Rockhouse History
The Rockhouse was built circa 1872 by the Parks family. Around 1920, Tom and Violet Glover Skinner began renting the property and eventually purchased the Rockhouse, the neighboring ranch, and Pharmacy Hill in 1929. Tom was a rancher and the youngest son of Silas Skinner, who built the Skinner Toll Road to Silver City in 1866. Violet Glover Skinner was a school teacher who taught all eight grades in a one room schoolhouse 10 miles north of Jordan Valley. Tom and Violet lived in the Rockhouse with their four children; Tom, Gard, Jim and Rae, until they moved next door to the cracker box ranch house. Families, friends, ranch hands, and miners lived in the Rockhouse for over half a century. The Skinner family kept and passed the property down through the family. In 1990, Gard’s children; Gard Jr, Steve, Rick, Libby, David, and Jon purchased the property.
In 2000, Steve and David restored the building and converted it into Skinners Rockhouse Coffee. The Rockhouse is now owned by David and his wife Patty. Its purpose is to provide a unique oasis for locals and travelers, and to preserve the rich heritage of Jordan Valley, Oregon.
