Introducing Steven Mitchell Welches Oregon – Steven Overton Mitchell was one of the last of a generation who carved out their lives in the rugged foothills of Mount Hood. Known to most as “Steve,” he lived quietly and humbly in the mountains near Welches, Oregon, where he became a local legend for his endurance, independence, and devotion to the forested solitude he called home.
Before paved highways and modern bridges crossed the Mount Hood corridor, the pioneers who settled this region faced rugged terrain, rough trails, and river fords. One of the most vivid accounts of those early days comes from Mrs. J.T. McIntyre, an early settler of the Welches area
A Mountain Legacy Remembered A Cultural Bloom in the Heart of the Forest Just east of Portland, along the winding curves of Highway 26, sits Rhododendron, Oregon—a place not quite a town, but more than a roadside stop. Nestled in the folds of the Mount Hood National Forest, it’s a patchwork of tall trees, weathered … Continue reading Curtains in the Forest: Rhododendron Summer Theater
I’ve spent a lot of time talking with old-timers and the family members of folks who’ve lived up here in the Mountain Community for years. In one or two conversations, I’d heard tell of a woman who gained local notoriety for killing a bear that invaded her space with a garden hoe.
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.
