Dement Creek

Did you enjoy your trip into Floras Creek Valley? Well, them, let us hike up Dement Creek today.

This valley will some day be a great dairying community, hills for pasture and flats for fields.

We go through this gate above Taylor Dement’s farm and for a part of the way follow the railroad, sometime using the abandoned road-bed for the road.

Not much to see for a ways but stock and logged off land, but think how many cows this land would support under proper marketing conditions?

This is the mouth of Kite Creek and those buildings are occupied by the “Barclay Boys,” Howard and Tony and their families. Here is much grazing land and pleasant little fields. These sheep are Grandpa Chandler’s. You will see his buildings in a few moments. The road runs right through his yard. That long building is the sawmill. That mill produced lots of lumber and helped build the road you came in on. Another mill farther on (Hillis & Crook’s) was of great benefit to the community.

This pleasant place is Gilkison’s. Mr. Gilkison is a Chandler. Grandpa Chandler is an ardent lover of the land, he having settled in this county many years ago. It has been near 40 years since he took his homestead on Floras Creek. And many of his children inherit his love for this country.

To your right is Eddy’s, junior and senior. Nice building and well kept fields show their appreciation of rural life. They came from Kansas. Young Mrs. Eddy says she meets many people who came here from Kansas and none who are going back. This is the picnic ground, the scene of many neighborhood gatherings. Here School Land Creek joins Dement Creek. Let us follow School Land Creek to its source and go on up the ridge for that is the route of the proposed Broadbent-Langlois road.

We must leave the road here and follow the trail. This is the old Dewey King homestead. Mr. King made an additional entry on it. That is Brown’s house high on that bench. Presently we will be up there. Some view! What lovely flowers Mrs. Brown has and would you believe it, running water in the house! How is that for water? Did you ever taste better?

The old trail has been in use for many years. See that little pile of mountain quail feathers? Some varmint had a feast. Deer tracks! Right in the trail. Look closely, one track is larger than the other. Perhaps a doe and her yearly fawn. Grandpa Chandler lived here many years. This mowing machine, rake, etc. were all packed in here. Lack of roads caused the abandonment of this beautiful place. It is now used for pasture. This place is Charlie Chandler’s homestead. Steep isn’t it? Well we will soon be at the top. That opening you see is Charlie Harris’s homestead. Those young people have not lived in here long and just see what they have accomplished.

A short stiff climb and we are at the top of the ridge. This is the Coos-Curry County line. Down there is Floras Creek Valley. Don’t you remember where this trail turned off the road as we left Mike Trumble’s on our former trip?

Now we must retrace our steps to the Hill’s Half-Acre place. Turn to your right. We must go up this lane and over the hill. Here is the road we left at School Land Creek. This branch leads to “Doug” Hill’s homestead and this is Art Chandler’s.

We will not visit the Hill’s place today. We would not find the Hills at home. Mrs. Hill, who is a Chandler, is principal of Yellow Creek School.

Let us hasten on to Art Chandler’s. We will be sure to be invited for dinner for none is ever allowed to leave Chandler’s near meal time without eating with them. This is the old Carter place. The old house burned some time ago, Grandpa Chandler built the main part of this new house and Art added the rest this winter. That building up the hill is the school. The district has been making a lot of improvements there this winter and they have been so fortunate as to secure last year’s teacher, Mrs. Abel, for the coming term. The have summer school, you know. This school opened about 4 years ago and already has sent a student, Walter Gilkison to Myrtle Point High. These little county schools are real feeders for the higher institutions of learning.

We have spent so much time visiting that we must hasten or it will be dark long before you reach home.

Correspondent for Southern Coos County American, Feb. 23, 1928

Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge