Provolt Store - Provolt, Oregon
The
Provolt Store
was started about 1875 by Samuel Provolt. Mr. Provolt was born in 1832
in Indiana, and was one of 12 children. The current owner indicated
that he had heard from old timers in the area that the store may have
been moved from across the street to its present location.
Leaving Indiana in 1864 in an oxen drawn 68 wagon train, Samuel
Provolt made it to Montana, where he stayed for a year before making the
move to Oregon.
Everything Sam Provolt did, he seemed to prosper at. Aquiring 380
acres in his new home, he was extraordinarily successful in gold mining
and his agricultural ventures.
In 1859, while still in Indiana, he married Harriet Newell, and their
children all had names that began with ETH: EthUlysses, EthElbert,
EthElzia, EthelEffie, EthOrlia, EthAgness and EthAngia.
Later in years Sam had massive property holdings in Grants Pass.
According to the current owner, the
Provolt Store had been a stage stop, and housed a U.S. Post Office from 1895 to 1955.
Randy allowed us to look at one of the postal records from 1905.
Every transaction was recorded in a ledger. Some of the books were on
loan to locals researching their "family trees."
A lot of history hangs on the walls in the
Provolt Store, and they
have an enormous variety of goods, right down to
a supply of nuts, bolts and screws to rival the big city stores.
Stop in and have a soda and one of "Randy's Specialty Dogs," a popular lunch treat for the valley.
