An Oregon Ghost Story
Dr. John McLoughlin came to the Pacific Northwest with the Hudson Bay Company and fell in love with the area. After losing his job (he was fired for giving supplies to settlers), he bought land in the Willamette Valley and founded the town now known as Oregon City. McLoughlin divided up the land into 300 plots which he gave to the poor and needy who had traveled west, searching for a new home. He later was elected Mayor of the city. Oregon City became the destination of choice for many of the folks traveling on the Oregon Trail.
When McLoughlin House was opened to the public as a museum, it swiftly became clear that someone was haunting the building. People began seeing a shadowy figure walking along the hallway and entering the room where John McLoughlin once slept. The smell of tobacco smoke sometimes permeates this smoke-free building, and it was commonly known that McLoughlin was a smoker. And sometimes footsteps sound in the corridor upstairs when no one is in the building. Perhaps McLoughlin returns occasionally to check up on his old home?
Copyrighted content: This is a retold folklore story by S.E. Schlosser, who owns the copyright. This version of the story may not be reproduced, reprinted or used in any other way without the permission of the author. Teachers may link to or photocopy this story as part of their classwork.
