History of the Tualatin Country Club
Chris Myrvold, the Country Club's official historian shares the wealth of knowledge he has learned about Tualatin's oldest continuous business.
CHRIS MYRVOLD’s KEY POINTS
Opener: What does Tualatin Name Mean?
· Atfalati Tribe meaning:
o Many speculate
§ Slow Lazy River
§ Forked River
§ Flat land
· Atfalati Tribe top scholars: meaning “We the People” by the Lake (Wapato).
How did we get from Atfalati to Tualatin?
· Fur traders related with tribes through Chinook Jargon
· 1st maps had names and places that would have been helpful for traders to communicate
· They would get anglicized
o Twalaty
o Tualatin
· Forest Grove was the first town to be called Tualatin (close to Wapato Lake where they main village was)
Summary:
The name Tualatin means a connection between tribes and land.
Land:
Scott Burns, PHD, PSU Professor (played high school golf and long time friend of David Weiner)
· Ice Age Flood Institute,
· Tualatin Ice Age Foundation,
· Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
Key estimates:
· 500 square miles of water dumped in 2 days
· Energy equivalent of 90 times more powerful than biggest nuclear bomb detonated
400 feet high of water in Portland
Bridgeport Mall area gravel bar
Tualatin Country Club Sand deposits
Current Ripples (causing the rolling hills at TCC)
Tribes, Atfalati:
· 2,000 people in the Tualatin Valley who lived in winter villages and then scattered around the land during summer
· When early explorers came in 1800’s the tribe had 1,000 people 17-20 Winter Village camps (50 people)
· Their main place to gather was in Gaston at Wapato Lake and the Willamette Falls in Oregon City.
· They used Tualatin River as a main source of transportation.
· They would have used the land at Tualatin Country Club to Big Game Hunt or pick Blackberries by the river.
· Nearest Winter Village would have been Just west of Cook Park.
Donation Land Claim Act:
John and Marie Sweek
· Sold Land for railroads
· Forward thinking business people who donated land for the 1st church and named the town Tualatin. (In 1913)
· Sold the land claim to TCC
Aaron Meier
· Took last claim in Tualatin area
· Started Meier and Frank
· Son Julius was TCC’s 1st GM and became Governor of Oregon
Jewish Pioneers
· 3rd Golden Age when everything went right for the Jews in the Western United States (King David/Solomon,Spain 1200’s, 1850-1899 West US)
· Even so, unable to Join Waverley (The only Golf Club in Portland) due to faith/religious beliefs.
· Tzedakah, (seh-duh-kuh): Meaning outgrowth focused to the Community-at-large (Charity/Justice/what is right) https://www.jmaw.org/value-of-philanthropy/
· Roscoe Nelson from Richmond Virginia, founder of club, “brains behind the operations”, Most years invested at the club as president.
· Concordia Club to Tualatin Country Club (Continual structure of committees i.e. House, Boards and Presidents)
Golf Course:
· George “Scotty” Junor 1st superintendent and designer of the 1st 9 holes. 33 courses he designed in the area including Astoria Country Club, Broadmoor, Hood River, Orchard Hills, Roseburg
· Johnny Junor 1st Golf Pro, won the NW Open, became Portland Golf Club’s first GM.
· Chandler Egan, 2nd nine. Waited to design till after World War 1. Longest Par 5 in the NW (#6) 6300 yards of championship play. Chandler’s most famous work is Pebble Beach redesign (16 of 18 greens) including #7 and #17. Bobby Jones before Bobby Jones. Multiple US Am winner.
· Oregon State Championship (OGA) held in 1922 at TCC. Put Tualatin on the map .
Golf Pioneers:
· Walter Eames (2nd longest tenured TCC Superintendent). Was creative with small budget including the first nursery for golf courses in the area.
· Oregon Sports Hall of Fame member Dr. Millard Rosenblatt. Guinness Book of Records longest time between club championships (44 years) and 12 total. Teams with Eames to save club during challenging early years. Did the same for the OGA.
· Bob McReynolds time with Tualatin CC was extremely valuable to him personally. Last project before he died in ’99. Never saw light of day until Mike Klenz recommended Chris to go to the room named after him at OGA Headquarters.
Modern Age (John Fought):
John Fought (Member for 58 years and Renown Golf Course Designer)
· Winner of US Am, Walker Cup, Trans-Miss, Broadmoor, Pacific Coast, NW Open. #1 ranked Amateur in the World in 1977 (Golf Digest).
· PGA Tour Q School Medalist, Back-to-Back winner on the PGA Tour, 1979 Rookie of the Year, 5th at the ’83 PGA Championship.
· A highly regarded Course Architect with 50+ projects completed including famed courses (Tualatin CC, Pumpkin Ridge, Reserve, Langdon Farms, Crosswater, Black Butte, Centennial, Washington National, Trophy Lake, Windsong Farm, The Gallery, Pine Needles, Dallas Country Club, The Farms Rancho Santa Fe, Country Club of Jackson, Rush Creek, and many more!)
Social Hub of Inclusivity and Camaraderie (Roscoe Nelson):
Roscoe Nelson III (Member for 75 years, Proprietary for 50)
· Past President of Tualatin Country Club
· Attorney at Nelson-Nelson started by Roscoe Nelson Jr. and himself.
· Grandson of Roscoe C. Nelson, Club Founder and Supreme Court Attorney
Key facts:
Founded 1912, Jewish Only
2nd Oldest Club in Portland and 4th oldest in state
Oldest Jewish only Golf Club west of the Mississippi
Founded the Oregon Golf Association (100 year anniversary in 2024)
1963 opened membership to non-Jews. (Curt Tigard joined in ’64, 5th non-Jew)
1969 New Clubhouse built (current building)
1989 Course Renovation by current member and top designer John Fought
2005- current “Cooperative sanctuary designation” from Audubon International
Established to be an elite private club and is currently a top 15 club in the NW (Based on Dues/Initiation Fee).
2022 OGA Golf Facility of the Year and top 100 workplace in Oregon.
