What is the history of the B&B?

Peggy's Alaskan Cabbage Patch Bed and Breakfast used to be a homestay B&B in small town far to the north in the Land of the Midnight Sun. It was there for 17 years, Peggy & Chris lived in Delta Junction, in interior Alaska.

Peggy was a Clerk of Court in Delta Junction. While Chris was a forecaster for the National weather Service in Fairbanks, 100 miles north.

Over its 13 years the B&B served mostly "rubber tire" tourist groups until we came to Oregon in 2001. The guests included Europeans, Australians, Israelis as well as many Americans and Canadians.

The "biggest" group was the 10 Houston (Texas) & Fairbanks cops who were riding bicycles from Houston to Fairbanks to raise money for Leukemia in June, 1999. (The full team included members from the Houston Police & Fire Departments, the RCMP - Canadian "Mounties" & the Fairbanks Police.)

A baby pig in the Alaskan Cabbage Patch in front of a big OS Cross cabbage

Where is Delta Junction Alaska?

Delta is a small town of about 3,000 people at the northern end of the Alaska Highway. The main income comes from the Fort Greely Army base. However, many "Deltoids" worked at Pump 9, one of the 11 jet powered pump stations on the 800-mile Alaska Pipeline.

Delta is also one of the largest farming and ranching areas in Alaska. There are many 2,000 to 3,000 acre farms raising beef & dairy cattle, Tibetan Yaks, and buffalo. Farmers also harvested wheat, hay, grass seed, and canola.

Flowering cabbage

Cabbage & petunias

OS Cross cabbage - prime moose fodder

Why is the B&B an Alaskan Cabbage Patch?

During summer in Interior Alaska things grow fast under more than 20 hours of daylight. The colorful and interesting plants of the genus Brassica last into fall.

This included ornamental (flowering) cabbage and kale, red cabbage, the huge OS Cross green cabbage. The record 98 pounds was grown by a woman for the 1990 Alaska State Fair!

Although they did not grow cabbages that big, the Alaska moose sure did like to eat what they did grow. Normally the cabbages, the mustard, the kohlrabi, and even the Brussels Sprouts would last until the first snow in late September or early October before the moose ate them all.

Sometimes the late summer B&B guests would look out their bedroom window and see mother moose and her two huge, yearling calves chomping away in late August! Thus the Alaskan and the Cabbage Patch.

Moose yearling calves eating grass on the lawn of Peggy's B&B in Delta Junction

The Alaska Bear Suite and the Alaska Wild Flower Suite

To give B&B guests in Oregon a taste of Alaskan hospitality (and a bit of Alaska's history), we have decorated the two suites to represent Alaska's wildness.

The Alaska Bear Suite is decorated with pictures of bears and a few other wild creatures. The Lodgepole log furniture and other furnishing are designed to give one the flavor of a roadhouse on the Fairbanks to Valdez trail.

The Alaska Wild Flowers Suite is decorated with pictures of the wild flowers of the tundra and forest. But there is also a bit of the romanticized Gold Rush lady "wild flowers."

(In the Pipeline era, the 1970s and 1980s, "ladies of the evening" were a frequent feature of the streets in Fairbanks. Even at 40 below, these "purple legged women" were out plying their age old trade.)

What is the Craftsman Bungalow

As you enter the B&B, a homey, relaxed, informal atmosphere awaits you. This is typical of the Craftsman Bungalow style as it symbolized for many the best of the good life at the turn of the century. This included providing privacy and independence and living close to nature with true style.

America's Arts and Crafts Movement was an evolution of the British Arts and Crafts movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. During this reform movement dedicated to preserving an age-old tradition of craftsmanship, the informal lifestyle of the British-Indian bungalow was modified by American designers into the Craftsman Bungalow.

In California, Florida, throughout the mid-west and in New York, Gustav Stickley, the Roycrafters, Green and Green, and Frank Lloyd Wright created a truly American philosophy of informal, healthy and happier home and family life.

The Stewart House from the garden in the back (2003)

The garden in early spring (2002)

The Stewart House in Lebanon

The Gordon House at the Oregon Garden

The Stewart House of Lebanon, Oregon

In Lebanon, Oregon, banker Salmon C. Stewart contracted with the Zoph Bros. or Crandell Builders to build a Craftsman Bungalow in the Parkview Subdivision. This subdivision was platted in 1911 and the Stewart's new home was built sometime around 1911-1912.

From the clear fir joist to the window seats and fire wood dumb waiter, the Stewart house is a fine example of the California "story and a half." Owing much to the chalet, this house features projecting rafters, exposed beams and brackets. In 1916, the backyard garage sported a automobile turntable so the Stewarts did not have to back their family machine into the street.

The Gordon House and Oregon Garden

Although not as unique as the famed Frank Lloyd Wright "Usonian" house, the Gordon House at the Oregon Gardens, the Stewart house is a special home.

The Gordon House is open daily for tours. Special in-depth tours occur on the first Saturday of every month. These tours are conducted by docents with architectural backgrounds and cover the theories and practices. For more details on this house click here http://www.oregongardenguide.com/gordon.html

The Oregon Garden is a pleasant afternoon drive from Peggy's Alaskan Cabbage Patch B&B. If you haven't been there yet, you must go. Click this link for more info http://www.oregongardenguide.com/

Ralston Park

A historic house
on South 2nd Street

The Santiam River

A farm just
across the river

Where is Lebanon, Oregon?

When Mr. Stewart made his home in Lebanon, it was viewed as a place for an informal, healthy home and full, robust family life. Today, Lebanon remains that place.

In the early days of the20th century, Lebanon was "The Strawberry Center of the Valley" and The Natural Market Place for Linn County's Matchless Resources" (from a promotional publication of the Lebanon Commercial Club, circa 1911), nestled In "The Valley Of The South Santiam."

It was seen by "those whose destinies have been cast in Lebanon and her tributary territory," as vibrant and growing place to live.

Today Lebanon remains an interesting place to visit and to live. The town of about 3,000 is on Highway 34/20, just 8 miles east of Interstate 5. It is 18 miles due east of Corvallis and Oregon State University and about 15 mile southeast of Albany in the mid Willamette Valley.

Lebanon is a small Oregon town with its many historic homes and the unique Santiam-Albany Canals. Bordered by the South Santiam River, Lebanon offer a chance to step back into a more relaxed time. Come spend a night, or a weekend in the comfort of Peggy's Alaskan Cabbage Patch Bed and Breakfast and enjoy the beauty and adventure of East Linn County.

A bouquet picked from the garden (2002)

Peggy's Home Cooked Breakfast

Peggy’s serves a delicious Home Cooked Breakfast as part of your visit. If you desire lighter fare, a Continental Breakfast is an option.

These Breakfasts may include... Homemade Breads, Muffins, Pastries, Omelets, Quiche, Egg Casseroles, Pancakes, and Seasonal Fruits.

If you desire (and the weather cooperates) maybe you'll enjoy breakfast outside on the back porch, overlooking the garden.

Peggy's Special Offerings

Friendship, hospitality, and good food go hand-in-hand with conversation and relaxation. Thus linger and visit while enjoying great food served buffet fashion.

That is Peggy's Alaskan Sunday Brunch or the Cabbage Patch Sourdough Tea.

The Bed & Breakfast is available for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions. Please contact us to discuss the details of your special occasion needs. Ask for a brochure about these special offerings including Alaska Sunday Brunch and Cabbage Patch Sourdough Tea.

The Brunch and Tea will be only for guests and their friends and require advance reservation.

Alaska Sunday Brunch

For those Saturday night guests, there is the possibility (for a small fee) of an Alaska Sunday Brunch. Bringing together Peggy's cooking skill and her life experiences from Alaska, the States, Spain, and Iceland. Peggy's Alaska Sunday Brunch offers a homey treat to a weekend stay.

Alaska (Land of the Midnight Sun)

For a small fee you will enjoy such Alaskan brunch treats as Halibut Olympia and Wild Blueberry Buckle. Of course Smoked Salmon, or Kachemeak Bay Shrimp & Artichoke Pasta Salad. The breakfast treats might be Gold Rush Sourdough pancakes and Delta Corn Muffins. Top them all with Low Bush Cranberry Jam, Wild Strawberry Jam or Fireweed Honey or all three!

Andalucia (Southern Spain)

Or pretend you are in a bodega or tasca in Andalucia. Enjoy appetizers & entrees from Tapas (Andalusian Little Dishes), to various gazpachos (cool summer soups) such as Gazpacho Andalus or Gazpacho de Aguacates (Avocado Gazpacho). Maybe you'll appreciate a very tasty Tortilla de Patatas del Andalucia .

Iceland & Oregon

Top it all off with Icelandic treats - Snow Crepes or Mandarínu-ostakaka (Mandarin-orange cheesecake.) Add a touch of Oregon with Willamette Champagne Peaches or try some tasty Oregon Pear and Walnut Salad. One of Chris' favorite brunch treats is Red Grapefruit and Maraschino Cherries and a cup of Special B&B Roast Coffee.

Alaska Sunday Brunch

Sourdough is:
a.) an Alaskan, a veteran of many seasons.
b.) A tangy yeast bread made from a carefully tended sourdough starter.
c.) All the above.