anderson Homestead

Take a tour of this Swedish log homestead built in 1895.

Lewis Anderson, a Swedish immigrant, built this house in 1895 on Pleasant Ridge, 25 miles southwest of The Dalles. Its hand-hewn logs, mostly tamarack and some pine, came from areas farther up the ridge. The house was the social center of Pleasant Ridge in the late 1800s. There are three buildings that make up the Anderson Homestead; the log house, the granary, and the barn. The granary was a home before it was used for storing grain. The barn was the largest building on the homestead. The construction, with its careful fittings and the use of wood pegs in corners and at other intervals, reflects a high order of craftsmanship. The Anderson house was lived in until the 1950s.

It was left vacant until the Wasco County-City of The Dalles Museum commission acquired the house in 1971, moved it to The Dalles, and restored it to original condition, largely through community volunteer efforts. The Anderson Homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The Anderson Homestead is located just across the street from the Fort Dalles Museum Surgeon’s Quarters. Tours are provided by the staff of Fort Dalles Museum. You may tour the Anderson Homestead with a paid admission to Fort Dalles Museum.