Many years ago – 17, to be exact – there was no Chateau de Lis. It was 133 acres of raw land, with a little three-bedroom, 1960’s rambler on one of the 9-acre parcels, a rotting farmhouse from the early 1900’s hiding behind an enormous apple tree and a grove of aspens, and the remains of an ancient homestead at the highest point on the property. On that hill, which used to be covered in yellow daffodils in spring where the Chateau now stands, you could search carefully and find the stone foundation of the original log cabin hearth. This land was once someone’s homestead farm long, long ago, although no records have been searched to learn the exact history of 15201 S. Kirk Road in Oregon City.

The previous owners had owned the land for over 50 years. Along with most of the rest of the Oregon City, the acreage was a berry farm. Early on the owners dug a one-acre irrigation lake on the extreme northeast edge of the property in the middle of an old-growth stand of Doug firs. After the patriarch died his four sons took possession of the acreage. Two sons had moved away, and the other two deconstructed the berry farm and ran cattle. Years of overgrazing left the fields without a hint of grass, and by the time we bought it in January 2009, it was nothing but a giant patch of moss. When the mom passed, leaving behind the little 1960’s rambler infested with a million feral cats, the two brothers not connected to the land insisted that it be sold or that the other brothers buy them out. As they didn’t have the cash to own the land outright, the land and it’s various dwellings was put on the market.

We first discovered it through a friend who looks for properties as a hobby. On the Sunday after she forwarded the listing to us, John and I drove down to the end of Kirk Road on a rainy afternoon in November to see what we could see. John couldn’t resist jumping out of the car and exploring the property, and when he climbed back in his words were, “This is it. I’ve got to have this property.” He fell in love with the old growth forest, the little lake, and the beautiful scenery. I knew before we reached our home in Gresham that he had already formulated plans to enlarge the lake and put in a zip line: this was going to be John’s 133 acre playground, but I soon had other ideas . . .

That was the beginning . . . or maybe it began long before – it’s hard to say. A lot of conversations dreaming of where we’d land for the rest of our lives. Trips with our children where we stayed in beautiful homes, places where families gathered often. Beach vacations with John’s large family of seven siblings and still-growing numbers of grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where we annually renew our connections. All of these experiences through the years created the Chateau de Lis, originally a place for our families to gather, and now open to others who are building new families.

We had no idea that this journey of building our ”dream home” would lead us to opening a venue, in fact it wasn’t even allowed by state law until 10 years later. The objective was quality, authenticity, something out-of-the-ordinary, and above all, a place of delight and discovery. It’s a little bit of Disneyland, a little bit of Lord of the Rings, and a lot of hard work and imagination, a place we have poured our heads and hearts into.

Families are at the heart of this place, no matter the occasion or size. We are much more than just a venue, or a commercial enterprise. It was never built for that purpose, and it will never be geared towards that mindset. The Chateau is a place for making family memories that will last forever, and to that end we are developing our brand and our venue.

Welcome to our home. We look forward to getting to know you!