The Balch Hotel was constructed in 1907 by a local businessman and landowner, Charles Balch. It was intentionally designed to function as a commercial lodging building.

The history of the Balch Hotel?s site can be traced back to the mid 1800s when it was first used as a homestead. The community grew until a need for a place to accommodate travelers became apparent. The Balch Hotel was constructed in answer to this need and became one of the only two sites in Dufur Valley that had electricity at the time, the other one being the Dufur saw mill.

With its great contributions to the development of the community, the Balch Hotel has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It continues to be a privately owned inn until today.