodges and roadhouses on Mount Hood. This also gave inn keepers an opportunity to host these people because a trip to Mount Hood wasn’t a simple day trip. Many times a trip to The Mountain was a week minimum investment in time.

Lodges such as Arrah Wanna, Welches Ranch, Tawney’s Mountain Home, La Casa Monte, The Rhododendron Tavern and the Government Camp Hotel all sprang up due to a need to recreational lodging.

The flyer below gives a great representation of the mileage, the lodging available and cost of a trip to the mountain.

Those days were primitive and simple and difficult compared to this day and age, but the life that was lived seems much more fun and adventure filled than the way we live today.

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The Town of Faubion

The Town of Faubion

Faubion: The Forgotten Settlement on Mount Hood

Much has been written about how Welches, Oregon, got its name, but it isn’t the only town in the Mount Hood area that carries the legacy of its founding family. Just east of Welches and beyond the historic Zigzag Ranger Station, you’ll find Faubion Loop Road.

Although now a quiet residential area, it was once the home of the William J. Faubion family—early settlers who played a significant role in the development of the region. Their handcrafted log home and roadhouse, La Casa Monte, became a well-known stop for travelers along the old Barlow Road, which later became the Mount Hood Loop Highway.


The Faubion Family Arrives

In 1907, William and Anna Faubion moved their family to 80 acres just past Zigzag. The following year, in 1908, they built their home and named it La Casa Monte, meaning “The Mountain House.”

Like many settlers in the region, William Faubion made a living through timber work and hunting. He harvested the massive old-growth cedar trees on his land, cutting shake bolts to sell. To this day, remnants of this early logging can still be seen—several large stumps with springboard notches remain visible along Highway 26 near Faubion Loop Road.

Eventually, the family’s home evolved into something more—a place of hospitality and rest for weary travelers.


La Casa Monte: A Handcrafted Mountain Retreat

As traffic increased along the Mount Hood road, the Faubions converted their home into a roadhouse, similar to today’s bed and breakfasts. They called it La Casa Monte (“The Mountain House”), a fitting name for its rugged yet inviting presence in the wilderness.

The home itself was an architectural marvel for the time:

  • Built entirely from hand-split cedar lumber and shingles, without any milled wood.
  • Featured a large rock fireplace, made from stones collected from the banks of the Zigzag River.
  • Designed with a two-story structure, gabled roof, and wide eaves, making it both rustic and inviting.
  • The recessed front porch had arched openings, with a short staircase leading to the main entrance.

Inside, the rustic charm continued. Handmade furniture filled the rooms, and the walls were adorned with mounted animals, showcasing William’s skill as a hunter. The abundance of game in the area made hunting a necessity and a way of life for early settlers.

However, it was Anna Faubion’s cooking that truly put La Casa Monte on the map. Known especially for her huckleberry pies, she made the inn a favorite stop for early tourists heading to Mount Hood.


Faubion’s Place on the Map

As the community around the roadhouse grew, it became more than just an inn—it became a settlement of its own. The addition of a store and post office turned Faubion into an official location.

  • 1925 – The Faubion Post Office was established.
  • 1937 – The post office closed, but the store remained.

The store and post office were operated by Aneita (Faubion) and Thomas Brown, William and Anna’s daughter and son-in-law. It became a popular stop for early motorists and adventurers traveling up the Mount Hood road.

Much like the Rhododendron Inn, La Casa Monte served a critical role in accommodating early automobile tourists, who at the time took hours to reach Mount Hood due to the primitive roads and slow vehicles.


The Faubion Family Legacy

William and Anna Faubion had seven children—three boys and four girls. Their oldest daughter, Wilhelmina Jane (Jennie) Faubion, was born in Gladstone, Oregon, in 1890.

At twenty years old, Jennie married William “Billy” Welch, the son of Barlow Trail pioneers who had homesteaded the area that later became Welches, Oregon. She lived there until her passing in 1985 at the age of 95, connecting two of Mount Hood’s most historic families.

Most of the other Faubion children remained in the area, becoming well known as an important part of Mount Hood’s history.


The End of La Casa Monte and the Faubion Settlement

With the construction of the modern Mount Hood Highway (Highway 26), Faubion—like many other historic settlements—began to fade.

  • La Casa Monte was eventually lost. Few photographs exist of it today.
  • The store still stands, though it has since been converted into a private residence.
  • The post office is long gone, closing in 1937.
  • Faubion itself is no longer an official town, but the name lives on in Faubion Loop Road.

A Community That Remains

Although the original Faubion structures are gone, the community they helped establish continued to grow.

  • Arlie Mitchell, one of the first homebuyers after the property was divided into home sites, built his home here.
  • George Pinner constructed a beautiful stone house, which still exists today.

Despite the passage of time, residents of the area still recognize their community’s history. To this day, many locals proudly say they live “At Faubion.”


A Forgotten Piece of Mount Hood History

The story of La Casa Monte and the Faubion settlement is one of pioneering spirit, hard work, and adaptation. Like the Rhododendron Inn, Welch’s Hotel, and other historic mountain retreats, it was a vital part of early tourism on Mount Hood.

While nothing remains of La Casa Monte, the legacy of the Faubion family lives on in the land they settled, the stories they left behind, and the name that remains on maps today.


Discover More Mount Hood History

If you love learning about Oregon’s past, check out more stories at MountHoodHistory.com.

Do you have memories or stories about the Faubion family or La Casa Monte? Share them in the comments below!