My.EOU Portal Current Students Faculty/Staff
Apply Visit Request Info Give Now
Hunt Hall was originally named Dorion Hall in memory of Marie Aioe Dorion.
Marie Aioe Dorion was the only female member in a cross-country expedition to the Pacific Northwest in 1810. She traveled with her husband, Pierre Dorion, along with her two children and several other men, sent by the Pacific Fur Company.
During the expedition, Marie’s husband was murdered along with many of his trapping party, leaving Marie Dorion alone with her two young children. While trying to reach another safer fur trading station, she was stranded in the Blue Mountains and survived with her two young sons for 50 days in winter weather. This strong woman was chosen to be memorialized in the naming of the women’s dorms.
The original section of Dorion Hall was the third building built on campus in 1939 (Inlow Hall was built in 1929 and Ackerman was built in 1935).
During World War II Dorion Hall also served the Army’s needs. The Army aviation students in training became the residents of Dorion Hall and the women were temporary moved to another hall.
Section B was added in 1948 and was renamed Hunt Hall, in memory of the Wilson Hunt Price group, the group that Marie Dorion was traveling with. Side A (the original building) then housed the women and Section B (the new addition) became the men’s dorm. Another wing was added in 1955 and the final section was built in 1963.
In the 1970’s, Side A (the original building) was vacated due to safety concerns with the structure. The remaining wings of Hunt Hall were then used for on-campus housing for both Women and Men until 2014. By the summer of 2014, all wings were vacated due to growing safety concerns, egress problems, and the expense of maintaining the historical structure. The EOU residents of Spring Term 2014 were the final residents to call Hunt Hall home.