Samuel Welch left Virginia at the age of 19 and traveled to Oregon via the old Oregon Trail in 1842. He travelled down the Columbia River and portaged around Celilo Falls. He settled first in Brush Prairie Washington but soon claimed land near Orient, east of the Gresham.
On February 20, 1865 Sam married Francis Culbertson and his son William “Billy” Welch was born on December 24, 1866. In 1882 Sam and his son Billy took donation land claims of 160 acres each and homesteaded in the Salmon River Valley near Mount Hood, eventually expanding their holdings to around 1,000 acres. Sam farmed his land and in 1893 he and Billy started the first resort in the area, which was a campground for travelers and vacationers. He was known as Uncle Sam to his friends.
Samuel died in 1898 and Billy continued the operation. Their land is where The Resort at The Mountain now lies.
You can read more about Welches at HERE.
Who was Ira Welch of the 1896 ledger book that William Welch wrote in to keep tract of store credit accounts.