The Dalles Mint was to be a

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

The Dalles The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Partially constructed in 1869, the planned two-story structure was never completed and the mint was never put into operation. Located in the downtown area of the city, the building was given to the state before it was sold to the public. The Mint building was most recently home to the Erin Glenn Winery.

History

In 1860, gold was discovered in Idaho, and this along with a gold rush in

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

created a need for a mint in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''.

Binfords & Mort Publishing Binford & Mort Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1930, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Press and Binfords & Mort. At one time they were the largest book publisher in t ...

. p. 167. Although the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

was underway, 80,000 prospectors headed for the gold fields in 1862. Raw gold dust was used as currency in The Dalles because gold had to be shipped to the

San Francisco Mint The San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint. Opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush, in twenty years its operations exceeded the capacity of the first building. It moved into a new one in 1874, now kno ...

for processing. Demand grew for a mint closer to the mines. Oregon U.S. Senator

James W. Nesmith James Willis Nesmith (July 23, 1820 – June 17, 1885) was an American politician and lawyer from Oregon. Born in New Brunswick to American parents, he grew up in New Hampshire and Maine. A Democrat, he moved to Oregon Country in 1843 where he ...

introduced an unsuccessful bill in 1862 to create a mint in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. On July 4, 1864,

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

passed a bill to authorize a new branch of the mint at The Dalles (then known as Dalles City) for minting gold and silver coins. The next year another bill unsuccessfully attempted to change the location for the mint to Portland. William Logan was appointed as superintendent of the planned mint, but he died in the shipwreck of the S.S. ''Brother Jonathan'' en route to The Dalles. Mary Laughlin donated a block of land on June 6, 1865, as a site for the mint and in 1869, construction finally began with Harvey A. Hogue as the superintendent of construction. However, the project was repeatedly delayed, and as the gold rushes waned and the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

opened, the mint become obsolete before the building could be completed and the minting equipment could be installed. The basement and first floor were completed in 1869, but in 1870 the construction was suspended, and officially abandoned in 1873. A fire destroyed much of the city in 1871, but the fact the mint was in the middle of the city block served as a

firebreak A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...

and helped stop the fire. In 1875, the federal government gave the structure to the State of Oregon, who in turn sold it to private interests in 1889. By 1940, the building was being used by the Columbia Warehouse Company. A fire in 1943 damaged the mint building, which in 1947 was repaired. The structure was also owned by Ralph's Transfer & Storage Co. before becoming the home of the Erin Glenn Winery in 2007 after a $1.5 million renovation.

Structure

The single story, high granite building also has a basement. The building has a flat roof, with arched windows. Stone for the building was quarried from Mill Creek and shipped by wagon to the site. The building measured by and cost $105,000. Built in the center of the block, the original plans called for a two-storey building to be by . A concrete block section was later added to the north side of the original structure. The building is eligible for the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP), but is just outside the NRHP-listed

The Dalles Commercial Historic District __NOTOC__ The Dalles Commercial Historic District comprises a primarily commercial and civic portion of downtown The Dalles, Oregon, United States. Strategically located at the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge and near Celilo Falls, The D ...

References

External links

Image of the buildingDowntown The Dalles Historical Commercial District
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalles Mint, The United States Mint Buildings and structures in The Dalles, Oregon Industrial buildings completed in 1869 Government buildings in Oregon 1869 establishments in Oregon

History

Structure

See also

References

External links