History of the
Upper Coquille Valley
By Darrell Gulstrom
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(Authors Note: Whenever possible, when there was an error in the original article I corrected spelling errors.)
Special Acknowledgement to Orvil Dodge, Alice Wooldridge, Kurt Beckham, Boyd Stone, Eric Peterson and Patti Strain for the privilege republishing their work.
Special thanks to Bob Hyatt and Richard Hancock for proofreading.
Special thanks to the staff at Hillsboro Public Library.
Special thanks to Earnest Rollins Collection, Coquille Valley Histroical Society Collection and Coos Historical Society Collection for use photos for those collections.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darrell Gulstrom was born and raised in Myrtle Point, growing up in Arago. His parents were D.B. “Swede” Gulstrom and Mary Ann Gulstrom. Darrell graduated from Myrtle Point High School in 1978.
After graduation he entered US Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix, AZ. After four years he returned to the area. Due to economic reasons he moved up to Salem in 1985. He currently lives in Beaverton with his wife Karen. He has two children Ryan and Annika who live in Salem.
In 2012 he received the Distinguished Toastmaster Award from Toastmasters International. He currently owns 4077 Mobile Notary and is does mobile notary services.
ISBN# 978-0-9894191-2-3 ● First Edition September 2014
Copyright - All Rights Reserved
Printed by Myrtle Point Printing – 541-572-3214
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INDEX OF STORIES
Myrtle Point Woman Killed In Bandon Beach Mishap 5
Wooldridge Rites Held In Coquille 5
SECTION 1: THE PIED PIPER
Elgin Heimer 6
Why Compile History 7
The Upper South Coquille 7
Pop Goes the Carrot 8
Schools of the Upper Coquille Valley 10
Post Offices of the Upper Coquille Valley 14
Myrtlewood in the Coquille Valley 17
SECTION 2: MYRTLE POINT
Myrtle Point Beginnings 18
Meyersville—Ott-Myrtle Point 20
Is It Kitchen Creek or Catching Creek 25
Fourth of 1861 Described in Old Files 26
The Pioneer Rackleff Family 27
The Ship Builders 31
The Myrtle Point Transportation Company 31
An Indian Love Story 34
The Daniel Giles Manuscript 35
Giles Bricks 69
The Trail of Christian Lehnherr 69
Local Music Begins with Piano 71
The US Mail 71
Emigration From North Carolina 73
Radabaugh Family Comes 75
Myrtle Point Grows 76
The Opera House 79
Hotels of the Past 80
Newspapers from 1889 81
The Great Flood of 1890 83
Fires of 1892 84
A Growing Town 85
First Train to Myrtle Point 85
Flogging Post Law 87
Myrtle Point in 1911 87
Coos County Fair 87
The Myrtle Point Highway 89
Early School Days 90
The Mast Hospital 92
Dr. Mast Killed Sunday, Falls From Window 92
The Historic Round Building 94
A Murder at Myrtle Point 96
A Myrtlewood Church 96
Guerin’s Western Adventure Begins 97
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SECTION 3: NORWAY
The Barklows Come to the Coquille Valley 127
Original Settlers at Norway had Many First 129
Sol J McCloskey 130
Years Ago At Norway 131
A Murder at Norway 141
SECTION 4: ARAGO
Arago 151
David Hall Early Settler of Hall Prairie 152
Arago Basketball goes to State 154
Andrew Smalley of Halls Creek 156
Churches on Fishtrap 158
Used Horsewhip 159
Graduates from Arago High School 160
Arago Class Graduate Next Week 162
Arago School Opens Tuesday 162
Arago to Vote On School Issue 162
Oscar’s—The Place to go in Arago 163
SECTION 5: BRIDGE
Bridge 171
Middle Fork Wagon Road 174
The Cawrse Family Tragedy 175
Riverboats, Stagecoaches and Pack Trains 175
Stagecoach Days on Myrtle Point Roseburg Highway 179
SECTION 6: BROADBENT
Hoffman Wayside 184
The Hoffman Family 185
Brief History of the Emigration of the Baltimore Colony in 1859 186
Dement Creek 191
SECTION 7: DORA
Sitkum, Gateway to Coos County 200
Dora is a Nice Place to Live 201
Gearhart Family of Pleasant Hill 203
William Abernathy Oldest living Pioneer 220
The Abernathy House 220
Sturdivant Homestead 223
The Coos Bay Wagon Road and the Mast 225
Sherman Baylor of Gravel Ford 227
SECTION 8: POWERS
Eckley 233
The Powers Story 234
The Albert Powers Story 236
Region Shocked By Word of Car Crash 237
Maloney Wires About Accident 240
Feudin, Fighten, and Fussin in Powers 241
Rowland Prairie 242
History of Haley & Haley 243
William Rowland 245
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This book is dedicated to Alice H. Wooldridge
MP Woman Killed In Bandon Beach Mishap
Bandon—A high wave rolled up the south jetty beach here late Tuesday (12-26-72) afternoon causing a water-soaked log to knock down a 74 year old Myrtle Point woman and sweep her out to sea.
The body of Mrs. Alice H. Wooldridge of 655 6th St, Myrtle Point, was recovered a short time later on the beach.
Also injured when the surprisingly high wave hit the group of three adults and three children was Mrs. Mavourn King about 30 of Oregon City, Mrs. Wooldridge’s niece. Mrs. Lang, was rushed to the hospital.
Sheriff’s deputies said Mrs. Lang’s husband Vernon was able to rescue his wife and three small youngsters from the suddenly high water but could not locate Mrs. Wooldridge in time.
Mrs. Lang was taken to Southern Coos County General Hospital here and later transferred to Keizer Memorial Hospital in North Bend with several broken ribs and damaged lungs. She was reported in fair condition today.
Sheriff’s deputies said the mishap took place in high winds, heavy seas and high tide. US Coast Guardsmen were unable to join the search immediately because of the rough surf. By the time the sheriff’s men arrived the body had been recovered.
Mrs. Wooldridge’s body was taken to the Bandon Chapel of Coos Mortuaries.
Wooldridge Rites held in Coquille
Graveside services for Alice Margaret Wooldridge, 75, who died Tuesday, Dec. 26, in Bandon in a drowning accident, were held Friday at 2pm in Myrtle Crest Memorial Gardens in Coquille. The Rev. Wilmer Briggs of Myrtle Point United Methodist Church officiated.
Mrs. Wooldridge, nee Hoover, was born Sept. 24, 1897, in Eugene. She attended Whitman College in Washington and graduated from Western Washington College in Bellingham and then taught school in Camas, WA.
Listed in “Who’s who in America,” Mrs. Wooldridge was author of “Genealogy of One Branch of The Hoskinson Family.” She also compiled the book “Pioneers and Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley.” She was a longtime secretary of the Coos-Curry Pioneer and Historical Society and held the position at the time of her death. She was also a director of the Genealogical Forum. A past regent of the Daughters of The American Revolution, Mrs. Wooldridge was also a past worthy matron of the Order of Eastern Star and past mother advisor of the Rainbow Assembly. She was a member of Broadbent Grange, Society of Mayflower Descendents and the Retired Teachers Association.
A resident of Myrtle Point for the last 47 years, Mrs. Wooldridge was preceded in death by her husband, Charles F. Wooldridge. They were married in the early 1920s and he operated a plumbing shop in the Myrtle Point area.
Surviving are a son, Charles F. Jr.; granddaughter, Dianna Bradford; grandson, Don Wooldridge; and great granddaughter, Natalie Bradford, all of Gold Beach.
It was Mrs. Wooldridge wish that memorials to her be directed to the Flora M. Laird Library of Myrtle Point in care of A.C. Walsh, Box 99 Coquille.
Arrangements were under the direction of Myrtle Point Chapel of Coos Mortuaries
(These two Obits were found in a library book of Pioneers and Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley. Source unknown.)
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Section 1
The Pied Piper
Heimer Statue Fund
As you may know there has been an on going effort to erect a bronze statue of Mr. Elgin Heimer. The budget for the project is $30,000. To date $17,000 has been raised. Another $13,000 is needed to complete the project. We feel that this is an important project for the people of Myrtle Point. I feel that if another generation passes by, people will not know who Mr. Heimer was.
This book has been lovingly compiled as a venue to raise funds for the project. Our goal is to sell 800 books at $35.00.
The fundraising for the Elgin Heimer Statue Fund is ongoing. Please send donations to Elgin Heimer fund 2373 NW 185th Ave, PMB 265, Hillsboro, OR 97124.
Bust of Mr. Heimer Mr. Heimer playing tricks with children
Elgin Heimer was born on a homestead northeast of Potter, Nebraska to David and Sarah Herboldsheimer in 1894. One of 13 children they lived in a stone house that was put on the National Register of Historic Place in 1991.
Elgin joined the Marines in 1917, age 23, after working on a construction crew that helped build the California Aqueduct. His last visit to Nebraska followed his discharge from the Marines after World War I on his way to the Pacific Northwest.
He came to Coos County in 1926, worked in logging and ranching before retiring in Myrtle Point in 1950. He spent the next 30 years, until his death December 11, 1982, entertaining people, especially children. With his magic tricks each afternoon on his long walks through town.
Each August Elgin led the town’s big Fair parade. Juggling and performing his sleight-of-hand tricks as the children followed. For years he gave the children arise reed whistles and spinning tops he made from wooden thread spools.
He was a book lover, taught himself trigonometry, wrote poetry, and was an avid chess player. He spent much time visiting the elderly at the nursing home. In 1973 the students at Myrtle Point High School dedicated their yearbook to him. In 1981 he was
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called ‘Pied Piper of Myrtle Point,” And was named Grand Marshall of the Coos County Fair Parade. He was widely interviewed on statewide and national television.
His home on top of a hill overlooking the Coquille river Valley was surrounded by his carefully cultivated raspberry bushes and apple trees. He generously shared both raspberries and apples whenever family would visit. Family members remember him as loving children, Oregon, the ocean, and showing off his community. He left his modest home to the city of Myrtle Point and his estate to the Flora M. Laird Memorial Library of Myrtle Point. Former City Manager Bud Schmidt said “Heimer was devoted to the city and left his estate to the city for an addition to the library which is named for him. As the memory of this local legend begins to fade, citizens have renewed the idea of making his remembrance more visible, more personal and more lasting.” Efforts were begun to create a life-size statue of Heimer on Spruce Street in the downtown area.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Why Compile History?
History is the account of things said and done in the past, preserved by memory or in writing. In this sense, each of us has a history—an account of where we come from and how we got to be who we are. Communities, likewise, some long gone, each have a history. So, too do nations, families, and human groups of every sort.
History serves us in many ways. It can inspire us with stories of exemplary lives, difficult work circumstances, or caution us with tales of human folly and wickedness.
History can inform and educate us by providing the context and perspective that allow us to make thoughtful decisions about the future. And history has the power to delight and enrich us, enlarging and intensifying the experience of being alive.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
*********************************************************************
The Upper South Coquille
By Orvil Dodge written in the
Early 1870s
The Upper South Coquille, some say,
Is from Coos Bay too far away,
But we don’t think so: for we love,
In cedar groves we love to rove.
Here on our Upper South Coquille,
Our settlers all are living well,
Each has his farm and garden, too,
And makes his “grub” as others do.
We have a little mill hard by,
A little creek, which doth supply
Us all with flour, as fine and good
As any needs for wholesome food.
Our hogs and cattle oft’ we sell
To merchants on the Lower Coquille,
For which our groceries we buy;
Each were a bountiful supply.
We eat fat beef whene’er we choose,
Fat venison and elk don’t refuse;
We tan the hides and make our shoes,
And live as happy as the Jews.
In summer time we work our farms,
Which yield enough to fill our barns,
When winter comes, it is our rule
To send our children all to school.
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Here we of cedar trees can boast,
As fine as any on the coast;
Though we’ve no sawmills,
we can sell
Our cedar on the Lower Coquille.
Our river is both deep and wide,
And gracefully our logs will glide,
Down, down the river, till they boom.
Like specters, in the loggers boom.
Here on our Upper South Coquille,
We’ve no saloon nor gambling hall,
To mar the morals of our youth,
And lead them from the ways of truth.
Although we live among the hills,
The mountain creeks, brooks and rills,
We have our books and papers, too,
And read the news as others do.
From such temptations we are free,
Why should we then not happy be?
Why should we not delight to dwell,
Upon our Upper South Coquille?
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
********************************************************************
Pop Goes the Carrot
Indian stories told down through the ages.
COYOTE STORY: The Coyote story that has the wildest recognition among the Coquille Indians is “Pop Goes the Carrot.” Sometimes it is called “How the Salmon got Greasy Eyes” but that title illustrates the pitfall that Lopez noted: a 20th century emphasis on mythic stories as explanations for natural phenomena. In any case, “Pop Goes the Carrot” is a delightfully bawdy story that takes Coyote through many adventures; its story line, told to us by Tony Tanner and by Wilfred Wasson, goes as follows:
Coyote was walking up Big Creek when he encountered some young salmon females and impregnated them. When the other animals found out, they became angry with him and drove him out. He found himself in a hailstorm, so he looked for shelter and hid in a hollow tree. Like the animals, the tree became angry with Coyote and after the storm was over it wouldn’t let him out: finally his only resource was to cut to cut himself into small pieces and throw himself out a small opening, piece by piece. He reconstituted on the other side but, unfortunately, not before Raven ate one of the tiny pieces.
Ravenously hungry, Coyote found many wild strawberries to eat but they didn’t satisfy his hunger. Oh my, he found out what the Raven had eaten, his rectum! The food would not stay in Coyote’s stomach! So Coyote searched for a plug and finally, after trying several, found a suitable one—a wild carrot, which, cemented in place with pitch from a tree. Then, Coyote went on his way until he found some sea gulls playing jump over the fire. He joined the game and played closer and closer to the fire when: POP! goes the carrot! The fire had melted the pitch, and the carrot was released, plus the excrement too! The sea gulls chase and scolded him for the mess he caused. To escape, Coyote jumped into the sea and found himself in the stomach of a whale. By cutting out the heart of the whale, thus killing it, he floated to the shore. There he found his eyes were filled with whale blubber. He headed back up Big Creek and found some salmon, who, after persuasion, agreed to exchange his eyes
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with him. Coyote obtained bright, clear eyes, and the salmon’s eyes became (and have remained, up until now) greasy.
Coyote went through many transformations, but he came back to the point where he had started out. For youngsters who heard the story, the high point was the popping out of the carrot; the listeners knew it was coming and they relished it all the more. Along the way the story may have provided mythic explanations for the origins of natural phenomena, but probably these were not the point of the story, or at best were only some of many points that the stories made.
The Coquille Indians Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Roberta L Hall
Map from 1895
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Schools of the Upper Coquille Valley 1890 – 1940
Arago School District #3 1886-1982
District formed in 1886
Arago School 1920
Halls Creek #59, Excelsior #67, Lower Fishtrap #20
And West Norway #80 consolidated with Arago in 1919
Arago High School 1923-1943
Consolidated with Myrtle Point in 1963
Bancroft or Myrtle Creek School #52
Located on Myrtle Creek above Bridge
District formed in 1891
School closed and consolidated with Bridge in 1945
Base Hill School District #88
Near Dement Creek
Formation of District unknown
Consolidated with Broadbent in 1947
Big Creek School District #15
Formation of District Unknown
Abandoned in 1923
Bridge School District #77
Formation of District 1894
Enchanted School started in 1871
High School was established in 1914
School closed 1998
Bridge School
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Beliue School
Formation unknown
Location half way between Bridge and Remote
Broadbent School District #2
Formation unknown
Original location on JJ Jackson property. A newer school was built in 1870 and operated until 1906 when the students moved into the new Eckhoff School, which became known as the Broadbent in 1916.
Broadbent School
Dement School District #78
Formation unknown
Location grant from William Dement
Consolidated with Broadbent
Dora School District #32
Formation of District 1872
Location grant form RJ Schofield
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1949
Eden Valley School District #70
Formation of district 1914
Location on grant from Joseph Magill
Consolidated with Bridge in 1936
Etalka School District #47
Formation of District in1891 The Rowland Prairie District #47 may have been formed earlier 1880, then renamed Etalka.
Consolidated with Myrtle Point District 1959. School closed in 1961.
Excelsior or Upper Fishtrap School District #67
Formation of District 1897
Location on grant from Marshall Steel
Consolidated with Arago in 1920
Gravel Ford Academy
Seventh Day Adventists School
Formed 1900
Gravel Ford School District #28
Formation of District 1878
Location on grant from Alexander Jackson
Consolidated with Shiloh and Pleasant Hill 1940
Halls Creek School District #59
Formation of District in 1860
Consolidated with Arago in 1920
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Lampa School District #4
Formation of District 1905
Located on grant from WH Waddington
Lee Valley School District #23
Formation of District 1888
Lee Valley School
From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hall Strain
Located on grant from RH Mast
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1949
Lower Catching Creek School District #34
Formation of District unknown land grant 1908
Located on grant from NE Barklow and EW Jones
Consolidation unknown
Lower Fishtrap School District #20
Formation of District 1873
Located on grant from WT Perry
Consolidated with Arago 1920
McKinley School District #27
Formation of District 1897
Located on grant from H Shepard
Consolidation unknown
Myrtle Point School District #41
Formation of District 1872 as Ott, changed to Myrtle Point 1876
Myrtle Point High School started 1905-06
Norway School District #43
Formation of District 1876
Location on grant from WT Perry
Consolidation with Myrtle Point 1949
Pleasant Hill School District #74
Formation of District 1905
Located on lease from G Folsom
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1940
Pleasant Hill School District #24
Formation of District 1876
Located on grant from William Rackleff
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Consolidated with Myrtle Point in 1945
Pleasant View School District #73
Formation of District 1901
Located on grant from JF Stevens
Consolidated with Myrtle Point
Remote School District #50
Formation of District 1887
Located on grant from LB Fetter
Consolidated with Bridge 1950
Shiloh School District #48
Formation of District 1860s
Located on grant from JL Crosby
Consolidated with Gravel Ford, McKinley, Pleasant Hill 1940
Sitkum School District #65
Formation of District 1873
Located on grant from JS Coke
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1950
Sugar Loaf School District #37T
Formation of District 1895
Located on grant from William Hall
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1914
Twin Oaks School District #5
Formation of District boundaries 1884
Located on grant from Catherine Strong
Consolidated with Myrtle Point 1948
West Norway School District #80
Formation of District unknown
West Norway School 1906
Located on grant from HL Carl
Consolidated with Arago 1924
Remember When Coos County Schools 1890-1940
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Post Offices of the Upper Coquille Valley
Being away from home and extended family became the most difficult for the women moving west with husbands and children. A frontier mother managed without a floor in the house, but she would like a post office. Timely and regular delivery was an early fantasy, people made do with what they had, which was very little. Passers-by were asked to deliver a letter on up the line until they reached “home.” Settlements developed trading post with a box on the counter or a clean flour sack hung on a peg to deliver or pick up mail, not by regular delivery but by a Good Samaritan going the same direction as the letter.
The first Coos County post office was at Port Orford, established March 27, 1855 with Reginald R. Smith as Postmaster. Port Orford was located in Coos County until the Territorial legislature created Curry County in December 1855. However, it was not until 1856 that Coos County’s organization became operative. Late Coos County did not have an official post office until April 30, 1858 when John J. Jackson became the first postmaster in Empire City. Coquille Valley’s first post office came about a year later.
Lampa, established May 9, 1905, was located in J.L. Bean’s General Store. “Located on Lampa Creek, not far from its junction with Coquille River,” about 7 miles due east of Bandan. The office was named after local settler Seth Lampa, who was mentioned by Dodge. James L. Beam was the firs postmaster, the office closed in 1918.
Arago, established April 7, 1886, located about a mile west of right bank of Coquille River about 4 ½ miles northwest of Myrtle Point and 6 miles due south of Coquille. Arago, once located on the river, was served by riverboats. Arago established in 1855, formerly called Hall Prairie voting precinct, was renamed by Judge John Henry Schroeder for Cape Arago, which is some 18 miles to northwest sheltering Coos Bay. William H. Schroeder was first postmaster, office in operations until 1959 when it was discontinued as a rural station of Myrtle Point. (Oscar Harper bought the store in 1948 and maintained a post office in the store until the store closed in 1990.)
Norway, established May 15, 1876, on the right or west bank of Coquille River, where Norwegian settlers named the wayside after their home county of Norway. In 1882 Oden Nelson sold his store at the new Norway, on left or north bank of the river to Sol J. McCloskey who became postmaster; in 1893 Southern Pacific Railroad came through Norway 6 miles south of Coquille in the upper Coquille Valley. The new Norway post office closed after 100 years of service.
McKinley, established July 22, 1897, located about 3 miles southeast of Fairview on Middle Creek, tributary to the Coquille and near the former Coos Bay Wagon Road as it crossed Cherry Creek. Office named for President William McKinley. Closed in 1954.
Lee, established May 5, 1888, located on the North Fork of the Coquille in Lee Valley, about 5 miles east of Coquille. William P. Mast was the first postmaster and named the office for General Robert E. Lee. Closed in 1928, mail forwarded to Coquille.
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Sitkum, established May 9, 1873, located on the Roseburg-Coos Bay Wagon Road on East Fork of Coquille River, about 6 miles east of Dora. The name is Chinook Indian jargon meaning “half.” Sitkum is ½ way between Roseburg and Coos Bay. Sitkum was both a tavern and roadhouse serving travelers and their horses in 1873, the wagon road opened one year earlier. People arrived on foot, horseback, stagecoach, or on wagons hauling freight. William F. Flook was the first postmaster. The office closed in 1880, but was reestablished August 1890 and continued operation until 1964 when mail transferred to Myrtle Point.
Dora, established August 10, 1874, located on Coos Bay Wagon Road about 6 miles west of Sitkum. John H. Roach, first postmaster, named office for daughter, Dora. Closed in 1939 and mail forwarded to Myrtle Point.
Luda, established June 3. 1901, located on East Fork of Coquille about 4 miles east of Gravel Ford, named after David C. Krantz’s daughter Luda Krantz. Her father was first and only postmaster closed in 1902 after 15 months, forwarded to Gravel Ford, which had been in operation many years.
Gravel Ford, established April 9, 1878, located at a natural fording place at junction of the East Fork and North Fork of Coquille River, about 5 miles northeast of Myrtle Point. Named transformed to “Gravel ford” about 1896. Solomon J. McCloskey, first postmaster; closed in 1924.
Remote, established June 1, 1887, on Middle Fork of Coquille River, above the mouth of Sandy Creek, about 7 miles east of Bridge. The office was named for its relative isolation. Herman S. Davis was the first postmaster. The office closed in January 1910, but was reestablished in August 1917. The closure date is unknown.
Enchanted Prairie, established January 9, 1871, east of present day Bridge, on a small prairie near Middle Fork of Coquille. The prairie had great spiritual significance to the Indians. For settlers and travelers that spent the night there it was indeed a mystic experience. Rufus P. King was the first postmaster. The office was closed in 1883, mail went to Angora.
Angora, established August 3, 1883, after Enchanted Prairie closed, about 4 miles east of Bridge near Middle Fork of Coquille River. It was named for goats raised in the area. Rollin S. Belknap was first postmaster, office closed in 1894, mail forwarded to Oak, prior to Bridge post office opening.
Bridge, established July 6, 1894, about 10 road miles southeast of Myrtle Point near Angora post office, Thomas E. Manley was the first postmaster, office closed 1945, mail forwarded to Myrtle Point.
Bancroft, established July 28, 1892, eight miles south of Bridge on Myrtle Creek, a tributary of Middle Fork of Coquille River. Burrel R. Banning was the first postmaster Office closed in 1939, mail transferred to Bridge.
Oak, established February 28, 1891, located about 4 miles west of Bridge on Middle Fork of Coquille River. Closed in 1902.
Rural, established August 21, 1890, on South Fork of Coquille River, about 3 miles upriver from Powers. Descriptively named Rural, it was the end of the line except for Eden and Dothan. James O. Hayes was the first postmaster. The office closed in 1915 when mail was forwarded to Powers.
Powers, established July 24, 1915, on South Fork of Coquille on former Wagner Ranch at southern terminus of Southern Pacific Railroad, 22 miles south of Myrtle
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Point. Town and post office named for Albert H. Powers, ½ owner of Smith-Powers Logging Company. Gustaveous A Brown was first postmaster.
Custer, established July 19, 1893, about 7 miles northwest of Powers on Wagon Road from Myrtle Point to Port Orford via Langlois. The office was named for Custer Hermann. The office closed in 1901 with mail forwarded to Eckley post office.
Eckley, known early as New Castle and for a month or so in 1883 as Tell Tale, was established December 19, 1879 by the George Guerin family, and became Eckley June 29, 1883, closed in 1916.
Hare, the post office on the wagon road over the Langlois Mountain to Myrtle Point. The post office opened in 1891, Joe Hare owned 400 acres there and may have been the first postmaster/ The Frank Strain family purchased the property and operated the post office from 1900 until closed in 1913.
Rowland, established February 12, 1880, on South Fork Coquille River, about 3 miles south of Gaylord, near Rowland Creek. Named intended to honor William Rowland, pioneer settler. William N. Warner was the first postmaster. Office closed in 1882, mail forwarded to Myrtle Point. A Southern Pacific siding Warner, was about 3 ½ miles northwest of Gaylord.
Gaylord, established October 17, 1927, on South Fork of Coquille River 9 miles north of Powers. It was later a rural station of Myrtle Point. Beulah Thorp was the first postmaster. The office closed in 1958.
Etelka, established September 23, 1891, on the South Fork in the Carman’s living room about 10 miles south of Myrtle Point, Julie A. Carman was the first postmaster; she named the post office after Hungarian Opera singer Etelka Gerster. The office closed in 1909.
Broadbent, established August 19, 1916, on South Fork of Coquille River about 4 miles south of Myrtle Point, named for C.E. Broadbent who operated a cheese factory in area. William A. Roselle was the first postmaster. The post office moved into new building in 1990s.
Elliott, established September 24, 1883, on Catching Creek, tributary to Coquille River, 5 miles southwest of Myrtle Point. Named for James K. Polk Elliott who was the first postmaster. The office closed in 1897.
Hermannville, established July 5, 1872, on South Fork of Coquille River about 4 miles south of Myrtle Point. Office named for Dr. Henry Hermann. Levi Gant was first postmaster, closed in 1881.
Ott, established April 24, 1872, on South Fork of Coquille River 9 miles south of Coquille, Office named for operator of flourmill in community, a close friend of Christian Lehnherr, the first postmaster. The name was changed to Myrtle Point December 29, 1876.
Myrtle Point, established December 29, 1876, located same as Ott on South Fork of Coquille River. The city is on a point with many Myrtle Trees in the area, thus the name. The area has been designated part of the State’s Myrtle Corridor from Coos Bay to Roseburg. Edward Bender was first postmaster. Myrtle Point incorporated in February 1887.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
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Myrtlewood in the Coquille Valley
The drive from Coquille to Myrtle Point on Hwy 42 provides a beautiful view of the Coquille River Valley as it narrows toward the Coast Range. The name Myrtle Point is a reminder of the tree of the same name, and this particular part of the valley offers many opportunities for travelers to see this species.
Although we marvel at the beautiful grain of this hardwood when it is worked into furniture, bowls, lamps, or other items, it was a nuisance to the early settlers in the valley. Myrtle and maple trees grew thickly along river bottomland, so pioneers cut and burned it. Orvil Dodge deplored the waste. “The myrtle is the loveliest tree of Coos County, and perhaps of all the temperate zone…When growing closely together these trees make up a grove of unequal beauty,” and on some stretches of the Coquille River, maple and myrtle trees grew together overhead and “interlaced.”
The Oregon myrtle is actually a California-laurel (Umbellularia califonica) and has other common names such as spice tree and mountain laurel. It is not true, as some people believe, that the tree exists only on the South Coast and in the Holy Land. In fact, the Holy Land “myrtle” is a different, if related tree.
The range of the California-laurel extends from Coos Count south to Baja, California, and from the coast to the Sierra Nevada in California. Myrtle trees can grow to be over 100 feet in height. The myrtle tree also may live to be several hundred years old. Donald Culross Peattie in his book A Natural History of Western Trees (1952) noted that “like the classic Laurel of Bay (Laurus nobilis) with which ancient victors and poets were crowned, it has a spicily aromatic and evergreen leaf.”
In 1826, David Douglas, the British botanist for whom the Douglas-fir is named, discovered and describes the myrtle tree as he found it near the Umpqua River. “This elegant evergreen tree…forms the connecting link between the gloomy pine forests of northwest America and the tropical-like verdure of California. The foliage when bruised, gives out a most powerful camphor-like scent, and even during severe hurricanes I have been obliged to remove from under its shade, the odor being so strong as to occasion violent sneezing.”
People have found many uses for the myrtle wood. Douglas wrote that fur trappers with whom he traveled “often make use of a decoration of the leaves, which they take without any bad effects; indeed, it stimulates the system, and produces a glow of warmth…” Patent medicine manufacturers the nineteenth century mixed oil made from the myrtle with nutmeg and cardamom and sold it as a cure for everything from a nervous headache to meningitis. Myrtlewood proved useful to shipbuilders both for interior paneling on ship cabins and for such external fixtures as bits and cleats that had to hold up under hard wear. Today, because of rarity, we appreciate it primarily for its use in making household furnishings and decorative pieces.
A Guide to Oregon South Coast History by Nathan Douthit
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Section 2
Myrtle Point
Myrtle Point Beginnings
The upper village of the valley is at the head of tidewater and navigation. The site is well situated on the east bank of the river, which has a due north course at the place. A point or bench reaches out from the foot of Sugar Loaf Mountain, to the riverbank, thus forming a beautiful plateau of some fifty acres that slopes gently to the north and south giving ample drainage. This point was studded with an occasional Myrtle among the stately firs when in its natural state, from this the town derived its name, as it was unusual to find such a mixture of timber. The ground is sufficiently elevated to insure safety from the highest floods. North of the place less than a mile, the North Fork of the Coquille River, with its beautiful valley joins the main river, forming large level bottoms, rich with alluvial soil, with alluvium sufficient to insure productiveness almost beyond human calculating. South of the town a broader extent exists for Catching Creek comes in from the west, extending the bottomlands and providing room form farms of surpassing productiveness. On the west side of the stream and opposite the town, a stretch of low, rich lands, with a green hill in the background completes a beautiful picture. Back of the town, eastward about one-fourth of a mile from the river, an elevation of 75 feet occurs, upon which a second plateau is formed, which was once covered with heavy timber, but the ax and fire has removed the mammoth tree, and a comparatively level plain is at hand. Splendid view’s can be had from this point. The eye can follow the course of the main river to the county seat only ten miles away, and an exquisite view of the up-river, where tributaries and small valleys meet the main portion of the lovely vale while the ever-green hills and the lofty coast range or the Rogue River Mountains, form a background which is grand and beautiful.
The location where Myrtle Point stands was selected by the natives as a central place, and here they congregated and established their villages, as they retired from the seashore and engaged in the chase for the elk which roamed the hillside and wallowed in the cool pools along the spacious and shady valleys. When Marple, Harris, Thrift and others first explored the valley, they camped at this place, but considering the wild and massive growth of timber and vegetation, it is presumed that they little dreamed that in less than two decades a thriving and bustling little village would crown the point which came so precipice at the foot of which the crystal steam glided so placidly through the myrtle and maple forest toward the sea.
The pioneer saw the beauties and natural advantages of the location, and E.C. Catching located a home under the donation act, and it became a rendezvous for pioneers, prospectors and natives. The creek, which joins the river a few hundred yards above the townsite, was named after the locator, and a blockade was made at its mouth, as danger from an outbreak of the tribes was feared. Catching was a kind, considerate man and enjoyed the respect of his own people and also that of the natives, hence he became a favorite with the chiefs as well as their subjects, and the friendship formed caused a little romance of considerable interest. The daughter of one of the chiefs fell in love with Mr. Catching, who was then a young man in his prime. He soon found out that the charms of the girl who is said to have been
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beautiful, but he had promised his mother that he would never inter-marry with the Indian tribes, and he so informed the infatuated maiden. This seemed to crush the spirit of her ambition and she threatened self-destruction. The young man was in great distress. His fine sense of honor and filial regard for his beloved mother, restrained him and although he was offered the hand of a maiden belonging to a royal family, not until the princess made an attempt to destroy her life did her lover at last consent to accept of her as his bride. The wedding was consummated and a royal wedding feast according to the custom of the natives, were enjoyed by the tribe, and the beautiful maiden became the dutiful and even Christian companion of our hero. Those yet living, who knew of the circumstances and who were acquainted with Mr. Catching, assert that the princess ever afterward performed her duties gracefully, receiving instructions from her liege lord in the culinary arts and general housekeeping, She became known as a virtuous and worthy maiden.
Myrtle Point did not assume the dignity of a town, until the winter of 1861, when Henry Meyers, who had purchased the place, employed A.R. Buttolph as civil engineer, to lay out and plat a town, and he named it Meyersville. This was the first town platted in the Coquille Valley. The great flood pf that winter dampened the ardor of its founder and the village remained on paper only until 1866, when Chris Lehnherr purchased the farm upon which, the town was located, and the following year he built a small flouring mill, near where Hermann’s livery stable now (1898) stands, and in 1874 he enlarged it to meet the needs of the community, In 1879 Mr. Lehnherr had the place re-surveyed and platted anew and gave it the name of Ott, in honor of an old friend, but it was subsequently changed to Myrtle Point. The place did not advance very fast or increase in population noticeably, until 1876, when Hon. Binger Hermann purchased several blocks and erected a commodious store. The building was enlarged twice afterwards until it assumed the size of 24x80 feet, on the ground, and two full stories high. In 1867, Chris Lehnherr and his son, William T. had carried on considerable trade with a small stock of goods, and W.T. Lehnherr became the pioneer postmaster, and of course, he with his father were the pioneer merchants Chris Lehnherr was a great help to the struggling pioneers, who had taken homes with little or no capital to support their households, until sustenance could be drawn from the soil, and it has been repeatedly remarked that he never refused flour to the needy inhabitants. Mr. Lehnherr was a peculiar character. He was industrious and obliging, open hearted, but he was positive in his convictions and often used but little policy when expressing his ideas. This hostelry was plain, but comfortable and the guests were made to feel at home by the worthy matron.
Hermann’s business, under the management of Edward Bender, prospered, and a new impetus to the prosperity of the embryo town was visible. Edward Bender soon erected a dwelling, and the old barn that stood where the great brick three-story structure that Hermann, Wise and Bender built in 1891, and now graces Front and Spruce streets, disappeared, and a commodious hotel was built in 1880, W.A. Border becoming the first landlord. The house was named after the town. Capt. W.H. Harris, Daniel Giles, G.W. Majory and Mat Nystrom became landlords later on.
The Myrtle Point brass band completed its organization November 28, 1880, and J. Henry Schroeder secretary, and Henry Schroeder treasurer. The members were: Edward Bender, leader, E flat cornet, W.P. Hermann, 2nd B flat cornet, Charles E.
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Deitz, 1st E flat alto, S.E. Stewart, 2ne B flat tenor, J. Henry Schroeder, baritone, Henry Schroeder, E flat tuba, J. Fred Schroeder, snare drum, A.H. Schroeder, bass drum.
Soon after the hotel was built, a blacksmith shop was built and Peter Wise became the pioneer blacksmith. Charles Wilkens repaired guns and established an apiary.
Not long after the hotel was completed, Messrs Rosa and Hammerburg erected a fruit dryer at the foot of the hill north of Chris Lehnherr’s hotel. They supplied the structure with improved apparatus, purchasing a large quantity of fruit, paying 20 cents a bushel for the apples delivered. This enterprise gave employment to a large number of men, besides the roads for miles out of town were lined with wagons loaded with large, luscious fruit for the new market. Prior to this, thousands of bushels of apples decayed in the orchards annually, hence it was encouraging to the farmers to find a sale for their fruit, but the proprietors lost money on account of the low prices and the difficulties of shipping the products of the dryer, and the enterprise was abandoned. Joseph Ferry has the machinery now in use at his farm two miles south of Myrtle Point.
In 1881, W.L. Dixon came to Myrtle Point and taught the village school. Not long after he captured Miss Fannie G., the second daughter of Chris Lehnherr, and after the wedding Dixon erected a building, and in the winter of 1881-82 he opened a drug store. In October 1882, the small establishment merged into a general merchandise store and gradually increased in business until it became one of the important places of the town.
In 1881, Mr. Lehnherr’s flourmill was destroyed by fire. This was a sad drawback to its owner as well as to the community.
After Hermann’s store was established, James Burk, in 1877 opened a saloon, which will be remembered by all old settlers. Jimmy had many friends and his rooms became a resort for farmers and stock raisers, but in 1882 Peter Hickey appeared on the scene and a partnership was formed and merchandise added to the business. The partnership was not a success and the firm dissolved, and in 1884 a partnership was formed between William Rome and Mr. Burk. A new store was started in connection with the saloon and two years later another change was made and the firm was named Edwards, Burk & Co., C.E. Edwards having bought in, and Billy Rome became the company’s partner. And addition to the building was made, the stock increased and a flourishing business followed for a season. The credit system was entered into too freely and the firm was short lived, but a settlement with creditors was arranged and the honor of all parties concerned in the business was not tarnished.
Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
Meyersville—Ott—Myrtle Point
The first person to appreciate the best location for future Myrtle Point was Ephraim Catching, who was born about 1833 in Tennessee. He came here in 1853-54 from California’s gold fields when he heard of gold on Oregon’s beaches. Upon surveying the beauty of the site he immediately packed to Deer Creek, Roseburg, where he filed a donation land claim on the point of high ground sheltered by myrtle trees with low fields extending to the river. He returned and built a log cabin in the vicinity of the creek that bears his name, just upriver from the town site that exists today, which held
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an Indian camp. His cabin “became a rendezvous for pioneers, prospectors and natives.”
He “was a kind and considerate man and enjoyed the respect of his own people and also that of the natives.” Before long a young Indian woman, the chief’s daughter from the band that camped on the town site, laid claim to his heart. He called her Francis, they married and had four children.
In 1856 Francis Catching informed her husband. “of the plot” Coquille and Rogue Indians had to exterminate all the white men. The settlers gathered and built a log fort near the mouth of Catching Creek, it was called Fort Kitchen instead of Fort Catching. After 10 years as Catching’s wife, Francis died of consumption (TB).
Catching Slough in the north end of Coos County is also named for Ephraim C. Catching who purchased lands that adjoined the Dulley claim on Catching Inlet in 1874 at age 41. At that time two of his half Indian sons, Charles H. and Andrew Catching, aged 11and 7, were with him. “Catching operated an ambitious farm, for he had eight male farm workers—a total household of 17 person…” “In 1880 James Catching, probably a brother born in Tennessee in 1827, lived with his wife and children in this same area…”
In 1899 R.R. Catching, son of Ephraim, spent six months at Sumner and visited Myrtle Point. His father at that time lived in Crescent City, California at age 66. He passed on some time later and is buried in Del Norte County, ten miles east of Crescent City
In 1854 the Salmon Mountain Mines were discovered by “Coarse Gold Johnson.” Traffic upriver increased as miners passed the first river forks, then the prominent myrtle point held down by an Indian band, and on to the second forks where they turned southwest to continue up the South Fork to see what luck would bring to their shovel.
In 1857, one year after the Indian War of 1856, Christian Lehnherr moved his family from Lookingglass Valley in Douglas County to settle at Rowland Prairie along the South Fork where he purchased the rights of Mr. P.C. Davis and Press Caldwell. Christian built a flouring mill there about 1863, moving the heavy burrs from the head of navigation to his home was daunting task managed by building a narrow sled to pull over the trail. Water power from the creek on the farm was adequate, wheat yielded bountiful harvests and flour sold at $8 a hundred. In 1866 Christian Lehnherr purchased the Myrtle Point town site, after the Indians had been on the reservation almost ten years.
In 1859 William Rackleff and family sailed into the upper valley in their ocean worthy schooner Twin Sisters, that event was six years before Lehnherr bought the town site. The Rackleff’s first settled on the Umpqua, later one of them walked to the mouth of the Coquille to see if their ship could safely cross the bar, it could and they did. The Twin Sisters became the reliable source of supplies in the upper valley; anchored near where the North Fork enters the South Fork to begin the main stem of the river. The family regularly sailed to San Francisco to replenish supplies, which sold direct from the ship until a trading post was established.
In 1859, three years after the Indian War, Dr. Henry Herrman, a physician, came to the upper Coquille Valley after having visited the area earlier. This time he came with a small community of people skilled in trades and professions, and bringing enough
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supplies to sustain the settlement called the Baltimore Colony at Herrmanville, later called Broadbent. The Herrmann party awash with industrious people, brought the first piano to Coos County. The trip to Coquille Valley was made astride two canoes via Beaver Slough where it slipped into the water. The heavy piano was recovered after the men’s almost super-human effort lasted for hours. The piano arrived at Henry Schroeder’s house where the master craftsman cleaned the large square instrument after it had dried sufficient. The Schroeder children were musically inclined and the piano was the center of many joyous festivities, until their home burned in 1889, one member of the talented Baltimoreans was Henry Meyers.
Henry Meyers purchased the Ephraim Catching’s land claim. Meyers hired civil engineer A.R. Bottolph, to plot a town called Meyersville in 1861, the first platted town in the Coquille Valley. There wasn’t time to order the official Federal post office before the floods of 1861-62 washed away the settlers’ cabins, which were situated along the river. The large flood delayed the development of that town site. In about five years, 1866, a town would be established on high ground, the myrtle point visible from up and down stream.
Esther Lockhart recalled how the move was made:
“By small boat, really just a frail skiff, up the bay to the Isthmus to which point, my husband had already transported our meager household belongings. From the Isthmus we (with their three young children) walked over the rough, narrow trail to Beaver Slough, where a flat-bottomed, odd-looking small boat was kept for occasional travelers. Beaver Slough was an exceedingly tortuous stream about five miles long, flowing into the Coquille River”… “I think my husband must have destroyed at least eighteen or twenty Beaver Dams while we were going over that five miles of Slough”… “We finally emerged into the Coquille River, a beautiful stream, the banks of which were lined with great forests coming down almost to the water’s edge. Many of the old maple and myrtle patriarchs of the groves, leaned far over the brink, almost touching some of those on the other side, and forming in places a lovely green avenue, with the blue river flowing underneath.”… “At last we reached our new home, a small, two-roomed log cabin, situated in a clearing among grand old myrtle trees. This was truly a glorious spot, if one cared for solitude and nature’s charms only. Our nearest neighbors were more than a mile away.”…
“I made our tiny cabin look quite homelike, with a big, rough fireplace and plenty of hardwood logs to burn. I also began having regular hours
for my little girls to study and recite their lessons, there was no school and no prospect of one”… “We purchased cattle, pigs and chickens, and almost before we realized it, we had our own little farm.”… “My husband gradually cleared off more land and after our first two years on the Coquille we had a fine vegetable garden.”
“…About this time a man named Bottolph came into the Valley and started a small nursery…an interesting man…a keen wit…” “We thoroughly enjoyed him”… “He was a civil engineer by profession, and it was he who surveyed and platted the town of Myrtle Point, as the place where we then lived was afterwards named.
In December that year, two weeks before Christmas, Mrs. Lockhart delivered her fourth daughter, her cradle being a champagne basket that Mr. Bottolph had give Easter. Her husband, Freeman, put rockers on it and she made a mattress of soft white down plucked from wild ducks.
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The fireplace held the children’s stockings, which held “bright-colored sticks of peppermint, cinnamon and wintergreen, suspiciously like some that the “Twin Sisters” had sold weeks before” a rag doll with painted cheeks and eyes of black beads. A book, and a handful of hazelnuts completed Christmas.
“On every letter we received we paid twenty-five cents postage…I think we paid that on magazines too. Once we were without any mail for six or seven weeks…and then we were rewarded with a big armful”
Living in this hunter’s paradise the Lockharts were surrounded by “bands of elk and deer numbering from fifty to two hundred were often seen by hunters and settlers as well as tawny panthers and black bear.”
Esther made Jelly from wild crab-apples, gooseberries, currants, grapes, blue elderberries, never using the red elderberries, blackberries and blackcaps. She dried corn, beans, and peas in considerable quantities while carrots, parsnips, and cabbage remained in the ground until used fresh in winter. A small smoke house cured their bacon and hams and elk meat while the tallow was made into candles and soap.
Esther wrote of the flood that left their house on the hill safe, but took five of their eight cows; of forty hogs, five remained. Their big flock of chickens drowned and fruit trees were uprooted and washed away. Snow in the mountains with a warm Chinook wind caused the water to rise very fast; the family at the Forks had their home and contents washed away and had to flee for their lives. The tannery was swept out to sea as well as log cabins, cattle, pigs and chickens floated past the settlement, people were rescued with great difficulty from cabin roofs, not taking flight soon enough to cross the fields.
Mt. Bottolph, John Dulley and Freeman Lockhart took a large canoe and paddled below the Forks to help Mr. Hall who settled Hall Prairie, then watched his cabin float away. Paddling back to Meyersville across farm fields their canoe overturned. They reached the town site on the flat below the present town by swimming; the wet, cold men gladly found settlers safely standing in an upland area near a blazing bonfire, with all their cabins washed away.
Living in mid Coquille Valley two and half years, Esther delivered two children, the last a son, developed a farm, survived a flood, rode to the Roseburg land office to secure their claim while her twelve year old daughter, who knew how to shoot a gun, cared for her younger siblings including a baby. She purchased an additional one hundred and sixty acres for $500. Because her husband was off on a wild gold chase much of the time, she finally returned to Empire City.
Esther was unhappy when her husband sold their property so cheaply, she had risked much to secure title to the land and take care of family while he sought gold. “Several years later my husband sold our entire holdings on the Coquille for the paltry sum of $1500—480 acres of as fine land as ever lay outdoors. I deeply regretted parting with it at that price, for I realized that it was an exceptionally fine claim and would be valuable some day…as it has proven to be. The town of Myrtle Point stands on it now.”
Mrs. Fannie Lehnherr Dixon wrote of the great flood:
“Our garden on the bank of the river was completely covered with loam and debris”… “Many members of the Baltimore colony had built small cabins…:”
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“The high water covered their place and they had to flee to higher ground. Many became discouraged and left their places to return to Maryland. The town Henry Meyers had plotted was deserted. Meyers decided to sell his holdings and return home…
“Father became owner of 160 acres of land and also possessor of the large building erected for a store. Meyers furniture, dishes and many things that were great luxuries to our pioneer family, were moved to our Roland Prairie home.”
Christian Lehnherr was born in 1816 in Switzerland; came to Illinois with his parents at 12 years of age in 1828. In the 1840s a wagon train of 40 included the Lehnherr’s sturdy wagon pulled by three yoke of oxen, and trailing a milk cow. The oxen traveled about seven miles a day, at night wagons were circled and guards posted. They settled first in Lookingglass Valley where Chris developed a good farm.
When Chris Lehnherr heard of gold discoveries on Johnson Creek in Eckley country he determined to move. By 1857 a mule train packed their household goods over the trail to Coquille Valley where the family settled on Roland Prairie. Nine years later, in 1866, Christian Lehnherr purchased the 160 acre still birthed town site of Meyersville, which was deserted with several empty cabins.
In 1867 William Cribbins arrived in Coquille Valley with a turning lathe and proceeded to make chairs and bedsteads from abundant hard myrtle wood. At that time other settlers came from eastern states to occupy two empty houses of the once deserted Meyersville. The traveled to San Francisco and chose the California/Oregon trail north or sailed to Coos Bay to arrive via Isthmus Slough and Beaver Slough to the Coquille. Many came to the beautiful grove of myrtle on the stand-out point well above the river giving views in every direction.
In that same year of 1867 Chris Lehnherr moved from Roland Prairie to the town site where he built a flouring mill and a store. Five years later. In April of 1872 a post office was named fro a friend who operated the flouring mill for Mr. Lehnherr, Mr. Ott, “one of our neighbors in Illinois.” The small flouring mill, located near where Hermann later built a livery stable, near where medical offices are today, was enlarged by Lehnherr in 1874. At one point Lehnherr managed to trade a mule and a horse for an additional forty acres, owning a two hundred acre site.
Lehnherr decided to re-survey and re-plat the town site that went by the name of the post office, Ott. At that time the community, or Mr. Ott who lived back east, or the postal service intervened and decided the place should go by some other name.
For several years directions had been given to new arrivals, “go up river until you see the myrtle covered point above the river and settle there.” Thus described, the new name “Myrtle Point” was obvious. On December 29, 1876 the Myrtle Point post office was established, forgetting about Mr. Ott except for the history. The town could have been called Indian Point, as the site was a favored camping spot for local Indians, later called Coquel Indians.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
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Is It Kitchen Creek of Catching Creek
Is “Catching Creek” the proper pronunciation for the little creek that flows into the Coquille River about a mile about Myrtle Point on the opposite side of the river, as it is called today, or should it be called “Kitchen Creek,” as the old-timers called it?
The little creek (or crick) is approximately twelve miles long and the deep gully it meanders through suggests it has been there much longer than any of the other creeks in the vicinity. During the Indian Wars on the Rogue River in 1855-56 a stockade was erected at its mouth and named “Fort Kitchen,” “after the name of the creek.” According or Orvil Dodge on page 97 of his book “Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties.” Then on page 191 he changes the spelling to “Ketchen” as he names some of the earliest settlers on the creek. The first were William Cribbins, George Adam, H.H. Greenwood, Adam Smith and Mathias Whobrey.
David Holland homesteaded the land where the fort allegedly stood, and in 1866 Daniel Giles took land immediately above Holland where he started a brick yard, and where Dave and Mary Ellen (Davenport) Robertson, and Mary Ellen’s sister Peggy Shirtclift, now live, Mary Ellen says the pit where Giles got his brick clay can still be seen down by the barn although it haws pretty well been filled in with old hay and other debris over the years.
Those first settlers were followed by Bryan, Elliott, Poland, Steele, Reverend C.B. Marsters, Robert Ward, F.C. Kennicut, A.J. and James Buell, I. Carter, George Penbroke, Mr. Neal and Mr. Koontz. Reverend C.B. Marsters built a school and a church on his farm. The church building still stands today with the well-maintained Catching Creek Cemetery directly behind.
It wasn’t until page 211 of Orvil Dodge’s history that he tells us the creek was named after Ephraim Catching, the first white man to settle where Myrtle Point stands today, so it is now assumed that “Catching Creek” is the proper pronunciation and “Kitchen” or “Kethchen” were just misspellings by those early settlers who could barely read and write. However, few of the early pioneers accepted that theory. For one thing, Lt. William Packwood was well educated and later became Curry Counties first State Representative. He probably named the fort, as he was the one who got permission to build it. He would have known Ephraim Catching and how to spell his name because Ephraim Catching was one of the 19 men that manned the fort under him. Evan Cunningham was also well educated and was one of the soldiers at the fort. He would have known “Kitchen” was not how “Catching” was spelled. Evan Cunningham’s home was where Coquille City would later rise. During the time he lived there he put out a single copy, monthly newspaper, and also served one term as Coos County School Superintendent.
This writer’s wife Ruby was born and raised in the Myrtle Point area and her grandparents and other relatives are buried in the Catching Creek Cemetery. She says she never heard the creek called anything but Kitchen Crick until the present generation.
As for the word “crick,” the dictionary says it is an informal word for “creek,” but an article in an issue of Field and Stream magazine claims a “creek” and a “crick” are quite different. “A ripples over glistening gravel and polished rocks, and sparkles in the sunlight.” Crick,” on the other hand, “shuffles through cow pastures, slogs through beaver dams, gurgles through culverts, and oozes through barnyards. Cattle,
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whose whole universe is a bathroom, give cricks their most profound characteristics. It doesn’t take a single cow very long to change a creek into a crick.
Whether the correct name is Catching Creek or Kitchen Crick may never be resolved, but it isn’t difficult to determine whether it is a crick or a creek using Field and Stream’s descriptions. Just take a drive up the road to its head a couple of miles beyond the end of the pavement and decide for yourself. It is a pretty drive, and like my wife and I. You might see a herd of elk mingling with the cows in the fields along the way and, like my wife and I, you might decide Catching Creek is definitely a crick.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
Fourth of 1861 Described in Old Files
From our files of thirty years ago.
We copy the following from an account of a celebration held on the Coquille, on the site of the present town of Myrtle Point on July 4, 1861. It was written for the Coos Bay News by Mrs. E.A. Hilborn, at present a resident of Millicoma on Coos River, and appeared in full in the issue of that paper, June 8, 1881:
“After living a little more than a year on the coast of Curry County, I longed for a rest from old ocean’s roar, which ended in a desire to visit Coquille. A few days prior to July 4, 1861, we mounted our best riding horses, equipped with the needful traveling apparel of those days, and set out for the mouth of the river. After a ride of about 15 miles we arrived at the home of Wm. Smith, where we remained over night, and the following morning Mr. Smith and family accompanied us on our Journey. Our horseback ride ended about 10am. We sent our horses home and proceeded up the Coquille on boat. We were not alone in our desire to see the deep forest of the Coquille, for several boats besides ours left the home of John Lewis (then a bachelor) at the mouth of the river, for a pleasure excursion and to celebrate the 4th of July at what now is Myrtle Point. After a hard pull on the part of the men, we reached the home of John Hamblock in time for dinner. Then we proceeded up river to the home of D.J. Lowe, where we remained until the day before the 4th. On that morning the Coquille seemed alive with little crafts (no steamers those days). The bracing atmosphere coming through the fir and spruce gave me such new life, and luxury of getting my blood warm away from the chilly winds of the coast, is perhaps what caused me to recall that trip now so long after.”
“The first place we stopped for rest and refreshment was at the mouth of Beaver Slough, then the home of a bachelor. Our lunch baskets had been amply filled at the home of Mrs. D.J. Lowe. Long before the turn of the next tide we were ready to proceed on our journey. After many a dip of the oar, many a song and jest, we arrived at Hall’s Prairie and scatted among the few settlers there for the night—I do not remember seeing but one house after leaving Hall’s Prairie until we arrived at Mr. Kronenberg’s and that was occupied by a bachelor. This bachelor was a man of caution. I was told that when he had occasion to go out in the woods any distance, he took a ball of twine and fastened on end to his door. He unwound the ball as he went, and did not go any further than the ball would reach. He then wound it up as he went back, to be used for the time. He was certainly not a very daring pioneer, and yet he was a man of intelligence.”
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“Our walk through the forest seemed about three miles to me. After several rest we cam to the home of Mr. Kroneberg, and found we were not the first to arrive there enroute for the celebration. Next morning each one of attired in our Fourth of July clothes, which by the way were a little rumpled, started with a few more added to our number, for Myersville and arrived there early in the day. Fire crackers and torpedoes had not then got into the hands of the boys of the Coquille, and we were spared their annoyance. The house was full and already they were “tripping the light fantastic toe.” No millinery shops then. Some of the ladies wore sunbonnets, and blue and gray shirts had not been discarded by the men. The ladies who presided over the tables, are now residents of Marshfield. If I told you their names you would we had luxurious fare. I cannot describe the place as it appeared to me then, for my attention was taken up with the faces, all new to me at the time, but some of them very familiar to me now. No brass band in those days, but we had vocal music and the best violin music on the Coquille. After dinner we had speaking, etc. Mr. Lockhart of Empire, I remember was one of the speakers. This was in the beginning of the rebellion. Mr. Lockhart advocated “war to the knife and knife to the hilt.” Andrew Lockhart was then a babe in his mother’s arms. Miss. Ada Smith could just walk, Mrs. A.D. Wolcott was a little miss, very tired and sleepy. Henry Schroeder was bearing some marks of an accepted lover. Mrs. Yoakam, I remember, pronounced “the jell cake is first-rate.” The young ladies were not many in number, but they were all socialble, kind and homelike with each other and very nice to strangers. Among the number that were there then, who have gone where all must go, were Mrs. S. Dement and daughter, Mrs. Perry M. Yoakam, and young Mrs. Hammerburg.
“At 6 o’clock next morning, a tired and sleepy crowd tumbled into boats homeward bound. The Coquille did not look to me so pretty this morning as it did going up; so much happier are we in anticipation than realization of anything. We rested on our way at what is now Bandon.”
Myrtle Point Herald August 10, 1944
The Pioneer Rackleff Family
By Clare S. Lehmanowsky, grandson of William Rackleff 1972
Giving up the hard, dangerous life of fishing off the New England coast, Captain William Rackleff, his fifteen year old son, William E Rackleff, and his 22 year old married daughter, Mary Jane Clark, John Stover and eight others, set sail December 6, 1849 aboard the sailing schooner “Ortolan” and left the state of Maine for California by way of Cape Horn.
Captain Rackleff’s wife Mary and infant son Francisco were left at the family home in Maine until such time as the Captain had found a homesite in the west.
Leaving Maine, the schooner “Ortolan” sailed southward. After 10 days of heavy gales, Captain Rackleff found that both the masts were sprung and needed repairing. January 1, 1850, they arrived in Port Praia on the island of Sao Tiago, off the Cape Verde Islands.
Here some hardwood was obtained and the mast repaired. The 16th of January the “Ortolan” continued on her voyage, arriving at the Horn March 18, 1850, and entered the Straits of Magellan.
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On The way through the Straits, several wrecked ships were sighted, mute testimony to the dangers of the passage. When the “Ortolan” was close to the western end of the channel, a pirate ship chased them all one day, The Captain ordered the deck-load thrown overboard to lighten the ship and as the wind was fair, the little schooner was able to out-sail the other ship and enter the open sea again.
After several months at sea, the “Ortolan” arrived at San Francisco on August 5, 1850. Spending three or four weeks in the city, the Captain sought and absorbed all the information available pertaining to the west coast. They set sail for a little known area of the Umpqua River Valley September 30, 1850. Arriving at the river they crossed the bar and sailed the schooner to the trading center of Scottsburg. On October 10, 1850, Captain Rackleff obtained a land claim on Long Prairie and started building a home.
Captain Rackleff sent for his wife Mary, who arrived at San Francisco, coming by way of the Isthmus of Panama. He, with his son William E, met her in San Francisco where she boarded the “Orlolan” and sailed to her new home on the Umpqua River.
The Captain sold the schooner in August of 1852 and bought a pack train of mules. Now we have a sea captain turned muleskinner! Packing supplies by mule train from Scottsburg to Jacksonville lasted from October 1852 to 1853, at which time the mule train was sold.
From 1853, when he sold the mules, to March 1 1856, Captain Rackleff was content farming, but being at heart a seafaring man, his longing for the sea prompted him to build a schooner. The hull was finished February 16, 1858 and christened “Twin Sisters.” It was launched and went down the rapids to Scottsburg where the last of the rigging was completed in July.
On numerous voyages to San Francisco to replenish the stock of merchandise for the settlers of the Umpqua River Valley, Captain Rackleff and son William E. kept their eyes on the entrance to the Coquille River. May 3, 1859 they entered Coos Bay for the purpose of scouting the bar at the mouth of the Coquille River. Son William made the trip from Coos Bay to the Coquille River bar by horseback, riding most of the time on the beach. After surveying the bar he concluded that a schooner drawing 6½ feet of water could, with difficulty, cross the bar into the river.
Returning to Coos Bay, he joined his father and the sailed on to San Francisco to purchase supplies and goods suitable for pioneer settlers. 112 years ago, August 25, 1859 (150 years ago 2009) they sailed the schooner, “Twin Sisters” across the bar, entered the Coquille River, moved on up river and reached the North Fork three days later.
In September 1859, Captain Rackleff purchased the rights to Ben Figg’s land claim along the west bank of the Coquille River. It was there, near (across the main river from) the mouth of the North Fork, that he established a trading post. He liked the new location in the Coquille Valley so much that he sold his holdings in the vicinity of Scottsburg, and decided to make the Coquille Valley his permanent home.
Over the years the Captain made numerous trips to San Francisco to market the products of the region and to restock the merchandise of his trading post. One cargo taken to San Francisco consisted mainly of potatoes. When the Captain was absent from the trading post, his capable wife Mary was always on hand to look after the business.
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As time went on and business increased, Captain Rackleff purchased 293 acres of bottom land on the east bank of the Coquille River from Orley Hall, part of the original J.B. Dulley donation land claim. The price was $1140. This land was between the mouth of the North Fork and the high ground on which the settlement of Meyersville, now Myrtle Point, was taking form.
The trading post was moved to the east bank of the river to better serve the people of the valley. A small ferry was put in for service to those living on the opposite side of the river.
When Captain Rackleff left the Umpqua in 1859, his son, William E. remained there. He had acquired a donation land claim approximately six miles east of Scottsburg, extending from Burchard Creek to Weatherly Creek along the north bank of the Umpqua River.
At the age of 31, William E. Rackleff married a young lady named Cordelia E. Ransom, daughter of William Clark Ransom, M.D. Ransom’s name “William Clark” was bestowed on him because he was a direct descendant of the famous Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Dr. Ransom had two other daughters, Marietta, who married Benton Haines of Elkton in 1873, and Nannie H. the second wife of Daniel Giles of Myrtle Point.
The marriage of Cordelia E. Ransom to William E. Ransom was performed by Ephrain Burchard, J.P., November 19, 1865 near Scottsburg. Two of the eleven children of the union were born near Scottsburg; son Edward, born September 9, 1866, and daughter Mary born on February 2, 1870. The remaining nine were born in Coos County. Of the nine children born in Coos County, near Myrtle Point, my mother, Annie born April 29, 1872 at The Forks of the Coquille, was the first Rachleff to be born in Coos County.
Sometime in the year 1870, William E. knowing that his father was fast approaching old age, moved from his home near Scottsburg to the Coquille River Valley, to be of assistance to his folks if the need arose. At first he was not immediately involved with his father’s affairs, but continued to operate independently.
Soon after his arrival on the Coquille River, he constructed a small sream-powered, side-wheeler, vessel designed for towing work. The little boat was launched in 1871 and christened “Mary.” She performed her duties until 1873.
In 1873 William E. was living some miles down the Coquille River from The Fork, at Parkersburg, where his son Edward attended school. At this time William E. constructed a boat to replace the “Mary.” It was a steam-powered side-wheeler, 68 feet in length, and when launched, was named “Cordelia.” She was rigged with sails; the auxiliary steam power was used while crossing the bars and in the rivers.
William E. Rackleff was granted Master’s papers in 1873, which gave him the right to sail coastal waters and in San Francisco Bay. This qualified him to carry on his father’s sailing business.
In 1874, William E. was back at The Forks, and his father sold him 100 acres if the land purchased from Orley Hull on the east bank of the Coquille. From this time on William E. was more prominent in the activities at The Forks, for his father, Captain Rackleff, was fast nearing the end of the line and passed away August 5, 1876.
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Prior to 1880, a gristmill was built near the Rackleff residence and was in operation several years. In 1877 William E. built still another boat, a steam-powered stern-wheeler, 69 feet in length, christened “Little Annie” for my mother.
After years of plying the waters of the Coquille River, serving the people of the valley, the “Little Annie” was wrecked in the lower river in 1897. I can recall my mother telling me how she would help her father on the repairs of the boat after dark by holding a light while the work was taking place on the machinery.
About 1888, William E. erected a building and opened a store in Myrtle Point. His son Edward, because of his education at Heald’s Business College in San Francisco, was placed in charge of the store. The business was sold by my father, B.C.(Charley) Lehmanowsky in 1893.
William E. built a saw mill at The Forks of the Coquille in 1890. Son Edward, besides running the store, kept the books for the saw mill. For a ten-hour day, the men were given their noon meal and paid $1.00. Edward was not content, and I surmise that he wanted to be on his own. He threw his hat in the ring and was elected to the office of Coos County Clerk in 1896. He also served as Coos-Curry County Representative in the Oregon Legislature in 1907.
The gristmill and residence were reduced to ashes by fire in 1897. The home was rebuilt immediately, not too far from the east bank of the Coquille River, about ½ mile down stream from Myrtle Point. The house at this date, 1971, is still in use and can be plainly seen from Highway 42.
Some time later, in 1898, a barn was built where the gristmill had been and a silo erected. With the help of his younger sons, William E. Rackleff spent the waning years of an active life in the dairy business. On October 14, 1909, while watching the progress of the silo being filled, he passed away. One eccentricity of William E.: After his death, his wife and children were amazed to learn that he carried a homemade money buckskin money belt with ten separate pockets. The bolt contained as many $20 gold pieces to allow each daughter-in-law $60.
Grandmother Cordelia Rackleff, with the help of her sons, operated the dairy ranch for some time after the death of her husband, William E., but as time went on, finding that none of her sons seemed to care for ranching, she sold the ranch and bought a home in Myrtle Point, where she passed away April 1, 1928.
Captain William and his wife Mary, together with son William E. and wife Cordelia and four children, are buried in the private Rackleff cemetery near the west bank of the Coquille River, a short distance down stream from the mouth of the North Fork. The cemetery is located on the original Ben Figg land claim, about a mile down stream from Myrtle Point (This was always known as Ghost Point by me. It was said that a drunk man saw ghost floating on a mattress on his way home from Myrtle Point.). At this date, 1971.one of the eleven children of William and Cordelia remains living, a son Owen, nearing 80, at Baldwin Park, California.
In closing the story of Captain William and his son William E. I believe it evident that their early sea-going sailing schooner, along with the river boats, trading posts at The Forks, the grist mill and saw mill, together with the store in Myrtle Point, afforded a great convenience to the early pioneers of the Coquille River Valley and furthered the growth and prosperity of the area surrounding Myrtle Point.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain.
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The Ship Builders
In 1876, W. Rackleff built the steamer Little Annie at or near his present residence. The craft was a great convenience to the settlers. The Myrtle, a propeller driven steamer from San Francisco was on the river in 1875, in command of John Abbot, but as the Myrtle was of too much draft and badly managed, the Little Annie was the first steamer on the river that successfully served the people.
The Myrl and Ralph were built at Wall Bros ship yard in 1894 and 1896 respectively. They are small propellers of about 15 tons carriage and the former is doing good service on the river on the small mail and passenger route, commanded by Capt Wm T McCloskey its owner.
In 1895 Wall Bros purchased a small propeller at Coos Bay and brought it to Myrtle Point by rail. She was named Cumtux. She was enlarged at the Myrtle Point ship yard and used for towing and other purposes, but she is now making regular runs on the lower river between Bandon and Coquille City.
The Steamer Cordelia was built at the junction of the north and south forks of the Coquille River in 1874, by Capt Wm. Rackleff and was his first steam schooner built on the river. The machinery from the Mary was placed in the Cordelia. The Mary was a small craft built at the same place by Mr. Rackleff.
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
The Myrtle Point Transportation Company
In 1853 Russell Panter, the only child William and Fannie Panter, was born in a covered wagon while crossing Nebraska on the way to the Oregon Territory. In 1860 the family came to Coos County and in 1863 settled on a ranch on the Coquille River near the mouth of Lampa Creek.
Russel Panter’s first steam-boat experience came in 1876 when he hired on as a deckhand on the steam-powered stern-wheeler “Little Annie” that had been built by William E. Rackleff that same year.
In 1880 Russel married Ella E. Hutchinson and nine children were born to them. The first was J. Walter, and he was followed by William A, Mary E., Allen R., Ruby, Stacy O., Dora, Albert E., and Archie E. in that order. In 1903 Russel was given the captaincy of the newly built 90’ stern-wheeler “Liberty.” That captaincy last only until 1907 when the “Liberty” sank while moored at the Bandon docks. After she was raised she was transferred to Coos Bay and used for towing by the Smith-Powers Logging Co.
In 1908 Russel Panter purchased the 66’ stern-wheeler “Echo” and went into the steam-boat business full time with his sons taking an active part. In 1909 he hired Herman Brothers at Prosper to build the 67’ stern-wheeler “Myrtle.” In 1911 the Herman Brothers built two identical, 61’ long, gas propeller boats for him. One was named “Norma” and the other “Maple.” The “Norma” was used for passenger service and the “Maple” for transporting freight and lumber. (The “Maple” was best remembered for hauling thousands of feet of Sitka spruce airplane lumber from the George Moore sawmill in Bandon to the railhead at Coquille during World War I.) Sometimes later Panter purchased the 70’ stern-wheeler “Dora” from Ott Willard.
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The “Dora” had been built for Ott by the Herman Brothers in 1910 and named after his daughter Dora.
Ott Willard was among the first to haul passengers and freight regularly on the Coquille River In 1902 he was in command of the 36’ stern-wheeler “Welcome.” In 1907 the “Welcome” ended her days in Myrtle Point during a high water. She as tied near the railroad depot when her moorings broke and she floated across the tracks and out into a field so far from the river that she was abandoned. His next boat was the “Dora” that he sold to Russel Panter, then in 1913 he had the Herman Brothers build the 75’ gas-propelled 100 horsepower passenger boat “Charm” that started the feuding between himself and Russel Panter.
To counter Willard’s “Charm,” in 1914 Panter had the Herman Brothers build the 85’ double-deck steam-powered stern-wheeler “Telegraph.” That same year Panter founded the “Myrtle Point Transportation Company” with himself president, Paris Ward vice-president, and his oldest son, Walter, manager.
The Myrtle Point Transportation Company had arrangements with Southern Pacific Railroad to sell tickets to any point in the Continental United States. It also had the sub-contract from Southern Pacific to deliver mail to all points along the Coquille River between Myrtle Point and Bandon. Because of handling problems, in 1916 the “Telegraph” was taken back to the Herman Brothers shipyard where an 18’ section was spliced into her middle, making her 103’ long. That corrected her handling problems.
The “Telegraph” was built entirely of Port Orford cedar at a cost of $16,000. She was powered by a Seabury-Scotch boiler with a maximum steam pressure of 275 pounds. Her two single-cylinder steam engines were fabricated at the North Bend Iron Works and developed 275 horsepower at maximum steam pressure. Another smaller steam engine operated a generator for lights. Coal was used for fuel until the coalmines at Riverton closed, and then slab wood was used. It took two cords of slab wood for a one-way trip between Coquille and Bandon, according to Peterson and Powers in the book, “A Century of Coos and Curry.” Accommodations on the “Telegraph” consisted of a lady’s lounge with leather-upholstered chairs and a gentleman’s lounge with folding wicker chairs. Directly about the freight hold were slat seats where passengers could ride during good weather if they so desired.
In 1971, as a writing assignment at SWOCC, Leo Aber interviewed “Hap” Ward, son of Paris Ward and came up with two interesting stories Hap had been told by his father.
It seems that Captain George Leneve master of the “Maple,” took longer to unload his freight at the Myrtle Point dock than anticipated and the tide had already turned and was going out when he and his deckhand started back down the river towards Coquille. Just below Myrtle Point the river narrowed to such an extent that the sand shoals would build up until the only time a boat could go through was at high tide. That narrow place became known as “Nancy’s Pinch.”
Captain Leneve was going wide open, hoping to get through Nancy’s Pinch before the water got too low, but as the rounded the last turn and come in sight of the narrow waterway he could see sand shoals had already broken the surface of the water. He was too later to get through and was going too fast to stop.
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Telegraph
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
“Throw out the anchor!” he shouted down to his deckhand.
“It ain’t got no line on it,” the deckhand shouted back.
In the urgency of the moment the captain wasn’t listening to what his deckhand had said and yelled,
“Don’t argue with me, I’m the Captain, Throw out the damn anchor”
So over the side went the anchor.
Further conversation is not recorded as they sat in the middle of the river, stuck on a sand shoal waiting for the tide to come back in. It may be just as well as it would probably have been unprintable anyway.
The other story Hap told was one version of how Nancy’s Pinch got its name. Nancy was a buxom girl who was a regular passenger on the river boats. One time as she was leaning against the rail, looking out over the water, a deckhand passing behind and couldn’t resist giving her a little tweak on her derriere. Nancy responded with a haymaker that landed the deckhand flat on his back. The deckhand had reason to remember Nancy’s pinch for a long time.
The paving of highways between Myrtle Point and Bandon in 1926 spelled the end to passenger service on the Coquille River. In 1927 the “Telegraph” and the “Maple” were pulled out onto the north bank of the river at the Paris Ward ranch below Riverton. In November 1929 the “Dora” joined them. The “Telegraph” and “Dora” slowly disintegrated into the mud, but for several years the “Myrtle” floated up and down with the tides and finally, during a high water, floated away and was never seen again.
Ott Willard saw the end of river transportation coming before Russel Panter and got out by selling his last boat, the “Charm,” to Panter. Panter replaced the 100 horsepower gas engine with a 90 horsepower diesel.
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Even after river transportation was no longer profitable Russel Panter had to continue operating the “Charm” at a loss because he still had the mail contract to fulfill. The “Charm” was then sold to the Shaver Transportation Company and was used as a boom boat on the Columbia River. She was still operating into the 1940s. Russel Panter died in 1946 and his wife in 1948.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
Remains of Panter riverboats on North Bank
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
An Indian Love Story
Ephriam Catching took up a donation land claim where Myrtle Point now is located. Catching, a tall, handsome young man, was a kind, considerate person and enjoyed the respect of his own people and also that of the natives. He became a favorite of the local chiefs and their people. This friendship flamed into romance of the Pocahontas type when a daughter of a chief fell in love with the likeable pioneer. He soon found out that the charms of his princess, who is said to be beautiful, had captivated his heart, but he had promised his mother when he left home that he would not marry an Indian. He informed the young Indian girl his vow.
Her love for Catching helped alert the whites of the pending Rogue Indian wars which swept over southern Oregon. According to old pioneer M.G. Pohl in a story in 1903.edition on the local paper, he stated: “The Coquille Indians made a plot with Rogue Indians which then were already on the warpath and wished to exterminate all the white men. During the many meetings of Catching and the Indian girl, they had worked out a secret place in a hollow tree to exchange information. She placed a note to Catching, informing him of the plot.”
Immediately Catching and some of his neighbors went to work to build a log fort near the mouth of the creek named after the early settler. When the Indians found out about this they suspected that Catching’s friend had betrayed them. She knew that her
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life was in danger so she went to Catching who offered to protect her, but again informed heer that he could not marry an Indian. That so grieved her that she tried to hang herself. After that near tragedy Catching consented to take her for his wife.
The wedding took place followed by a royal wedding feast according to Indian custom. The youmg princess became a dutiful wife. Catching named her Francis and she was accepted by the neighbors. To them were born four children. After ten years of marriage Francis Catching died of consumption (TB) Catching in his later years moved to northern California. He is buried in Del Norte County some tem miles east of Crescent City.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Indian Wars, A Pioneer Struggles
As Told By
The Late Daniel Giles
The Daniel Giles Manuscript
The following story in manuscript form is an excellent narrative of the vicissitudes
of the early pioneers of this section and their many sacrifices to reach Oregon. The author of this feature story, Daniel Giles, deceased, who has passed on to posterity this story of his migration to this land, was the father of Mrs. N.G.W. Perkins and Mrs. H.H. Harris of Myrtle Point, Sam C. Giles of Hereford, AZ and John Giles
of Ventura, CA, by his first wife and of Attorney Claude H. Giles of Marshfield,
Dr. Willan Giles and Dr. Clark Giles, both practicing dentists
of San Francisco, by his second marriage.
EARLY DAYS & TREK WEST
I was born in Bedford County, PA in the year 1836 A.D. September 16, came into the world under unfavorable circumstances in moderated circumstances financially, but father in very poor health, unable to work his trade, as he was a blacksmith and of course his work was very hard. I, at birth, was a very small unhealthy child, had a large tumor under my chin that had to be lanced by a doctor and my life hung in the balance for some months.
Father died when I was about 2 years old, mother sold what little property was left after paying doctor bills and funeral expenses and moved her family to the State of Ohio, in the year 1838, and when I was about 6 years old my mother married again and her husband was a very poor man. Having to work from home to make a living.
When I was 8 years old I found it necessary to seek a living for myself. I first worked for strangers for board and clothes and of course had some rough experiences. After trying that plan for about 2 years I got a job for $2.50 per month and at that wage managed to lay enough money in about 8 months to enable me to go to school 3 months in the winter, paying my board and tuition which was my first schooling. By this time, I learned to plow corn and my wages had increased, and of course, I got along better and was able to help mother a great deal.
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In the spring of ’51, I got the western fever and went to Davis County, IA, remaining there 1 year, and in April 1852, started across the plains with an ox-team, working my passage to the Territory of Oregon.
As we traveled up some 200 miles through Iowa and Council Bluffs, although we had lots of rain and mud, we had a very enjoyable time as the scenery was grand. Beautiful large prairies were interspersed with beautiful streams, lined along their banks with fine groves of timber, the streams well stocked with fish of many kinds, and the woods contained deer, wild turkeys, prairie chickens, squirrels and other game.
When we got up near Council Bluffs we passed by farms, fenced and with good buildings on them that had just been deserted by Mormons, who had been called to Salt Lake that spring and as they could not find buyers for their improvements they moved off and left them. Our group could have moved on them and each family taken possession of good and pretty well-improved farms without anyone disputing their title. And in on instance could have taken a lovely farm and a good ferry boat that we used to cross a good-sized stream by the way.
I had left all my relatives in the States except one sister and her family with whom I was traveling, but could not persuade my brother-in-law to stop any short of Oregon. I thought we had found the Garden of Eden and was looking for the forbidden fruit and also the tree of life when we arrived on the banks of the Missouri River near Canesville.
We found the river very full and running wild and a great many people waiting their chance to get across, The Mormons, who had deserted their farms that we saw, were there and many other trains. As there were only two small scows to cross in, and they had to be propelled by hand, it was very hard work getting the wagons across. I do not know when we would have gotten over, if it had not been for a steamboat that came along and stopped and hauled teams and wagon across for several days.
While waiting to get across the Missouri, which detained us about two weeks, I went fishing one day in a large creek with some other boys. It was full and running swift, but as the rain had been very warm for several days and the water was not very cold, we concluded to go in and have a swim.
There was one boy in the crowd that was the only child of his parents, who were getting old; he went in with us. I soon found out that he could not swim although he was older and larger than myself. I cautioned him to be very careful not to get into the water that he could not wade, yet he did not use proper care and got in so deep that the current took him off his feet and carried him out into the river where he sank, screaming for help. Although there were several boys larger than I there in the crowd, that could swim well, there was none that started to his rescue. At the thought of his old parents and the terrible loss and shock it would be on them if he drowned, I determined to save him at the risk of my own life. So I got to him just as he was sinking the second time and aimed to grab him by the hair of his hand, but as his hair was cut very short my hand slipped off so I had to go under after him and as he was naked and wild with fear and the current was very swift, I found it was impossible for me to keep him on top of the water very long at a time.
Once when we were both very near the bottom, he grabbed me around the neck with both hands, and it was a fearful struggle for me to get free from him. I had to let go
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and get the surface to clear my lungs and get my breath before I could go down after him again. There were two of my nephews, both too small to be of any help, crying for me to come ashore when his old mother’s pleading face compelled me to go for him again.
This time he was sinking for the last time so his struggles were not so violent and as we had drifted a long way down the stream and the current getting toward the bank in a bend in the creek, I got him so near the bank that with a great effort I threw him so that the boys on the shore caught him and pulled him out.
That effort came very near costing me my life. As I was swimming when I threw him, the force of the effort threw me back under the current. As I was already badly exhausted, before I could reach surface again I was badly strangled, and the current was carrying me away from the shore. All I could do, for a time, was to keep on top of the water until I could breathe again, and then it was with great effort that I reached the shore in a completely exhausted condition. When I did get ashore, I had great satisfaction to find that I had saved that boy’s life. By the time I had rested so that I could walk, he also, with a little help, could return to camp with us.
I saw him return to his mother that night all right, and as Miss Fortune would have it, he very soon after was the only protector she had on those wide plains. His father had died of the cholera and was buried by the roadside as many hundreds of others were, for the cholera raged bad that year/ As we traveled for days and weeks along through the flat and Black hills and up along the Sweetwater, we were in sight of a funeral nearly all the time and some days would see five or six.
Immediately after getting across the Missouri River we formed a train of about 100 wagons in order that we might be better prepared to protect ourselves against Indians. But when the cholera broke out among us, by brother-in-law and three families concluded that they would rather risk the Indians than the cholera in such a large train. And so with the permission of the rest of the train, the four families pulled out by themselves and traveled together to the spring on Green River, 15 miles west of the Big Sandy River.
Here one man and a part of his family were driven out by themselves as the other three families would not allow him to travel with them any farther as he had proved himself to be one of the most disagreeable men on the plains. They had put up with them on account of his family until then, although he had whipped his wife several times with anything he had happened to get a hold of.
We had stopped here to rest our teams part of the day and do some cooking before going on to the desert, intending to start as soon as the sun went and travel all night while the air was cool, as by that means we could reach Green River the next day, which we did.
This man had a daughter and her husband with him that had been married just before leaving Iowa, and as the father had plenty of teams and needed help, he had agreed to bring them to Oregon for their help. But he got angry at his daughter because she begged him not to abuse he step-mother for nothing, and he knocked the daughter down and beat her with an ox whip stalk and threw her bed and clothes out on the desert and would not take them any further. They had not a dollar to help themselves with and my brother-in-law picked them up and brought them into Oregon although he had a large family of small children.
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As it proved before we got into settlements, we did not have teams and provisions enough to bring hisown family through and the small children had to walk a good part of the way on the end of the trip. We had to cut off six yokes oxen and two yokes of cows as one cow and one ox yoked together. We had to leave the family Bible and most of our clothing in the Cascade Mountains and then get a fresh team and back some 25 miles and get the rest of the wagons and goods.
Although the scenery for a great part of our journey was fine and very interesting, we had a great many hardships to endure. As good luck would have it, not one of my brother-in-law’s (children) was sick to amount to much during the entire journey, but I had the choleras in the Black Hills and thought my time had come; but it appears I was too tough a boy to be killed by cholera, for in four or five days I was driving my team again.
We suffered more for water than for anything else as we had to make many long drives across wide plains from one watering place to another, and we were not prepared as we should have been to carry water with us. We suffered a great deal for water to drink and the cattle suffered from the same cause, but our cattle did not begin to die until we struck the headwaters of the Snake River. The first symptom we noticed that they were not alright was a slight bleeding from the nose, and the next morning we would invariable find them dead.
Of course we had to be constantly on our guard. As we were traveling all the time among Indians who would kill or steal our cattle, if they got a chance, or take our lives if they thought they could without losing their own. We got camped as we often did, by water, and then had to drive our cattle away a mile or two to get grass for them. We were compelled to put out a double guard, one with the camp and one with the cattle.
It was very hard on all the men in our little company, and it so happened that I was on guard some part of every night for at least three months. By the time I got into the settlements of Oregon I could not sleep more than three or four hours out of every 24. It was like a child learning to walk for me to sleep again, but I have been making up for lost time for several years past, for I now sleep eight to 10 hours out of every 24.
Owing to our vigilance we did not lose anything on the plains and only had our stock stampeded one night on the trip, and that was at a lonely camp on the Snake River. We could not get our stock to swim the river where most of the immigration crossed, so se had to go around the bend, many miles out of our way.
One night I was in bed about midnight, in the wagon just having come off guard a few moments before, when I heard the cattle start to run and I pulled on my pants and jumped out of the wagon and ran, with bare head and feet and in my shirt sleeves, although the wind was blowing hard and it was raining some, I ran as fast as I could despite the rocks and pickle-burrs hurting my feet.
The bells on the stock were pretty near out of hearing at one time. But later they sounded plainer, so I thought they had stopped and soon got very near them, as I thought. The first thing I knew I was looking down the muzzle of a double barreled shotgun about 10 feet and it appeared to me a long time to speak but I guess it did not.
I found I had been mistaken in the bell, and this was some men guarding their stock. Their train was camped over a hill about a mile from our camp. The men told me they had heard our cattle go by them, and that saved my life, for they were expecting some
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men after our cattle, otherwise they would have been sure that I was an Indian, being partly dressed as I was.
After listening for a short time I could hear our bells, and finally, our men that were on guard at the time the cattle got scared, on their way back to camp. These men had succeeded in getting around and bringing all the cattle back without loss of any, although they had gone at least five miles. We could not find out what had scared them, but we believe the Indians ran off.
When we got to Fort Boise when several hundred Indians were encamped, they were dying like anything with the smallpox, and they blamed the white people for bringing the disease among them. We had to be on guard more than ever, for they would get revenge if they could.
Of course it was very dry but we managed to travel on it almost alone until we reached The Dalles. There we got some flour, thinking we would be able to get across the Cascade Mountains in about five or six days, but instead it took 11 days. So we found, when we got to the foot of Laurel Hill, some 22 miles from Fosters, the nearest point we could get provisions, that we would have nothing to eat the next night and we could not possibly get through with the family.
We had a woman with us that we had picked up on the Green River desert who had been sick ever since we left The Dalles and had not been able to walk one step and we were looking for her to die any time. We would have to stop the team and rest her. Quite often we would stop a few minutes and have a few bites of bread that had been baked in a frying pan before the fire, but of course, we did not have half enough to satisfy our hunger. As for my part I had been hungry for at least a month.
After we had eaten our lunch my brother-in-law said that one of us would have to strike out on foot and go to Fosters that night, if possible, and get 25 pounds of flour and bring it back the next day and meet the family or else they would have nothing at all to eat. Of course, the husband of the sick woman could got go, and I would not allow and old man to go and leave me in charge of the family. I knew we had to cross the Big Sandy River twice by fording and it was very high and ran very swift and our team was very weak, so the lot fell to me to go.
I struck out, determined to get there that night if it was possible. After traveling three or four miles, I overtook a man on his way to Fosters on the same errand that I was, so we traveled together for sometime. We crossed the Sandy River together. The first time we found it very deep wading and swift and could hardly keep our feet under us, the water coming up to my arms a good part of the way across. As it was from melting snow, it was very cold and chilled us badly, but we walked very fast and soon warmed up again.
As we were traveling along between the two crossings of Sandy, I saw a 50-pound flour sack by the side of the road that someone had emptied the flour out of and threw the sack away. The sack had a considerable thickness. In the cracks where the caked flour had cracked, there was green mould in abundance, but I was so hungry that I picked that flour off the sack and ate, mould and all and was very sorry there was not more of it.
We arrived at the second crossing of the Sandy sometime after dark and found the water running very fast and making lots of noise. As it went tumbling over the rocks, the noise was so great that it scared the man that was traveling with me. He refused to
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try to cross that night and tried to persuade me to stay with him; but I knew I had to go and get to Fosters that night if possible, or could not get back to the family the next day.
I had nothing at all to eat, although the gentleman that I was traveling with offered to divide a few bites of bread that he had with him but of course he needed a great deal more for himself than he had, so I refused to take any from him.
I got him to go down to the edge of the water with me and watch if I got across safely, but if I got drowned for him to report so that my folks would know what had become of me. But as luck would have it, by swimming, wading, rolling and tumbling I finally got across but was very badly chilled.
Near the bank there was several families camped and they had a fire built against a big fir log and was pitchy and was burning nicely. There were two old men sitting by the fire talking and when I came up to them all wet and shivering with cold they invited me to take a seat on an ox yoke that was lying in front of the fire I fell asleep as I sat on that ox yoke in spite of the great hunger that I was suffering. Just how I long I slept I will never know, but when the fire burned down I awoke shivering with cold, and it was very dark.
The men had gone to bed and left me sitting by the fire asleep. If it had not been for the river I would not have been able to tell which way I wanted to go but, of course, I knew I did not want to cross the river again; so I struck out although it was very hard work for me to find the road as it was so very dark in the timber.
I managed to follow the road alright and after traveling, as I thought, for a long time I finally came in sight of a large barn and I thought I would crawl in the hay in the barn and try to get a little sleep until daylight. I would get something to eat and some flour and start back, but I found the barn all locked up and I could not get in at all. I saw the house off in the distance, but it was all dark and I knew it must be nearly daylight, so I did not want to bother anybody, especially when I had no money to pay for lodging.
As I was looking around for a way to get in the barn, I discovered a big pile of straw tat had been thrown over the fence. It was a rail fence and a lot of hogs had crawled under the straw along that fence and made a bed there. As there was a great many of them, they had created considerable heat. I drove them out and laid down in their bed and fell asleep and when I waked it was just getting daylight. Of course, I was very cold as there was a very heavy frost and I had on nothing but one thin cotton shirt and cotton pants, except a hat of some kind.
As I crawled out of the hog nest, I saw smoke just beginning to curl up out of the kitchen stove at the Foster’s house, so I made for that point as I was fearfully cold. When I knocked at the kitchen door there was a big Negro opened the door and when he saw me shivering with cold he said, “The Lord must have helped you,” He gave me some warm water to wash with, and when breakfast was ready he told me to go and sit down at the table and wait for no one to help me but to just help myself.
As he came to the table with a large platter of hot beef steak, he put a steak on my plate that would have weighed a pound. I know I never tasted anything so good, before or since, in my life. I was one of the first to get to the table and as my teeth and appetite were good, I ate as fast as I could until the last man left the table, and then I
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quit almost as hungry as when I sat down. I knew that if I ate until was satisfied it would kill me.
I paid 50 cents for my breakfast at the store where I got it and paid for 25 pounds of flour. I only had a $2.50 gold piece in money with me, and I gave it to the boy I got the flour from to take his pay out of. As bad luck would have it, he made a mistake thinking I had given him a $5.00 piece, instead of $2.50. As I was in a hurry to get started and had to wasted some time before I could get anyone to wait on me, I stuck the money in my pocket without looking at it and struck out with my pack on my back.
After I had got on my road something over a mile I happened to think that there was a gold piece in the change the boy gave me and I knew there should not have been as I had only given him $2.50. So I examined the money and sure enough there was a $2.50 gold piece and some silver. I thought the matter over and made up my mind that if I did not go back and make the mistake right, and he found out before I got back with the family, that he would think I intended to steal the money. So I concluded to go back and make it alright, which I did, carrying may load the round trip as I was afraid to leave it anywhere for fear something would happen to it.
This gave me something over two miles of extra travel and about 10 o’clock that day I became so weak that I got scared for fear that I would not be able to get to the family that night. But I traveled the best I could, not stopping to rest although it appeared that I could not get one foot ahead of the other. About noon it appeared to me that I had never been quite so hungry before in my life. I guess if I had been in reach of plenty to eat I would have killed myself for I do not believe I could have controlled my appetite at all, but I was not in danger from that cause for I got nothing to eat until late that night, and then only a little bread made of flour and water straight and baked before a fire in a frying pan.
I did not get to the family until after dark. I had to wade across Sandy and carry the flour on my back, which stream and run down since I had crossed very well and soon found the folks where they had camped for the night, without a bite of anything in camp except a little rice and sugar and the tea for the sick woman that my sister had left for her, as that was the only thing we could get her to eat.
The next day, late in the evening, we got to Fosters with the family, and the sick woman and her husband. Here we laid up for several days until we got a fresh yoke of cattle and got our plunder out of the mountains that we had left behind. While here the husband of the sick woman got a job of work at a saw mill a few miles from our camp and I moved him and his wife and left them. They stayed there until spring and the woman got well and is alive yet; but I do not know what became of the man, as he and his wife separated many years ago and he drifted out of my knowledge.
My brother-in-law and his family and myself stopped at French Prairie. Her was a good blacksmith and go a good paying job doing the ironwork on a new steamboat that was being built for a man named Ben Simpson at a little town at the edge of French Prairie. The boat was named the Oregon and she ran on the Willamette for many years.
PACK TRAINS & STORE TENDING
I first got a job of work on the farm and worked until the new boat was ready to run. Then I went to work on the boat and worked there until spring and then I struck out
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for the Jacksonville mines in Rogue River Valley. When I got to Marysville which is now called Corvallis, I found several packtrains there after goods, and I got a chance to work my passage with a trains owned by a man and his father by the name of Holdman.
They had a general mercantile store in Jacksonville and carried everything the miners needed. They had quite a large train of mules and I had a good chance to learn the art of packing before we got to our journey’s end. Although the roads or rather trails, as there were no roads then in the southern part of the state at that time of the year which was April 1853 were very muddy and in some place mire, I enjoyed the trip splendidly.
We traveled all day through a beautiful country fresh from the hands of nature, unmarred by the hand of man most of the way. We stretched our tent and camped by some lovely stream every night, turning our mules out to grazes on wild grass until morning. The country abounded with wild game, and the streams were full of wild trout, so we had fine living and good sport.
When we got to Jacksonville I looked around for several days and as I know nothing about mining, I count not find anything that suited me in the mining business, and so I went to work for the man, Holdman, that I came her with. He was going to Crescent City on the coast of California with is pack train for a load of goods to start a mining store on the Applegate River, about seven miles from Jacksonville, so I went with him as one of his packers at the salary of $50.00 a month and board.
At this time the whole country was full of Indians, and women never knew when they were safe, for we all knew they were treacherous and liable to scalp you at any time they got a chance; so everybody had to go well armed and be on watch all the time. The second day from Jacksonville we were crossing a high rugged mountain between the Applegate and the Illinois Rivers, when I was driving the behind lot of mules. In some way my belt became unbuckled and fell off, together with a large knife that I valued very highly, and I did not miss it until we got to the top of the mountain. Then I called the attention of Thomas Holdman to the fact and told him I would like to go back and try to find it. He took me I might lose my scalp, and if the Indians caught me alone, the world be apt to get me. But as I had a good revolver on my saddle horn and a good mule under me, I was not afraid, so I went back while Thomas and the rest of the train went down the mountain.
After I had gone half way down the mountain, I found my belt and knife by the side of the trail and got off my mule and buckled my belt, and as the mountain was very steep right there, I turned my mule across the trail and got on the upper side of him. He was uneasy and anxious to go on after the rest of the train. Just as I raised myself in the stirrup, the mule turned so quickly that I went over him head first down the mountain and my revolver was on the saddle, so I had nothing but my knife to fight with in case I fell in with some Indians. I must confess I felt a little lonesome, but I got to the top of the mountain pretty quick and then ran about halfway down the other side when I met Tom, coming up the mountain as fast as his mule could carry him with his revolver in his hand, thinking that the Indians had shot me from the mule with arrows and the mule ran away. He was coming to help me if he could, but you may be sure that he was glad to find me not hurt.
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When we got to the foot of the mountain, we found ourselves in a beautiful valley divided by a fine clear running stream well stocked with mountain trout. This valley was entirely unsettled by whites, but there were a good many Indians that made their homes there. We traveled down the stream to its mouth and found that it empted into a stream that is now called the Illinois River, which stream we traveled up for a good many miles to where a stream emptied into it that at the time was called Althouse Creek. This stream was pretty rich in gold and there were quite a number of miners at work here washing out the gold.
Near here we crossed the river by fording and afterwards traveling a few miles over a country containing several acres of mineral land rich in gold. It was not discovered for several years after our trip through there, but is now being mined at the present time with great profit by hydraulic machinery and ha been for the last 25 years. The gold was very fine but there have been many thousands of dollars taken out and the mines are paying better now in 1896 than ever.
After crossing this mineral belt we came to the foot of a coast mountain and had to climb up a steep rugged trail just wide enough for one animal to pass along for many miles taking us all day to cross the mountain over into Pitt River Valley. While on top of this mountain we found the coldest spring of water that I ever saw ant it poured out a fine stream of transparent water as nice as was ever drunk.
Here I got my first glance of the ocean. I could see the line of the beach for many miles. It appears like a great bank of snow stretched out for many miles in length and then again looked like a great smooth mountain in the distance.
We found the Smith River valley. Very narrow and hemmed in on both sides by rocky and barren mountain. We crossed the north fork on a small flat boat that had just been put on by some men that had settled there. The stream was the clearest water that I ever saw, you could see a quarter of a dollar on the bottom of the stream very plain although the water was 29 feet deep.
After traveling down this stream for several miles we had to cross a steep mountain, as the mountains closed in so close to the stream that we could not follow it any farther. When we struck the stream again the valley for about 10 miles we crossed the stream by fording and although the stream was quite wide it was deep fording and ran swift, but as the bottom was smooth and solid we got along alright.
I saw my first redwood trees, a grove of timber miles in extent, growing on level ground and the trees would measure from eight to 30 feet in diameter and from 100 to 250 feet high. This is one of the finest groves of redwood timber in the State of California.
About 12 miles after crossing this river we came to Crescent City, at this time a city of but a few houses and these very cheap structures made entirely of rough boards, as the town was only a few months old.
Here we got an assorted cargo of goods and in a few days started on our return trip but not until I had spent several hours on the beach studying the wonderful and mighty works of the Great Creator as they were spread out before me.
The first days of travel on our return trip brought us to and just across the ford of Smith River and we camped on the bank of the river on a beautiful prairie. Here we unpacked and turned our miles loose and stretched out our tents. My two traveling companions were busy preparing supper and I was arranging the packs and ropes so
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they would be handy in the morning as we wanted to get an early start so as to get across the north fork of Smith River the next day if possible.
As I was standing doing up the last rope, facing the river, a gun was fired out of the brush on the off side of the river. The bullet or piece of lead, as it proved to be, passed our my right shoulder so very near my head that I felt the force of the flame and as the lead struck some driftwood just behind me, I got it and found that it was about an ounce and a half of lead that had been pounded into a slug in shape to fit a half-inch smooth bore gun. Had it hit my head it would have beheaded me sure. We knew that an Indian had done the shooting but as there were only three of us, we could not leave our camp to follow him, so we kept out of sight as much as we could until dark and got away the next morning just after daylight. I was not molested any more on that trip by the Indians.
The reason why that Indians tried to kill me was, as we learned in Crescent City, that a few days before some packer had camped there and shot and killed an Indian that they found in their camp in the morning when they drove up their mules, as they had left camp alone while they had gone after them. They claimed that the Indian was trying to steal something. This Indian was seeking revenge and I came very near being the revenge.
The next day’s travel was a very unlucky one for the others of the train. As we passed down the mountain that we crossed we found the trail so steep that the packs slipped over the heads of the mules about as fast as we fixed them, and when we got down in the valley we had to travel some distance through the timber before getting out into open ground. We found that one of our pack mules was missing so I went back to look for him while the train in charge of the other two men went on. After searching for some time I found the missing mule’s tracks and tracked him some distance into the wood and found him. The pack had worked forward and hurt him so bad it caused him to slip out of the trail. I fixed the pack then turned him loose in the train and got my saddle mule and followed him.
As I was only about two miles from the ferry on the north fork of the Smith River I thought the train might be across the river by the time the mule got there, and he would go in and try to swim the river and I knew he could not as one of the side packs was sugar and the other bacon. Of course, as soon as the sugar got wet it would melt and that would throw the mule on one side and drown him. So I tried to overtake and catch him but he was a very strong and active mule and the one I was riding was a rather slow mule, so I could not overtake him. Sure enough, he never halted at the river, as the train had already crossed, and he pitched right in. I got on the bank just in time to see him kick one of his hind feet out of the water as he sank, never to come up alive.
When the foreman came after me, I learned that the owner of the train had taken the bell mare across in the first boat and left the other man to guard the rest of the mules until the boat could get back. One of the mules he was guarding also packed with sugar and bacon got away from him and undertook to follow the bell mare and was drowned. Se se had two mules and their packs on the bottom of the river. We had no trouble, however, in getting them to the surface as the water was so transparently clear that we could see the loops on the ropes and even the handles on the tin cups that had got our of the camp box that was on one of the mules. Although the water
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was 29 feet deep we got a pole and fastened a hook on it and hooked everything up even the mules and then let them float away.
We dried out what was left of the packs of the drowned mules and divided it up between other packs and then struck out. We got along without anymore trouble the rest of the trip, and in a few days after getting home, we started a miner’s store on the Applegate River, about seven miles from Jacksonville, Jackson County, OR. This store consisted of everything a miner needed, even all kinds of liquors, cigars and tobacco.
I, at the time, was not yet seventeen years old and the only white boy in the country, but I soon had lots of company among the Indian boys and girls that lived in that part of the country, as they came to the store in squads nearly every day, and I soon got acquainted with them. Among them, I had two fast friends, a brother and sister, the children of old Chief John, a great chief that lived about three miles up the river. At the time the boy was my age and the girl about two years younger. The boy I called Charley and the girl Sally. We soon learned to talk—so well that we could carry on a conversation with perfect satisfaction. Of course, I made them little presents once in a while.
I was taken down sick with some kind of fever and was very sick for some time, and while I was ill my two Indian friends scarcely missed a day that they did not come by to see me and bring me fish or venison, or wild bird, squirrel or rabbit in order to tempt my appetite and would have no pay of any kind for their favors.
When I got up about the store again to look after the business, although I was very weak yet, my employer left me alone and went over to Jacksonville and was gone all day. Soon after he was gone my Indian friends came to see me and Charley brought me a nice piece of grizzly bear that he had killed the day before. The meat was very fat and after they went away I concluded to have an appetite.
We had a garden close to the store and the young potatoes were about as large as a walnut, so I got some and made some dough out of self-rising astrial flour that the miners used altogether in those days. After boiling the meat until it was nice and tender I put it in the potatoes and the dough, seasoned it with pepper and salt to suit my taste. When it was don’t I turned the whole thing out in a tin pan and sat down to have a food fill as Thomas, my employer, had not yet go home and he had not let me have enough to eat to satisfy my appetite so far. In his absence I thought I would have my way, but he happened to come home just in time to save my life for I have no doubt but I would have eaten so much that it gave me a backset, and I had a harder spell than before and the fever was higher and harder to break.
One day after I had been down the second time for about two weeks, the fever had been very high all day and Thomas had been very busy in the store and as he had no help he had to neglect me some, which he very much disliked to do for no brother could have been kinder to me than he was.
He had left a left pitcher full of water in reach of me together with a glass so that I could get a drink when I wanted it and I drank all that I wanted until along near night I called him and told him to get me some more water. When he found that I had drunk all the water that was in the pitcher, he thought it would be sure to kill me if he could not let me to throw it up He gave me a dose of Lobels and it had no effect, so he gave me two more large doses without causing me to throw up/ I guess there was so much
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water in my stomach that the medicine got drowned. About dark a miner who worked near the store came after something and I heard Tom tell him that he wished him to stay that night as he did not believe that I would live until morning as I had drunk water enough that day to kill a well man and lobels would have no effect on me.
He stayed and about 10 or 12 o’clock that night I thought sure enough that I was dying for the fever all left, and I felt so weak that I could hardly raise my hand. I was entirely out of pain and never felt better in my life only so weak I thought I was surely dying. I told the man that I was dying and where to direct a letter to my mother in the Willamette Valley. She heard from someone who happened to be there at the store that I was very sick and about to die. When I did not write her she believed that I was dead until lat in the fall of 1854 when I went to her home on Deer Creek, Douglas County, where she had settle after moving from the Willamette Valley. She was almost as much surprised as thought I had risen from the dead.
That night was the turning point for I got much better the next day and kept on improving until I got well again.
My young Indian friends came to see very often and Charley and I had lots of fun shooting at a mark. I was the owner of a splendid Colts revolver and he had a bow and arrow and we were both good shots. He could beat me with the bow and arrow but I could beat him with the revolver.
INDIAN FRIENDS WARN OF COMING WAR
On day, sometime after I got well, Sally, the Indian girl, came to the store with her father, the Chief.
I was there all alone as Tom had gone to Jacksonville and there happened to be no customers there. The girl had always been very full of life and fun before when she had been at the store but this morning she appeared to be sick, she looked so sad and downhearted . We had a kitchen joining the store where we did our cooking on the fireplace and the fire was still burning so the old man went into the kitchen and lit his pipe and sat down be the fire and smoked.
This left Sally and I along in the store so I asked her what was the matter, was she sick, or had some of her friends or relatives died. She said neither one, but she dated not tell me what was the matter for if she did, and the Indians found out they would be sure to kill he but she wanted to tell me very badly, so I told her that if she would tell me the Indians would never know that she had, even if they should kill me for not telling.
So she told me. All the Rogue River and Applegate and some of the Klamath Indians had joined together and were going to kill all the white people in the country and they were going to commence in two weeks. She and her brother wanted me to go away off and maybe, I could stay there. But now the Indians were all mad and they would kill me if I did not go away.
As soon as the old man got through smoking they bade me goodbye and went away. I never saw the girl afterwards and never met the old chief and Charley but one time after that.
When Thomas Holdman came home that night I told him what the girl had told me, pledging him to keep the secret as far as the girl was concerned. He just laughed and said that the girl was fooling us and that the Indians know better than to undertake to whip the whites and drive them out of the country. I told him that I knew Sally
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believed just what she told me so that I might save my life, for her father had given her such a good chance to tell me, but Holdman would not believe that there was any danger.
A few days after this, in the middle of the day I was alone again as I generally was in the middle of the day as the miners nearly always did their trading in the evening and Tom had gone over to Jacksonville again, a noted chief that the whites called George came to the store alone. I was well acquainted with him as he had been to the store many times.
He was a fine looking Indian as I ever saw, at least six feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds, had as fine a feature as any white man and was very intelligent. Although it was against the law to sell or give liquor to the Indians I had treated this Indian before, and this time he seemed very much troubled and downcast, so I poured out a drink of whiskey and before he drank it made me a little speech. The meaning of the words he spoke in his language was that hoped to see the day when all white men would be away on the other side of the salt sea.
His appearance and the way he spoke caused me to think of what the Indian girl had told me, so I said, “Well George, you will let me stay, won’t you?” and he said “No you had better go, too,” and I knew he meant it for the way he spoke.
So, when Tom came home that night I told him I thought the best and safest thing we could do was to move the store over to Jacksonville and told him what Chief George had said and how he had acted. As Sally had not been back since she told me of the danger I was in, and Charley had not been there for so long. I was sure the Indians were going to break out and kill all the people they could and, of course, would burn and destroy property and he and I better get away while we could. But he would not believe he was in danger so would not move, and as he had been such a true friend to me while I was sick, of course, I would not leave him, although I was sure that war was coming.
The night before the time had expired that Sally had set for the war to commence, Tom and I were alone at the store and I was uneasy. I had been up the creek a few miles and got some mules we were running on grass so that Tom could sell them as he had concluded not to pack any more, I drove them down close to the store, and as it was late in the evening, they stayed there until morning.
Although I passed by where there had been several Indian camps that day I was no Indians which reminded me again of Sally’s warning so I told Tom that the Indians would break out before morning. He laughingly said, “Maybe you had better stand guard tonight,” but he did not expect to take his turn for he expected to have a good night’s sleep. As it turned out he did not sleep much that night for about 10 o’clock he was taken down with a severe spell of cholera morbus and I never saw anyone suffer like he did from that time until nearly day light . I never had seen anyone have that disease before and did not know what to do for him. There was no one near and he would not let me leave him alone. It was a very lonesome night for me, I can assure you, as I was expecting the Indians any moment and did not know but what Tom would die before morning with the disease he had.
If the Indians did not kill him, I was sure my Indians friends would protect me if they could, but did not know whether they would be able to or not for I knew something about this savage deposition of Indians when they were on the warpath, so I felt very
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unsafe. I did not think may scalp fit very tight, but was a good deal more uneasy on account of Tom than I was for myself, for I did not think I would be able to protect him if the Indians were to attack us, although I intended to defend him as long as I lived. Yet I was afraid he was going to die pretty soon if I did not get a doctor for him, with the disease that was working on him.
As soon as he fell asleep, just before daylight as he became easy about that time through heavy does of Perry Davis’ Pain Killer and hot water that I had given him. I slipped out and caught a favorite saddle mule and saddled it and armed with my Colt revolver, started for Jacksonville after the only doctor that was in Jackson County at the time.
The road ran for about three miles through pine timber and thick underbrush and it was very crooked, I could not see an distance ahead, and as I was going about as fast as the mule could travel, as I got about two miles from the store, I made a short turn in the road just as it was fair daylight and found myself surrounded by a band of Indians, all armed and with their war paint on. They had heard the clatter of the mule’s feet and had strung their bows and had cocked their guns ready to shoot. I would have been riddled in a second if Charley had not been there.
He called to his father, who was in command, at the top of his voice to protect me and not to kill me and he prevented them from shooting and then he came up to me and shook hands. He inquired of me if my revolver was loaded, and I partly pulled it out of my belt to show him that it was loaded and partly ready for use if needed.
Just then a company of 20 mounted men, well armed, came around the point of timber only a few rod s away as fast as their horses could carry them. The moment they saw the Indians they drew their guns to sire on the Indians. I called to them to hold on and told Charley to stop the Indians as they had all made a move to get into the timber. He did as I told him and the Indians, 25 in number, all gather around me and the men did not fire but came up slow, both parties on guard for fear the other would take advantage of them.
I began to realize the danger I had been in and now knew positively that I had not misplaced confidence in my Indian friend, Charley. He had proved true even at the risk of his own life and saved my life which, of course, made me think more of him, but that was the last time I ever saw him or his father. The men from Jacksonville took all of the company of Indians prisoners with a fight, partly, through my influence with Charley.
The white men confirmed that what the Indian girl had told me two weeks before was true, but, of course, they did not know anything about what she had told me; they only told me what happened. The Indians all over the country were on the warpath and had killed two men in the edge of Jacksonville the evening before and one that morning. Every man that could get arms and a horse were out to alarm people.
I told him that I had to go to Jacksonville for a doctor, or at least a doctor’s advice and medicine. The captain of the company told me that it was impossible for me to go there, as the town was surrounded with Indians, and me being alone, they would be sure to get me. Of course, they could not spare a man to go with me. But when I remembered how kind Tom had been to me when I was sick and how white he looked when he fell asleep and how he had suffered all that night, I determined to get medicine for him or die. I told the captain to stop as he went by the store and, if Tom
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was alive to tell him that would soon be back with medicine for him, and for the captain to send all the miners he could to the store as quickly as possible.
The company took the prisoners down to creek about six miles and left them to be guarded by a lot miners until there could be better arrangements made. That night they stole their arms and in a few days were seen in a battle on the Applegate.
The Indians won the battle and the whites had to retreat and leave the Indians in possession of the ground and carry the dead and wounded. The Indians were commanded in that engagement by Chief John, the father of Charley and Sally, my Indians friends. A few days before my life was in his hands for a few moments, but I felt I was safe while Charley was there, even if the white men had not come to my rescue.
After parting from the soldiers and their prisoners I traveled along as fast as possible, without a sign of danger until I got part way down the hill back of Jacksonville. This hill is covered with timber and brush and over a half a mile from the top to the bottom. I heard a very strange noise out in the timber a little ways from the road. It was of such a nature that I thought someone had been wounded and crawled off there and was in need of help so I with my revolver in my hand, cocked, and on my trusty mule went quietly and casually through the brush until I got sight of the cause of the strange noise and found an Indian dog. I think he had been hurt in some way, as he was making the most pitiful noise that I ever heard. I shot him to put him out of his misery and then let my mule slip down into Jacksonville like a greased eel.
When I got into town I found the people all excited. They had heard my shot and supposed the Indians had shot a white man upon the side of the mountain. There had been so many men and guns that went out in the morning to alarm the people that there was not enough to guard the town and go out to rescue anyone. I saw two Indians hanging in a tree just in the edge of town that had been caught and hung that morning.
I soon found the old man Holdman, Tom’s father, and told him that Tom was very sick and that I was after the doctor. He scolded me for not turning back when I met the soldiers and said that it was a miracle that I had got there alive. He said he would go with me to see the doctor but had no idea that he could be got to go out of town, so we went and found him in his office.
The doctor said he would not go without a guard of at least 10 men, well armed and well mounted. As that was out the question, I told him the symptoms and that if he would give me the medicine I would take it. He said the disease was cholera morbus and that it had about run its course, and that Tom was about well when I left him, so I had better not try to go back that night for the Indians would be pretty sure to get me. The old man, Tom’s father, tried to persuade me knot to go, but I knew that Tom would think that I had got killed if I did not get back. I did not know how many men there were at the store to guard it and was afraid that Tom would need the medicine, so I determined to go back that night and got the medicine and struck out.
While going up the hill through the timber I was a little afraid but after I got on top my road ran along the banks of a small stream for about four miles and the country was pretty open. I could see pretty well all around me, so I did not feel much fear, but when I got near the crossing of the creek, which was about three miles from the store, I heard a number of volleys fired making the woods fairly ring. I knew there was a
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fight going on between the whites and Indians at just the ford, but my only chance was to get to the store that night was just to go ahead. So I did, but before I got to the battleground I met the same company of men I had met in the morning.
They had alarmed all the miners that they could and still get back to Jacksonville that night. And were on their return trip. They had met Chief George with about 30 warriors right at the crossing of the creek and got into a fight with them. They said they knew they had killed some Indians but did not know how many. There was only one ‘ying right by the side of the road. They said the Indians had got into the brush and timber and they had retreated. There were none of the whites killed but several were wounded, none very seriously.
They told me that I would have to go back with them as I could not get to the store that night and that Tom was better and told them to tell me to stay in Jacksonville if I got there, until I could get back in safety. But as the smoke of the guns had not yet cleared away, I knew the Indians would not be looking for anyone so soon after the battle, so I determined to chance it. Knowing that if I could get across the creek, I would be out of sight of the Indians in a moment. I rode along quietly until I was very new the ford. There I had to make a bend around a clump of willows and then would be in sight of the ford, and battle ground. As I made the turn I put spur to my mule and with my revolver in hand, cocked, I yelled as loud as I could so as to make the Indians think there were a lot of us after them.
As my mule passed the dead Indian, just as I made the turn, the smell of blood or the Indian himself scared the mule and I do not think I ever saw a mule run as fast before or since as he did and he kept it up until we got to the store door. Just as he jumped across the creek for I do not believe he touched the water, I looked back across my shoulder and off about 50 yards from me and under some oak trees I was a good many Indians rising up. They had fallen down when they heard me hollo, to get out of sight, for no doubt they thought the whole company was coming back, but I was out of sight so quickly that they did not fire a shot at me. So I got back to the store safely with the medicine for Tom although I had been running the gauntlet all day.
I found Tom much better, and he scolded me for risking my life as I had that day. The miners had gathered to the store to the number of 25 or 30 and were busy preparing for a defense.
We soon found that the Indian girl had told me the truth and that all the Indians she had named were on the warpath and doing all the mischief they could. Of course we kept out guards both day and night at the store and were not disturbed for several days. One night about a week after the war broke out. I was on guard some distance up the road from the store. About 10 o’clock I heard gun fire about 100 yards up the road where it crossed the deep ravine that was full of brush and a very dark place. At the crack of the gun a man holloed to the top of his voice that he was shot, that he was killed. He kept holloing as he passed me and until he got in the store and the men had partly stripped him and hunted all over and found that he was not touched. He said that the Indian was so close that the fire from his gun pretty near reached him, and he thought he was shot right through the body as he had often heard that if a person was badly shot they would not know it for sometime but he was very happy to find that he was not hurt.
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A few days after this, late one evening, there were two men came to the store from a place where a lot of miners were stopping up the river about one mile. They had only one log house and it was small so that they could not all get in to sleep, so about half of them slept out under the trees. We had our guard out when they came and they laughed at us and said that they did not guard at all as the Indians were all gone over on the Rogue River, some 15 or 20 miles away so there was no use to keep guard.
The next morning just as day was breaking I was on guard and I heard volley after volley fired up at their camp, and after it was fair daylight a party of our men went up there and found four of their men killed and a lot more wounded. The Indians had slipped up near to their sleeping place and fired into their beds and killed some of them while they were asleep.
One of the men who was in the store the night before was sleeping with all his clothes on and had a wide belt on. When he got in the house, he took his belt off and his entrails dropped out. A large bullet had cut right across his abdomen and boweled him and he lived but a few moments. Some of the wounds were made with bows and arrows but most of them were made with guns. They buried the dead and moved the wounded and the well down to our camp that day.
After this for a few days everything went along quietly at our camp, although there was lots of fighting going on throughout the country, but as were stronghanded and well-armed, they did not bother us.
There was a young Indian with us that had been working with a white man by the name of Dr. Osborn in the mines all spring, and when Dr. Osborn came to the store he brought the Indian with him. He was a boy, as myself, probably about 18, and he and I soon became fast friends. It was very lonesome staying around the store without any excitement and we had to live on bacon that was strong to speak for itself.
The Indian and I made it up between ourselves that we would slip out through the garden next morning before daybreak and go out to the hills about a mile and kill a deer and pack it in and have some good venison to eat. I stole two good rifles, one for myself and one for him; besides I had my Colts revolver. I gave the Indian his gun and put him in the lead and I walked very close for I did not have confidence in him. When we found some deer. I made him shoot one and take its insides out, and then I made him carry it back to camp and I carried both guns, but I told him to rest a while and then go on.
We got back to camp alright with our deer but it looked for a while as though the men would massacre me for taking such chances. They talked so rough that it scared the Indian so badly that during the night he slipped through the guard and ran away and was seen a few days afterwards fighting with the Indians in a hard battle that the whites had with them on the Applegate. My friend Charley was also seen fighting in that battle. The Indians held their ground and the whites, as night came on, had to retreat. There were a good many killed and wounded on both sides.
A few days after, there was another battle a couple of miles below us on the creek. Chief George was in command of the Indians and here again the Indians held their possessions and as dark came on the whites had to retreat. By this time the Indians were getting so warmed up and it was getting pretty hot for outside camps. And as there was no business done at the store and the men and guns were all needed in the field, Tom concluded to move the store to Jacksonville, which he did.
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A few days after reaching Jacksonville, Tom sold his pack train to two men by the names of Dobson and Bell and they hired me to go as a packer with them to Scottsburg after a load of fruit. They had 37 pack mules enough to protect ourselves pretty well.
MORE ADVENTURES WITH A PACK TEAM
There were four of us with this train and two other trains with about the same number of men joined with us as they were also going to Scottsburg after a load of fruit. This gave us men enough to protect ourselves pretty well.
One of the men had a small dog with him that he thought a great deal of and this dog came very nearly getting us into a serious scrape as we were passing Trevolt’s house at Rocky Point about 10 miles from Jacksonville where at the time there were quite a lot of people forted to protect themselves against the Indians. We were passing along the road some 100 yards from the fort, when a couple of large dogs ran out, and as our little dog was tired and some distance behind us, they jumped on and would have killed him if they had been left alone. What made it look much worse, there were several men standing in the yard looking at them and did not try to stop them, so the owner of our dog rode back as quickly as he could and with his revolver shot and killed one of the dogs and wounded the other and then picked up his little dog and carried him on his mule before him until he overtook us.
As soon as he fired the shot, the men who were standing in the yard ran in the house and when they came out they had their guns and came after us on the run; and, of course, we expected trouble. Tom Bell, one of the men I was working for, told the man who had shot the dog to ride ahead as quickly as he could and stop the mules and send all the boys back, and for him to stay in the lead and guard the mules. The rest of us would satisfy those fellows as there were about as many of us as there was of them, so we turned back to meet them.
Tom told us to keep cool and watch close, and if they made a move to shoot for us to be sure and shot the man directly in front of him, so that we would not all be shooting one man; and to listen to him and let him do the talking if there as any to be done.
As they came up, their leader asked where the man was that shot the dogs and Tom told him that he was at the head of the train. He was in plain sight and not over 100 years away. One of the men swore that he would shoot him and ran to a big rock near by, got behind it, laid his gun on top and was about to shoot when Tom, with his revolver in his hand, cocked and within 10 feet of him said that if he fired he would never get up from the rock as he would fill him with lead and the rest of us all drew our guns. If one shot had been fired, there would have been short work, and it is very doubtful one man would have got away with a whole skin.
Just at that time, the man that had shot the dogs came towards us, hollowing to hold on. As he came as fast as his mule could carry him, he was there by the time the man got up from the rock.
As he came up he said, “Gentleman, there is no cause for all you men to kill and be killed on this account.”
Then he added that if they wanted his blood because he protected his little dog and kept him from being torn to pieces when they did not try to keep their dogs from running out in the public road a hundred yards from their house, he hoped they would be men and give him a chance and only on of them attack him at a time. He turned to
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the man who had been behind the rock, drew his revolver and rode out a ways from the rest of us. Then he told him to step away from the crowd and he would accommodate him.
The leader told the man not to go out, that if we had not heard them call the dogs back the man was not so much to blame for defending his dog as he thought. They had called their dogs when they first started but they would not mind. They were very watchful and as their fort was surrounded by hostile Indians, the dogs were of great value in protecting the lives of the people by warning them in case the Indians should come near.
The man who had shot the dogs told them that his dog was equally as valuable as our guard while we were in hostile Indian country. He said he was sorry he had been compelled to shoot their dogs but he saw no other way at the time to save his dog’s life and he had not heard anyone yell at the dogs and no one followed after them to try to get them back, but it was all done now and could not be helped. He said that we could not afford to stay there and parley any longer as we had to get our train of mules across the Rogue River that night and out where we could get grass for them, so with their permission we would go on. We started on and they did not object, so peaceable ended what came very near being a serious tragedy.
We had to carry the little dog or let him ride on one of the pack mules for several days before he got over his bites. He got well alright and everything went well until we got our loads and got out of Scottsburg about 12 miles on our return trip and made our first camp for the night after we were loaded.
The next morning when we tried to get our mules, we found that one of the bell mares and about half of the mules were missing. By the way as soon as we got out of hostile Indian country, we had each train that had been traveling together, separate as there were too many mules together to get along well in traveling or getting started in the mornings. That left us four men with our train of 37 pack mules and two bell mares and our saddle mules. We always left one man in camp while the rest of us hunted up the mules.
After we were convinced that part of the mules had gone out of range, James Dobsen, one of the men who owned the train, and myself saddled a mule apiece and struck out to overtake the runaways, leaving the other two men to look after the camp. After going a few miles we turned off the trail and climbed to the top of a high bald hill that was flat on top, in hopes that we might find them there, or see them some where close and sure enough we saw them away across a canyon, some four or five miles away as near as we could judge. They were about as high up as we were, on the same range of mountains that we were, but to get to them we had to go down in the valley, and after going several miles on the trail, climb up again or around a ridge through heavy timber and brush. Where there was no trail for several miles, in order to get out on the open prairie on the top of the mountain to where the runaways were.
As we did not know how difficult and rough it was to get through we tried to go around the canyon. It was raining, we could not see the sun, when we got in the timber and brush, and we got lost. After wandering all day in the heavy rain, night found us on a creek in the deep, dark woods and without knowledge of our whereabouts.
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By this time our mules were tired out, climbing hills, over logs and thick brush all day with anything to eat and we could hardly get them along. As it was getting dark and we knew we could not go much farther that night with the mules. James Dobsen said if I would stay with the mules, he would go down to that creek and see if it would not lead out on the trail.
After he was gone, I took the saddles off the mules and tied them to some trees. As I had no axe or matches and it was still raining hard, of course, I could not make any fire so I took large sole leathers used for covering saddles, laid these down on the ground by the side of a log, and laid down on them, covering myself with the saddle blankets the best I could, I had no coat and as the blankets were as wet as water could make them and the rain was cold, I was very cold. My teeth were chattering, and I was shaking as though I had the ague.
One of the mules was standing so close to where I was lying that he could touch me with his front feet, and I was so tired that, although I was so cold, I feel asleep. How long I slept I do not know but the mule that could reach me pawed me and woke me up. I found that my bed had sunk down in soft ground and moss and leaves and made a trough and I was lying in water about six inches deep and nearly frozen.
I got up and wrapped the wet blankets around me and walked back and forth as far as I could go in the dark and brush and I could not see 10 feet ahead of me and it rained hard all night. After I got up, the mules kept snorting for a long time and I could hear something out in the brush once in a while breaking a twig by stepping on it, but my pistol was so wet that I could not get it to fire so I could not do anything but wait for it to eat me, if it wanted me.
Just as I began to think I was getting gray headed from old age, daylight began to appear and I put the saddles on the mules and, turn-one of them leading and leading the other, I started down the creek, I had not gone far when I heard Dobson holler my away down the creek—could just hear him. I answered and kept on traveling the best I could, but the brush and logs were so thick it was very slow work and when Dobson hollered again I was very glad that he was making better headway than I was for he was not far away they time. The mules answered him as well as myself. He got to me soon after, and his clothes were nearly torn off for he had a fearful night, as well as myself.
He had followed the creek to its mouth and found that it emptied into the Umpqua River, and the trail that we wanted to find crossed the creek just above its mouth. Then he had tried to get back to me, but it was so very dark and the brush and logs so very thick that he gave out and had to stop.
He had stopped under a large fir tree and sometime in the night a bear came so close to him that he could feel it moving, so he felt for a tree small enough for him to climb and the first one in his reach was a small dead tree. Most of the limbs were so rotten that they would not hold his weight and he did not dare trust their strength to hold him up so had to huge the body of the tree. The bear came under the tree and snuffed and snorted at him and he hollowed at it to drive it away. He had his pistol but it was like mine, so wet it would not fire.
After he had hung up in the tree until there was scarcely any feeling in his arms or legs, the bear moved slowly away and as he could not stay much longer in the tree he
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slid down to the ground and stamped and beat himself for some time before he could get his blood to circulate again and kept him there until daylight.
We finally got the trail and then we made good time to our camp about five miles away. We got to came a little after two o’clock and as we had had nothing at all to eat since the morning before, about 33 hours, we found when we commenced to eat that we were pretty hungry. The boys that we left at the camp had caught some fine large trout and had them fried and dinner was ready for us when we got to camp.
One of them had been told where the missing mules were by some men who had passed the camp the evening before and he had gone after them and had them in camp. As it was late and we were so tired and sleepy we concluded not to leave camp until the next day, so we staked the runaway bell nag that night. The next morning we had no trouble finding our animals and were soon on the move.
The day I suffered quite a bit with my right foot which had swollen so that I could not get a boot on, so I had to ride in my sock foot. On my tramp in the woods my boot was so wet that it wrinkled down on my instep and chafed and bruised the flesh while the boot was so cold. Now it was badly swollen and very sore. The second night from the last camp we got to the place where the town of Wilbur not stands and that night my foot pained my so badly that I could not sleep, and I had quite a high fever with it.
As the boys were packing up in the morning, a man by the name of Elijah Burton who lived near by came to our camp, and the men I was working with made arrangements with him to take me to his house and doctor my foot and keep me until they came back with another load, which they intended to do as soon as they could get to Jacksonville and back. This arrangement suited me pretty well as I was suffering a great deal and did not know how I could possibly ride on mule back that day.
I managed to get to Burton’s house about 10 o’clock that morning and when I got to the front porch I laid down to rest. The old man tried to get me to go in the house and go to bed, but as that was a very pleasant place I would not. There happened to be no one at home but the old man. His wife and daughter had gone to visit a neighbor a short way off and as I would not go in the house and lie on the bed, the old gentleman brought out some blankets and a pillow which I rolled onto and he covered me up and then went after his folks.
I soon feel asleep and just how long I slept I do not know but when I woke up and opened my eyes my first thought was that I had been transported to some fairyland, for there with two feet of me, kneeling down on her knees and leaning over me, apparently studying every feature with eyes full of pity was I thought at the time the loveliest girl I had ever laid eyes on. When she saw me open my eyes she jumped and if she would run away and I said “Do not be scared, I am sure that I will not hurt you, tell me where I am and who you are.” She smiled and soon answered my questions and then said to please excuse her as her mother had told her to let her know when I awoke, so ran away but her mother soon came back.
Her mother was a lady about 45 years old, very kind and sympathetic. She examined my lame foot and soon had it done up in a bread and milk poultice which treatment she kept up fir several days and soon healed the foot.
OFF TO NEW GOLD COUNTRY
By the time the train had got back from Jacksonville I concluded to go down onto the ocean beach which is now in Coos County, Oregon, but at the time there was no
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county organized there. There had been some very fine rich gold mines discovered by some half-breeds at the mouth of Whiskey Run, the place was afterwards called Randolph, on the beach.
The old gentleman that I was stopping with was going so I concluded to go with him. This had been one of the pleasantest homes I had ever found and it was with a sad heart that I struck out again in search of a fortune that I never found.
By the time we got to Scottsburg, which was a town of but a few houses and only a few months old, we had some six or eight in our company, and Mr. Burton had with him one yoke of oxen and three horses and I had one horse, so we packed the two horses and rode one each, As the other men who were with us had saddle and packhorses we had quite a train.
We found there was no trail down the river from Scottsburg to the mouth of the river, so we had to get our stock taken in a scow propelled by hand some 20 miles. As there was only one scow on the river at that time, we were lucky to find it there and be able to get it without having to wait several days. We got our outfit on board and started down the river about 2 o’clock in the afternoon and got along pretty well although there was pretty heavy wind until about dark when we met the tide. Then we had to tie up to the bank and wait until it turned. This was the first time I had ever seen water run up river.
It was very dark now and we could not get on shore to do any cooking. We stole what little bit of sleep we could around wherever we could find a place on the scow large enough that was not occupied where we could get something to lean against and got no supper or breakfast. We did not get our effects off the scow until about noon the next day.
There was a temporary house put up on the beach be two men for the purpose of giving meals to the travelers that had the money to pay for them and as we wanted to get where there was grass for our stock before we stopped to cook any for ourselves we got our dinner at the hotel and paid 75 cents each for it. All that we got was eastern side bacon boiled and coffee without sugar or milk, but in those days milk was something that was seldom seen on the frontier in Oregon, no bread, vegetables or anything but bacon and coffee, but even that tasted good as we had had nothing to eat for 24 hours.
We traveled for six or eight miles and found grass and water and camped for the night. We baked some bread before the camp fire in a frying pan and fried some meat and made coffee and had some sugar to put in it so we had a fine supper. We stretched our tent and made our beds and had a fine night’s rest.
This was near the last month of October, 1853 and when we woke in the morning it was raining pretty hard and some wanted to lay over that day and rest, in hopes that the rain would quit the next day, but the majority was in favor of going on so we made the north bank of Coos Bay that evening and the rain was coming down in torrents.
We found a log house that someone had just built and got the roof on, but there was no floor on it, we took our goods and camped so as to get out of the rain and it made more and better shelter than our tents. We gathered driftwood and built a big fire in the middle of the house and got our suppers and dried our wet clothes and felt quite
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comfortable that night, but how very uncertain are the happenings of this life. We made our bed around the fire about 9 o’clock and all went to sleep.
Sometime in the night I was awaken by someone hollowing that we were all about to be drowned, and sure enough, the tide was coming into the house and the ground already was pretty much covered and the water wakened the man who was doing the hollowing by coming into his bed and wetting him. We fixed up a scaffold as best we could and piled our beds and other stuff on to keep them out of the water, but as material was very scarce, we could not fix any place for ourselves. It was raining and we could not go out in the rain to hunt high ground. The water soon put out the fire and then it was so dark that we could not see each other. We had to climb up the walls holding on to the logs as long as we could and then get down and stand in the water until our legs would get so could that we could not stand it any longer and then climb the wall again. The water came in the house about 18 inches deep that night and did not all get out until after daylight the next morning.
By the time we had breakfast over, a couple of men came across the bay in a small boat and told us they would take over our luggage and us, but we would have to swim our horses. There was only one scow on the bay and it had gone up South Slough with a load of goods and they did not know when it would be back. We hired the boatmen to take us and our freight over and we swam the horses.
I had a fine five-year old horse that I thought a great deal of. I had been offered $250 for him at Winchester just before I came down here. I was afraid to put him in that could salt water to swim so far as they had to swim at least a mile and quarter and the waves were running pretty high, but the boatmen said there was no danger as there were horses that swam there everyday and had been for sometime, so we turned them in. There was a small house up on the high ground that was made of white cedar and it showed up very plain, and my horse took the lead swam straight for the house. He swam very high out of the water and every time he came up on top of a wave, we could see he was going straight for the house and his body was nearly half about the water. When he reached shore he was about 100 yards ahead of the rest of the horses.
When we got over to Empire City, we found a city that contained one large round log home completed enough so that anyone could live in it and that was occupied by Mrs. Noble who was keeping a hotel. This house had only one room and no floor but bare ground and no window. The cooking, eating and sleeping were all done in that one room, and there were several tents and some crude houses started but only one far along enough to live in.
Here we had to stay for several days waiting for the return of the scow for we had to get our freight taken up pretty near the head of South Slough and take our horses through the woods the best we could and then ferry them over the slough after we had unloaded our freight onto the bank, as we were afraid to swim our horses on account of the banks being quicksand and mire. We made the trip safely in one day from Empire City to and across the slough with our freight and horses and camped on the bank. We had to tie our horses to the trees all night without feed.
The next day we made our journey’s end and pitched our tents over hanging the bluff on the Randolph beach in the new gold field. The next day morning we went down on the beach and saw the fine gold working along in the sand with every rivulet. It looked so plentiful I thought that if I could get a claim my fortune was made no
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matter where on the beach if it was just so that I could get water on it so that I could run the sluice.
I found a claim that a man wanted to sell that had water on it, but did not have any sluices on it. Lumber was very high from 20 to 30 cents per foot at the raw pits, and as teams were very scarce it cost high to get it hauled. The man that owned the claim said he was making $5 to $10 hauling with a yoke of cattle, and that he did not know anything about mining, so he would take $150 cash down for the claim and I bought and paid him in cash.
The next day I went to see two men who were running two whip saws at the edge of town to get some lumber to make some sluices and found that they had orders ahead so far that I could not get any lumber for at least two weeks.
It took four men to run two saws, two of them men owned the saws and two men were just hired to run them at $1 per day and board. One of the men was not a good sawyer. It was pretty hard work for him and he wanted to quit, so the partners offered me the job if I could do the work. I concluded to try, and soon got the hang of the thing and being young and stout, I stayed with it for a while. When I wanted to quit to go mining, they insisted on me taking a third interest in the business with them and they would by an interest in my mining claim, and we would buy some more mining ground, and when the sawing did not pay we could go mining.
I bought a third interest and we sawed all winter. We bought eight claims in all that cost us about a thousand dollars, and as there was but one out of the whole works that paid us for the work we had done on them, we made nothing out of that but made well of our saws, averaging nearly $20 each day every day that we worked until spring.
One of my partners was a sailor and he wanted to build a small schooner to run to Coos Bay and Port Orford and carry goods into the mouth of the Coquille River to supply the miners as the supplies had to be packed on horses and mules. If we could boat them to the mouth of the river we could make lots of money, so we built the boat and launched it in the Coquille River in April 1854.
MORE TROUBLES WITH THE INDIANS
I must now go back and relate some incidents that occurred that winter that I have skipped. Sometime in January there came to our house a young Indian about 17 years old and noticed, boy-like for I was about his age, that he had lost one of his eyes. It had been knocked out some way, for the ball had been broken and the eye run out, so I inquired of him the best I could how he lost his eye. He said the Indians had put it out and that mad eh cause more interesting to me. By further inquiry I learned that he was an Umpqua Indian was a prisoner of was among the Coquille Indians and that he tried to run away once, and the Indians caught him and put out one of his eyes and told him that if he ran away again that they would kill him. He was very anxious to get back to his own people and asked me if I would take him back to the Umpqua Valley when I went out there.
I told all of my partners what I had learned from the Indian and what he wanted and asked them to let me keep him there with us until we either take or send him to his people. My partners consented to my keeping him and he soon made himself very useful by getting wood and water and by doing chores around the house generally. A few days after the Indian boy was adopted into our family, on evening a man came to
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Randolph from the mouth of the Coquille River and reported that the Indians had shot arrows at the ferryman and were in their war paint and singing war songs.
He was sure they would kill the ferryman before morning if the men did not go to his rescue, so there was a company of 25 or 30 men armed and on the march in a very short time. They went to the Indian town and surrounded it on three sides; the river was on the other side. They waited until daylight, and when the first Indian made his appearance the whites commenced shooting. If it had not been for the river, I do not think, there would have been one Indian man got away from that town alive. Some jumped into the river and by diving and swimming got away and some go in canoes, but as it was, there was 15 Indian men and two squaws killed and some wounded that got away and the Indians did not try to fight at all. All they wanted to do was get away, so, of course, there was none of the white men hurt.
This, however, caused the Indians to seek revenge and was the cause of the death of several white men afterwards.
Sometime about the first of March in ’54 the dead bodies of two men were found floating in the Coquille River near the mouth of a slough which afterwards we found were bodies of men by the name of Venerable and Burton. They were two young men who were traveling down the river in a canoe by themselves as we afterwards learned from the Indian who was living with us, and met some Indian canoes. One of the canoes contained three large, strong Indians. They paddled their canoe along side the white men’s canoe in a friendly way and turned their canoe over and while the men where in the water the Indians knocked them in the head with clubs and drowned them. Then the weighted and sank them in the river and hid their canoe up a slough where they thought it would never be found. But as the old saying is, murder will be found out, so this hiding failed. The bodies got loose from their fastening and rose to the top and were found by some men who were coming down the river. The bodies were buried in a little knoll in the edge of old Randolph on the beach. I saw them both buried.
A few days before these bodies were found, there was an Indian from the mouth of the Coquille River spent several hours talking to or pet Indian, trying to get him to go back with him to the Indians. But he would not as he was afraid they would kill him. After the dead men were found and buried a few days the same Indian came back again and tried to coax our Indian away and told him what Indians had killed these men and how they had done it. A few days after this he told me all he knew abut it and told me that he knew two of the three Indians that had done the killing, and they lived over on Coos Bay, so I told my partners about it. They told some of the leading men in the town and two of them came and got me to make arrangements for our Indian to go with them to the bay, and while they went to Empire City to stay all night for him to go to the Indian town on a visit.
That evening one of them with some white men who lived at Empire City would visit the Indian camp and the pet Indian was by some sign agreed upon, to point out the Indians that had done the murder and then they were to go away, and the next morning just before the day he was to slip out and meet the men near the Indian camp and show them where the Indians they wanted were sleeping. Then he was to go to Empire City and stay there until they got back with the Indians and then they would give him his breakfast. All hands would then come back to Randolph and try the
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Indians and if found guilty, they would hang them. Their plans worked like a charm and they got the two prisoners and our pet Indian back to Randolph all right the next day.
As we had no county organized at that time and the people had to make law to suit all occasions, they called the miners together and as the Indians soon acknowledged their guilt, they were soon hanging upon the limbs of a tree, in the edge of town. One of those Indians was as brave a man as ever died. He told us that he did kill those men and that he would kill all the while men if he could for they had killed some of his people without cause and he wanted revenge. The white men had not right to come into their country and kill the people, and he wanted the Indians to kill all of them they could. When he was pulled up by the rope that choked him to death he never moved a muscle until he became unconscious and then just drew himself up and stretched out once and was dead.
He had told me the men several times while they were getting ready to hurry up and kill him that he was ready to die. The other Indian cried and begged for his life but, of course, he had to die.
A few days after this my sailor partner and I went down to the mouth of the Coquille River to rig up our schooner and get ready to make a trip to Port Orford after a load of freight, leaving Thomas, my other partner, at home to settle up our business and collect some bills for lumber. He sold what property we had there and collected what money was due us for lumber and while we were on our voyage to Port Orford he skipped the country, taking all the money with him and we never heard from him again.
We had made arrangements with a large wagon and ox team to haul a man by the name of Patch who had the sails and ropes to our little schooner down on the beach from Randolph in a few days after we went down ourselves but the weather was so rough for several weeks that he did not come.
While we were waiting for the storms to pass I amused myself by shooting seals in the mouth of the river for the Indians. It was lots of fun for me to see the Indians dive down under the water and bring up the wounded or dead seal and roll it into their canoe. The seal was a great luxury for the Indians and they always had a great feast when they got one.
Among the Indians for whom I shot seals, there were two young men that I soon got acquainted with. They were both large strong Indians and I saw them nearly every day. I had confidence in their pretended friendship, but our pet Indian told me to look out for them for they wanted to kill me if they got the chance, but I thought I was in no danger from them.
One day I had been to the mouth of the river shooting seals for them and when I got back to the ferry house, where my partner, pet Indian and myself were stripping, my partner told me that he wished I would make those Indians take me up the river about five miles in their large canoe to a place where a man had built a log house on the bank of the river some time in the winter. The place was afterwards settled by John Hemlock but at that time there was no white man nearer that the house that I started from. The reason my partner wanted me to go up there was that he thought it likely, as the sea had been rough, that Patch could not get down the beach with his teams to
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bring our saw and that he may have taken through the hills in some way and to that place and left it there, and had not a chance to send us word.
These Indians each carried a very ugly knife made out of a common carpenter’s square, broken off at the point or angle then rubbed sharp at one edge and to a sharp point. They hand made handles to them by wrapping with a sinew of some kind. They were almost equal to swords and were two feet long, rather unpleasant weapons to face in the hands of two hostile Indians when you were at least five miles from the nearest possible help and a camp of some two or three hundred Indians between you and your friends, and had a reason as I did, every reason, to believe that they would kill me if they could without being caught in the act.
Either of these Indians was stronger than I was, and also much older than I, as I was only a little more than seventeen at the time. One of them had some white spots on his face which made him look more fierce and ugly when I knew that he was trying to take my life.
I got in the bow of their big canoe with my little bored muzzle loading rifle and no other arms whatever, fearing no danger. We had not gone over a mile and a half when we saw a canoe with five large squaws in it coming across the river from an Indian camp where there was some two or three hundred Indians living. When the Indians saw them coming towards us they paddled slow and waited for them to come up and motioned the squaws to hurry when they came close.
The squaws paddled as fast as they could and the Indians steered their canoe so that the other canoe struck the bow of ours with such force that had I not thrown my weight on the other side at the right time, our canoe would have filled with water and, of course, drowned me. As it was, the squaws’ canoe had knocked a large chuck out of our canoe. I knew that my life was in danger, but just how to get away and back to my friends I did not know, but I decided to sell my life as dearly as possible.
As we got near the Indian town, in passing up the river, the chief talked very earnestly to the Indians that I was with, for a short time, and I could see that they were talking in regard to me but, of course, I could not understand anything they were saying.
As we went on up the river, I watched them very closely, keeping my gun ready to shoot at any time. They tried to get me to shoot some ducks but I knew better and realized that my only show to get away was to keep a loaded gun for I knew they were afraid of that, having seen me kill lots of seal with it. Also it had not been more than three months ago since the white men from Randolph had killed fifteen of their Indian men and two squaws with guns, to chastise the Indians for shooting arrows at the ferryman so they had learned that there was great danger in a loaded gun and my policy was to keep my gun loaded as long as possible.
When we got up to the little log cabin that we had started to and landed the canoe, I jumped out on the beach and was studying how to get away from the Indians with my life. I discovered a small canoe that some Indian had left there, probably that morning, with a large fine Indian paddle in it, so I thought if I could get in that canoe and get out in the river I could get away and out paddle the Indians as their canoe was much heavier than the little one.
Although I knew they would kill me if they could, I was determined to see if the goods I had come for were there before I went back. In the meantime the two Indians
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had gone up to the cabin and the smallest one was standing on a little point a few rods from the door; the other one I could not see but I thought he had gone into the house.
I carried my gun in front of me with my right hand gripping the breech, thumb on the hammer, finger on the trigger and muzzle resting on left shoulder. As I stepped in at the door the spotted faced Indian was standing on the left hand side of the door and just as I saw him he made a grab for the gun and came very near getting hold of it, but I was quick and jumped to one side and brought the muzzle of the gun on him, cocking it at the same time and told him so that he would understand me that if did not get of that house I would shoot him, so he went to the other Indian.
I saw there was nothing in the house I had come for and came out and started for the little brush patch that I might get back to the little canoe. I had not gone very far when the spotted face Indian came after me and soon overtook me and I pulled my gun on him and threaten to shoot before he would stop. Then he wanted me to give him the gun. He said he wanted to look at it, which I very well understood as he had handled the gun several times at the ferry house. When he saw he could not get hold of the gun he went back where the other Indian was standing all the time.
I now made a break for the little canoe in earnest and got it into the water and was in it before no time, but had only a few feet from the shore when the Indians were in their canoe after me. Now I would have shot the spotted faced one if it had not been for the Indian town that I had passed still there before I could get to my friends. As it was I thought I had better not shoot if I could help it. If I could only have had a good Winchester rifle and plenty of cartridges I would have been happy. I would have killed the whole tribe if they had not got out of my way for I was pretty mad by that time.
The two Indians soon gained on me so fast that I had to drop my paddle and take up my gun and bring it on them with the intention of killing the big one if they did not stop. They stopped paddling so I laid my gun down and picked up my paddle and went to work in good earnest, but I had not gone far when I had to pick up my gun again as the Indians tried to run their canoe into me. When they found they could not get me without one of them being shot they gave it up and turned their canoe to the bank of the river and landed some distance above the Indian town and on the same side of the river.
I now began to feel pretty safe and paddled hard for the ferry house where my friends were all anxiously looking for me as my pet Indian had been trying to get the men to go after me very soon after I had started. He felt sure those two Indians would kill me if they could. He knew they were bad Indians. He was not present when I started, or he would have warned me of my danger.
When I told my experience it created quite an excitement and the boys decided we must have those two Indians of fight the whole tribe. There were seven of white men and the pet Indian. We had four double-barrel shot guns and three rifles and six men had Colts revolver each, so we were pretty well armed.
When we got in sight of the Indian town, we saw the chief coming to me us with his hands above his head to let us know that he did not want to fight. When we got in speaking distance he said to our Indian for him not to let us kill any of them for they were not to blame for what those Indians had done. They were from another river and
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very bad Indians and he told them in the morning when they went down the river that if they killed me, they would kill them for he did not want to fight the white people.
After the pet Indian had told him what they had done and that we must have them or fight, he said he would get them and bring them to us but we never saw those two Indians again. It was not long after until the spotted faced one was killed by a man near Port Orford.
There were two men camping for the night who had made their bed under a tree and both had been asleep with their guns in bed with them. One of them awoke and found something crawling toward them very slowly. As it was not over 20 feet away he slipped his shotgun into position and fired. The thing kicked a little and then all was still. The next morning they found that they had killed the spotted faced Indian and he had a big knife and would have killed them both with it had not the one man woke when he did. I never knew what became of the other Indian.
SEA COAST, RIVER & MINING ADVENTURES
We finally got our boat rigged and ready for sea about May 15, 1854, two white men, myself and pet Indian, being the first white men that ever crossed the Coquille Bar. By mere chance, we got to see partly by sailing and partly by use of oars as the wind was very light and at first left us on the bar, so we had to use oars to pull out.
Our little ship was a mere skiff only 12 feet keel and eight or nine foot beam, four or five foot hold decked, but we had a six foot hatch and it was open so that we could stand in it and row with the oars. We found the bar much rougher than we thought it was. When we got to the last two waves we came very near being lost. When the water broke over our bows, our boat was standing so near on end that there was very little water got into our open hatch. If our boat had got sideways on the waves on the bar we would all have been drowned as there would have been no chance to have saved ourselves, but we finally got into the open sea safely. My partner had a quart bottle of whiskey in his packet, and being excited over the narrow escape we had. He drank so much he was soon so drunk that he could not sit up and laid down and went to sleep and did not get up until morning.
When we got out in the sea, we found we had no wind and did not have any until night when a land breeze sprang up and blew pretty hard off land, so we set sails and were skimming down the coast like a bird. I was in the bow looking out for rocks as we knew we had to pass near some outer rocks of Cape Blanco and Thomas Hall. The only other able sailor on board, was at the wheel. The Indian and myself were very seasick as this was the first time I had ever been on the sea and I thought I would surely die.
All at once I saw the white form fly up as high as our mast and I knew there were rocks ahead and I called to the man at the wheel and he just did steer off in time to miss the rocks, passing so near that I could almost jump from the boat onto the rocks. If we had struck that rock as we were running our boat quite fast, the boat would have been smashed all to pieces and we would all have been drowned. In a few minutes after this my partner came out of his stupor and came on deck and took all in but a close reef for sail and then we ran along very slowly down the coast until morning. When the fog burned off about nine o’clock we found that we were below Port Orford and about 10 miles at sea so we headed for the Port and in a few hours were anchored and on shore. One cause of great danger on this trip was that we had no
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compass of any kind with us so that if we had got out of sight of land we would almost sure to have been lost.
We delayed at Port Orford for about a week and then started home one morning with fair wind, and as we ran along the coast the wind increased until we were flying. We got clear off the heads at Port Orford about nine o’clock and were on shore at the mouth of the Coquille at one o’clock that same day. We had sailed over 30 miles in about four hours. I now made up my mind that I had all the sea life I wanted.
There had been some new gold mines discovered at the mouth of the Coquille by a man named Johnson and a few other men. So two men and myself got a canoe and with some blankets, provisions and tools, two double-barrel shotguns, one rifle and two revolvers, we started up the Coquille river.
This was about the first of June, 1854, I left my partner and pet Indian in charge of my schooner with the understanding that he should sell it if he could, and then they were to come to the new mines.
The scenery that we beheld on the way up the river was the finest that I had ever seen. The entire country was fresh from the hands of nature, not a stick having been disturbed by the hand of the white man as there had been no improvements made, no settlers above the mouth of the river. The river was very deep and the banks were covered on both sides with dense growth of salmon-berry bushes and they were loaded with ripe fruit at this time of the year. The river bottom was covered with maple, myrtle, ash and many other kinds of timber and the woods were alive with wild game such as bear, elk, deer, squirrels, otter and mink and many other kinds of small game of the feathered tribe. In fact it was a perfect hunter’s paradise.
We floated leisurely along the first day, camping somewhat below the mouth of Beaver slough the first night out. The next day we were a little late in starting for camp as we waited for the tide and we passed by the mouth of the slough about 10 o’clock. Just after we passed a canoe came out of the mouth of the slough, loaded with Indians, armed with bows and arrows. Of course, their arms were a very inferior kind but they could kill a man with them if they could get pretty close to him, but principally depended upon their knives and clubs.
As son as Bill Woods, one of the men I was with, saw the Indians had no squaws with them, he said we would have to fight for our lives, as the Indians were on the warpath or they would have some of their women with them, and that only show was to keep them a good distance way with our guns.
Sure enough, we had not gone far when they gathered together and had a talk and then began to gain on us. Some of them passed by us well to the opposite side of the river as we had gone to one side so as to give them plenty of room to pass without getting close to us. One big canoe with five Indians in it came up close behind us and when they were pretty close, I being in the middle of the canoe, Woods in the stern, and Thomas Hall in the bow, Woods told me to make them stop, I motioned to them and told them to stay away from our canoe, but they came all the faster.
Woods told me to pick up my double-barrel shot gun and if they did not stop to catch them right around the neck and get as many as I could and we would then get into the woods and fight for life. But when I brought my gun to bear upon them they understood me and stopped their paddles, dropping back and having another talk with the rest of the Indians and we paddled on. They soon overtook us again, and the same
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canoe tried to get us again and I had to lay down my paddle and bring the gun to bear on them again before they gave up.
Then they all passed by and were soon out of sight up the river so kept in the middle of the stream and kept close watch for their canoes, not knowing at what turn of the river we might get a shower of arrows from the bank, but saw nothing of them until after sunset that evening when we passed them at an Indian town about one mile below the junction of the Middle and South fork of the Coquille river.
We intended to travel as far as we could before it got dark and get in the woods and hide until morning, and then load what we could carry on our backs and strike out for the mines through the mountains. As good luck favored us that night, when we got to the junction of the river we found old John Pall, Klickitat Indian Chief, camped there were about 50 men. They were on a hunt for elk, deer, and bear. They were all well armed with guns, revolvers and knives and the Coast Indians very much afraid of them. I knew the chief as soon as I saw him as I had got acquainted with him the winter of ’52 at Corvallis while I was running on the Willamette river, and you may rest assured that I was glad to see him there at that time as I knew we were safe while under his protection. His tribe lived down in the Willamette and had always been the friend of the white man.
He invited us to camp inside of his camp so as to be inside his guards that we might get a good night’s sleep without fear of danger. We had a good supper as they furnished us with fresh elk meat. We told him how we had been treated by the Indians who came up the river that day, and he said no doubt they were after the white men, but he would stop them as long as he stayed in the country which would be until they loaded all their horses with dried meat and hides.
While we were talking in regard to the way the Indians had treated us, two of the Indians from the village came into the Klickitat camp. Pall told us, after they had gone away again, that they did not know he was there as he and his people had just got there that day. Those Indians were looking for us, and if we had not reached his camp that night they would have killed us if they could. But he told then that the Coos Bay Indians better go back to Coos Bay and behave themselves, for if they killed any white men while he was in the country that he would hunt and kill them like he did the elk until he go them all. He did not think there was any danger unless they could catch a few that they could kill and hide so that he could not find out.
When we got ready to make our bed for the night, Pall showed us where to make under a big fir tree about the middle of the camp so his guards could watch and protect us. We felt perfectly safe there and set our guns up against the tree in front of our bed, but before they chief went to bed, he took our guns and laid them by our sides under our blankets saying that we should be more careful, as the Indians might slip up in the night and get our guns and kill us with them.
After a good night’s sleep and rest, we felt very much refreshed and rested. After a hearty breakfast we began to think about starting on for the mines but I will have to acknowledge that I hated to start as I had run the gauntlet so much that I was getting tired of it. Besides the chief had a daughter with him about my age and she was dressed in a calico dress made to look like a white girl’s and as I had not seen a white girl for so long, she looked pretty sweet to me, and she and I got pretty well acquainted before we got away.
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We bought a young horse and saddle and rawhide ropes from the chief and packed our blankets and other outfit on him and with five of Pall’s men for guides and guards we struck out the Indians going us as far as Dement Creek. Then they told us how to go and bade us goodbye and they went to hunt for elk and we trudged on alone always on our guard, not knowing when we would meet hostile Indians.
The next day we took our horse back a few miles and turned him out with some other men that were in the mines. Then we went to prospecting for gold. I soon found some men who had found a good piece of ground and they offered my three dollars per day and board to work for them. As I only had nine dollars in money and a little over half interest in a horse and some blankets I concluded to take it. This was on Saturday and I was to go to work on Monday.
I had Sunday on my hands so I went to see a man by the name of Hawkins that I knew at Randolph. I found him sick and without money or anything else, so I got up a subscription paper and signed my nine dollars and that day raised a total of sixty dollars for him and got a man who was going to Port Orford with a pack train the next day after supplies for the miners to take him to Port Orford.
He got well and I met him several years after, but he did not offer to give me back my nine dollars that I had given him when his was in need and had given him the last cent I had in the bargain, was out of food and a long was from civilization, but I made it alright.
I went to work the next morning for the men I had hired to, and after working for them about four weeks for three dollars per day and board, one of the men I working got his foot smashed by a rock falling on it, so I bought his interest in the mine and loaned him my horse to Port Orford with the understanding that he would send it back to me with the pack train. He did not do as he agreed to, but rode him down to Gold Beach near the mouth of the Rogue River where there were a number of men working, washing fine gold out of black sand. The sand was very rich in gold but it was like the Randolph gold, it was so very and light it was hard to save.
We worked our mine until we got our head dam and it was late in the fall then we quit our work in the mine until spring and I, in company with three or four other men, with a pair of blankets each and some provisions packed on our backs, stuck out for Port Orford. Our trail led us over high mountains and heavy timber for 60 miles as near as we could guess. It took three days of hard walking to make the trip and when we got there, we were tired and hungry.
After resting here a few days we learned where my horse was and also that Captain Tichenor was going down to the mouth of the Rogue River the next morning with his little schooner, so I took passage with him for that place. After getting on board I found there was a Frenchman, his wife and daughter, a girl about 12 years old, also on board bound for the same place. The woman could not speak or understand a word of English, having just arrived from France. The man was an inventor of a machine to save fine gold and he had one on board taking it down to Gold Beach to try it. There were three of four other men besides the captain and sailor.
The little boat was heavily loaded with freight for the mines and along in the afternoon, the wind began to blow stiff from the southwest and the sea was getting pretty rough, so the captain fastened up the cabin with just the woman and little girl in
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it as it was so small there was no room for more and the rest of us had to stay on deck, hanging on to anything we could get hold of.
The waves by this time were sweeping over the deck at a fearful rate, wetting us form head to foot and as we were now close to the mouth of the river and the tide was low the captain concluded to run the schooner on the beach through the breakers as he said the tide would not be so that he could get in the river until after dark, and his boat would not stand the rough sea out there if it got much worse, loaded as heavy as it was. So he told us to prepare ourselves for a heavy washing and if any of us thought we could not hold on, to tie ourselves to the mast or something else with ropes as we were sure to get a good ducking.
When all were ready he headed for the beach just on the north side of the mouth of the Rogue River. Some of the men were scared nearly to death, were as white as they will ever be and the Frenchman was worse scared of the lot. No doubt his wife and daughter were partly the cause of his fear. After passing through the outer breakers which covered us up, ship and all for a time, she struck the sand beach with such force that I thought she would be smashed to pieces, but the next wave lifted her up and carried her farther up the beach again and dropped her on the sand with a heavy thud, the water carrying over the masthead. After picking us up and lifting us higher up on the beach several times we finally stopped for good.
The captain called his sailor and myself to help him get the woman and girl on shore. We went with him to the cabin he opened the door and found the lady lying on the floor in a dead faint and the little girl crying as though her heart would break. The captain gathered the woman up in his arms and carried her to the bow of the vessel and I lead the girl. He then told the sailor and I to jump overboard into the water, where at times it was up to our arms as the breakers would roll in. He than gave up the lady on our shoulders and we carried her ashore and the captain the little girl on his shoulders.
As soon as we got ashore, the captain ordered all hands to gather driftwood, which was plentiful and handy. We built a fire as there were no houses in less than two miles of us that we could get to and the wind was very cold. As all the men were ashore we soon had a roaring fire burning and were surrounded by at least 100 naked Indians that looked as though they had never washed or had their hair cut or combed. The men were entirely naked and the squaws but little better having just a piece of sea grass cloth tied around their hips.
The captain bathed the woman’s face with some brandy, and she finally opened her eyes to behold the roaring fire surrounded by a legion of naked Indians. The first expression of her features was of great fear, and I always believed that she thought, on first opening her eyes, that she had been lost at sea and had waked up in hell and was surrounded by a lot of devils. The poor girl was almost frightened to death, clung as close to her mother as she could and cried all the time until we started for the mining camp on foot and got out of sight of the Indians.
After a walk of about two miles which took us some time as the lady was not very strong and had to walk slowly, we found the camp which consisted of a few little crude cabins built by setting posts in the ground and nailing shakes on them with a shake rook and mud fire place. Even such shelter was a great blessing in those days.
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The next morning I got my horse and started early for Port Orford by and old Indian trail that wound around up the beach, over high hills through deep dark woods and around rocky points in the edge of the surf. You were in danger of being washed out to sea if you should catch the tide which I did going around a point a mile or two below Port Orford.
The distance of that day’s travel was about 30 miles and the trail was so rough that it was getting dark when I got to this point and I had to go around it or lay down in the woods without bed or board. As I had nothing to eat since an early breakfast and had one very unpleasant encounter with a sulky old Indian, I did not relish the prospect of a night spent in a lonely place, so I watched my chance and struck in between the breakers. As bad luck would have it as I got opposite the extreme point a big wave knocked my horse down, ran over us, and when we came to the surface we were some distance from shore in swimming water. My horse was thoroughly frightened and made for shore with all the power he possessed and when he struck the beach the undertow was so strong that I thought for a while it would take us to sea again but he held his footing and got out alright at last. I felt as though we had been resurrected from the dead and think the horse felt about the same, judging from the way he got away from there. We soon made Port Orford and got food and shelter for the night.
That day about three o’clock in the afternoon I was on top of a flat top mountain that was covered with timber and brush, the little trail winding along like a snake when, on making a turn in the trail, about 50-yards ahead of me I saw a big rough looking Indian with a head of hair resembling a brush heap. A more vicious looking Indian I never met. To make the case more scary, just as he saw me he jerked his box and arrow from his quiver and strung the arrow ready to shoot. When I saw him movement I drew my revolver. As luck would have it I had a good Colts navy six shooter and was a good shot so I rode right along and he came along towards me, both ready to shoot at the first hostile move of the other. We were about 10 feet from each other, he stepped out the trail and stood still while I rode by, neither of us taking our eyes off the other until I passed out of his sight. I then made good time for a few miles for fear he would slip up behind me and from cover of the brush throw some arrows at me but I saw nothing of him.
From Port Orford two other men and myself went out to the Umpqua valley. I intended to go to Jacksonville to winter but found at Roseburg that my brother-in-law had moved up near Roseburg from the Willamette where I had left them in the spring of ’53 and settled on Deer creek, so I went and spent the winter with them.
In the spring of 1855 I went back to the Coquille mines and worked there until the fall and did pretty well.
When I got back to the Umpqua the Indians of Southern Oregon had united their forces and taken the war path and were killing white men, women and children wherever they could catch them and destroying property wherever they could, so I enlisted as a volunteer and went to the front.
I was in about all the battles fought with the Indians in Southern Oregon in that war. I was exposed to a great deal of rain, snow, and sleet out in the mountains with two or four men at a time for five or six days at a time without fire, living on raw side of bacon and bread that we baked in a frying pan before leaving camp to find and locate
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the Indians. On one of these trips I took cold that settled in my spine that I never got well of.
The End
In this reprinting, this excellent narrative has been broken into several chapters to facilitate its reading and for later reference. This manuscript was published in the Myrtle Point Herald in the following papers: Jan. 10, 1935, Jan. 17, 1935, Jan. 24, 1935, Jan. 31, 1935, Feb. 14, 1935, Mar. 7, 1935, Mar, 14, 1935, Mar. 21, 1935, and Mar. 1935.
Pioneers and Incidents of the Upper Coquille by Alice Wooldridge
Giles Bricks
Daniel Giles first arrived in Coos County in 1853. 28 years later, in 1881, Daniel and his son, Sam, opened a brickyard on Reedsford Road near the river.
The Maple Primary School at C and Maple streets was built of Giles brick, also the two-story Roberts building and the A.H. Black building as well as the Myers & Myers building that was originally the Bank of Myrtle Point but is now Hometown Hardware. The crowning and lasting achievement of Giles brick was the Opera House, built by the Hermann family on the northwest corner of First and Spruce Street, a portion of which now houses the former Safeway Ice Cream Processing Plant.
In addition to Giles brickyard, the Schroeder family had a brickyard at Arago. In 1906 or 1907 Willie, Clarence and Walter Schroeder opened a brickyard at the Robley Doyle shingle mill. The yard was closed for years then Bill Tracy opened the pits and Robley Doyle worked for him. It took 8 days to evaporate water from the brick and another 7 days to bake, if not baked enough they would not hold together and were called “salmon.’ (Another term was “Klinker”) A certain type of clay was used, fed through a grinder and mixed with water in the “pug mill” from which mud would extrude ready for cutting into brick sized blocks, these baking 15 days.
The Coquille Valley, Patti Strain
The Trail of Christian Lehnherr
Christian Lehnherr can be called the father of Myrtle Point. After the failure of Henry Meyers to make a successful village, Lehnherr purchased 160 acres from Meyers.
Lehnherr was born in Switzerland in the year of 1816. His parents moved to America when he was 12 years of age to settle in Illinois. Chris grew up to be a restless energetic young man always looking for new places and opportunities.
In the 1840’s many families were moving west. Chris decided to dispose of his possessions, and with his young family, joined a wagon train to 40 wagons for the long arduous journey. He had a sturdy wagon pulled by three yoke of oxen . A milk cow was also brought along.
The slow oxen traveled only about seven miles a day. At night all the wagons were placed in a circle pointing toward the center, fires were built inside the circle. A guard of several men were stationed around the camp.
After months of hardship and danger they reached Oregon City. His brother had gone to the Roseburg area. Chris did not stay long at Oregon City, moving his family behind his faithful oxen to the Looking Glass area west of Roseburg. At that place he
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developed a good farm, but when he heard that gold had been discovered at Johnson Creek over on the coast, he made plans to sell out and move. In 1857 the start was made to the Coquille Valley. All household good were packed on the pack of mules. After several days on an elk trail the small caravan settled on a farm on Rowland Prairie.
The town that Henry Meyers had platted was deserted because of the floods of 1861-62. When Meyers offered to sell his holdings, Chris Lehnherr, always on the lookout for such an opportunity, struck up a bargain with him. He bought 160 acres from Meyers as well as several deserted cabins that were on the property.
Christian Lehnherr
From: Pioneer & Incidents of Upper Coquille Valley, pg. 330
Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II, by Patti & Hal Strain, page 497
Lehnherr moved his family to his newly purchased property where he constructed a flour mill. He built a store filled with hard to get provisions brought in by pack train or by Captain Rackleff’s oceangoing schooner. He raised and butchered many hogs. Canoe loads of bacon were delivered to the sawmill workers in Coos Bay. The long journey to Coos Bay was down the Coquille to Beaver Slough up which they traveled through the brush covered and dam filled stream to the its headwaters. A portage was made at what is now Coaledo to Isthmas Slough down which they went to Marshfield.
Lehnherr, who at one time owned what is now Myrtle Point, bought part of it from Henry Meyers and another 40 acres in a unique trade or deal. It seems that a neighbor wanted a horse and a mule that Chris owned. Lehnherr let him take the animals and took a mortgage on 40 acres of land that now is downtown Myrtle Point. In the spring the man did not have the money and he gave Lehnherr his choice—horse and mule or the land. Lehnherr took the land.
To honor Chris Lehnherr, the pioneer park has been named after him. This park is between First and Second streets bordered by Spruce Street, was the scene of many a gathering for band concerts, picnics, and Forth of July celebrations.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
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Local Music Began with Piano
The Baltimore Colony arrived in the Coquille Valley in 1859. They were a music loving group as evidenced by the number of musicians with them. The first piano in the Coquille Valley was shipped out the following year around the Horn to Empire City. From that coastal port it was packed by Indian women to the Coquille River where it was placed on small boats. On the way up river, the piano fell overboard but was pulled out and repaired. This piano belonged to Henry Schroeder Sr.
Long before school bands were organized, town bands were popular. Just about every community had a brass band and Myrtle Point was no exception. A brass band was organized in November 1880 with the following members: E. Bender, J. Henry Schroeder, Henry Schroeder, W.P. Hermann, Charles Dietz, S.E. Stewart, F. Fred Schroeder, and A.H. Schroeder. The nucleus of this band were members or descendants of the Baltimore Colony.
The first Myrtle Point school orchestra was formed in 1923 with violinist Glen Neideigh as director. The members of that group were Barton Stemmler, Arvil Hazelwood, Launcelot Baker, Mervin Moller, Louis Hayes and Ervin Green. The 1927-28 orchestra members were Carl Thompson, Elma Russell, Lyle Knight, DeLoss Druliner, Bill Baker, Calen Barklow, Druward Druliner, Mildred Russel, Snyder, Lewis Mast, Merman Nelsen, Christ Christensen, Ferris McRay and Milton Schroeder. Mr. McLyman was the Leader.
During the depression years of the 30s Fred Hollister was the school band master, endeavoring to keep music alive in Myrtle Point. Other directors of the high school band were Theo Haberly, Fred Dallas, C.P. McNab, Arnold Melby, Les Simons and John Kindal.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
The US Mail
The early settlers of the Upper Coquille were almost devoid of mail service. Empire City was the nearest post office and the mail only arrived at the place tri-weekly. It took three weeks to get an answer to a letter from the US Land office at Roseburg. People did their principle trading at Empire City, and a journey to that place took four days. The farmer in the vicinity of Myrtle Point would load his skiff or canoe with produce, pull to the mouth of Beaver Slough the first day and put up for the night with Pate Y.M. Lowe. The next morning he would start up the slough early and by noon he would get over the dozen and a half beaver dams and arrive at the head of the slough, a distance of two miles on a straight line and five miles by meanderings of the stream. An ox team would haul his “truck” across the Isthmus. Judge Hall, who kept an inn and boats to hire would provide a good dinner at 50 cents per plate, and a boat for a $1.00 per day. Two dollars was charged for hauling from one to five hundred pounds across the Isthmus.
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Wooden Railroad across the Isthmus
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
The farmer would start from Judge Hall’s place at high tide, no matter at what hour and after a tiresome pull, arrived at Empire City some time of the day or night, owing to the action of the tides. If he found a ready market he would endeavor to start home in twelve hours, and have some expenses on his return with a few goods, as he had in going to the market. Each farmer as he made these trips would take a clean good sack to get the mail for his neighbor. The distribution would commence as soon as the Coquille was reached. Tite Willard and Collier would take out their mail. Then a stop at Fred Schroeder’s, Hall Prairie and Lehnherr’s would be made in succession and the mail sack examined. Paper would be a month old and letters dated back for months perhaps. This mail service continued until 1870. Then a weekly mail route was established between Roseburg and Randolph. Levi Gant was the first postmaster of the upper river, but Henry Schroeder soon succeeded him and the name of the office was Hermannsville. In 1879 the Hermannsville office was discontinued, as an office had been established at Myrtle Point called Ott in 1872, with Chriss Lehnherr as postmaster, and the business center was considered the most appropriate place for the distribution of the mail. Fink of Roseburg was the contractor and T.A. Walker one of the first carriers. After four years it was made a tri-weekly route. And Rufus King of Enchanted Prairie carried the mail. He was the postmaster at Enchanted Prairie for some years. The daily mail route between Roseburg and Empire City was established in 1889 or 90 via Camas Valley and the middle fork of the Coquille and a daily line of stages was soon put on.
The mail route from Port Orford via New Castle (Eckely) was established in 1880. Myrtle Point is now the distributing point for seven different mail routes.
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Early US Mail Service
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
Several robberies have taken place at different times and places along the routes between Myrtle Point and Roseburg, but the most important one took place December 22, 1893. The mail carrier, W.A. McCulloch, was help up in a lonely spot about four miles southeast of town and relieved of the pouch containing the registered mail. The pouch was afterwards found and nothing missing except several packages supposed to contain coin. $600 was lost. Although several arrest were made, the right one escaped justice.
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
Emigration From North Carolina
North Carolina Colony leaving Deer Creek 1873
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
About April 25, 1872, the subject of the sketch, William P. Mast, with his family, and several other families, numbering about 66 person besides the little children, set their
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faces westward, from western North Carolina, bound for the, to them indefinitely known country, “where rolls the Oregon.” How well do they remember that morning when the wagons lined up with their trunks, boxes and bundles, in which were carefully stowed their earthly belongings. The old familiar road, along which their feet, the feet of their fathers and grandfathers, had trudged their way to school, and over which many of them would tread no more, was lined with relatives and friends, who assembled to bid them an everlasting adieu and wish them God-speed. Like all other things earthly, these sad adieus ended, and they turned their backs on the scenes of their childhood and every loved spot their infancy knew. The first night out they camped upon the hoary summit of Blue Ridge, the backbone of the Atlantic shore of the continent, with all of its sceneries of grandeur, and they are boundless. But why dwell scenes familiar to all who have set their faces westward since 1854.
In course of time they arrived by the accommodation of the “Emigrant Car,” at the City of Sacramento, from there to Red Bluff and then by wagon 20 out into the country where they camped and proceeded to invest in horse and wagons with which to continue the journey to Oregon. After a long tedious journey, with wagons piled high with trunks, boxes, etc, they pulled up at the foot of the Coast Range, in Douglas County, at what was then Wm. Weekly’s farm, about June 10, 1872, where they pitched their tents and the head of the families proceeded on horse-back to explore the wilds of Coos County. After due time they returned not very well impressed for the present, so they returned to Deer Creek, east of Roseburg, and rented houses. Here they lived until the fall of 1873, but in the meantime the subject of this sketch traded a wagon to Mr. Doff Livingston for his section of land on the North Fork of Coquille River where they moved from Deer Creek and began to carve out a home. They had become somewhat Oregonized by this time, having grown a crop of wheat on Deer Creek and gathered other property such as chickens, cows, etc, so that we were doomed to something new, an experience we could not have dreamed of 18 month previous
The Coos Bay Wagon Road was not opened when we first arrived but was during that year. It did not reach our place, there being bout four miles of rough mountain trail intervning over which we had to transport, on the backs of our work horses hitherto unused to such work, all our trunks, boxes, cooking stoves, chickens in crates, etc, and last but not least, a blacksmith shop, as father could not live on a farm without one. We yet remember what a novel sight it was to see a small horse loaded with two big trunks on each side and one on top, the whole being lashed on by what, to us, seemed an intricate network of ropes, but which, later on, we learned to do with a master hand. When all the horses were packed, they start would be made and then the fun would begun. The horses were as unused to this kind of thing as we and when packed up with those bulky packages the load would be five or six feet wide, so that in winding over these sinuous trails, the corners of the trunks would catch against trees and the suddenness of the contrast would almost throw the animals would.
The chickens in crates being lashed on top, the load set up sundry squawks as the motion of the horse tossed them from end to end and from side to side, until no doubt they offered up prayer for their deliverance. After so long a time they accomplished the task of landing flour, bacon, household goods, smith shop, oats for the horses, young fruit trees and the various things necessary to the establishment of a pioneer
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home with supplies to last six or eight months, as the base of supplies was Roesburg, 50 or 60 miles away, and roads almost impossible.
They were soon settled snugly in a board shanty 12x14, which was surrounded by towering fir timber on the north and east and on the south by a stretch of 10 acres of black logs, which had been cut down in the early summer and burned over the fall. All through the long winter they toiled in those black logs, cutting, rolling, burning, and grubbing, day in and day out and often till 10 o’clock at night, so that when the June roses blushed and nodded in the sun that 10 acres was nourishing s fine a crop of grain and grass as ever grew. And thus pass many years of hard work and by and by a nice commodious house and barn and broad acres teeming with plenty crowned their efforts and all went blissfully along and home contentment and comfort prevailed until the heavy hand of time, “Time, the tomb builder,” invaded their happy home in the west and bereft us of their early father whose remains now lie on the little hill ear by, as requested by him
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
Radabaugh Family Comes to this Section
Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of the migration to this section of one of the most highly regarded families to ever settle in Coos County, the Radabaughs.
The late John and Nancy Radabaugh and their sons, Henry J., Andrew J., and J.H., and the late Z.T. Johnson, father of Mrs. Milton Craven of Myrtle Point, arrived in this city April 24, 1875. They came from Carter Co., MN. Myrtle Point was reached with difficulty. They came to Sacramento by rail, they by steamer on the Sacramento River to San Francisco, the family laid over in California bay city for a week before catching the old steamer Empire for Coos Bay. The boat was in charge of Capt. Butler, father of Charles Butler of Maple Street.
From the head of isthmus (King’s Landing) the Radabaughs came by small steamer and by railroad to Coaledo at the head of Beaver Slough. This slough gained its name from the fact that the beavers dammed up the slough so badly at night that it was always necessary to partly tear them loose in the morning before it was possible to get through in a boat.
They were met at Beaver Slough by friends with 2 skiffs. They were transported by rowboat to the present county seat, where at that time there were 2 hotels, 1 saloon, 1 flour or grist mill and 2 groceries according to A.J. Radabaugh.
One of the groceries was operated by John Moulton, father of George Moulton of Coquille, dealer in wool and hides. Moulton’s grocery was on the river bank. One of the hotels of that day was operated by Grandma Robison, mother of Mrs. Allen Collier, deceased. This hotel was located at the present site of the Busy Corner Grocery.
The other inn of those days stood on the present site of the Coquille Hotel and was operated by Chas. Olive. The mill was owned by the father of Russell Panter, who now operates a service station south of Bandon. The elder Panter ran a steamboat on the Coquille River for years. When that was the only form of transportation know between Coquille and Bandon.
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The last lap of the journey was made by row boat and at the junction of the North and Middle Forks of the Coquille River, J.D. Barklow and another man pulled off their shoes and pulled the boat over the riffles there so that they could get to town.
The new settlers lived in Myrtle Point for about 2 months, moved to a ranch at Norway which now bears their name and which is located 1 mile north of the Norway schoolhouse. They lived on the Norway ranch until the spring of 1920 when they returned to Myrtle Point and made their home permanently in this city.
An uncle of the Radabaugh boys, A.J. Mack and his family, settled on a homestead on the head of the Schroeder-Aasen railroad on Grady Creek.
Myrtle Point Herald, Apr. 25, 1935
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Myrtle Point Grows
After Hermann’s store was established, James Burk, in 1877 opened a saloon, which will be remembered by all old settlers. Jimmy had many friends and his rooms became a resort for farmers and stock raisers, but in 1882 Peter Hickey appeared on the scene and a partnership was formed and merchandise added to the business. The partnership was not a success and the firm dissolved, and in 1884 a partnership was formed between William Rome and Mr. Burk. A new store was started in connection with the saloon and two years later another change was made and the firm was named Edwards, Burk & Co., C.E. Edwards having bought in, and Billy Rome became the company’s partner. And addition to the building was made, the stock increased and a flourishing business followed for a season. The credit system was entered into too freely and the firm was short lived, but a settlement with creditors was arranged and the honor of all parties concerned in the business was not tarnished.
J.H. Roberts took the business and soon moved to a building occupied by C.E. Edwards as a furniture establishment, east of the public square. A good business was built up and L.A. Roberts, a son of the merchant became a partner. In 1890 they erected a brick store building on Spruce Street, a half dozen blocks east of First Street, and the firm would not doubt have succeeded well but the expense incident to the building of so large a structure and business becoming depressed a sale was finally made in 1895 to A.H. Black & Co.
The history of Myrtle Point would be lacking without the mention of Dr. George D. Elgin. His practice commenced about 1876 and for a number of years he administered remedies as well as solace and comfort to the sick. He finally became interested in mining property on Sixes River and in 1890 he retired from business to his mountain home.
John Mast purchased the doctor’s city property and erected a livery barn on Spruce Street that did a good business until 1891. The proprietor was called hence and every one declared that man had disappeared.
In 1884 Sol and Jake Wise appeared on the scene and with Edward Bender purchased Binger Hermann’s mercantile interests under the firm name of Wise Bro. & Co. During the next few years the two brothers became well and favorably known. Business thrived and the firm was prosperous. Jake Wise sold his interest however, to
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the other partners, hoping to better his conditions in other localities. The firm name was then changed to Wise & Bender.
Jake Wise soon returned and performed the duties of clerk for the firm. When the railroad boom stuck to erect a large brick store and Binger Hermann joined them in the enterprise. An elegant three-story structure was the result. The failure of the railroad to fulfill its promises and depression in business setting in, with the large expenditures incident to the building of so large a structure, the firm was compelled to turn over their merchandise to their creditors in 1892. Mr. R. Matison became the pioneer shoemaker, building a shop and residence next door east of the where the brick store now stands.
Early in the spring of 1892 the second story of the Hermann block, which had been converted into a neat opera hall, was dedicated with much ceremony. The third story was designed for the Masonic Temple, and on September 24, 1892 it was finished and
dedicated by Ex-Governor Chadwick, assisted by Hon. Binger Hermann, with solemn ceremonies.
The author cannot refrain from mentioning the names of the old time clerks in Mr.
Hermann’s store. E. Jennings, O.H. Prey, J.A.Lehnerr and Albert Border were prominent and efficient salesmen. They have each made their exit to the unknown land, but pleasant recollections hover around their memory. Col. John Lane, F.P. Hermann and J.H. Roberts also used the yardstick in that busy mart. The former was afterwards Sheriff of the county, and Roberts was a member of the Oregon legislature two terms. F.P. Hermann is the only survivor who resides in Myrtle Point, expecting E. Bender, though a resident, holds an important position in the US Land Department, Christopher Lehnherr and wife, John Mast, John Barklow. Eben Huntley, Mrs. Levi Gant and Charles Wilkins who were prominent in and around the town, have all been
called hence, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew them best.
Wise Bros. Myrtle Point Store, 1877
Courtesy Coquille Valley Museum & The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to
Wireless” By Patti & Hal Strain
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In 1888, Border and Bender laid off and platted an addition of nine blocks to the town, east and adjoining the lands of C. Lehnherr, the founder of the village. About the first thing these enterprising men did was to donate block five to the school district and quite a respectable schoolhouse was built. The school building was used for church purposes for some time, but it was soon realized that a church office was needed. In 1888 a small church was built by subscription under the management of the United Brethren and Liberal German Baptist, as they were pleased to name their denomination, and stood where Machado now has his grocery store on block 6, that gentleman having purchased the building and concerted it into a business block.
The school building soon proved to be too small for the increasing population and in 1891 a commodious brick structure was erected at a cost of $15,000.
Chris Lehnherr and wife had donated a small strip of land on the south side of the town for a cemetery, but in 1897 it was removed to a plat of ground secured by the masons. The new cemetery is east of the city about one mile, on a elevation that might be a beautiful city of the dead.
Frank Deck is remembered as the pioneer drayman of the town, (A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used for transport of all kinds of goods.) and G.A. Brown became a business man and drayman. In 1888, the town began to assume a more important air, built up rapidly, and in 1890-91 a new vigorous impetus took hold and two hotels were doing a good business/ Mrs. Oscar Reed, now Mrs. James C. Brown, kept the Pioneer House built by her father, Mr. Lehnherr. The building was renovated and repaired and placed in first-class order. Mrs. George W. Majory succeeded Mrs. Brown. Spruce Street was graded and buildings began to appear at various places. Town lots began to advance in price. More additions were platted by
C. Lehnher’s heirs, and a boom tocome. The Lonaconing block was built south of James Burk’s and north of Wise and Bender’s store by B. Hermann and given the name of his birthplace. It was a large, imposing building and a credit to the town.
W.E. Rackleff, Wm. Vollmar, Wimer and Huling, Dr. Flange, J.L. Lewellen and some others erected business houses and some built dwellings. N.G.W. Perkins had established a drug store with Dr. Flange Buildings went up around the public square,
and it seemed that the city would soon gain great importance.
Maple Street—Spruce Street Bridge, 1909 From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” By Patti & Hal Strain
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Up until 1881 the quiet village had been free from tragedies, but on the Fourth day of July of that year the farmers and town people met at the grove south of the post office, where Giles and Son have established a brick kiln, to celebrate the occasion. A grand barbecue was in preparation. Hon. B. Hermann was secured as the orator of the day and everything was progressing happily. The grove was swarming with women and children and the orator was in the height of his eloquence when a pistol shot was heard back of the speakers’ stand and Charles McCloskey fell at the foot of a myrtle tree a rod or two south of the bridge that spans a creek at the north end of the grove. David Higgins was the wretch who had committed the cold-blooded crime. Sol McCloskey, the brother of the victim, was a prominent resident of Gravel Ford and justice of the peace. Higgins had been tried in his court for disturbing the public school in their neighbor, and it was supposed that the difficulty grew out of the affair. Charles McCloskey expired in a few minutes having been shot through the heart. Excited men ran in all directions hoping to find the murderer who had run down the road through the excited crowd and jumped down the river bank, swam the stream and disappeared The murderer was never captured. Of course, the pleasures of the day were at an end and in all probability if the people could have overtaken the criminal Higgins would have been hung to a tree. The terrible tragedy cast a gloom over the whole community. Aside from this horrible murder the town has been comparatively free from crimes. Wells Fargo and Company express box was robbed at the store of J.H. Roberts in 1894 and the safe was robbed since that office has been kept at its present location and railroad funds as well as private valuables were taken.
In 1887 C.E. Edwards and Harry Dalmas purchased the old dryer and building an addition they established a sawmill that proved for a time to be a help to the town. Many thousand feet of lumber was manufactured and hauled away by the farmers who were pleased to obtain that useful article so near home. They soon added a set of burs and ground corn and barley. They built a large lighter and shipped considerable first class cedar to the lower river where it was placed on board schooners and shipped to San Francisco markets. The mill went into the hands of James Wall and Sons who operated it three years, but in January 1898, the fiery elements swept away the last vestige of a once busy scene. The pluck and energy of Edward & Dalmas deserved success, as also did that of James Wall and Sons.
Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
The Opera House
The Hermann building better known as the Opera House is on the northwest corner of Spruce and First Streets. The building faced the river as did the Myrtle Point Hotel.
In 1891 that hotel sold to Martin Niestrom, who owned it until 1906. K.H. Hansen, prominent grocery man in Myrtle Point operated the hotel three years on lease after buying the furnishings.
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Opera House and Hotel overlooked the river From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” By Patti & Hal Strain
A later owner was A.A. Leach of Coquille, with his daughter Mrs. Charles Harrington. In 1923 theysold to Peter Axe who owned it until death in the 1930s. Cora Axe, widow, sold the hotel property to A.M. Sunstrup who owned the Myrtle Gold Creamery in the next-door Hermann Building. The hotel landmark was razed in 1935, marking an end to one of Myrtle Point’s favorite stopping places.
The creamery business stayed in the Hermann building, under various names. Milk,
continues to be processed there today (1986) with two top floors removed and smooth plaster covering the first floor walls of nice brick. The Coquille Valley, Patti Strai
Hotels of the Past
Myrtle Point at one time had the finest and most modern hotel in Coos County. The Myrtle Point Hotel was built by Binger Hermann in the early 1880s. It was a three story wooden structure built on First Street facing west. It contained 50 rooms. Its lobby entertained many notables, who had occasion to visit this part of the region in the early days, as well as miners, settlers and drummers (traveling salesmen).
In the beginning the hostelry was conducted byW.A. Border and wife, and later sold in 1891 to Martin Niestrum, who remained its owner until 1906. K.H. Hansen, prominent groceryman in Myrtle Point, operated the hotel for three years on lease after buying the furnishings. A late owner was A.A. Leach ofCoquille, with his daughter, Mrs. Charles Harrington. In 1923 they sold to Peter Axe who remained owner until his death in the early 1930s. Mrs. Cora Axe, widow and administrator of the estate of Peter Axe, sold the hotel property to A.M. Sunstrup who owned the Myrtle Gold Creamery in the next door Hermann Building. The old landmark was razed in 1935, marking and end to one of Myrtle Point’s favorite stopping places.
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The Guerin Hotel
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
The three-story Guerin Hotel was built in 1897 with George H. Guerin as proprietor. It was located at the corner of Spruce and Fifth streets. An advertisement in the 1911 brochure showed a picture of the stately hotel with the following description of services: “T.D. Guerin, Prop. Headquarters for the traveling public. Phone Main 167. Entire house lighted by electricity and supplied with cold and hot water. Free auto bus meets all trains. Rates $1 and $2 a day.
Famous author Jack London stayed at the Guerin Hotel on his way through the county. He traveled by buggy.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Myrtle Point Hotel
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
Newspapers from 1889
The history of a community can be found in its newspapers. The daily happenings as recorded in these newssheets are the best source of the what, when, who and where, Myrtle Point is endowed with a long list of published newspapers since before the turn of the century.
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The West Oregonian, Myrtle Point’s earliest newspaper, was first published on December 3, 1889. W.L. Dixon, local merchant, was the owner. Dr. Gusenhover was business manager, and Orvil Dodge, who in 1898 published a history of Coos and Curry Counties, was installed as editor.
The population of Myrtle Point was small and no doubt one inducement for starting the paper at that time was the taking up of timber claims in the area. Groups of men were coming in, each filing on a quarter section of timber. The notice of intention had
to be published in the nearest paper of general circulation, and as there was no paper south of Coquille, the notices automatically went to the West Oregonian. The paper received $10 for 10 weeks publication and this, being cash, was quite an item to any paper at that time.
Like nearly all small-town weeklies of the time, the West Oregonian was printed on a Washington hand press. G.M. Short of Marshfield was employed as foreman and John N. Roberts of Myrtle Point soon became an apprentice typo.
The Board of Trade of Myrtle Point soon after purchased the plant and installed Orvil Dodge as editor publisher. John N. Roberts later purchased the paper from the Board
of Trade and moved it into his own building and sold it to Dodge, who, in turn, sold to W.O. Phillips, a lawyer, who moved it to a new location. Phillips failed to click as a newspaper man and Dodge had to take it back. After many changes in management and locations the paper was finally sold to Lamb and Lawerence of Coquille who consolidated it with their paper. Myrtle Point was now without a paper, but not for long.
The Enterprise had been published at Riddle by Thorp and Conner. Myrtle Point appealed to them as a more desirable locations and on November 16, 1895, the Myrtle Point Enterprise was a going concern with W.C. Conner in charge. This paper met with success as it increased in size from seven columns, four page paper to eight columns and in 1989 to five columns with eight pages.
Reed’s Ford used to cross the South Fork From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” By Patti & Hal Strain
The next year the paper was sold to G.M. Short and J.C. Roberts. In October 1901 E.C. Roberts took over Short’s interest, whichhe sold in May 1905 to L.J. Roberts. In 1909 L.J. Robert sold to L.C. Bargelt who had purchased J.C. Roberts interest and he
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in turn sold to C.M. Scultz. W.R. Smith succeeded Shulz in 1917, and Smith changed the name of the paper to Southern Coos County American.
In 1923 in came J.M. Bledoe who, in 1925 sold to George B. Hamilton who had come from Washington state. Mr. Hamilton disliked the long name and again the name was changed to its present title, the Herald, on March 29, 1928. Hamilton continued to publish the Herald for seven years, during which time it became the owner of its own home at its present location. In February 1932 he sold to R.C. and J.L. Tucker who came from Woodland, California. The Tuckers eventually sold the paper to Arthur Jones, who continued as owner until 1947 when he sold to Logan White. On October 1, 1948, White sold to E.F. and G.W. Hall. George and Floyd Hall ran the paper for several years. After Floyd died his son, Al, bought our George Hall, Al ran the paper for a short time and sold to Dave Holman, publisher of the Florence paper. He soon sold to Jack Gautney, publisher of the Coquille Sentinel. In July 1975 Laura Isenhart purchased the Herald to run it until 1985 when she sold it to Sykes, Olsen and Sykes.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
The Great Flood of 1890
In February, 1890 at 3:00pm, a landslide at Randolph resulted in the instant death of 72 old John Thrush and his 19 year old granddaughter, Miss Mary Russell. Six inches of rain had fallen in less than three days, causing the hill behind the house to slide, crushing the house and shoving it into Randolph Slough. Richard Thrush, John Thrush and Billy, Miss Russell’s brother were also in the house, Richard Thrush was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head while the other two miraculously escaped uninjured.
The same time the mouth of Salmon Creek about Powers was completely damned when the whole side of the mountain covered with fir trees slid in. Water backed up two miles before the dam gave away, raising the South Fork 25 feet at Powers and left drift in the top of John Wagner’s orchard when it went down.
Still another slide occurred at the head of Brewster Valley, behind James Laird’s Halfway House. The half-mile long slide carried boulders weighing up to three tons, but a huge rock in the middle of the canyon parted the slide causing it to go around the house and come together again below, leaving the yard full of large rocks. As it went by Laird’s house, it carried away the washroom and shook dishes and lamps off the shelves. On the way down the East Fork the flood took out the Gravel Ford Bridge.
Combined with the water from the Salmon Creek slide, it crested at Coquille seven feet higher than the flood of 1954-55, which would have put it one foot over the roadway of the Coquille River Bridge.
In the lowland across the river from Coquille, people were rescued from their second story windows. They would merely have to step over the window -sill and into the boat, according to Jack Tozier who’s family lived there at the time. John Mulvihill told me a watermark on a barn that sat where the boat ramp is now was 16 feet above the ground.
A high water of that magnitude would put it well over the Reroute. Could a flood like that happen again? It happened at least once.
Life in the Past Lane by Boyd Stone
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Fires of 1892
On the 18th day of July, 1892, a destructive fire started in the old store building erected by Mr. Hermann in 1876. The alarm was given about 10 o’clock in the evening. The city was entirely without means to stay the ravages of the destroying element. For a time men and women stood seemingly paralyzed and gazed at the smoke and burning flames curling toward the sky. Wet blankets were placed to protect the fine homes of the Lonaconing block near by and also the Myrtle Point Hotel, but it was not long until it was decided that the block must go, and every energy was directed to save the hotel and J.C. Brown’s elegant new dwelling. Preparations were made to blow up the two tallest buildings. Ere long a tremendous explosions took place that seemed to almost shake the mountains, but the tall block raised a little, then settled down close to the ground and the tin roof seemed to almost smother the flames. This maneuver no doubt saved the principal part of the town from destruction. James Burk’s saloon building stood between the buildings blown up and W.L. Dixon’s store and was on fire beyond all hope of rescue. It was only one story high and by strenuous efforts Dixon’s store was saved. The hotel covered with blankets and being splashed with buckets of water, was steaming equal to equal to an old distillery, but the effects of the powder and the energy of the inhabitants, saved further destruction of property. The explosion broke many windows in Hermann, Wise & Benders’ new block, and also those in the hotel. In the midst of the misfortune the town rejoiced that there was no wind to carry the flames and that the fire had been managed so successfully. The Lonaconing block was occupied by Ines E. Rose has a saloon on the lower floor, while the G.A. R. and band had possession of the upper apartments. They saved their fixtures excepting some chairs, and Mr. Rose saved his stock. James Bark saved the contents of his building, which was insured. The loss fell principally on Hon. Binger Hermann who had no insurance. It was noted the next morning that the town was minus three prominent buildings, two of them being the first business houses in the town. The loss was estimated at $8000. The Lonaconing block stood opposite the Myrtle Point Hotel and Binger Hermann’s old store about 30 feet south and the southeast corner of the store at the iron initiatory corner of the town and reach 80 feet toward the river.
In February 1887, the town was incorporated. E. Bender was elected recorder and filled that important position 10 years successively. L.A. Roberts succeeded him and still holds the position (1898). The election for town officers takes place each February when a recorder, marshal and five councilmen are elected.
In 1890 a Board of Trade was organized of which J.H. Roberts was elected president and Orvil Dodge secretary, and at the second meeting in January 1890, E. Bender was elected treasurer. The organization became a very effective help to the town board and through its influence a daily mail route was established between Roseburg and the coast. The railroad enterprise was encouraged and many other industries were inaugurated that increased the interest of the property owners. Surveys were made with a view of supplying the town with water, the expenses for which was paid by the half dozen who kept up the organization.
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
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A Growing Town
The decade of the nineties saw substantial growth with many families moving into the upper Coquille Valley. Logging and dairying were on the upswing. Sawmills were being constructed. William Rackleff had a busy shipyard at the Forks. (There the north fork of the Coquille enters the main river). The coming of the railroad had a big impact on the community.
Dodge lists some of the new enterprises in his Pioneer History. “The Enterprise Newspaper in 1895. Charles B. Lehmanowsky opened a general merchandise store in 1893. Huling and Lundy, hardware and tin shop. This was first organized under the firm name of Wimer and Huling, but in the spring of 1892 W.R. Lundy purchased Mr. Wimer’s interest. E.A. Adams opened a bazaar in 1896. N,G.W. Perkins established a drug store in 1888. Dr. K.A. Leep, physician and surgeon, located at this place in 1891. A.H. Black and Co. opened a general merchandise store in 1894. Wm. Volkmar established a hardware store in 1889. W.W. Endicott opened a blacksmith and carriage shop in 1897. The law office of L.L. Burtenshaw was established in 1891. The U.S. Commissioner’s office and a branch of the U.S. Land office was established in 1891 and Orvil Dodge in charge. The railroad came in 1893 with a Wells Fargo office. Myrtle Point Hotel established in 1880. The Guerin Hotel was established in 1897. Daniel Barklow is proprietor of a stage line started in 1891. Samuel Barklow opened his shoe shop in 1891. Peter Wise, the pioneer blacksmith, opened his shop in 1897. W.E. Rackleff’s sawmill was established in 1891. D. Giles and Son established their brickyard in 1890. S.C. Braden opened a blacksmith shop in 1898. Lehnherr and Roup established a transfer line for passengers, baggage, and freight in 1891. George Davenport has a wood yard and a horsepower wood saw put into operation in 1898. The Erdice cheese factory was started in 1897. On August 12, 1893 a telephone line was completed between Myrtle Point and Marshfield. The office is at Huling and Lundy’s store.
Several other businesses as well a number of churches, lodges, civic organizations, and a community band were organized in the nineties.
The First Presbyterian Church of the county was organized at Myrtle Point. In 1890 the Reverend Encas McLean organized a circuit, which included services at Myrtle Point, Fish Trap (Arago area), Coquille City, Bandon and Port Orford.
The Methodist Episcopal Church South was organized about 1879, with buildings at Coquille, Bandon, Dairyville, (Langlois) and Myrtle Point.
The United Brethern Chuch was built in 1890 and the Presbyterian Church and Methodist Episcopal Church South was built in 1891.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
First Train to Myrtle Point September 15, 1893 Railroad lines were being constructed all over the West before the turn of the century. The cross continent railroads such as the Union Pacific and Northern Pacific had already connected the West Coast to the East. The Southern Pacific had made its way north from southern California to Oregon. Much of the vast areas of the west was government land. To encourage settlers to come west the railroads were given much of this land. In addition to the main rail lines there were many short railroads built,
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some of which, failed to be completed. In 1891 R.A. Graham from California appeared in Coos County with plans to build a railroad from Coos Bay to Roseburg. Each town invested its proportion of money while Mr. Graham invested over $100,000 of his own funds, resulting in the road coming to Myrtle Point. The railroad was called the Coos Bay, Roseburg and Eastern Railroad and Navigation Company. The following from Dodge’s history describes the arrival of the first train to Myrtle Point which was end of the line. “The reunion of Coos County Pioneer Association at Myrtle Point, Friday and Saturday the 15th and 16th, will long be remembered by those fortunate enough to be present. The day dawned full of promise of good weather. The sun shone out with splendor that was indeed cheering. At about 10 am the far-off whistle of a locomotive heralded the approach of the coming train with its precious load of human freight. The crowd in town quickly turned their steps towards the depot while many stopped on the bluff, others went down to the tracks to see, many for the first time, the cars coming into Myrtle Point. The train, consisting of the engine and four cars, was well loaded with people from Empire, Marshfield, Coqullie City and other points. The brass band came from Libby. The Myrtle Point band was on hand to welcome the crowd and conducted them to the public square. Here the procession was formed and headed by the two bands and marched out to Dixon’s grove where the exercises of the day were held.”
Railroad Depot at Myrtle Point Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
The railroad never did make its way to Roseburg, although right-of-way land was purchased as far as Bridge on the Middle Fork of the Coquille River. The rail line served Myrtle Point form many years. In 1912 the Smith-Powers Logging Company started laying track to Powers. The line was completed in May 1915. Millions of feet of logs went from Powers through Myrtle Point to the Smith-Powers Mill in Marshfield. Later the company became known as the Coos Bay Co., which in turn
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sold out to Georgie-Pacific Lumber Co. The Powers rail line was torn out in the early 1970s. In 1916 the Southern Pacific completed its rail line to Marshfield (Coos Bay). This opened rail traffic for Myrtle Point to the outside world Eventually the Southern Pacific Company bought out the Coos Bay, Roseburg and Eastern railroad. Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Flogging Post Law The Flogging Post law became effective last Thursday. The new law provides that a man convicted of wife beating may be punished with whipping, not exceeding 20 lashes, but this is only an additional punishment and not exclusive punishment for the crime. The old punishment being a fine or imprisonment is still in effect under the new law. Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 26, 1905 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Myrtle Point in 1911
Someone in Myrtle Point in 1911 thought the outside world should know what a wonderful place that had been settled in the upper Coquille Valley. A handsome little booklet was printed extolling the climate, people opportunities, and a number of other attributes.
The writer of the booklet said that the climate was so healthful that they had to shoot someone to start a cemetery. The booklet states: “Myrtle Point—The Gem of Coos County, we have the land, we want the people. The towns of Coos County are well supplied with stores carrying compete stock of every commodity and price are lower than in large cities. Wages are $2 to $2.50 for common labor; $2.50 to $4.50 at lumbering; $3 to $5 for skilled labor. No room for idle men, but plenty to do for those willing to work. The educational facilities are equipped with schools of high standards. Churches of every denomination are also represented. The valley is fertile, raising to the acre potatoes from 12 to 15 tons, field beets, 40 to 50 tons; hay 5 to 8 tons; barley 50 to 125 bushels and other products in like ratio.
Myrtle Point is described as “A city of 1,000 inhabitants connected by railroad with Marshfield, with Bandon by the river and with Roseburg by stage line. It is electrically lighted, owns its own water system, has telephone service, and is the distributing point for seven mail routes. Its schools are in high order. It has six churches and no saloons and the only fruit and vegetable cannery in the county.”
There were several ads in the booklet with the following about the Guerin Hotel: “T.D. Guerin. Prop. Headquarters traveling public. Entire house lighted with electricity and supplied with hot and cold water. Free auto bus meets all trains. Rates $1 to $2 per day.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Coos County Fair
The Coos County Fair originally was known as the Coos and Curry Fair Association. In 1934 the name was changed to the Coos County Fair Association. In 1911 there
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was a stock show held at the Dixon Grove near the former Mast Hospital. This was the site of the first fair, if it can be called a fair. There were a few farm exhibits but the fair was mostly a horse and stock show.
In February 1912 the fair board brought in a county surveyor to make the boundary lines on the R.C. Dement acreage in the south part of Myrtle Point for the proposed fairgrounds. The survey report showed that a one-half mile horse track would not be possible unless one acre of land owned by P.M. Cole be added to the property purchased from R.C. Dement.
The first officers of the Fair Association were R.C. Dement, president; J.L. Knight, vice president; L.A. Robert, secretary; and T.D. Guerin, treasurer. Board members were A.E. Adelsperger, Dr. M.O. Stemmier and O.J. Seeley.
The city of Myrtle Point took its first real interest in the fair in 1913 by decorating the city for the occasion. By the next year the fair had become an annual event and the first slogan chosen was “Let’s Go.”
The fair grew as buildings and grandstands were added. Unusual acts of entertainment were brought in. One of the first acts was Lieutenant Peghorn with an airplane doing fancy stunts and carrying passengers on short rides. Horseracing was big in those days with Joe Knight, Jim Hobson and Hiram Hatcher racing their fine horses. They were local men who took their string of racers all over the state. In the 20s harness racing was also a going attraction. In 1921 there was much interest in the Backward Ford Contest. Model T Fords raced backwards around the one-half mile track. Amzy Mintonye was the winner the first year.
In 1924 the Fair Association had its first real rodeo with bucking horses, bulls and mules.
In 1963 the annual Loggers Shodeo became an added attraction. No fair could exist without eating booth. The directors of the Fair Board voted September 19, 1912, to give F.G. Hermann and Ida W. Hansen the exclusive privilege to each run a confectionary stand on the grounds for the sum of $15.
Fair managers in recent years have been Harold Clarno, Jim Jenkins and Jim Howe (Glenn Gulstrom also served as fair manager). Clarno was a manager for 23 years,
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Coos/Curry County Fair 1912
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
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The Myrtle Point Highway
About 1920, the Jacobson Brothers, who lived near Rink Creek, won first prize in the Coquille Corn Show parade. Their entry was an old truck, splattered mud, and a sign that read, “WE ARE STILL IN THE MUD ON THE MYRTLE POINT HIGHWAY”.
Whether that had anything to do with it or not, graveling the Myrtle Point Highway was started in 1921. Gravel came from a rock quarry near Norway. Several steam tractors, each pulling three wagons with belly-dumps, were used to gravel. Jack Tozier was one of the drivers. He said that running over the rough rocks and gravel caused the steam-pipes to shake loose or break and although they had lots of trouble, they did get the road graveled nearly to the top of Johnson Hill that year.
The following year, 1922, World War I surplus trucks were used. These trucks could be bought by cities, counties and states for $1.00 each. Coos County bought several of them. They had big disk wheels with hard rubber tires, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. They were built by the Nash Motor Company and were called “Nash Quads”. One of the troubles with these trucks was if you got too close to anything, you couldn’t get away from it. When the front wheels were turned away from an obstacle, the back wheels turned towards it. That is why these trucks were often seen sitting in a ditch or over a bank.
Everett Lux told of an incident that happened near the top of Johnson Hill while he was driving one of these trucks. There were no houses that could be seen, but a little boy was always playing in the middle of the road and would never get out of the way until Everett had come to a complete stop. With a load of gravel on that steep hill and an underpowered truck, it was all he could do to get started again. Finally, getting enough of it, Everett got out of the truck, caught the kid and spanked him until his freckles rattled. The kid ran off bawling. Everett thought for sure he would have a mother to contend with on his next trip, but nothing came of it and he never saw the boy again.
Hwy 42 bridge outside Myrtle Point
Collection of Earnest Rollins
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In 1926, the Myrtle Point Highway was blacktopped. It was the first highway in the state that had banked curves. The engineer was fired because of it, but it wasn’t long before everybody who drove between Myrtle Point and Marshfield (Coos Bay) knew the engineer was right. It was much more comfortable and faster to drive from Myrtle Point to Coquille where the curves were banked than from Coquille to Marshfield where the curves were as flat as a board.
Living in the Past Lane, Boyd Stone
Early School Days
The pioneers were interested in securing an education for their children and where a few families were gathered together a schoolhouse was built with a teacher hired for a three month summer session. The teacher lived with a member of the community with the going wage of about $30 a month. Around Myrtle Point there were quite a number of small schools in the valley and back in the mountains. The first school district to be formed in Coos County was at Empire with Esther Lackhart as the first teacher. Young Binger Hermann taught the first school in the Coquille Valley.
The first four-year high school in Myrtle Point began in the fall of 1906 and graduated three students, Dal King, Claude Endicott and Mary Hall. This was the graduating class of 1910. The 1911 class consisted of Clark Giles, Otto Schneider, and Grace Edna Michael. The class of 1912: Joseph Ray Devault, Roxanna Dollie Robbins, Grover Cleveland Wilson, Orin Alvin Reed, Lester L. Summerlin, Arthur Raymond Jones, and Paul Edward Breuer. The class of 1913 class: Hallet Bargelt, Nellie Breuer, Blanche DeArmand, Forrest Greene, Myrl McCloskey, Agnes McCracken, Harold Bargelt, Bernice Chandler, Roy Earl Clark, and Delos Davenport. Class of 1914 Cleo Agnes Dickson, Elsie Grace Philpott, Dora Beth Hanson, Lena Marlan Schneider, Etta Eugenia Darnell, Eva Grace Lewellen, Dorothy Jeannette Miller, Ernest Roy Root, Harry G. Dement, Nellie Jessie Barton, and Effie Weekly. Class of 1915: Josephine Hayes, Floyd M. Walker, Annie Johnson, Larry Miller, Grace Krantz, John Hall, Audrey Bryant, Albie Elwood, Ervin Barklow, Zella Summerlin and Roy Spires.
Myrtle Point High School had a class in “teacher training” which some of the young ladies would take and after graduation, teach in the summer sessions of the rural grade schools.
Through the teen, concern and talks were prevalent in the rural communities about high school education. Arago and Bridge formed their own high schools but the many other rural districts were left to paying tuition and sending their older children to academies or high schools out of the area.
In March 1923 some 16 districts petitioned to investigate the possibility of establishing a union high school. There were a few union high districts in the state.
The following districts pushed for an election to determine the union high issue: Broadbent, Twin Oaks, Pleasant Point, Gravelford, Bald Hill, Norway, Catching Creek, Sugar Loaf, Pleasant View, Locust Grove, Bride, West Norway, Lee, Shiloh and Myrtle Point.
Myrtle Point school superintendent, Augustus Spiess, had received letters from Gresham, Mollalla and Milton-Freewater stating that the union high school system was working well for them.
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The initial election was held in 1923. It was a very close election but Norway had a tie, thus defeating the project.
With so much interest, another election was set for February 18, 1924. It won easily with eight districts for and four opposed, with a total vote of 398 yes and 130 no votes. The five board members elected were Dr. Clarke, J.H. Barklow, C.S. Reed, J.M. Wagner and Henry Harvey.
The board immediately began to look for sites for a new building. After some searching, the board selected the Dement property bounded by Harris Street and Fourth Street. A $50,000 bond issue was approved April 5, 1924, to purchase the site and construct a new building. I.L. Young of Portland had the lowest bid for the building at a price of $40,700 including the wiring. J.S. Chambers was low bidder on heating and plumbing at $6,185.
Spruce School
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
The building was not ready for use at opening of school in 1925, so the students crowded into the old brick building on C and Maple. With all the new students from the outlying areas, the crowded conditions made for a lot of chaos. But on October 30 the situation was solved as students moved across town to the new building. On the last two periods of the day the students carried books and other material piled high in their arms to look like walking bookcases as they made their way across town to their new home.
Under the terms of the agreement, the union high was to furnish transportation to the students of the outlying districts. At first this was a problem as the roads were poor. The school district did not own any school buses but contracted transportation out to individuals. Milton Schroeder, Koral Martin and Al Baker bought buses and were given contracts for hauling students. The students who furnished their own transportation were paid “walking money” if the lived a certain distance from school.
The Union High School’s existence came to an end in 1960 when it became a part of District No. 41 alone with elementary schools of Arago, Bridge, Broadbent, Dora, Etalka, Myrtle Point and Sitkum, under the 1957 School District Re-organization Law.
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By this time many of the small districts had joined other districts had joined other districts. McKinley had joined Coquille, Remote with Bridge and several of the others were sending their students to Myrtle Point.
With the coming of better roads and school buses those 18 to 20 rural schools of the Myrtle Point area became only a memory.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
The Mast Hospital
On February 1, 1970, the Mast Hospital closed its doors’[, leaving a void in the medical care facility of the town. The long and useful life of the Mast Hospital played an integral part to the people of Myrtle Point and the southern County for many years.
On a spring day in 1918, a small hospital opened on the site by Dr. Pemberton without fanfare or ribbon cutting. Dr. Pemberton hired a Mrs. Beals as manager with Mollie Johnson, later Mrs. Flentge Perkins, as an aide. There were seven beds set up with room for five more if that number of patients arrived.
In 1920 Hilda MacCarger “Mac” Johnson came to work for Dr. Pemberton to begin her long and illustrious career as a nurse and director of nurses. Her name became almost synonymous with the Mast Hospital, which was to follow.
Dr. Pemberton, after some time, sold out to a Dr. Davis, who in turn sold to Dr. R.H. Mast, son of a pioneer family. Dr. Mast, not long out of medical school, took in a partner by the name of Dr. Wilson. In 1926 they moved the old residence back and remodeled the
front which was opened Thanksgiving day of that year.
For a time it was known as Mast and Wilson Hospital. During the Depression years from 1933 to 1944, “Mac” Johnson and Irene Mullen leased and ran the hospital. Dr. Wilson moved to Coquille and Dr. H.H. Thomas became associated with Dr. Mast in 1935.
In 1938 Dr. Mast modernized the building that more than doubled the space. Dr. Mast died (as a result) of an accident in Portland October 8, 1939. Dr. Thomas became the owner, which he eventually sold to Paul Hammer. After Mr. Hammer’s death in 1963, his trustee sold the hospital to the Western Medical Care Foundation. Both Mr. Hammer and the Care Foundation did extensive work and changes to the building.
Lois Wagner came to work at the hospital in 1954 and in 1963 became the administrator until it closed in early 1970. (Today it serves as the Myrtle Point Care Center)
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Dr. Mast Killed Sunday Falls from Window
Not only Myrtle Point and Coos County but the entire southwestern Oregon section lost one of its most public spirited citizens at 4:45 Sunday morning, Oct. 8, 1939, when Dr. Reuben H. Mast was instantly killed in an accidental fall from an eighth floor window of a Portland hotel.
Dr. and Mrs. Mast had left Myrtle Point Friday afternoon for Portland to attend the University of Oregon and Stanford University football game which took place in that city Saturday. Enroute they witnessed the Portland and Willamette Universities game at Salem Friday night.
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Being always interested in collegiate sports and athletic activities in general, he enjoyed to the fullest the major contest Saturday that ended favorably for the team of his alma mater, the consummation of his fondest desires.
Although Dr. Mast had been in poor health for a time, he was much improved of late. Immediately afterward word had been received by his parents of his accident. “Judge’ and Mrs. R.H. Mast of Coquille, Keith and Earl Leslie of the county’s seat left for Portland, reaching there before noon Sunday.
Last Rites
Funeral service were held from the Schroeder Funeral Home in Myrtle Point at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon with Rev. George Turney, rector of the Episcopal Church in Coquille, officiating. Chadwick Masonic lodge of Coquille, of which the deceased was a member, took charge of the graveside services and interment was in the Masonic cemetery in Coquille. Business houses in Myrtle Point were closed Wednesday afternoon for the funeral.
Reuben Harrison Mast was born July 24, 1895, at the home of his mother’s parents in Portland. He was the son of R.H. and Lola Lesbo Mast of Coquille, both of whom are of Oregon pioneer stock. His mother’s father came west from Tennessee in 1846 at the age of 16, settling at first in the Willamette Valley. He fought in both Indian wars and later on went to make his home in Yaquina. His son was the first white boy to be born on Yaquina Bay.
Early Settlers
The Mast family originally came west to Red Bluff, CA, by train in 1872, there being 66 in the party requiring tickets. At Red Bluff teams and wagons were purchased and the group came north via the mail route road and settled first at Roseburg where they lived for about a year. In the fall of 1873 they came to the Coquille Valley by the old Coos Bay Wagon Road, the only wagon road in the county at the time.
The elder Mast traded one of the Lee settlers a Bain wagon for his squatter’s rights and took over the Mast homestead where Hardee Mast now resides.
Dr. Mast obtained all his early schooling in the Coquille schools, graduating from the county seat high school. He was always prominent in athletics, having played football and basketball through four years of high school and during his freshman year in college. After that a knee injury prevented his following sports further.
Enlist For War
Dr. Mast and Earl Leslie, who later married Dr. Mast’s sister, entered the University of Oregon together. While they were freshmen, war was declared and together they went to Vancouver, WA to enlist. Dr. Mast was assigned to the medical department of the US Army and was examining post hospital at Vancouver. When discharged he reentered the U of O and in June 1924, graduated from the medical school in Portland.
Buys Hospital
When ready to embark on private practice he returned to Myrtle Point and opened an office on the second floor of the Perkins drug store of those days, which stood in the rear of the present site of that pharmacy. After practicing in Myrtle Point less than a year, in Feb. 1925, Dr. Mast purchased from Dr. D.W. Davis, now of Kimberly, BC, the local hospital which at that time was housed by the old building which has since been moved to the rear of the property on which the present hospital stands.
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Salt Lake City and he believed he could pattern this structure after the Morman Tabernacle. “The big problem with the mini-tabernacle was the peculiar actions of sound waves in the building.”
Unfortunately, the change in proportions and radical reduction in size to the auditorium of 45 feet in diameter and 24 feet in height to center skylight resulted in acoustical chaos. Reverberations from the walls caused a speaker's voice to be unheard from the front seats while it would come in loud and clear from the back seats. Quiet comments from the room were, and still are, readily heard on the opposite side. False ceilings installed at varying heights by subsequent owners modified but never corrected the problem.
Despite the difficulty with acoustics, the congregation continued to use the building until November 1927 when the Four Square Gospel Church, which had been organized the previous summer, purchased the property with the announced intention of using the church "until the end of the world." Mrs. A. T. Train, the leader of the group, expected that to be in a few short years. Mrs. Train ordered that the first false ceiling, made of burlap, be hung about sixteen feet from the floor but made no more alterations to the building. The Four Square Gospel congregation was never large and in time ceased to function. Then various organizations--the American Legion among others-began to use the building for meetings.
Shortly before World War II, when C. J. (Jop) Morgan was Commander, the Legion Post bought and remodeled the property for their own purposes. A kitchen wing was added at the rear without disrupting the lines of the original building. A continuous bench was built around the wall of the auditorium and the platform floor was lowered slightly. In the summer of 1961, the Legion Post put in a permanent ceiling at the ten-foot height and completely resurfaced the building with composition shingles in as near the color of the original weathered cedar shingles as possible. The work was done to bring the building up to standards required by the Fire Marshal for the fire zone in which it is located. Of structural interest is the framing system. The ribs or staves, continuous from floor to cupola, are laminated of three 1 x 4's nailed up in forms to the proper curvature. Set to sixteen inches on center at the floor, the ribs form a solid wall in the upper part of the ceiling. The ceiling was sprung around the ribs for a smooth surface.
In the spring of 1976, Mr. Jesse Laird, Mr. Ken Dietz and Mr. Curt Beckham appeared on television and radio asking for donations of artifacts from the olden days of logging. The Coos County Fair Board let the committee use a building at the Fairgrounds and the Logging Museum was opened July 4, 1976. After eleven years, the opportunity came to move the museum into the dome-shaped building-the old American Legion Hall-which had been given to the City of Myrtle Point. On September 26, 1987, the Coos County Logging Museum was again opened to the public. Ongoing projects have been completed to improve the building and museum. During the winter of 1988-1989 the ten-foot ceiling was removed, the original dome-shaped ceiling was plastered, and a track-lighting system was installed. Floors were sanded and sealed, and a bathroom was added. The composition shingles were replaced by cedar shingles and, in October 1991, were stained with 70 gallons of semi-transparent driftwood gray stain for preservation and to give it the weathered look of the original. Much of the money for renovating the building came from
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logging companies, individuals, McKays Groceries and their suppliers. The Coos County Logging Museum building was listed on the National Register of Historical Buildings on October 18, 1979.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham and www.cooscountyloggingmuseum.org
AMurder at Myrtle Point
In 1934, Art Newton had just graduated from an electrical school in California and opened an electrical repair shop in Myrtle Point next to the bakery, which was located in the same building. Art Newton was a bachelor and had his living quarters above the store. The baker was an “old man” who was also a bachelor and lived over the bakery.
In his free time the baker world spend quite a bit of time visiting with Art—that is until he got himself a young live-in girlfriend. After that he didn’t have as much time to visit, but he would still come over once in a awhile to use Art’s typewriter.
Then as all good things must come to an end, his live-in girlfriend was threatening to leave and find herself a younger man. The baker was really upset about it. He kept asking Art for advice. But Art being a confirmed bachelor…at least up until that time didn’t know much about such things like that.
One evening the baker came over to Art’s and asked if he could use his typewriter. Art told him he could and went on about his work as the baker went to use the typewriter in the office at the rear of the shop.
At the brake of dawn the next morning the boy delivered supplies to the bakery found it closed and locked. This was very unusual, and thinking the baker had overslept, he went up the outside stairway to the baker’s living quarters. Peering through a window in the dim dawn-light, he saw a woman lying on the bed in a pool of blood, with her head split wide open. The delivery boy hit the ground running. At the police station the officers finally got him to calm down so he could tell what he had seen. Later, when he was asked why he didn’t used the stairway on the way down, he answered “What stairway?!”
The police found that the woman had been chopped in the head with an axe. The baker had disappeared, but there was a typewritten confession that was determined to have been written on Art’s typewriter. Though only a thin wall separated the two bedrooms, Art hadn’t heard a sound.
Some time later the baker’s body was found in the river below the Myrtle Point Bridge. It was believed he had committed suicide by jumping off the bridge. The case was closed and relative peace came over Myrtle Point once again.
The Way It Really Was in Coos & Curry Counties by Boyd Stone
A Myrtlewood Church , The town of Myrtle Point has perhaps the most varied assortment of building material in its buildings and houses of any town in the country. Old brick buildings, white cedar buildings, fir and concrete to name some of the material that has been used, In this land of myrtle trees an Irish priest by the name of Father Daniel Kelly came up with the idea that his new church house should be made out of myrtlewood. Without the determination of this young Irishman, Myrtle Point and the local Catholic Church probably would not be able to boast that this is the only church in the world made of
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myrtlewood. Father Kelly did not want plain boards, he insisted that the interior be covered with myrtlewood paneling, In the early 1940s most all plywood panels were made of fir. \ One of the parishioners, Timothy J. Sullivan, who lived on a farm up Catching Creek, gave the logs, which were used in the building. Father Kelly contacted several veneer manufacturing plants to peel the logs into veneer. He was told that this could not be done. He finally, after much cajoling and pleading, got the Evens Products mill to do the job, then Kelly persuaded the Smith-Wood Products of Coquille to form the plywood sheets. The myrtlewood was very hard on equipment and it took much more time to run off the sheets than softer wood. . When completed the church was 30 by 60 feet. The inside walls and timbers were covered with myrtlewood plywood. The panels are all matching, taken from the same tree. Most of the interior of the church is of the traditional gold myrtlewood, but the inlay around the cross, above the alter, is of the more rate black myrtlewood. When Gus Metzgus, (though not mentioned by the author, Gus Metzgus was the builder of the Church) long-time parishioner, was asked about the value of the myrtlewood in the church he replied, “I don’t think you could put a price on it. IT was a once only thing.” The church was dedicated in 1940. . Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
GUERIN’S WESTERN ADVENTURE BEGINS . By Patti Strain
GEORGE H. GUERIN was raised in Newark, New Jersey. At age 24 he married Priscilla Dobinson, age 18 in 1866. She was born at Wingate, England in 1848, leaving there at age 3. Fifteen years before their wedding the three Guerin brother’s uncle, Captain Tichenor, had founded Port Orford on the west coast of Oregon Territory. Nine years after their wedding the George Guerin family followed his youngest brother James to Oregon. The middle brother, William Guerin, my Great Grandfather, followed the next year.
The George Guerin family left Buffalo, New York in April in a driving snow storm on a railroad passenger car; five days from New Jersey to San Francisco. They made beds with their own bedding; cooked on the wood stove which also provided heat. My Great, Great Grandmother Charlotte Tichenor Guerin, was surprised to step from winter into sunshine in California where they stayed five days. Her brother, Captain Tichenor, met the family in San Francisco. A friend also met the train having seen the passenger list published in the newspaper.
At San Francisco the family boarded the coastal steamer Empire, piloted by Captain Butler who transported them through a terrific Pacific storm to Port Orford where they arrived April 15, 1876. This Guerin family consisted of George and Priscilla with their five sons, noted with years born: William S. 1868, (3rd to have that name); Addison H., 1869; Thomas D., 1870; George H., 1872; James B., 1873 and Waterman C., 1875. And George’s widowed mother, Charlotte, came with them.
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The steamer anchored out in the ocean some distance; lowered by a system of ropes into small boats rowed near shore, men in hip boots carried each Guerin ashore near Battle Rock. It had been almost twenty-five years since that monolith received its name, when Charlotte’s brother, Captain Tichenor, dropped off a contingent of 9 men to scout out a town site and a battle with Indians resulted in the name, Battle Rock.
Curry County’s coastal streams were so swollen that the Guerin’s couldn’t move on to their new home; they waited in Port Orford for a month. During this time, George and Cilla met Steven Gallier, age 19. Since age 17 Steve Gallier had operated a pack train to serve miners working on Sixes River and at Johnson Mountain.
The Guerin family “found, upon their arrival at Port Orford, that transportation to the interior of the county was accomplished by packing upon animals, which at that time appeared to them very monotonous coming, as they did, from the densely populated city with all the latest modes of travel.” Gallier made arrangements and they were ready to start.
George’s younger brother, James Guerin, and another man met them. Family members and helpers were given a horse to ride and the children, except namesake George, were divided among the adults; and the mules were loaded with the families’ luggage. Charlotte stayed in Port Orford with baby George until a roof was applied to their new home. Cilla was afraid of horses, so Steve Gallier led her horse all the way.
The laden pack animal parade soon entered the rough, rugged mountainous country. Aboard the pack train they met, for the first time, men accustomed to hardship among whom was Ira DelBray, a very noted character in the early 1850s, Bob Phillips, and Jas. McGlone, an old miner and prospector. These early miners could interest you with their hair breadth escapes from Indians and also cougars and other wild beasts between “glowing accounts of ounces to the pan taken from placer deposits which were to those early miners a “Klondike” in miniature form.”
The travelers leaving Port Orford behind worked their way northeast toward the coast range; first traversing several miles of flat land until reaching and fording Elk River. They moved up hill through tall timber then dropped down to ford Sixes River. That took a full day of travel; they stayed with a family who lived on the north bank of Sixes River. (About 6 miles from Port Orford) “They had no lamps so we used tallow shaved up in a saucer with a twisted rag in it, for a light.” The second day they navigated miles of Sixes River canyon, always moving upward toward their mountain claim. The Guerin family finally reached the headwaters of the north fork of Sixes River, where they stayed at Steve Gallier’s place, about one mile from the Guerin claim.
Their destination was presumably predetermined by the youngest brother, James Guerin, who had come to Oregon a year earlier and purchased school lands east of Port Orford. It is assumed he scouted the locations suitable for his family to homestead; and they did file donation land claims. Overland travel, at that time, was
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by narrow, tree crossed, trails made by elk, used by Indians, and usually on top of ridges. The Guerin’s new homestead, although extremely remote today, was on the first and best well traveled main trail from Port Orford, to Eckley. That trail also branched to Langlois Mountain and on to Myrtle Point, via Catching Creek.
The family settled at New Castle, but postal authorities would not accept that name. So it became Eckley, named after friends in the east, they also applied that name to one son. Great, Great Grandmother Charlotte became post master in 1879; she stayed twelve years in Eckley. In 1888 Charlotte sold her donation land claim to her grandsons and moved to Portland where she resided a short time with her youngest son, James, before he moved to Revelstoke, where he later died.
Children born to George and Cilla after they settled on the ranch: Chas. V., 1878; Annie R., 1880 (their only daughter); Eckley, 1882; and John L., 1884, who died young. Their oldest son, William S. Guerin, 3rd in the family with that name, drowned on Klamath River bar, May 10, 1891, at age 23.
The first order of business was a cabin. The first one built was 12 x 12 feet with a lean-to built on the back for a kitchen. “Eleven of us lived there until we had built a cabin 18 by 24 feet on our own claim.” The Guerin family had “. . . left a seven room house well-furnished and modern at that time. The new house was of logs with homemade furniture. Bunks were built high enough so the children’s beds could be slid under them. These beds were heavy, clumsy affairs, having no rollers. Instead of a stove, they had a fireplace. The house was built in a gulch with a mountain behind it. Panthers, bears and wild cats could be heard in the woods almost any time, deer and elk were plentiful and we killed them for meat.” . . . “At the new home everyone did a share in clearing fields, making garden and building fences. Money was scarce and times were hard so Mrs. Guerin traded her watch, rings and other jewelry as well as some of her best clothing and table linens for cows, horses, chickens, to develop the ranch.” The ranch land was acquired by two donation land claims, one in George’s name and one in Charlotte’s name. The work was never ending to supply the family with food. “After the fields were cleared, wheat was planted. At harvest time it was threshed with horses, the chaff was blown out by the wind; the wheat was sacked; picked over, and some of it was boiled and eaten with cream of which there was plenty, and sugar of which there was not. Wheat was also ground in a coffee mill for oatmeal mush, and some was carried over Bingham Mountain to the North Carolina settlement where it was ground into flour for coarse bread.”
THE GUERIN SCHOOL
When the Guerins arrived in 1876 there were no schools, no mail routes, no post offices, and no roads. Captain and Mrs. Tichenor and their three children, and other families, had lived in Port Orford since May of 1852. That settlement had thrived and almost died several times in the twenty-four years prior to the Guerins arrival in the hills of northeastern Curry County. The Port Orford people traded with San Francisco
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and the only road they required was the Pacific. Empire City had also come to life about 1853, but they also used the Pacific to access San Francisco.
“Mrs. Guerin wanted a school for her children as well as for the neighbors, so she went to other settlers with a petition for one, but none would support it. A law at that time provided that a district must have a three month’s private school before a public school could be established.” Since no one would help, George Guerin hired his brother Will, to teach his boys. The only problem was that Will was still in Newark, a continent away. Although he planned to come at the same time with George, their baby died and their desire to see Oregon country was lost for a time.
LAST GUERIN BROTHER ARRIVES IN OREGON
WILLIAM S. GUERIN II, the second son of William S. and Charlotte Nutman Tichenor Guerin was named for his father. William S. Guerin II was my Great Grandfather. William grew up in Newark New Jersey, and attended Saunder’s Military Institute at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William graduated from that Institute. He was hired to teach there, which he did for several years. He was teaching at the Institute when his older brother George offered him a job teaching school at Eckley, Oregon. The younger brother of George and William, James Guerin, came to Oregon earlier than his brothers and purchased school lands east of Port Orford..
William Guerin II, age 25, and Margaret Elizabeth Miller, age 22, married in 1872. Margaret was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1850, coming to America as a small child. Will and Maggie, as they were known, had 9 children: Alexander (1874-1944); Charles (1875-1875); William S. IV, (1876-1942); Mary Charlotte (1879-1920); Cortland Tichenor (1884-1969); George Halsey (1884-1969); Caroline Priscilla Guerin, my grandmother, (1886-1955); Julia Hortense (1889-1985); Frederick Tichenor Guerin (1892-1960). The first three children were born in the east, and Mary Charlotte was born at New Castle or Eckley. The last five children were born at Langlois, Oregon.
Will and Maggie and their children, Alexander, age 3, and William III, age 1, traveled by train and boat to reach Port Orford. There they hired a pack train to travel the same trails as his brother’s family the year before, over hills, through rivers and forests to their home next door to George and Cilla in Eckley. Will Guerin became the first school teacher at Eckley, in the remotest corner of northeast Curry County. “Two terms of school were held in this building. Gertie Knight taught the second term. The third term was held in Mrs. George Guerin’s living room as the chicken house was torn down and there was no other place to have it. After further effort a school house was built by the settlers.”
Will and Maggie Guerin and their children moved to Langlois in July of 1880 where he taught in the Russell School on upper Floras Creek. He taught there several years teaching all eight grades during summer months. William Guerin was a Latin scholar and he continued to teach in Dairyville, later Langlois. In 1892 he was Curry
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County’s foremost educator; elected Curry County School Superintendent he served 22 years, and earned the title “Father of Education” in Curry County.
I have since learned that Great Grandfather Will had something to do with the Cunningham School in the Cunningham District as follows:
“Prof. W. S. Guerin has closed a most successful term of school in the Cunningham district and passed through this place on his way home, Wednesday.” Myrtle Point Enterprise, Sept. 1897
William had taught in the Russell School near Floras Creek since 1880, in 1892 he was Curry County School Superintendent. J. H. Barklow was Coos County School Superintendent in that year. So how was Professor Guerin connected with Cunningham District? A history mystery.
When William Guerin II died in Langlois, of cancer of the tongue, it was noted that no one was turned from his door hungry and he was kind hearted and generous to a fault.
The sons of Will and Maggie became dairy farmers, for which the Langlois area was well suited and they all stayed in that area and prospered by hard work. (See Floras Creek Precinct for information on the Langlois Guerins.) Patti Strain
The George Guerin family in Eckley managed to have a postal route established. Mr. Guerin and his mother, Charlotte, were postmasters at various times. He was also Justice of the Peace. The mail route from Myrtle Point went up the South Fork to Rowland Prairie, over Observation Prairie, past Salt Lick Prairie and on to Eckley. After some time, mail came by horseback once a week, later twice a week.
There were no roads. Rough, narrow trails crossed streams without bridges in the early days. Cattle and hogs had to be driven to Roseburg to be sold. By the time they arrived much weight was lost and prices were low. A road to Myrtle Point was started in 1892 and it took three years to complete. Most of the survey work was done by Mr. Haines, Mr. Clarks and the Guerins.
Three of George Guerin’s boys became civil engineers, one a hotel proprietor and three became ranchers in the Myrtle Point area. In May of 1891 George and Cilla Guerin’s first born son, William, about 24 years old, drowned in the Klamath River where he had just started work for the Klamath River Packing and Trading Company. His death was a terrible blow to the entire family, especially his mother and father. “He was the light of his mother’s eyes.”
Their son, Waterman Guerin, joined the United States Geodetic survey at age 22, and remained at that work until 1904. Eckley Cox Guerin worked in Alaska. He died in Juneau and was remembered as a exceptional surveyor of public lands and a director of such surveys in that Territory.
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George Halsey Guerin, was a stockman and rancher in the Myrtle Point area most of his life, as was James Tichenor Guerin. Jim married Florence Dell Coleman in Myrtle Point, December 25th, 1905. They had three children, Crystle, Esther and Ray Guerin.
In 1897 George and Cilla moved to Myrtle Point. They built the Guerin Hotel, a major endeavor that they and one son operated until 1927 when that foremost business site in Myrtle Point was demolished. Two years later the Myrtle Hotel was built on the site. Patti Strain
WATTERMAN CITERLY GUERIN, born at Buffalo, New York in 1875 to George and Cilla Guerin, he died at age 45 after a remarkable life of service to his country. He was 6 months old when his parents settled in the Eckley Country where he remained until 22 years of age. As a boy he was far in advance of those much older and he took the lead in clearing land and was one of the first to work for good roads in that section and helped to build the first wagon road to Eckley.
During his boyhood days he attended Eckley School, which was held 3 months of the year. Watt, as he was known, attended schools in Myrtle Point and Coquille, he was a good student, acquired a good education and was granted a certificate to teach in Coos and Curry, teaching for one year.
At age 22 he joined the United States Geodetic survey, remaining at that work until 1904 when he entered the general merchandise business in Myrtle Point. In 1908 he reentered the Geodetic survey.
In 1909 he took charge of a party on survey of the boundary between Alaska and Canada. For 4 years he braved the dangers of the frozen north and completed his work at the Artic Ocean in 1912. Out of several hundred men who started on the survey only 6 were able to stand the hardships and remain with the work until completed. All the maps for the boundary survey were made by Watt Guerin. Rough sketches were made in Alaska and finished by him in San Francisco and Washington D. C. After these were finished, he was classed by the head of the department in Washington as the greatest draftsman in the United States.
He was next sent to survey the boundary between the New England States and Canada. After finishing the work, he was sent to Alaska and surveyed the right of way for the government railroad and spent one year in the work. He was in charge of the work, with several hundred men taking orders from this young man from Eckley. 200 of the party where from West Point.
July 1918 when the call for Topographic engineers for the army came, he volunteered and was commissioned a Captain of Engineers at Washington, D. C. in 1918. Assigned to the department of the southeast in charge of fortifications and military reservations survey, he completed a detailed topographic survey of Camp Banning, Georgia, of the highest accuracy ever attained in this country.
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Mr. Guerin applied for discharge in October 1920 but on account of poor health, he was not mustered out and died in the service.
Few men, if any, knew the great Alaska better than Mr. Guerin and the lectures he gave in several parts of the United States were enjoyed by thousands. Mr. Guerin was Governor Rigg’s closest friend and adviser. Mr. Guerin had been urged many times by the people of Alaska to become Governor of the territory because of his knowledge of the north and its people.
He gave 23 years of his life to the hardest kind of work for his country and at the end was given the highest honors that can be given a citizen.
Dressed in his uniform, wrapped with the Stars and Stripes he was buried with military honors in the officers’ plat at the Presidio, California.
Watt Guerin may be forgotten in the years to come, but his work will live as long as man treads the earth and be admired by men who do things.
Watt died in 1921 and was survived by his wife and one son, his mother, Priscilla Guerin, 6 brothers and one sister: brothers, Harry, Thomas, George, James, Charles and Eckley, sister, Mrs. Annie Deyoe. His father, George Guerin, died in 1917. (Watt Guerin was first cousin to Grandma Carrie Guerin Boice.)
RAYBURN THEODORE GUERIN: (Grandson of William Guerin II) My grandmother Carrie Guerin Boice had a favored younger brother, Fred Tichenor Guerin, for whom she named my father, Fred Guerin Boice. Great Uncle Fred Guerin was also a favorite of mine as a child. His son, Rayburn, recently passed away. Fred Guerin and his brothers, Will, Court and Allie were for the most part dairy farmers in northern Curry County. Rayburn followed in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps and his demise is noteworthy because he is the last of his kind in Curry County.
Rayburn was born in 1925 to Fred Tichenor Guerin and Leona L. (Cox) Guerin. He attended school in Bandon, and then served in the U. S. Navy during World War II, receiving three major battle stars. Following his discharge, he returned to Langlois to begin his career as a dairy farmer.
He married Dorothy Apling in 1946 in Coquille. Her folks lived at Brush Prairie; she attended Langlois High School when it was located in Langlois. Rayburn and Dorothy worked their dairy ranch together for 58 years. [Their dairy is the last dairy in Curry County, in a time past there were dozens.]
Rayburn served on the board of directors at the Coquille Valley Dairy Co-op. He enjoyed playing poker. Rayburn died at age 82 in 2007 in Langlois. He is survived by Dorothy, his wife of 61 years, son, Rayburn “Punch” Guerin, and Sandy Miles; son, Fred and Rebecca Guerin; daughters, Connie and Mike Miller; Kathie Conner; and Reta Louise and Walter Bennett; grandchildren, Chereece, Scott, Paul, Randy, Terri,
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Buck, LeAnn, Kelly, Teddy, Josh, Chris, Jessy, Lisa, Misty, David, Paul, and Jeff; 17 great-grandchildren; and his aunt, Inez Miller of Four Mile. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, William S. Guerin IV, and Darrell Guerin; sister, Reta; and grandson, Mikey. The World, Nov. 2007, [Strain]
Patti’s Postscript
At Rayburn’s funeral a fellow Navy service man, Bill Turner of Gold Beach, told of Rayburn volunteering. It seems he dove from his ship into the ocean to retrieve a bag of “airmail” that a airplane had dropped; but missed the deck. When Rayburn came up from the dive with the bag in his hand, his buddies threw him a rope. Everybody was excited and the men grabbed the rope and unknowingly threw both ends, all the rope went in the water. They finally got Rayburn out of the ocean, but he vowed never to volunteer again. . The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Jimmie Albee came to Myrtle Point in 1914 and went to work driving auto stages for Billie Weekly and John Lewellen. George Bryant bought out Weekly. The company owned two Model T Fords, a Buick, and a Cadillac. One of the Fords was used for a jitney—short hauls and extra trips. It cost 50 cents one way to Coquille, while train fare was 35 cents. Jimmie recalled that flat tires and getting stuck in the winter were part of the job. He hauled passengers and packages from the Guerin Hotel to the Baxter Hotel in Coquille. Each driver made three rounds trip a day on a regular schedule. Jimmie’s first trip out in the morning would be at 7am. His largest was 11 passengers on a Model T with the running boards full of grips and packages with some tied on the hood. He quit in 1917 to join the Army.
One of the hazards of those early cars was getting a broken arm while cranking it to start. That could happen to those who didn’t know just how to hold the crank handles with the thumbs out of the way. “Retard the spark, pull the choke, and twist her tail,” were normal instructions.
Curt Beckham, Myrtle Point Beginnnigs
Gary Anderson was born in 1953. He was a lifelong resident of Myrtle Point, Gary and his wife of 32 years, Sheri, met on a blind date while he was in the US Navy stationed at Bremerton, Washington. He worked most of his life as a logger all around Coos County. Five years ago he felt the need to get out of logging and took a job at the Myrtle Point Care Center where the love of his life, Sheri worked. He just loved working around the residents. His hobbies included hunting, fishing and camping, but his favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren. Gary died at the age of 53 the morning of September 14, 2006 of kidney failure. Survivors include Sheri, his wife of 32 years, daughters Shannon Long and Jessica Coleman, grandchildren Jonathan Parker, Stormi Long and Arric Coleman, parents Richard Anderson and Margaret Stolz; sisters Sherrill Hay and Janet Anderson.
Myrtle Point Herald
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Erik Arneson is cultivating 142 acres comprising one of the most highly developed and improved ranches in Coos County. He is a native of Norway in which country his parents Ame and Ingburg (Erickson) Arneson were also born, his natal day being August 15, 1851. He is the eldest of nine children born to his parents
Centennial History of Oregon by Joseph Gaston
ARNESON FAMILY
By Nanci Ann Mann Axelton
My great, great, grandfather, Erik Arneson came to America in 1866 at the age of 15 with his family from Norway. I don’t know what ship or where they landed, but I know where some of them ended u, here in Coos County, Oregon. They were brave and hare working. Here is a part of their story, which is also a part of the story of Myrtle Point and Powers. Erik Arneson became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1872. He grew up on a homestead farm, was educated in public schools and lived at home until he was 27. On March 24, 1878 at the age of 27 he married Mary Alice Brockman in Webster County, Nebraska where they took up a homestead claim of 320 acres, which he began to improve and cultivate.
Mary Alice Brockman was born in Iowa. Her parents were Chesley and Mizpah (Lucore) Brockman. Chesley was born in Indiana and Mizpah was born in Iowa. They were early settlers in Iowa and were prominently connecte4d with its development. Mary Alice was the third of eleven children born to them.
Sometime around March of 1882 Erik and Mary left Nebraska with a baby, Ira Emmunuel “Manny” and 11 year old nephew James a Brockman for Colorado Springs, Colorado. The quickly moved on to San Francisco by rail. From there they took a boat to Porland, Oregon arriving September 2, 1882. When he reached Portland he went to work in a blacksmith shop for a brief period then back to railroad construction working on the Southern Pacific Railway. While living in Multnomah County Erik and Mary had two more sons, Arthur Marble and William “Cecil.” Sometime later they moved to Fairview, a town just north east of Coquille in Coos County, Oregon. There he opened a Blacksmith shop and prospered. He owned what J. Gaston described as “…one of the commodious and comfortable buildings in Fairview.” Eight years later Erik sold his shop and rented a ranch where he farmed and specialized in dairy work. Here he must have found his calling. He milked 150 cows. And according to Mr. Gaston, “had one of the most flourishing and prosperous enterprises in the vicinity of Fairview.”
I wish I could see just where his “commodious house and prosperous enterprise” really were. It sounds so grand the way Mr. Gaston relates Mr. Arneson’s achievements. Considering all he went through to get there is commendable. In 1992 I went to Fairview and all I saw was a 4 way stop sign at a small grocery gas station. Maybe in 1882 there was more of a town or settlement than there is 110 years later. Or maybe it is my point of view. The concept of a community would naturally be different when you and your neighbors have land holdings that are measured in triple digit acreages. My own county home is only 7 acres. Still there isn’t much of a town there any more, but then there no longer is a need for a blacksmith shop. It is still a
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great valley for dairy farms if you can make it as a ‘small’ farmer these days. Yes definitely a different perspective is used now.
Erik ran the dairy ranch for 3 ½ years. He then moved to Clark County, Washington where he bought some land and set up a dairy and general agriculture for 2 years. In 1894 his second daughter, Ella May was born. Their first baby daughter had died back in Nebraska. Erik and family then returned to Fairview, bought his brother’s place and took care of his aging parents. One year later, 1896, he bought 203 acre farm in Myrtle Point from Martha Taylor, widow of James E. Taylor. That was the first of many land transactions. He and sons, Ira “Manny,” Arthur and William “Cecil” continued to buy and sell property in that vicinity for many years. Some of the land they sold off because part of Myrtle Point and the Cooper Bridge Road passes through what was once owned by Erik and Mary Arneson.
An obituary from ‘The Myrtle Point Enterprise’ dated Nov. 4, 1899 states, “Arne Arneson age 67 years 6 months died at the home of his son E. Arneson, near this city, Nov. 11.1899. The deceased is Norwegian by birth and came to this place in 1896.” Erik’s mother, Ingburg died Feb. 14, 1908 and is buried in Myrtle Point. On March 31, 1916 seven days after their 38th wedding anniversary, his wife Mary Alice Brockman died at home and was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Myrtle Point. Sometime after Mary died Erik followed Arthur and his family out of state.
I quote J. Gaston again where he describes my great, great grandfather: “Mr. Arneson lived continuously four eighteen years in Coos County, with the exception of four years which he spent in blacksmithing and gold mining in Republic, Washington. His family, however, remained upon the Oregon ranch during this period. He has cleared and improved his acres and his is now one of the model farms in Myrtle Point. He has always been progressive and broadminded.
He bought the first traction engine ever operated in Coos County and all his activities are carried on along modernly scientific principles. He is engaged in general farming and also operated for some years a sawmill upon his holdings. The lumber, which he cut he sold in the markets of the state and the income thus derived was a valuable addition to his resources. He has, however, disposed of his mill and devotes his time to general agriculture. He has sold parts of his ranch at different times and his present holdings comprise 123 acres of river bottomland, which he has also improved and developed. In his political affiliations Mr. Arneson is a Republican and takes an interest in public affairs. He does not seek office, however, and has never held any public position since he took up his residence in Oregon, but while living in Nebraska he served as postmaster of his city. He is a member of the Grangers and prominent in the Masonic Order, and is also affiliated with the Farmers Union. Progressive ideas and an open and liberal mind, combined with personal experience in agricultural details are the basis of his success, and he is a valuable addition to the community.”
Erik & Mary’s nephew, James A. Brockman was living in Coquille with one child at the time of Mr. Gaston’s writing in 1912. In 1930 he and his wife Maude L., were still in Coquille where he was a blacksmith.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
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Edwin Baker and family; he was born in Iowa in 1866 to A.J. and Joanna Baker. His mother died in 1873. He laid aside his books at age 15 and learned the trade of blacksmithing and followed that occupation two years.
He later became a fireman on Burlington & Missouri River railway. He gave up that work in 1889 and came to Oregon; settling first in Portland where he was employed by the Wolff and Swigger Machine Company for 6 months. He resigned that position and spent 2 years in various lines of activity.
Edwin operated a steamboat on Coos Bay for three years and later worked in the ship yards of North Bend. Finally he determined to devote his attention to agriculture and bought 150 acres of land 4 miles south of Myrtle Point in the valley of the South Fork of the Coquille River.
In 1895 at age 29 Ed Baker married Charlotte C Eckhoff, born in Coos County to Charles and Charlotte Eckhoff. Her parents had 11 children, ten lived. Ed and Charlotte had one daughter, Charlotte in 1896.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Birdie Barker
Birdie Barker was born in Fairview the eighth child and only girl of John and Mary Barker, and she grew to be a hard worker like her 7 brothers. She married Les Hazelton and they lived in Myrtle Point. After five children, Oren, Marjorie, Letha, Carol and Belvea, ages 3 to 12, they divorced. The home was sold and Birdie bought a rooming house. She tried making hats and doing dressmaking to support her children. She started a small restaurant in the rooming house. Later she traded the rooming house for a six unit apartment in Medford, but the income didn’t meet the expense and she lost it. Never deterred she returned to Myrtle Point and cooked for a logging camp for several years.
Birdie Bought property, and she sold property, then moved to Springfield to be near her three daughters and built and bought houses there and did the work necessary to resell. When she went to see about a mortgage on a house she was buying she told them she was a housewife. When they looked over her assets the banker said, “I would call you a female capitalist.” After so much hard work, that was a high point in her life. The other one? “When Copeland Lumber Company gave her a contractors rating and discounts on lumber. Birdie passed away at 78,
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Henry Schroeder Sr. Henry Schroeder Sr. died at the residence of his son, Judge J. Henry Schroeder at Arago, Coos County, Oregon, Jan. 15, 1895, age 79 years, 4 months and 20 days. The funeral cortege will leave Arago by steamer DISPATCH at 2 o'clock, January 18, 1895 and the interment will take place at Norway cemetery on the arrival of the steamer at that place. Myrtle Point Enterprise, 1895 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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James Thom . James Thom, who arrived home last November after a two-year absense in Pennsylvania, died last Saturday, April 2, 1898, after a lingering illness. He was born in Collensburg, PA April 12, 1851 and was therefore 46 years 11 months and 20 days old at the time of his death. On June 11, 1878 he married Miss Mary Magraw in Warren Co., Penn. In May 1894 accompanied by his family and father, he arrived at this place and soon afterwards settled on a tract of government land a few miles east of the city. After providing a comfortable home for his family here, he returned to the oil regions of his native state in July 1895, expecting to improve his condition financially, where after 2 years absence he lost his health and returned to his family at this place last fall. He leaves an aged father, a wife and 8 children. The remains were laid in rest in the Myrtle Point cemetery last Monday. . Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 9, 1898 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John A. Lehnherr . John A. Lehnherr, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens passed away at his home in this city May 27, 1898 after a brief illness. He was born in Happy Valley, Douglas County, Oregon, February 15, 1856 and was therefore 42 years 3 months and 12 days old at the time of his death. He was married to Miss. Lizzie G. Harris near this city, July 1, 1882, who with 2 bright little daughters survive him. Mr. Lehnherr has lived at this place nearly all his life. Funeral services will be conducted at this place, by Rev. T.B. Goodpasture, of Bandon assisted by the local camp of Woodsman. . Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 28, 1898 . Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
William H.Walker . William H. Walker age 68 years, died at his home in this city Saturday night. He was one of Myrtle Point's best known citizens. He was born in Commerce Twp/ Oakland, Michingan, in the year 1835. He passed his boyhood days on the farm and at the age of 21 entered the college at Kalamazoo. He afterwards graduated from State Normal in Springfield, Ill., and remained for 4 years as instructor of vocal music. While there his instructions fitted him for a 20-year successful experience as a teacher until throat trouble caused him to lose his voice. After a Western trip he returned to Michigan and located in Berlin in 1878, where he owned a large blacksmith and wagon shop. He also owned one of the largest and most successful apiaries in the sate, very often having 200 or more colonies. In 1883 Mr. Walker moved to Big Rapids, MI and purchased a large furniture and undertaking establishment, which he owned until 1891, when ill health compelled him to sell out and move to a milder climate. He located at Myrtle Point the same year, taking up a both a homestead and timber claim and remained a loyal citizen of this place for the past 12 years until his death. Mr. Walker was married in Ottowa County, Michigan, March 25, 1865 to Marino, daughter of Loren and Mary Oviatt, His death makes the first break in the family tie, leaving a wife and 3 children: Allen J. Walker, Mrs. F.B. Tichenor and Mrs. Wm. Reynolds. The burial took place in the Myrtle Point cemetery. .
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Myrtle Point Enterprise, November 27, 1903 , Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. W.H. Walker
The funeral of Mrs. W. H. Walker was held from Smith Hall in Myrtle Point, Monday. Interment was at the Myrtle Point cemetery. The obsequies were under the auspices of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Mary Brown, Worthy Matron and W.W. Gatchell as Worthy Patron. Mrs. Marion Ovitt Walker was born at Newton Falls, Trumbell County, OH, Dec. 13, 1842 and was married to Mr. Walker at Berlin, MI, Mar. 25, 1865. They left Michigan for Myrtle Point in the spring of 1892 and have since made this their home. Mr. Walker died and was buried 3 years ago this coming November. Three grown children survive the parents, Allen Walker, Birdie Walker-Tichenor, and Lula Walker Reynolds, all of who reside in Medical Lake, WA near Spokane. Mrs. Walker was also survived by 3 brothers and a sister. Mrs. Walker died suddenly at the home of Mrs. Stone in East Oakland, CA on July 17, 1906
Myrtle Point Enterprise Aug. 3, 1906
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Wilhelmina C Volkmar
Mrs. Wilhelmina C. Volkmar, wife of William C. Volkmar died at her home in this city May 9, 1901age 70 years 10 months and 13 days. The deceased was born in Altenlirt, Germany, June 30, 1830, and in her early girlhood came to the United States and united in marriage to William C. Volkmar in Baltimore, MD, Mar. 6, 1854. On the 11th day of March 1859, Mr. and Mrs. Volkmar with a company of others organized in Baltimore, left New York sailing by way of the Isthmus of Panama and arrived in San Francisco, May 2, 1859. After a short stay and after 6 more days sailing arrived at Port Orford, from which place they made their way to Bandon by ox team, coming up the Coquille on a scow. They settled on the South Fork where they remained until 1884 when they moved to Myrtle Point and have since resided. An aged husband and 6 children survive the deceased, the husband and 4 children –Mrs. B.M. Green, Mrs. H.B. Stewart, Albert and Henry Volkmar being at the bedside at her death. She is buried in Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 10, 1901 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
William Volkmar
William Volkmar died at his home in Myrtle Point, Jan. 3, 1909, age 92 years 8 months and 12 days. Funeral is under the auspices of Masonic Lodge. Burial in Myrtle Point cemetery. Mr. Volkmar witnessed not only development of Coos County but, that from a rather humble beginning of the greatest nation on earth. When he came to his country there were no railroads, no telegraph, no telephone, no electric lights, none of the many modern conveniences and luxuries that are so common now. As a tinner and plumber he had contracts on the first railroad line built in the country, the Baltimore & Ohio. He was a friend of Morse, the father of the telegraph. Was in the office when the first message was flashed over the wire from Washington to
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Baltimore. "What hath God wrought!" He was perhaps the oldest Mason in Oregon. He was also an Odd Fellow.
William Volkmar was born in Lauderdale, Hesse-Darnstadt, Germany, April 9, 1816. He crossed the ocean in 1834 settling in Baltimore on Nov. 29. There he met and married Wilhelmina Duffenback, also a native of Germany and their first son Carl H. Volkmar was born. Came to Oregon in 1859 via the Isthmus and San Francisco. He located on the South Fork of the Coquille, taking up 20 acres of land. Moved to Myrtle Point in 1884 opening a tinshop, which developed into a hardware store, which is conducted by 2 sons, Albert L. and Henry George.
Mr. Volkmar brought with him to Coos County, a 6 horsepower engine and a millstone. With these were made the first grist mill and with a 52-inch saw brought by Henry Schroeder, the first saw mill was started. Six children were born in Coos County; Dr. James M., who is proprietor of a drug store at Cresswell, Oregon; William F. at North Yakima, Washington; Clotilda W., wife of B.M. Greene, whose death preceded that of her father but a few weeks; Stella, wife of postmaster H.B. Stewart; Albert L., one of the managers of the hardware store, and Henry George, associated with him. Mrs. Volkmar preceded her husband in death by several years; the oldest son, an attorney also died in the prime of life. Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan 8, 1909
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James Burk
James Burk, about 75 years of age and one of the earliest pioneers of Coos County having located here in 1858 died last Saturday at the home of W.T. Lehnherr. He was formerly in the general merchandise business and the name of Burk and Hickey. R.C. Dement, T.M. Hermann, and W.T. Dement knew him when they were boys.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 20, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Charles F. Deitz
Charles F. Deitz, one of Coos County's most honored pioneers passed away at his home in this city May 15, 1904. He was born in Lindon, Germany, July 30, 1839, and was 74 years 9 months and 15 days of age at the time of his demise. When 2 years old his parents moved to Baltimore, MD where he remained until 20 years of age. He started for the gold fields in California--he embarked on a schooner by way of Cape Horn and after a voyage of four and a half months at sea he arrived at his destination in 1849, where he engaged in mining until 1855, when he came to Coos County. He returned to California in 1868 but only remained for one year, when he again returned to Coos County and he since has resided in and about Myrtle Point. The deceased was married to Mary F. Wilbur in 1868 and the results of this union were 8 children, 7 who with his wife survive him. Of the children there were 4 sons and 3 daughters--Joseph E., William Samuel, Gustavus, Lizzie, Grace and Johanna/ The funeral service was held at his grave Monday by the Rev. D.H. Hare
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 20, 1904
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Mary E. Dietz
Mrs. Mary E. Dietz, widow of Charles F. Dietz died at her home in this city October 21, 1913. Mrs. Dietz was 66 years 5 months and 21 days old at the time of her death. Mary Ellen Wilbur was born in Boston. MA, April 30, 1847. Came to California with her parents at age 5 years of age. She was married to Charles F. Dietz in Sacramento County, CA, March 30, 1868 and moved to Coos County in July of that year and resided on the lower Coquille River until 1882 when they moved to Myrtle Point where she has since resided.
To this union was born 8 children, all of whom survive except an infant, Jane E., who died Aug. 5, 1881. The living are: Joseph E. Dietz of Sacramento, County, CA; Mrs. Charles (Lizzie) Dodge of Oakland, CA; Mrs. Louis (Grace) Scully of Berkley, CA; Mrs. Fred (Joe) Kirk of Ione, CA; and William, Samuel and Gustave, all of this city.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, October 23, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
A.M. Self
A.M. Self, passed away Dec. 3, 1901 after a lingering illness if several months. He was born in Alabama in 1834 and was 67 years of age at the time of his death. Mr. Self came to the Pacific Coast in 1850 and in 1890 came to Coos County where he has since resided. Funeral conducted by Rev. Hamish of U.B. Church. Buried in Norway Cemetery. Three adult daughters are left to morn their loss.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Dec. 6, 1901
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge]
Martha E. Wise
Mrs. Martha E. Wise passed away from this earth at her home in this city, Nov. 23, 1903, age 59 years. Martha E. Wise was born May 16, 1844 in Scotland County, MO. While young she moved with her parents to Davis County IA, where she grew to womanhood and on Sept. 7, 1862 was united in marriage to Peter Wise. Eight children were the result of this union, 6 of whom with her husband survive her. The family came to Coos County in 1873 and located at this place where she has since resided. She was a member of the German Baptist at the time of her death. She was buried in the Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 27, 1903
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Peter Wise
Peter Wise, a pioneer resident of Myrtle Point passed away at the home of his son, Marion Wise in Los Angeles, Nov. 7, 1920 and the remains brought to Myrtle Point for internment in Norway cemetery. Peter Wise was born in Ohio, June 6, 1834, he was 86 years 5 months and 3 days old.
He lived in Ohio some years, then moved to Iowa and there he married Miss Martha Mackmickle Sept. 7, 1862 After which they moved to Missouri and remained until 1873. After which they moved to Coos County, Nov. 11, 1873 and located on a homestead, now a part of the C.H. Butler place and lived there until 1881, when they moved to Myrtle Point.
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Mr. Wise then engaged in the blacksmithing business until 1910, then he moved to Los Angeles and made his home with his son, Marion. He lived in Myrtle Point 37 years. His wife died Nov. 23, 1903. To them was born 2 boys and 5 girls. 2 daughters have passed away, all of the others survive, and 12 grandchildren. Two sons were at the funeral services. Marion and William Wise of Powers.
Southern Coos County American, Nov. 18, 1920 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Daniel Giles, Man of Many First
Daniel Giles was born in September 1836 in Bloody Run, Bedford Co., Penn. He lost his father when he was 2 years of age and his mother remarried when he was 7 years old. His step-father deserted the family, so Daniel; at the age of 8 years helped to support his mother.
Mr. Giles crossed the plains with an ox team in 1852, arriving in Portland in the fall of that year and went to Coos County the first time in 1853, remaining here most of the time since. He fought in the Indian wars of 1855 and 56. He and his partner built the first boat on the Coquille River that ever crossed the Coquille bar carrying white men, and which was later destroyed by Indians. Mr. Giles brought the first wagon to the upper Coquille River, and he assisted by T.M. Hermann brought the first threshing machine and mowing machine into Coos County. Mr. Giles leaves a large family consisting of his wife, Nannie H. Giles, and the following sons and daughters, John Giles, S.C. Giles, Mrs. H.H. Harris, Mrs. Julia Stewart, Mrs. R.H. Dickey, Mrs. Daisy B. Short, Dr. D.W. Giles, Claude Giles, and Dr. Clark Giles. He was a member of the Latter Day Saints Church and Masonic Lodge.
Southern Coos County American, July 11, 1918
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Perlina Clinton
Mrs. Perlina Clinton, aged 76 years died at Norway, Mar. 3, 1900. She was born in Kentucky in 1824 and with her parents moved to Crawford Co., MO and in 1844 was married to James A. Clinton and in 1873 moved with her husband and family to Coos County where she has since resided. She was the mother of eight children. Also leave her husband. Buried in Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 1900
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James A. Clinton
James A. Clinton died at the home of Ed Corman on the North Fork, Feb. 11, 1902, age 79 years. The deceased was an old settler in this county, having resided here more than 30 years. Buried at Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 14, 1902
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
113
Elizabeth Lewellen
Elizabeth Lewellen, wife of H. Lewellen, passed away at her home in this city Tuesday after a long illness, in the 78th year of her age. The deceased was a native of Ohio, where she was born April 24, 1825. When a girl she moved with her parents to Indiana and in 1847 was united in marriage to H. Lewellen, her maiden name was Casreli (Castell, Casstel). In 1854 they moved to Iowa and in 1875 moved to this state and settled in Myrtle Point. 8 children was the result of this union—4 boys and 4 girls—5 of whom survive her—2 sons and 3 daughters. Besides her children Mrs. Lewellen leaves 31 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. Five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren having preceded her to the other world. Funeral services were held at the German Baptist Church, and the remains interred in the Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Mar. 13, 1903 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Harvey Lewellen
Harvey Lewellen died at the residence of his son, J.L, Lewellen, Oct. 4, 1903, age 80 years 8 months and 3 days. He was born in Ohio and in his early youth moved with his parents to Indiana. Mr. Lewellen was married to Elizabeth Castell and to this union was born 8 children; 4 boys and 4 girls, 5 of whom survive him, J.L. Lewellen, J.T. Lewellen, Mrs. Sarah Barklow, Mrs. Elvina Root, and Mrs. Sims Overhultzer. His aged wife was removed by death last March. The deceased was a member of the German Baptist church at the time of his death. The remains were laid to rest at the Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 16, 1903 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Capt. C.A. Bullard
It becomes our painful duty to record the passing away of one of the best known citizens of Coqulle Valley, Capt. Clark A. Bullard, who after a brief illness passed away at his home a short distance below this city early Tuesday morning, Sept 28, 1897, Mr. Bullard was born in Winneshiek Co., IA, March 23, 1861 and was therefore 36 years 6 months and 5 days old at the time of his death. His parents came to Oregon in an early day and located in this valley when Mr. Bullard was a mere boy. He was married a few years ago to Miss Nillie Page, of this city, who with a little 4 year old son survives him. He also leaves an aged mother and a sister and brother…Buried in Norway cemetery. Mr. Bullard was owner and Captain of the steamer, RALPH, running between this place and Coquille City.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 2, 1897 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John B. Dully
John B., Dully died in Coquille Dec. 28, 1908, age 74 years 5 months and 28 days. Buried in Masonic cemetery. Leaves a wife, 6 grown sons and 3 daughters by a former marriage. Mr. Dully was one of the first settlers of Coos County, having located here nearly 60 years ago, settling at the junction of the North Fork and
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Coquille River near Myrtle Point about where the Myrtle Point mill now stands. He was born at Pittsburgh. PA June 30, 1834 and come to Oregon in 185, preceding Dr.
Harmann’s band of pioneers. There were few settlers in the Coquille Valley at that time, and he had see all the4 development of our fertile region. Mr. Dully laid out the town of Sumner at the head of Catching inlet, on the Coos Bay Wagon Road. He was one time representative in the state legislature and since 1900 has held the office of county treasurer.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 1, 1909
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Thomas Barklow Officiated 730 Funerals, 366 Weddings
Thomas Barklow (Uncle Tommy) was born in IL May 30, 1853 being 74 years 10 months and 14 days old. He moved to Keolkuk Co., IA in 1876 and at that place was united in marriage to Elizabeth Miller, who did Sept. 25, 1920. To this union 7 children were born, 3 sons and 4 daughters. They are Elder C.H. Barklow of Albany; Mrs. Daniel Miller of Myrtle Point; twins G.W. Barklow of Eugene and J.W.
Barklow of Myrtle Point; Mrs. Iva Adams, deceased; Mrs. Grace Bonewitz of Weston, OR; Mrs. Nora Knight of Myrtle Point. There are 30 grandchildren and 23
great grandchildren, four brothers and a host of relatives. He was united in marriage Jan. 1922 to Mrs. Ada Currer (or Curren) at Long Beach, CA.
Thomas Barklow
From: Orvil Dodge, Peterson & Powers, Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille
Valley,
Coos Historical & Maritime Museum, Robyn Greenlund,
The Coquille Valley, Vol. II by Patti & Hal Strain, page 56
Thomas Barklow united with the Church of the Brethren at South English, IA Apr.
28, 1872. He was elected deacon in Sept 1878 and to the ministry Oct. 17, 1891. In Sept 1893 he was advanced to membership on the standing committee of the church at the annual conference at Lincoln, NE and again June 3, 1919 at the conference in
Hershey, PA. For a number of years he had charge of the Brethren Church at Myrtle
Point, also Bandon and Redmond, OR.
Oregon first knew Thomas Barklow Oct. 13, 1873 when he and his family settled on
a homestead one mile west of Myrtle Point. He preached his first funeral service in
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May 1894 and had charge of 730 up to the time of his death. He also officiated at 366 marriages, his first being Nov. 27, 1893. He baptized his first convert July 13, 1894.
The Myrtle Point Herald April 19, 1928
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Charlotte Nutman Guerin
Mrs. Charlotte Nutman Guerin died in this city, Feb. 9th, 1906 after a short illness. She was born in Newark County, NJ Sept 9, 1819 and was therefore 87 years of age at the time of her death. She came to Oregon with her son, George H. Guerin in 1876 and has since resided here. The deceased was a sister of Captain William Tichenor and the last survivor of a family of 9 children. She recollected seeing Lafayette on his eventful visit to America in 1824. She leaves 2 sons, George H. Guerin and Will Guerin, 19 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. The funeral was held at the German Baptist Church conducted by Rev. Brown of the Presbyterian Church. The remains laid to rest in the Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 1906 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John T. Lewellen
John T. Lewellen, pioneer in the Auto Stage Business in this section died Tuesday at Corvallis at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Ella Bryant. John Timothy Lewellen was born in Story County, IA May 8, 1865 he came with his parents to Coos County in 1875, the family settling near Myrtle Point.
He married Isabelle Graham, Dec. 2, 1883. He leaves his wife and 2 daughters, Mrs. Ella Bryant and Mrs. Frank Southmard of Myrtle Point: 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He was a member of a family of 8 children, all of whom have died except 1 sister, Mrs. J.D. Barklow of this city. Body was shipped to Myrtle Point for burial in Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald Feb. 28, 1929
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Moses Hixson
Moses Hixson, an old esteemed resident of this county died at his home in this city, June 20, 1898 at the ripe old age of 78 years 3 months and 8 days. He was born in Union Co., PA, and came to this county 17 years ago, where he has resided except for one year. He leaves a wife and several children.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, June 25, 1898 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Sarah T. Hixson
Sarah T. Hixson died July 16, 1904 at the age of 84 years and 3 months. She was the sister of David, John and Samuel Barklow. She was born in Union County, PA, April 16, 1820. Moved to Stephenson County, IL. About the year 1846 then moved to Iowa, remaining there a short time; then moved to Nebraska and in 1880 came to Coos County with her husband Moses Hixson, who preceded to the spiritual world a few years ago. She united with the Methodist Church when quite young and in 1869
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with the Brethren Church. She was the mother of 7 children—2 sons and 5 daughters. Four children are still living, one son and daughter at this place; one daughter in California; and one in Kansas. The remains were laid to rest in the Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 22, 1904
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Jason Dias Machado
Jason Dias Machado was born in St. Michael, Portugal, Jan. 29, 1856. His parents were Frank and Helena Dias Machado, the former a native of Brazil and latter of Portugal. The maternal grandfather was a distinguished lawyer. Jason Dias was one of a family of 21 children and all of who preceded him in death, his brother Alred M. died in Coos County 2 years ago.
Jason Dias Machado stated out to earn his own living in 1861, when 14 years of age. He had acquired 5 months schooling at the time he left home to avoid the enforcement of military service and shipped on an American vessel arriving in Boston, MA, in 1861. After visiting his brother in Portland, ME, he followed the sea life for 5 years, after which he engaged in macherel fishing off Cape Breton for one year.
In 1866 he moved to Concordia, New Orleans where he worked in a grocery store. Had his own store, which he sold in 1878 and went to San Francisco. Then to Oregon and located in Coquille City in a grocery and meat market, he sold out. Ran hotel called Robinson House for one year. Moved to Myrtle Point where he had general merchandise. Sold out in May 1912.
He married Bessie Deary, a native of New Orleans in 1887 and to them was born 4 children: Glenn Kearney Machado of San Francisco; Bessie Machado Broullette of Myrtle Point; Jason W. Machado not of Pittsburg, PA, and Lawrence C. Machado of Myrtle Point. The wife and mother died May 12, 1906 and was buried in Myrtle Point cemeteryl
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Dec. 13, 1917
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Elizabeth Machado
Elizabeth Deary was born at New Orleans, July 31, 1869 and died May 12, 1906. On Aug. 15, 1887 she was married to J. Machado and less than a year later, in July 1888 they arrived in Myrtle Point where they have since resided. Four children—Glenn, age 13; Bessie, age 11, Jason, age 8; and Lawrence age 5 are left to mourn their mother. Besides her husband and children, she leaves her mother. 5 brothers and 2 sisters still in Louisiana of her immediate family.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 18, 1906
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Orvil Dodge
Stage Driver-Lumberman-Soldier-Photographer-Publisher
Orvil Dodge, for may years a resident of Myrtle Point, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C.C. Carter, on South 4th St. Aug 30, 1914. Orvil Ovando Dodge, son of Norman and Deborah Dodge, was born Jan. 5, 1839, at Gerard, Crawford County,
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PA. When he was 2 years old, his parents moved to Loraine County, OH, where his mother died 2 years later, His father, some time after remarried. When Orvil was 5 years his Uncle David Dodge took him to his home in Penn. Where he lived about a year when he returned to his fathers home in Montaway Township, Portage Co., OH, where he was placed in a school.
When the boy was 11 years old, his grand-father, William Press, made a journey to Kirkland, OH where the boy was then living, and took him to Point Peter, New York State. Samuel Kent, who had married a sister of the boy’s mother, lived about 14 miles from the grandfather’s home in Chautauque county, and he took Orvil home with him and placed him in school. After a few years the father went further west and eventually settled in Williams County, OH.
At the age of 16 Orvil went to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and engaged in the occupation of driving stage, but was stricken with fever and it was with much difficulty that he finally arrived.
When he arrived at the age of 18, he went and settled in Sycamore, DeKalb County, IL. In the course of a year he was married to Alice Walrod, and in the spring of 1860, crossed the plains to California, with horse and mule-teams. Although several trains of immigrants were massacred, this party that Mr. Dodge was with had no difficulty with the Indians. There were 40 well-armed men inn the train. Mr. Dodge settled on what was then know as the upper Sacramento River in California.
Subsequently he engaged in the sawmill business, but after 3 months of successful operations the Indians burned the mill and all the lumber he had. In August 1861, he moved to Jackson County, Oregon, and engaged in mining, but soon thereafter a cavalry troop was being organized and on the last day of December of that year, he enlisted in the First Oregon Cavalry, and served 13 months in fights against the Indians of the Snake River County, He was discharged at Fort Dallas, on account of injuries received while in service.
In 1863 he was divorced from Alice, his first wife, and given the care and custody of the 2 children. Lydia Jane, born in De Kalb County, IL, (she being an infant when they crossed the plains) who is now Mrs. L.H. Hawley and resides in Benton County, Oregon; and Norman Ovando born in Jackson County in March 1862, who also resides in Benton County.
In 1887 the subject of this sketch was married to Louisa A. Schroeder of Coos County. To this union where born: Henry Orvil Augustus, who lived but 6 years, Dora Belle, now Mrs. O.R. Willard of Bandon; Edger Allen of this city; Alta E. now Mrs. C.C. Carter of this city; Daisy Dell, now Mrs. Ross B. Deyoe of Riverside, CA. Besides these, there are 27 grandchildren and a number of great grandchildren.
Soon after his discharge from the army Orvil Dodge came to Coos County and after following the photography business for a number of years, established a drug store at Empire City in 1867, later adding general merchandise. In 1869 he sold that business and moved to this vicinity where he engaged in the practice of law till 1889, when he established a newspaper at Myrtle Point, called the West Oregonian, he edited the same for 5 years when he sold the plant to parties at Coquille City.
In 1892 he was appointed United States Count Commissioner and in 1899, received the appointment of Receiver of Public Monies at the General Land Office in Washington DC, serving 3 years and 7 months.
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Orvil Orvando Dodge
From: The Coquille Valley, Vol. II, From “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hal Strain, page193
He returned to Oregon in 1903, and traded some real estate for a gold mine in Salmon Mountain district. Was elected secretary and manager of the Salmon Mountain Coarse Gold Mining Company, which was organized to develop this property.
For 4 successive years Mr. Dodge was a member of the Rivers and Harbors Congress and during his term much improvement work was done in this district.
In 1896 the Pioneers’ Society of Coos & Curry Counties appointed Mr. Dodge to write and publish a history of the 2 counties, which he did and the book is now in the homes of many of Oregon settlers. He was a contributor to the Centennial History of Oregon, which was published about 3 years ago, and in earlier days wrote many articles to outside publications regarding the early history of this section of the state and the development of its resources.
In 1906 Mr. Dodge founded the Coquille Valley Sentinel and edited that newspaper for about 3 years. Burial in Myrtle Point cemetery
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Sept 3, 1914
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Rufus W. Lundy
Rufus W. Lundy was born at Sycamore, OH, Feb. 17, 1844 and died suddenly Nov. 17, 1814, age 70 years and 9 months. In 1861 at the age of 17 years he enlisted for service with the “90 day boys” of Ohio and at the close of his 3 months service and on Sept. 24, 1861 he reenlisted, joining the 123 Ohio V.A. Co. A. At the close of the was he was mustered out June 12, 1865 and went to Pike County, MO where he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Emerson on Oct. 20, 1865 who departed this life only a little more than 2 years ago.
Soon after the marriage Mr. & Mrs. Lundy went to Ohio and in the spring of 1871 went to Kansas to reside, where Mr. Lundy engaged in the drug business in Cawker City until 1885 when he was elected county treasurer of Mitchell County serving 2 terms.
He came to Oregon with his family in the fall of 1890, locating in Myrtle Point where he became engaged in the hardware business with D.A. Huling. He was the first
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mayor of his Kansas home town after the incorporation, which was also bestowed on him in Myrtle Point. He was a member of the Masons in Ohio, etc.
Myrtle Point Enterprise Dec. 10, 1914
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mary J. Emerson Lundy
Mary J. Emerson Lundy was born in Virginia in 1846. At the age of 3, she moved with her parents to Wyandott County, OH where they resided until the fall of 1864 when they moved to Pike County, MO.
She was married to R.W. Lundy Oct. 22, 1865. One year later, she and her husband moved to Sycamore, OH, where the 2 eldest children Eva and Mabel were born. In the spring of 1871, the family moved to Mitchell County, Kansas and during the 20 years residence their 2 children Lillian and Willets were born. At the age of 6, Lillian passed away.
On Nov. 12, 1890 the family arrived at Myrtle Point, where she lived until her death Apr. 21, 1912. The deceased was one of 10 children; 5 brothers still living. The youngest brother Rufus A. Emerson resides in Washington. Burial is in Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise Apr. 25, 1912
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Eliza A. Parrish
Mrs. Eliza A. Parrish (nee Douglas) was born in Hacket City, Sebastian Co., Arkansas, June 6, 1847 and resided there during the Civil War, when with other folks of that section the family sought safety in Missouri in 1863. They remained with the refugees train the balance of the war.
After peace was declared they returned to their home in Arkansas, when in 1869 the subject of our sketch, was united in marriage to F.A. Parrish. They made their residence in that state until 1882, when they started by horse teams for the west, landing in Oregon in the fall of that same year.
They spent their first year in the west in the Willamette Valle, coming to Coos County in 1883 and locating on the North Fork, where they made their residence till 1907 when they moved to Myrtle Point, Mrs. Parrish died at her home in this city, Friday, December 26th, 1914. Deceased was the mother of 11 children, 7 of whom, with her husband, now an invalid, survives their mother. The living children are: Robert, Perry, Laney, Amity, Oscar and Mrs. May Bryant.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 7, 1915 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
F.A. Parrish
Fountain Andrew Parrish was born Oct. 24, 1831 and died Jan. 24, 1915. He lived in Tennessee until 1883 when he came to Coos County, Oregon, with his family. He was married twice and was the father of 15 children; 4 by his first wife and 11 by his second, 8 of who survive him. He united with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1897, remaining a member until he died. The death of his wife occurred Dec. 27,
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1914. In the absence of an Adventist minister, Elder Thomas Barklow of the Brethren Church conducted the funeral service.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 4, 1915 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Jacob Paqua Stemmler
Jacob Paqua Stemmler was born in Alsace, Lorraine, Mar. 15, 1854 and when at the age of 3 years emimgrated to the United States with his parents, John and Anna Maria Stemmler, landing in New York City. His parents moved to West Virginia. They lived there about 2 years. Moved then to Fort Smith, Arkansas where his parents squatted on what is now the territory embraced in the city of Fort Smith and who afterwards acquired title to the property on which stands the city of Fort Smith.
Jacob Paqua Stemmler was the only living son of Jacob and Anna Marie Stemmler and he had 5 sisters who have preceded him in death. His father served through the Mexican war and died from the effects of wounds received while engaged in the service in the Mexican leaving Anna Marie Stemmler a widow with 1 boy and 5 girls, J.P. Stemmler crossed the plains locating near Stockton, CA, where he remained for 15 years engaged chiefly in freighting and mining. He was married June 24, 1862 in Mariposa, CA to Sara S. Howeth. To this union was born 10 children.
After residing in California 15 years he returned to his old home in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he lived on a farm for a number of years and in the early eighties again turned west, locating in Coos County, Oregon where e resided continuously up to the time of his death. His wife Sara E. Stemmler, preceded him in death 11 years, Out of 10 children, there are 3 living, H.E. Stemmler of Portland, Mary Alice Luttrell of Broadbent and J.O. Stemmler of Myrtle Point.
Southern Coos County American, Sept. 5, 1918
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Philip Brack
Philip Brack, who would have been 82 years of age next September, died at his on the Middle Fork April 20, 1910. The funeral was held yesterday and was conducted by Rev. Thos. Barklow. In the death of Philip Brack of the Middle Fork another of the county pioneers has passed away, he having been one of the 2 survivors of the wreck of the schooner Lincoln which went ashore near the Coos Bay bar in Jan. 1852. The other and now sole survivor (dies in Feb. 1911) of the wreck was Harry H. Baldwin who was at the North Bend Hospital the last heard of by Myrtle Point friends,
The Lincoln was carrying 35 US Dragoons under the command of Lieutenant Stanton when she was wrecked. After the wreck the soldiers and secured provisions from the boat and from the Indians who were curious about the strange white men. They remained on Coos Bay for more than a month then left for Port Orford, which was there destination. Joining comrades there, who had given them up as drowned.
Mr. Brack remained in Port Orford for 2 years as a Dragoon and was in the fight at Big Bend on the Rogue River in which Capt. Tichnor took part. He afterwards came to the Coquille Valley locating on the homestead, which was his home at the time of his death.
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Mr. Brack was born in Germany in Sept. 1828. His wife’s maiden name was Flora Fredenberg. There were 7 children. 2 sons and 5 daughters. William H., Daniel N., Mahhalia, Susannah R., Mary E., Emma V., and Margaret C.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 22, 1910
5Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Harry Hewett Baldwin
Harry Hewett Baldwin, the last survivor of the wreck of the transport, Lincoln, off Coos Bay, died at Bandon Sunday. Mr. Baldwin was one of the first 35 white men to land in Coos County. Phillip Brack, who died here, last year was another of the survivors of the wreck.
The wrecking of the Lincoln occurred Jan. 3, 1852 and the men who composed the command found only Indians at that time. The party finally succeeded in reaching Port Orford, where there was a military settlement.
Mr. Baldwin was born at Bandon, Cork County, Ireland, Apr. 30, 1823 and was therefore nearly 88 years of age at the time of his death. For 27 years he lived on a ranch in the valley. He was a boyhood companion in Ireland of the late George Bennett, father of J.W. of Marshfield and founder of the town of Bandon, this county.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Mar. 3, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. E.E. McCracken
Mrs. E.E. McCracken (nee Itrig) died Nov. 22, 1914 at the age of 58 years 1 month and 22 days. Elizzie E. Ihrig was born in Roan County, IN, Sept. 10, 1856 being a member of a large family who have all passed away except 2 sisters Mrs. J.M. Fredrick of Fallriver, KS and Mrs. Wm. Eckos of Helena OK. Mrs. McCracken leaves her entire family of 8 children, 3 boys and 5 girls, 15 grandchildren. For 34 years she was a member of the Church of the Brethren. Her husband and father, J.F. McCracken died 2 years ago at Benton, AR. Buried at Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 19, 1914
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Joe Liggett
Joe Liggett, an old time resident of this section, was killed last Monday last Monday at Cottage Grove, where he had moved last fall from Marshfield. He was 59 years of age.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 7, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Liggett Drowns
Word was received here the first of the week of the death by drowning of Mrs. Joseph Liggett, whose body was found in the Coast Fork of the Willamette River near Cottage Grove. Probably suicide. Her husband was killed by a train near Cottage Grove about a year ago. Mrs. Liggett is the mother of Mrs. S.D. Pulford and a sister
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of C.C. Carter, both of Myrtle Point. Other survivors—daughters are Mrs. Marie Cribbins of Marshfield and Mrs. A.L. Phillips of Portland, who formerly lived here.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Aug. 6, 1912
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Jacob J. Endicott
Jacob J. Endicott was born in Kentucky, July 30, 1826. In 1833 his parents moved to Indiana, where he grew to young manhood. He was educated in the public schools of Indiana and pursued his studies until 1847 when he entered his active life’s work.
Mr. Endicott was united in marriage to Miss. Cassa A. Mekels in 1847. To this union were born 14 children. In 1857 Mr. Endicott moved to Illinois, where he lived until 1859, when he moved to Missouri.
In 1861 he enlisted in Company G, First Missouri Volunteer Cavalry and served 3 years and 6 months in the Federal Army. During this time he had 2 horses shot from under him, he escaped being wounded except he was hurt by a fall from a horse who became frightened and uncontrollable in the din of battle; he received his honorable discharge and returned to his family in Missouri.
In the year, 1886, he sold his property in Missouri and moved to Oregon. His wife, Mrs. Cassa A. Endicott died Jan. 26, 1905. Mr. Endicott second marriage occurred in 1907 when he wedded Mrs. Fannie Warner. In the years 1908 he moved to Myrtle Point where he has since resided. Mr. Endicott died Apr. 18, 1914 at his home in Myrtle Point at the age of 87 years 9 months and 18 days. He leaves a wife and 12 children-2 children have departed this life. Buried in Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 25, 1914
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James B. Buell
James B. Buell, an early settler of Southern Oregon died at his home in this city Thursday. He was born at Wheeling Virginia, Oct. 12, 1841 and was 63 years 9 months and 19 days old at the time of his death. He came to Oregon in 1850 and settled on the North Fork between Dora and Fairview in 1870. In 1884 he moved to Curry County in 1886 located on Catching Creek where he resided until a few years ago when he came to Myrtle Point where he has since resided. Mr. Buell was united in marriage to Florence Pearce, Aug. 6, 1866 and 9 children—5 of whom survive him—Julia A Clarno, Mary E. Dye, James L., Almon E., and Rosella M Buell. He served in the Civil War. Interred at the Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 22, 1905
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Florence Buell
Mrs. Florence Buell, resident of Oregon for more than 70 years and of Coos County about 50 years, died at her home Sunday, age 77 years 11 months and 8 days. Born in Iowa May 31, 1848, came to Roseburg with her parents when she was 4 years old. She crossed the plains with an ox team, her father being captain of the train. Leaves 6 children: T.C. Stearnes, Myrtle Point; Louis M. Buell, Newberg; Mrs. Julia Clarno, North Plains, OR; Mrs. Mary E. Dye, Portland; A.W. Buell, Salem and Mrs. Maud
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McCracken, Myrtle Point; 25 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren. Buried at Myrtle Point.
Southern Coos County American, Oct. 7, 1926
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James L. Buell
James L. Buell of Catching Creek died in Mast Hospital Friday of pneumonia. Son of Mrs. Florence Buell of Myrtle Point and was born in Douglas County, Feb. 10, 1872 Came to Coos County when he was 6 years old Mrs. Charles McCracken is a sister and Tom Stearn of Catching Creek is a half-brother, 1 brother at Newberg and 1 at Salem. His wife lives at Reedsport and 1 son lives with him on the ranch on Catching Creek. Buried in Catching Creek cemetery
Southern Coos County American, Oct. 7, 1926
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Dr. K.A. Leep Dr. K.A. Leep died at his home in Myrtle Point Nov. 3, 1924 age 68 years 10 months and 10 days. Dr. Leep was born Dec. 23, 1853 in Kentucky and came to Coos County in 1891. He was married in 1892 and to them was born 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters; Homer. Hallie, Reda, Kay and Stewartyle who died 12 years ago and Hallie who died 1923. There was also on son by a former marriage, Dr. Roland Leep of Bandon. Dr. Leep was on of a family of 10, 8 brothers and 2 sisters 4 of whom are still living, 3 brothers and 1 sister. Buried at Myrtle Point cemetery. Southern Coos County American, Nov. 6, 1924 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Louis Strong, Early Merchant & Dairyman
Lewis or Louis Strong was born Feb. 14, 1843 at Brush Creek, MO and died Apr. 12, 1929 at Myrtle Point. When small his parents moved to Keokuk Co., IA.
Married Mar. 3, 1863 to Catherine Wimer and the next day the couple joined an immigrant train to start west. Parents of Mrs. Strong were members of the party. It was a thrilling trip—train threatened by the Indians several times. Arrived at Tillamook County.
The Strongs and her parents went to Medford where Mr. Strong was engaged in a gristmill for several years. In 1889 the family came to Coos County and took a home on government land along the North Fork of the Coquille River.
In 1902 they moved to Myrtle Point where he engaged in the hardware and implement business. Survivors: widow; children: J.F., Santa Cruz, CA; L.M., Bandon; Mrs. Eugenia Floyd, Riverton; Mrs. Alice Neil, Chinook, WA; J.C., W.J., Henry A., Mrs. Lucy Jones and Mrs. Viola Warner all of Myrtle Point. Buried at Norway.
Mr. Strong was one of the earliest dairyman in Coos County. There were no passable roads until late in June at the time he began milking a few cows. He packed his milk up and down the river band and hauled it in a small rowboat to the first creamery built on the Coquille River. It was operated by W.L. Dixon, receiving about 13 cents per
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pound for butterfat. The creamery stood on the riverbank about where the Union Oil station now stands.
A little later W.H. Erdice came from the east and built the old Sugarloaf cheese factory, located south of the present depot. By manufacturing the milk into cheese, Mr. Erdice was able to pay considerable more for butterfat—consequently the industry grew. Mr. Erdice was accidently killed. Mr. Strong was the administrator of the estate, sold the cheese factory to Charles Broadbent from the east. Mr. Broadbent owned and operated the factory until 1914, at which time he sold to Andrew Christensen.
Myrtle Point Herald, Apr. 18, 1929
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Catherine Strong
Mrs. Catherine Strong, 88, a pioneer of Myrtle Point section, died Friday. Born Apr. 8, 1845, daughter of Jacob Wimer, a native of Pennsylvania. Married Lewis Strong at Lancaster, Keokuk County, IA, Mar. 3, 1863. Came west, stopping at Virginia City, later living in Tillamook for several years. In 1867 moved to Murphy Creek in southern Oregon near Grants Pass to run a flourmill for more than 16 years. Came to Coos Co. 43 years ago. Survived by 5 sons: James F., William, Henry, Lewis, and John; 3 daughters; Mrs. Lucy A. Jones and Mrs. Elizabeth Warner both of this city and Mrs. Alberta Floyd of Bandon. 41 grandchildren and 64 great grandchildren. Buried at Norway. Mr. Strong died Apr. 12, 1929
Myrtle Point Herald, Sept. 28, 1933
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Henry A. Strong
Henry A. Strong a resident of Coos County for 47 years, died at his home in Pleasant Point, Feb. 28, 1936. Dairyman. Born in Murphy, Josephine Co., July 16, 1876 and the family then moved to Phoenix in Jackson County, then back to Murphy where the father worked in a flourmill.
In 1889 he came to Coos County and Sept 9, 1894 married Alice M. Berry. To them was born 5 children who survive: Mrs. Bertha Flanders, Lakeview; Mrs. Ralph Stark and Miss Ardice Strong of Eureka, CA; Clarence and Deloss Strong of Pheasant Point and his wife, Mrs. Alice S. Strong. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, Mar. 5, 1936
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Margaret E. Strong
Margaret E. Strong, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Warner was born Nov. 1, 1861 at the old home on the South Fork of the Coquille River and died in her home in Myrtle Point at the age of 55 years 7 months and 25 days. On Nov. 25, 1881 she was married to John W. Brown who died Jan 5, 1893. Her father Calvin died Feb. 15, 1882. On Mar. 6, 1895, she was married to W.J. Strong, who with her mother, 2 sisters and 7 brothers survive. Also Ralph Huges to whom she has been a mother since he was 7 years of age. Buried was in the family burial grounds at the country home.
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Myrtle Point Enterprise, June 28, 1917
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
William Alexander Adams
William Alexander Adams was born in Eugene, OR Mar. 6, 1861 and was killed in Powers, Nov. 6, 1920 age 59 years 6 months and 10 days. He moved with his parents from Eugene to Coos County in 1867 and located on Catching Creek on the place now owned by John Farby where he lived to manhood. He married Mary Isabel Ward Nov. 7, 1888. To them was born 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. 1 son and 1 daughter have died. He leaves his wife, 2 boys and 2 girls all being at home. Besides he leaves 1 grandchild, his aged mother, 3 brothers and 3 sisters-1 sister, Mrs. Cass Hermann has passed away since his death. He lived 53 years.
Southern Coos County American, Nov, 25, 1920
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Edward Bender
Edward Bender, died Wednesday. He was born in Baltimore, MD, Feb. 5, 1841 and spent his boyhood there, receiving his education. In 1859 he came to the west coast with Mr. and Mrs. August Bender, locating in Santa Cruz, CA. In 1875 Mr. Bender came to Coos County, settling in the vicinity of Myrtle Point. His parents returned to Baltimore after a year or two on the coast and there his father died. His mother came west and has since made her home with her son, surviving him and now nearly 88 years of age. Besides his wife and mother, Mr. Bender is survived by 3 sons, all of whom are married and in business in Myrtle Point. They are August H., Ernest E., and Chester L. Two sons preceded him in death, Otto Binger died Jan. 18, 1882 and Ferdinand died July 8, 1888. In October 1876 Mr. Bender was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Hermann. He was a member of the Masonic and IOOF lodges. Death was due to asthma. Rev Thomas Barklow conducted the funeral service.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 26, 1907
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Anna Bender
Mrs. Anna Bender, mother of the late Edward Bender died at the home of her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Edward Bender in this city, Aug. 2, 1910 at the age of 90 years 9 months and 18 days. The funeral was held from the Brethren Church, Rev. Thomas Barklow officiating.
She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Edward Bender and 3 grandson, A.H. Bender, W.W. Bender, and C.L. Bender all of this city. Her maiden name was Anna Trust, daughter of Herman Trust, and she was born in Frankenburg, Curh Hess, Germany. Oct. 1819 and came to the United States about 1831; came to California in 1859, returned to Baltimore and in 1883 came to Oregon to make her home with her only son at Myrtle Point, She was a member of the German Lutheran Church.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 29, 1910
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Ernest Edward Bender
Ernest Edward Bender died Apr. 5, 1937 at the home of his brother A.H. Bender in Norway. Born in Myrtle Point Apr. 22, 1879. Married Sept. 19, 1904 to Miss Mary Caldwell of Myrtle Point. To them was born a daughter, Nelda. He was a blacksmith by trade. His wife died in Milwaukie Sanitarium near Portland in Jan. 1911.
He was one of the early state drivers between Roseburg and Marshfield. In later years he was employed mostly as a truck driver in log hauling operations, During the World War he took car of electric pumps on electrical lines in Shasta Valley, CA and also trucked chrome ore on Klamath River and in the vicinity of Yreka, CA. Met Lorretta Dennis at Grenada. CA and they were married in Redding, CA. About Christmas time of that year they moved to Myrtle Point and later to Broadbent where he conducted a blacksmith shop and gasoline station.
His second wife died in Marshfield in September 1932. Survivors: daughter, Mrs. Fred Durose of Bonners Ferry, ID; brothers; A.H. Bender of Norway and Dr. C.L. Bender of Portland. Buried at Myrtle Point.
Myrtle Point Herald, Apr. 8, 1937
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Benjamin F. Barklow
Benjamin F. Barklow, (Frank) son of John and Nancy Barklow was born in Keokuk county, IA Aug. 21, 1869 and died near Montague, CA, Dec. 21, 1925 age 56 years 4 months. He came to Coos County with his parents in 1875. He joined the Church of the Brethren at age 16.
He married Emma Bonewitz, daughter of Rev. Bonewitz, Aug. 7, 1890. To them was born 3 sons and 3 daughters, 1 daughter preceded him in death. Children: Mrs. Merle Poland of this city; Ira, Freddie and Loran and a daughter Ruby. Also 1 granddaughter, brothers: Daniel, Issac and Manly. Four half brothers: Elder Thomas and J.D. Barklow; Albert and Jeremiah died previously; 1 half sister, Mrs. Dan Root who lives west of Myrtle Point. Mr. Barklow was called to the ministry by Myrtle Point church in 1892.
Pallbearers were nephews of the deceased: John Barklow, Walter Barklow, Henry Barklow, Harley Barklow, Ernest Barklow and Arlin Barklow. Buried at Norway
Southern Coos County American, Dec. 24, 1925
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Philo Northup
Phil Northup, father of Mrs. E.E. Faber of this city and Ed Northup of the Catching Creek Valley, died at the home of his nephew, George Northup on Fishtrap. Mr. Northup was 77 years 9 months and 9 days of age. He was born in New York in the Hudson Valley. He lived in Illinois and Iowa and later in California, coming to Oregon 13 years ago. Besides his daughter and son, he has a son and daughter in California. He also has 3 nephews and a niece in Coos County and 6 grandchildren.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 17, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Horace H. Fellows
Horace H. Fellows, father of John T. Fellows, formerly in the confectionery business here, died in this city, Wednesday evening. Mrs. O.S. Coleman was a step-daughter. Burial will be in the Gravel Ford cemetery where his wife is buried. Mr. Fellows was 74 or 75 years of age on Dec. 22, 1910. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Co. E, 11th Missouri cavalry, with the rank of sergeant for 2 years 3 months and 11 days.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 21, 1910
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Albert Graham
Albert Graham was born in Franklin Co., MO, Oct. 18, 1842 and arrived in Coos County, June 1, 1871. He first settled on the North Fork of the Coquille River and moved to Myrtle Point in 1890. His wife’s maiden name was Priscilla J. May, born June 27, 1847, married Aug. 10, 1865.
Mr. Graham came from Kansas by rail to San Francisco and the by water in company with several families. He took up a homestead, which is now owned by Mr. Lang., and afterward acquired the place that was settled by Hiram Thurston. He served in Co. F, 13th Kansas Infantry for 3 years. He was a mail contractor and farmer.
The wife and 4 children survive him; Mrs. J.T. Llewellen and Mrs. E.A. Dodge of this city and W.J. Graham and Mrs. A.E. Baker of Oakland, CA. He left this city for his new home on September 16 last year. The remains were laid to rest in the Masonic cemetery at Oakland, CA.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 14, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Henry Radabaugh
John Henry Radabaugh died Apr, 27, 1936, a pioneer of this section. Born in Webster, OH Aug, 21, 1866 and came with his parents, John and Nancy Radabaugh from Carver Co., MN. Took a homestead at Norway in the summer of 1857. Survivors: Mrs. Laura May Radabuagh; daughter, Mrs. Albina Ray; 2 brothers, A.J. of Myrtle Point and Joe of Eugene; 3 grandchildren: Jack Ray, John and Evelyn Guthardt all of Myrtle Point.
Myrtle Point Herald, April 30, 1936
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Section 3
Norway
The Barklows Come to the Coquille Valley
One time in an interview by a newspaper reporter, my uncle Manley Barklow, was asked how he accounted for the fact there were so many Barklows. He said he guessed it was because they bred so well.
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David, Samuel and John Barklow with their families, 21 in all, had come west from Iowa by train and were camped on Bear Creek near Grants Pass. It was July 1872. The weather was hot and dry, and the Barklows found the soil rocky. They didn’t like it a bit. They were ready to return to Iowa when a man came along driving a herd of cattle. He told them of the rich and lush country of the Coquille Valley, where the weather was always mild. “My name is Hermann”, he said “Binger Hermann. You can get land along the Coquille cheap. It’s good country there.”
The three brothers left their families at Grants Pass and went to the Coquille Valley to look it over. They liked what they say and before they returned to Grants Pass for their families, John bought 504 acres of land from Captain Ratcliff across the river from Ott Myrtle Point), and Samuel and David bought land on both sides of the river at Norway. They should have known better than to buy land without consulting theirs wives. In the confrontation that followed, they had to agree with their wives that the place was the roughest and most mountainous place they ever say, but their answer to that was, “You know, we sometimes gather the sweetest berries from the most briary vines.” That answer probably wasn’t good enough for their wives and they stayed mad for quite awhile, but they got over it.
David and Samuel were ministers of the German Baptist Brethern Church. Soon after they arrived in Ott, they let it be known among the settlers that there would be church services held in the grove near the mouth of the North Fork the following Sunday. There services became popular they were invited to other outlying places. David had a sweet voiced daughter who traveled with him and became popular as the leader of the singing.
In 1878, the first church building was constructed near the mouth of the North Fork on land donated by Captain Ratcliff. In 1898, this building was torn down and the lumber was used to build another church building in Myrtle Point. In 1949, that building was sold and a new church was built.
Thomas Barklow (Uncle Tommy) was probably the best remembered minister. He officiated at 730 funerals and 366 weddings between 1883 and 1928, besides preferring many other services, and all without charge. He made his living by clerking at stores in Myrtle Point.
The members of the Brethren Church dress similar to the “Amish”. Very plain clothes with men wearing shirts without collars or neckties. The women wore bonnets and never cut their hair, but kept it tied in a bun at the back. My mother remembers how cute the little girls looked Sunday mornings in their bonnets.
When my dad’s sister, Nannie Stone, married Manley Barklow, she followed the tradition of the Church by not cutting her hair. Along in the 1930’s, Aunt Nannie got tired of having to put up her hair that hung below her waist. She told the ladies in the church that she was in half a notion of having her hair cut and getting a permanent. They were shocked. “You wouldn’t dare!” they replied. The next time they saw Aunt Nannie, she looked real nice with her hair cut and with a permanent. The other ladies in the church accepted it, but they weren’t brave enough to do it themselves, though they probably would have liked to.
The Brethren Church closed its doors a few years ago, but the Barklows live on. In fact, there are so many of them, if a new family were so inclined to live in the vicinity
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of Myrtle Point for a generation or two, it would very likely become related to a Barklow.
The way it really was in Coos & Curry Counties by Boyd Stone
Original Settlers at Norway Had Many First
Norway, Oregon is a place rather than a town, and never pretended to be anything else. Located three miles north of Myrtle Point and six miles south of Coquille, it is made up of rich farm-lands and vague boundaries that once included Hall’s Prairie, better known as Arago, on the west side of the river.
William T. Perry, with his wife Ann, son Vale, and three daughters, Emily, Dora and Louise located there in 1858. Later, their other daughter, Mary, who was married and lived in Roseburg, joined them after her husband died. Mary was born on Clatsop Plaines in 1843. She was the first white female born in Oregon. She married Thomas L. Grant, who was first cousin to General Ulysses Grant.
William T. Perry and Ann Abel were married in South Bend, Indiana in 1839, and came to Oregon City by wagon-train in 1842. That winter Perry went to work for Dr. John McLaughlin, building the first flour mill in Oregon, located at the “Falls”. In 1851, the Perrys located a donation land claim of 640 acres at Deer Creek, Douglas County. On their property William built the first flour mill in Douglas County and named it “The Roseburg Flouring Mill”. When he sold out in 1858 he drove his cattle to a place in Coos County that later became Norway. There he set out the first fruit-orchard in Coos County.
His four daughters were partly responsible for the speedy growth in the area. That was because in 1859 a group of families from Baltimore, known as “the Baltimore Colony”, settled up the river a few miles from them. Among the colony were three Schroeder brothers, 17 years old August, 15 years old John Fredrick and 13 years old John Henry. It didn’t take them long to learn there were some girls living down the river about their own age. August Schroeder and Vale Perry became close friends and in 1862 went into partnership in a placer mining venture in the mountains around Johnson Creek above Powers. Later, they moved to Bandon where they continued mining for gold several years, but August couldn’t get Dora Perry out his mind. In 1868 he bought 160 acres of unimproved land across the river on Hall’s Prairie, talked Dora into marrying him, and preceeded to raise 12 children. Among his other accomplishment, he helped organize the first concert brass band in Coos County, located in Myrtle Point. For many years they played at all the holiday occasions in the area. At Hall’s Prairie, he and his brother, John Henry, built the first creamery in the country.
In 1866 John Fredrick Schroeder married Mary (Perry) Grant and bought 160 areas of unimproved land three miles further down the river need the later Johnson Mill Pond. There he introduced the first Jersey cattle to Coos County. Part of their farm is now the 92 acre Johnson Mill Pond.
John Henry Schroeder was also successful in getting himself a wife. He married Emily Perry and they settled on a farm on Hall’s Prairie.
The only reason Louise Perry got away was because there weren’t enough Schroeder boys to go around.
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There were other families who located in the area. In 1872 David and Samuel Barklow bought farms on both sides of the river and helped increase the population considerably.
In 1873, Olaf Hansen and Oden Nelson started a store where Arago now is and called it “Norway” after their home country. In 1881 Oden Helson bought Olaf Hansen’s and moved the store to William Perry property on the east side of the river, still under the name “Norway”.
There are seven first in this story that the Perry’s and Schroeder’s of Norway-Arago area and vicinity are credited with. Can you name them?
The way it really was in Coos & Curry Counties by Boyd Stone
Sol. J. McCloskey
By Minnie McCloskey Lester
Sol. J. McCloskey was living in Kansas when he became afflicted with “Oregon Fever” and sent for literature on the Coos Bay section. The descriptions were alluring. A farm of 160 acres could be homesteaded. Because of the fertile soil, and “Oregon mist,” vegetables, fruits, and grains could be grown abundantly; the Bay and streams were teeming with fish; the forest were full of game.
He and some of his neighbors made preparations to move to this “paradise.” Some sold their farms; while other rented so they might return if disappointed. Early in May 1876, he, with his wife, one son and five daughters, started for Coos Bay. Two younger sons, Bertie and Roy, were born after the family was settled in Coos Count.
In Brewster Valley they met the Laird Family. The party rested for several days before journeying on down the East Fork of the Coquille River. As winter was settling in they decided not to go on to Coos Bay until spring. That winter, Mr. McCloskey homesteaded a plot of land, and he and his small son cut and hewed logs for a house. When all was in readiness, the neighbors came in for a home-raising.
Those pioneers worked very hard, cutting down the big trees and clearing their small farms,. Neighbors gathered for a day of “logrolling” so the logs not used as building material could be burned. At the same time, the women of the group held quilting bees indoors. Since there was very little money, those early settlers helped one another by exchanging work. They had grand times together/.
McCloskey soon petitioned for a post office and named it Gravel Ford. He was appointed the first postmaster and served until he moved elsewhere. The office was located in his home. He was also justice of the peace and brought in the first threshing machine and went down the river as far as Norway threshing.
McCloskey petitioned the County Court for a bridge to be built across the North Fork at Gravel Ford. This was granted, and J.B. Fox took the contract. Mrs. McCloskey boarded the crew.
The roads at that time were deep in mud much of the year, so when the wheat was harvested, it was loaded into a large skiff and taken to th grist mill at the Forks, where it was ground into flour.
The first school the children attended was in a small log cabin. For windows, a log was left out on each side. Beneath this they had fastened a split log to the wall with wooden pegs. This was used as a desk. Legs were placed on the other half to make it serve as a bench for all sizes of children.
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For the Fourth of July, 1880, McCloskey planned a celebration at Gravel Ford. He cleared off a place in his grove and constructed seats and a platform. A flag to float over the entrance could not be found, so Mrs. McCloskey and her daughters, following Betsy Ross’s example, made one from white muslin, and blue and turkey-red calico. To this celebration came many from Myrtle Point. Among them were several families prominent in Coos County pioneer history—the Hermanns, Benders, Borders, Dixons, Lehnherrs and others.
Later, the McCloskeys moved from Gravel Ford to a farm a half mile below Norway. McCloskey soon bought the community store at Norway from Edward Nelson and was appointed postmaster, a position he held until his death in 1908. He was county commissioner when the Middle Fork road was being built, and he had much to do with its construction.
A Century of Coos & Curry by Emil Peterson and Alfred Powers
GLANCING BACK, “Years Ago At Norway”
By Mrs. Elefleda Robison – 1971 , [Note: Norway was on south side of river, not on the north where it is in 2006.]
Nearly a century ago, in 1872, two Norwegians, Captain Olaf Reed and Oden Nelson, settled in the beautiful Coquille River Valley and named the location for their homeland, NORWAY. Captain Reed, who was born in 1824, was master of the schooner JENNIE THELIN and Mr. Nelson, born in 1827 assisted Reed in building a large structure on the west side of the Coquille River. A store was in the front part of the building with living quarters in the back. A hall was located upstairs with a stairway 6 or 8 feet wide with a banister, on the outside of the building.
In the hall was a stage at one end complete with stage fittings and side wings. There were rolled curtains for the front and curtains in the back so the players could go from one side of the stage to the other without being seen by the audience. There was also an organ. The hall held an important place in the community with plays, basket socials, spelling-bees, parties, church and Sunday school. The lighting for the hall was several kerosene lamps placed on brackets on the walls. At one time Minnie McCloskey started a literary society. Debates, plays, recitations, readings and learning of new songs (led by J. H. Barklow) were held there.
Captain Reed owned and operated the steamer CERES in 1878, and also the ANTELOPE. He was an early pioneer seaman. One day he forgot to pick up the mail at Norway. When he discovered he had forgotten, he tied up the boat and walked back and got it. When asked why he didn’t run the boat back, he said he “wanted to learn his fool self something!”
Captain Reed made an eave trough to put on the hall. At first he said he wouldn’t climb the long ladder to put it up by himself, then apparently changed his mind and got Aaron Myers to assist him. When about half of the trough was nailed, he fell and was dead when they reached him. This was in 1906. [He was 82 years old.] Captain Reed and his wife Lena are buried in the Norway Cemetery. The buildings are all
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gone now. Oden Nelson purchased Reed’s interest and moved across the river to the North side where he bought out W. T. Perry in 1881.
Sol J. McCloskey was born in Pennsylvania in 1836. With his wife and family he came to Coos County in 1876 and homesteaded in Gravel Ford in 1876. He was the first postmaster there in 1878. He moved to a farm near Norway in 1882. He bought the Norway store from Oden Nelson and became postmaster. He served two years as County Commissioner and was a Justice of the Peace for many years. His children were: Agnes J; Anna Stataia; Lucinda Ann; Thomas William; Clare E.; Florida; James Hilderbert (Bertie) and Roy E. Mr. Sol McCloskey died in 1908. [He was age 72.]
Captain Thomas William McCloskey, [son of Sol J. McCloskey] owned and operated a steamboat line between Myrtle Point and Coquille. The boats included the MYRL, ECHO, and RETA. He loved to play his violin or fiddle. He would play the “Arkansas Traveler” and also an Indian Piece. When he played the latter he would let out loud war whoops!
After Sol McCloskey’s death, his daughter Minnie McCloskey took over the store and post office until she married John Lester and moved to California. Dave Rackleff and Claude Endicott were clerks and ran the store until it was sold to Nick Johnson. Ed Lewellen purchased the store from Johnson about 1919. Lewellen built another store out on the highway near the cemetery. He sold to Herman Tedson who built cabins to rent. It is now a gift shop and little snack bar called “The L’il Red Barn. The post office is in a small building close by and Mrs. Darrell Brodie [in 1971] is the postmistress. [The Norway post office has been closed many years in 2007.]
The NorPly Georgia Pacific plywood plant is across the road [old highway now the frontage road] from the post office [in 1971]. [It was felt that the stagnant water from the mill pond weakened the huge Myrtle trees and a winter storm did the rest. Picnics, celebrations and family gatherings were held in that beautiful grove in the early days.]
Not far from the plywood plant at “Grady Creek,” Mr. Ed Brodie and sons Darrell and Eldon, owned and operated a shingle mill many years. Later, lumber was sawn at this mill. It was sold to Menasha Lumber Company. Everett Doyle was the manager at one time. Later Westbrook owned the site.
Bertie McCloskey purchased the Norway Creamery in 1905 from George Davis. Later a cheese factory was added to the creamery, with a community hall upstairs. There were many social gatherings in this hall; basketball games, dances, plays, Home Economic meetings, etc.
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Norway Creamery Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
About 1918 McCloskey bought the Coquille factory and operated it until 1928 when he sold it to Swift Company.
The first butter makers were Finely Schroeder and Clarence Barklow. This butter factory was awarded First Prize for three consecutive years. Each prize was a Silver Cup! Clarence Barklow was the butter maker at the time these prizes were awarded.
Home of Clarence Barklow Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
J. H. McCloskey (Bertie) purchased the Dement place from Mrs. Nellie Dement Fernley (a Dement heir.) After a few years, Bertie sold the place to Ernie Allen who is a great grandson of Capt. Russell Panter. The Myrtle Grove and the hill (Perry’s
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Prairie) were not included in the sale. Mr. McCloskey donated the Grove and the ballpark, which is adjacent to the Grove, to the Coquille Odd Fellows Lodge. [Ernie Allen operates his dairy near there today.
After the mill was built and the log pond put in, the stagnant water from the mill killed the huge myrtle trees, but now the trees are beginning to sprout, though it will take many years, if ever, for them to become as large as they were. The entire community loved this Grove and was very proud of it. Many picnics, celebrations and family gatherings were held there and the many good times enjoyed there remain a fond memory for those of us who still live here. The ball games were a source of great enjoyment and just to walk among those stately myrtles was an inspiration.
J. Hilderbert “Bertie” McCloskey married Sarah Wagner in 1905. She was born at Rural, now Powers, [Rural isn’t Powers, she was born on the Wagner Ranch] in a log cabin. Mr. McCloskey was elected to the State Legislature in 1933 and served until 1939. He was re-elected in 1940, but was forced to resign because of an auto accident.
The first school was near the old Norway store and post office and was probably a private school in the winter and public school in the summer. Among the teachers who taught there were: Mr. Hamilton Bunch, Mr. Pearson, James Barklow and the McCloskey sisters, Minnie and Flora. Later a school house was built at the forks of the road near where the golf course is now. In 1912, a room was added to make it a two room school. This school house burned in 1917 or 18 and another two room school was built and used until the district consolidated with Myrtle Point. The building was then sold to the Grange and the Myrtle Grange met there until it was torn down to make room for the new highway.
Other teachers in the Norway District were: Leason Harmon, Mr. Airey, Frank C. Kinnicut, Miss Leafy Kendall, Miss Ruth Plank, Miss Dollie Robbins, Miss Della Bryant, Evelyn Hulet, Louis Brown, Mabel Dement, Mrs. Florence Chapman, Grace Ellingsen, Mrs. Giddings, Alex Culbertson, and Tiny Roberts. Mrs. Esther Wilson taught ten years and Mrs. Laura Brandon taught ten years. Minnie and Flora McCloskey taught at the same time, one at Norway, the other at Arago. They had a contest on getting to school on time. The reward was a banner with the words, “Always on Time” on it. They checked each month and the school with the least number of tardy pupils got to hang the banner in their school room until they lost it to the other school. The Norway school had as their motto, “We will find a way or make one,” in large letters. The motto was tacked in a rainbow shape, over two doors, in the back of the room. It was very much an inspiration to the many pupils.
The West Norway District was formed, taking the pupils who lived on the west side [or south side] of the river, the south part of Arago and the part of the Rackleff District. This eliminated crossing the river, and shortened the distance for many of the students.
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Among the teachers in this district were: Effie King, Lois Hermann, S. S Darnell, and his daughter, Miss Etta Darnell, Martha Miller, Naomi Root and Gertrude Bogard. In 1922 the West Norway District consolidated with Arago School and the children rode to school in the “Kid Wagon” as it was called then. It was a canvas covered, horse drawn wagon which served the purpose until later years, when they obtained a regular bus.
Russell Dement and his family lived at Norway, their home being near the cheese factory and creamery. He owned a large ranch which included the then beautiful myrtle Grove and land extending to the top of the hill, Perry’s Prairie, and also part of the site of the Norway Cemetery. While they were here they lost their little boy, Loren, age about 7 years old. The entire community searched everywhere for him but he couldn’t be found. It was finally decided that he had drowned. About 1910 a skeleton was found about half way between the cheese factory and the barn. There had been high water which ran along a low place and had washed the loose dirt away. The skeleton was almost all there, just a few small bones missing. Dr. Stemmler was called and he took the bones and laid them in a nearby shed. It was his opinion that the bones were those of an Indian woman. [The Dement boy was found, he had fallen into the well and drowned, Russell had the well filled in.]
Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Lafferty resided in the living quarters of the hall across the river from the store. Their son Lester, about 10 years of age, and a friend Allie Bartlett, were playing on a log the high water had brought in. One end was up on the sand bar and the other end was out in the river. Bertie McCloskey was across the river and saw Lester slip and fall in. Bertie got in his boat, gave it a shove and was across the river in seconds. He reached in the water and got Allie by the hand, then looked for Lester, but couldn’t find him. The water was up a little and there was some current. They dragged the river for days and had a diver from Bandon but he couldn’t be found. Three months and one week later, he was found by Bill Keller, caught in some bushes about a mile down river from the Arago landing.
Chauncey Carpenter of Bandon, his wife, baby and two sisters were on an outing going to Myrtle Point to a circus in a motor boat. They were about to the McNair place when the bow of the boat ran upon one end of the piling which was placed there to control the channel. The bow of the boat suddenly raised up, the boat tipped and everyone went into the water. Mrs. Carpenter called to him to save the baby. Mr. Carpenter was an excellent swimmer and took the baby to the bank where he laid it down and came back to get the others but couldn’t find them. He took the baby to the Ralph Rackleff home and went back and continued diving and searching for his wife and two sisters. Mrs. Rackleff telephoned for help. The girls were found in a day or two and the body of Mrs. Carpenter was found in a week or ten days in some brush about a mile downstream from where the accident happened.
John D. Carl and his brother Herman operated a cheese factory and creamery on their farm at Norway until the farm was sold. John was born at Norway in 1881, son of August and Amanda Carl. He married May Schroeder in 1909 and the couple recently
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celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. John served as County Commissioner and has always worked for the betterment of the county and the farmer and marketing of produce.
Charles Schroeder and John Aasen operated a logging camp up Grady creek about 1910. While they were moving a donkey and sled to camp, taking a short cut across a cleared place, the owner of the land, a woman, came and sat down in front of the machine and demanded $25.00 to cross her land. They decided to pay!
James Barklow was born in Wales and died in 1864 in Illinois. His wife, Anah Metlin, was born in Wales December 25, 1797 and died at Norway, Oregon September 18, 1877, [at age 80]. They married January 20, 1817 coming to America and settling in Pennsylvania. Their children were: William, Sarah Barklow Hixon, John, David and Samuel, the youngest, who was born in 1841 and died in 1897, [age 56].
Samuel Barklow married Mary Studebaker in 1861. She died in 1866, leaving two small boys, James Henry, age 4 and Jacob Samuel, age 2. The father then married Anne Miller. Children of the second marriage were: Sarah Barklow Randleman, Nathan, John, Laura Barklow Broadbent, Bertha Barklow Snell, Willie, and Alta Barklow Abbott.
The three brothers, John, David and Samuel, lived for a time in Keokuk County, Iowa. They sold their farms and came by train to San Francisco, bought horses, wagons and supplies there. Coming north, they lived for a short time near Grants Pass. While there, they met the Hermanns who told them about Coos County, the mild climate and fertile land. The men folk rode horseback to Coos County and being favorably impressed, they bought land, put up buildings in which to live, and returned for their families, arriving in Coos County in 1872.
Samuel bought a farm from Andrew Miller, formerly owned by Vale Perry. The deed was signed in 1881 by the County clerk, Alex Stauff, and August Schroeder, Justice of the Peace. There were 21 people in the party; Anah Metlin Barklow, (age 75) (Mother of the three small sons); John and his wife Nancy and 6 sons, one daughter, the youngest child being 6 weeks old; David and his wife Elizabeth and daughter Julia. Samuel Barklow and wife Anne and 5 children; and Aunt Betsy Snyder. Altogether, 8 grownups, 10 boys and 3 girls. Thomas Barklow (Uncle Tommy in later years.) and wife did not make the trip, but came the following year.
The Barklow brothers and their families were members of the German Baptist Church which had its’ origin in Germany in 1708. They believed in plain dress and a total absence of jewelry. In their speech they did not use the words “going to church” or refer to the place of worship as the “church.” Instead they would say “going to meeting at the meeting house.” They did not say “the minister preached a sermon but, “he led out or spoke out.”
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One of the reasons for leaving their well kept and comfortable homes in Iowa was to escape the cold winters and the tornadoes that were prevalent in the summers, but also they had missionary work in mind. They had many plans and high hopes for the progress of their religion in the new country.
James Henry Barklow taught his first term of school at Gravel Ford when he was 18 years of age. Among the pupils there were the McCloskey sisters, Minnie and Flora. He taught private schools as well as public school for several years. He conducted singing schools with no accompaniment except a tuning fork to get the right pitch. He attended the University of Oregon. In 1894 he was elected to the office of County school superintendent, he served two terms and declined a third one. He taught at Bandon and Arago and many other schools in the Coquille Valley, his last school being at Norway. Then he retired from teaching and became a dairy farmer. His one regret in leaving Iowa was leaving the well-established schools, for it was a harder struggle to get an education in the newly settled country.
Jacob Barklow taught schools up and down the Coquille River for three years. Afterward, he attended Willamette University medical school, graduating in 1889. His license to practice medicine was dated May 1, 1889. He began his medical practice in Myrtle Point where a typhoid epidemic was raging at that time. He worked day and night, taking care of his patients until he came down with the disease himself. He died June 9, 1889 at the age of 25.
John Carl’s parents lived in Iowa but were not acquainted with the Barklows. They were members of the church of the Brethren and were subscribers to the church magazine, the “Gospel Messenger.” There they read a letter written home of the Barklow brothers telling of the mild climate and other advantages of the Coquille Valley. The Carls became interested and wrote to the Barklows in Oregon. Through correspondence they were encouraged to make the trip. They came to San Francisco by train, missed the boat to Coos Bay and had to stay in the hotel 9 days with the family of children until the next boat. This was in 1881 and later the same year, August Carl purchased a farm from Samuel Barklow. The first train that ran between Marshfield and Myrtle Pont, 1892 or 93 is recalled by May Carl as she remembers when they rode the flat cars, there being no passenger cars at that time!
Joel Root, a bachelor, came from Ohio with his parents in 1872. He lived on a small farm with his mother across the river from Arago. People would come and ask him to take them across the river in his boat. Being a kindly gentleman, he would cheerfully ferry them across in a small scow, using only one paddle. People wishing to pay for this service would ask how much they owned him. He would say, “Do you think five cents would be too much?” He had two cows. One was named “Posie Rosie” and the other, Rosie Posie.” He loved to play the accordion and had a good singing voice. He would play and sing as long as he knew the words of the song. When he couldn’t remember any more words, he would sing notes “do ra mi,” etc. He was especially busy on holidays, taking people back and forth, across the river.
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Aaron Hoover came to Coos County in 1875 from Hennepin County, Minnesota. His wife’s maiden name was Christina Warner. Their children were: Susanna, Willis, born in 1862, and Laura Bell, born in 1864. Ace Myers came with the Hoovers and married Aaron Hoover’s daughter, Susanna. Mr. Hoover and Mr. Myers put up a sawmill. When a log was being pulled out of the river, a iron “dog” slipped out of the log and hit Jeremiah Barklow on the head. He never regained consciousness. This happened in 1876. The sand and sediment washed in and filled the area around the mill making it too far from the river to get the logs out. The sawmill was discontinued and a grist mill was built in its place; people came from miles around to get their wheat ground.
The Fourth of July celebrations were something those days! On one particular Fourth of July celebration, George Haughton represented Uncle Sam with red and white striped pants and a blue coat, a tall red and white hat with blue stars on the hat band. The Liberty Wagon was horse drawn . . . no cars then! May Schroeder (now Mrs. John Carl) was Columbia and girls sat around the edge of the wagon in white dresses with red, white and blue crepe paper sashes. The wagon was draped with bunting, even covering the wheels! We got on the wagon at McCloskey’s house and rode to the Grove and the grandstand where the program began. There were songs and speeches and reading of the Declaration of Independence. After the picnic dinner, there was a ball game. There was a booth with ice cream, soda pop, candy and lemonade for sale. There was a home made horse drawn Merry-Go-Round, a nickel a ride! The kids surely liked that. This was an example of the way the Fourth of July was celebrated in the Norway community. On this day the dairy farmers were asked to bring the milk extra early to the cheese factory so the cheese makers could get through in time to join in the celebration. The farmers didn’t object. They wanted to get through as early as possible.
The Grange picnics were almost as good as the Fourth of July and were also held at the Norway Grove! There was a platform erected for the program of songs, readings, speeches and musical numbers. There were some very prominent people who spoke at these Grange Picnics. Among them, Marshall Dana, Editor of the Oregon Journal, Governor Walter Pierce, Hon. Binger Hermann, Cyrus H. Walker, Chaplain of the Oregon State Grange and C. S. Spence, State Master. Price S. Robison was Toast Master on these occasions and everyone looked forward to these picnics each year.
Price Robison came to Coos County in 1872. He was born in Cole County Missouri in 1858. He was married to Laura Hoover in 1883. They lived at Fishtrap until 1896 when they moved to Norway to the Hoover place now owned by Roy Shull. Their children were: Caleb, Beulah, Walter, Leola, Roy, Lucina, Buenice and Bernice (the latter two were twins), Florence and Glenn. Buenice and Bernice were known as the “Robison Twins.” They were identical twins and were much in demand at programs and social gatherings as they had sweet voices and sang duets from the time they were small children until they were grown.
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The names of some of the early ball players were: Gene Cole, Percy Dean, Lyman Rackleff, Walter Johnson, Chester Schroeder, Grover Wilson, John Carl, Theodore (Dutch) Clinton, Walter Barklow (not the Commissioner), Ray Clinton, Walter (Corbet) Robison, Percy Schroeder, Ray Lewis, Lee Ray, and Bertie McCloskey was the manager.
A rock crusher was located near the place where Bob Detlefsen now lives. It crushed rock for the first gravel road in this end of the county between Myrtle Point and Coquille.
For several years the women had what they called the “Embroidery Club” which met once a month at each others homes in the afternoons. Each took their own fancy work or sewing or just sat and visited. The purpose of the club was for relaxation and fellowship. They had only one rule, “No Gossiping!” And their motto was: “If you can’t say something good about another person, don’t say anything.”
Occasionally the young men had a chicken feed. They would ‘snitch’ a couple of chickens, and then go some place to cook them. Mike Wyland, a bachelor, was delighted when they asked to cook them at his place. He would lean over the pot in which they were cooking and crow like a rooster. What he didn’t know was that the chickens were from his own chicken house and he was crowing to his own chickens! The others fairly split their sides laughing. No doubt the dinner was enjoyed by all . . . including Mike!
Sol McCloskey’s store was the community center in the early days. People had to come there to get their mail. Most everything needed for the home was there in the crowded building. Occasionally he would not have the article people wanted. He would always say, “It will be in on the next boat.”
Cotton prints, Calico and Gingham were much in demand and when the bolts of material would arrive, Mr. McCloskey would lay aside the light colored prints and measure off enough of each for a shirt for himself. He wouldn’t stop to fold the material, but gathered it up in a bunch and took it to his house.
About 1909 and later, there were several people who moved into the community from Germany and Switzerland. Most of them went to Humboldt County, California, later coming to Coos County, and rented farms. Those coming included: The Detlefsen brothers, Ed and Herman, Henry and Tom, (who served in World War I for Germany. John Breuer (who also served in World War I for Germany.) Emil Petersen, Casper Gasner family; Alfred Kellenberger* family, Herman Tedsen, Martin Schmidt, Mose Gametti, Ernest Clausen, Columbus Keltner, Frank Zelio, R. Biasco and others.
Mrs. Marie Dean Schmidt and her six year old brother came from Germany to Humboldt when she was 15 years old. She could neither speak nor understand English. Her name and address was attached to her and her brothers’ clothing. She took her tag off and put it in her purse but left her brothers’ on. We asked her if she
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was afraid to come so far, but she jokingly said, “I didn’t have sense enough to be afraid.”
[Read of Hayes Perkins eye witness description of immigrant’s conditions in the early 1900s in Ancestor Review, pages 2-6]
* “Mr. Kellenberger was the long-time McNess Man, selling all kinds of products for the home. He was the first man I ever saw wearing an ear-ring. He first drove a Model T Ford pickup affair with a box on the back. It was painted light green and really caught my eye. Every other Model T was painted black. Later, I imagine around 1938 or 39, he bought a 1936 Chevrolet sedan delivery vehicle. Mr. Kellenberger came around about once a month, always after dark. I think ours was his last stop for the day before returning home. He lived near the Norway Store. He would stay and visit for a long time. My mother always thought he dreaded going home. He would say, “Mamma will be upset if I don’t make a sale”. We always accommodated him. My favorite item was a bottle of orange extract. A teaspoon full in a glass of water made a delicious drink.” Boyd Stone, March, 2009
Elfleda continues her narrative:
James Henry Barklow was born May 4, 1862 and died September, 1933. Louisa Frances Randleman was born November 18, 1866, died February 3, 1942. They were married at Bear Creek, January 2, 1887 at her parent’s home. Their children: Ada Belzora, 1887-1890; Clarence Melvin, 1889-1919; Walter Ray, 1892-1962; Ervin Earl 1894-1961; Elfleda 1897-present, [1971]
Juanita Frances 1899-present; Leland Elmer 1904 (infant); Galen Fayh 1908-1927.
Some of the early residents were the Clinton families; Haughton; Lett; Devaul, Bonewitz, Randleman, Moomaw, Van Dyke, Root, Radabaugh, Schroeder, Bird, Devereaux.
As we travel down the Norway road to where the old Norway Store was located, we find only two buildings left: the farm house of Ernie Allens’ and the house once owned by J. H. McCloskey.
The old Norway Store, Cheese factory, McCloskey home, Dement house, are all gone. The once central part of Norway is gone and has moved up to the highway.
Later, Mrs. Robison added to her narrative:
Mr. Sol McCloskey died in 1908. After his death, his daughter Minnie McCloskey took over the store and post office until she married John Lester and moved to California. Ransom Rackleff and Claude Endicott were clerks and ran the store until it was sold to Nick Johnson. Ed Lewellen purchased the store from Johnson in 1919.
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Mr. Lewellen built another store out on the highway, near the cemetery. This was a grocery store, gas station and post office, which was located in one corner of the store. Mr. Lewellen sold the store, gas station and post office to Herman Tedsen, who built cabins to rent. Mr. Tedsen later sold the store and etc. to Mr. and Mrs. Pete Petersen.
The cabins that were sold with the store, etc., which Mr. Tedsen built were remodeled and made very attractive. In the store building Mr. and Mrs. Petersen started a gift shop and named it “Little Norway.” It was enlarged many times to accommodate all of the merchandise and customers who came by from all over the U. S., especially the Scandinavian people.
Besides the gift shop, the smallest café in the world (9’ x 9’) came into being, called “The Lil’ Red Barn,” which operated for several years. When the Petersen’s daughters wanted a job to earn money for college, they converted an old shanty into a 4 stool café. Later an addition was added to the “Lil Red Barn,” called the Loafing Shed, which had a snack bar with tables and chairs. Benches and tables were outside under the trees for anyone who wished to eat outside. A sign on the highway with large letters saying “VELKOMMEN to Lil’ NORWAY.”
The post office is now in a small building close by.
Mr. Petersen and Mr. Pochlitz, a Myrtle Point banker, were on a fishing trip and when they were coming home a truck ran into them. They were both killed.
Bernice Bastien purchased the Norway Store and cabins after the death of Jean and Pete Peterson and when she was in California the store was destroyed by fire. The cabins remain and a caretaker was in charge for Mrs. Bastien.
Norway still had businesses: the post office, Westbrook Plywood and Chip Mill, Elks Club and golf course and dairy farms, arrow factory and Norway Milling, a furniture factory. About 1965 a group of people wanted a place to land small air craft without going to North Bend. On Ernie Allen’s farm there was a strip of low land that paralleled the railroad track. Rock and dirt were hauled in which made a good foundation for a straight and level strip one-half mile long. There are many planes landing there, of many sizes. Hangars were built at the landing strip for several planes.
At the present time Mrs. John Abel is postmaster. She followed Mrs. Darrell Brodie who recently retired after serving as postmaster many years. Mrs. Elefleda Robison
A Murder at Norway
In the mid-30s my dad set an archery target on the bank across the road from our service station on Johnson Hill. Many hours were enjoyed by the neighborhood kids shooting arrows across the highway at that target, but the one who enjoyed it the most was a 15 year Indian boy from Norway named Raymond Fry. He would come down
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nearly every weekend and he and I would shoot all afternoon. I would get tired, but I didn’t think Raymond ever did.
My dad like Raymond and made him a nice yew-wood-bow and six arrows. I don’t think a boy could be any more tickled. We watched him as he started walking home that evening, carrying his shiny new varnished bow and set of arrows. He was still admiring them when he went out of sight around the bend. I believe that was the last time we ever saw Raymond.
About the same time Mr. Blackman, a middle-aged man who lived up on the hill behind the Norway Golf Course, stopped at our house for a drink of water and, it being suppertime, was invited to eat with us. I didn’t know Mr. Blackman, but would see him walking by our place occasionally, carrying a packsack. That wasn’t an unusual sight during those depression days. As we ate, Mr. Blackman told us about Raymond Fry wanting to buy an old car he owned. The price was $10, but Mr. Blackman didn’t want to sell it to Raymond because he was too young and might hurt himself with it.
About a week later the local area was shocked when the news came out that Mr. Blackman had been shot and killed, and Raymond Fry was being held on suspicion of murder, Joe Ellis, who lived near Glen Aiken Creek, was hiking on the trail near Blackman’s when he saw young Fry burying something in a clump of bushes. He watched until Fry finished and left the scene. Then he dug into the disturbed soil and discovered the body of Mr. Blackman.
In spite of the overwhelming evidence against him, my dad never thought Raymond was guilty, but he had been set up. Many others felt the same way, including his teacher, Esther Wilson, who was very vocal on the subject. It was said Raymond wasn’t very bright and could be easily fooled, but I never noticed that. I guess it was because he was two or three years older than I was.
At his trial Raymond was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Oregon State penitentiary. Years later he was paroled, but was soon returned to Salem after allegedly shooting a pistol at a car that didn’t pick him up when he was hitchhiking. When he was paroled the second time, it was believed he killed his brother, He died soon after that.
My dad had passed on by that time, but if he had been there I expect he would have said, “What could you expect from a boy who had been thrown into prison with a bunch of hardened criminals?”
You Are The Stars by Boyd Stone
Mrs. Price S. Robison Laura B. Hoover, daughter of Aaron Hoover was born in Hennepin County, MN, October 27, 1864. She came to Coos County in 1875 and was married to Price S. Robison in 1883, making their home at Norway. To them was born 10 children, all of whom are living. She died at Bandon, September 24, 1923, age 58 years 10 months 27 days. Leaves her husband, 10 children; Caleb C. of Big Creek; Mrs. Beulah D Schroeder of Arago; Walter S of Rochester, WA; Mrs. D Leola Lewis of Gaylord; Mrs. Lucina Bell of Broadbent; Burnice Lillie of Arago; Mrs. Bernice Gulstrom (my grandmother) of Norway; Mrs. Florence Ellis of Gaylord; and Glenn at home; 25 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren. Buried at Norway.
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Southern Coos County American Sept 27, 1923 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Price Robison
Price Robison died at his home in West Norway Mar. 4, 1936. Born in Cole Co., MO. Apr. 10, 1858. He came to Coos County in October 1873, settling at Fishtrap, where he lived until Oct. 1879 when he moved to the ranch in West Norway where he lived until he died.
He was married Nov. 29, 1885 to Laura B. Hoover, who was born in Hennepin Co., MN. Oct 27, 1864. To them was born 4 sons and 8 daughters. His wife died Sept. 24, 1923,
He later married Mrs. Ora Barklow. His children are: Mrs. Beulah O Schroeder of Cornvallis; Walter S. (Corbett) Robison of Weed, CA; Mrs. Leola D. Lewis of Myrtle Point; Roy F. Robison of Norway; Mrs. Lucina Bell of Myrtle Point; twin daughters: Mrs Burnice Lillie and Mrs Bernice Gulstrom both of Arago’ Mrs. Florence Ellis of Bandon and Glenn Robison of West Norway; 2 brothers Rock of Coquille and Frank of Norway; 1 sister. Mrs. Martha Averill of Coquille; 36 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Buried at Norway with Masonic and Eastern Star lodge reading the graveside services.
Myrtle Point Herald Mar, 4, 1927
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Elizabeth Barklow Mrs. Elizabeth Barklow died May 17, 1902 on Halls Creek, age 74 years 10 months and 19 days. She was united in marriage to Elder David Barklow Sept. 22, 1863. In 1875 they came to Oregon and located in Norway, this county, where they resided until the death of Mr. Barklow in 1889, since that time Mrs. Barklow has made her home with her son-in-law, J.S. Root, who resides on Halls Creek. The deceased was a member of the German Baptist Church for many years. Funeral Services were held Monday and the remains interred in the Norway cemetery. Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 23, 1902 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Captain Oloff Reed
Captain Oloff Reed of Norway fell from a scaffold and died. Capt. O. Reed was born at Christiansen, Norway and was 78 years 10 months and 21 days old at the time of his death. He was formerly a sea captain but gave up the sea and located at Norway about 28 years ago. Then he started a general merchandise store in partnership with O. Nelson. Afterward he and his brother, Edward built the river boat Ceres, which with the Annie as companion craft made the run between Myrtle Point and Bandon. He is survived by one brother, Captain Hansen Reed in the boat building business in Marshfield and 2 sisters, Mrs. Ohman, Marshfield, and Mrs Hall, CA. The Captain made his home with Mr. and Mrs. S.L. Lafferty. Mrs. Lafferty was raised from a child by Capt. and Mrs. Reed.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 19, 1906 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Mrs. Christiana Hoover
Mrs. Christiana Hoover died at the home of her son-in-law, Price Robison at Norway, Wednesday morning. The funeral will be held from the hall at Norway, Rev. Thos. Barklow will conduct the service. Mrs. Hoover was born in Ohio, Mar. 25, 1823 and was married in 1842 to Aaron Hoover. From Ohio they moved to Minnesota where they lived a few years and came to Coos County in 1875 settling at Norway, which was their home from that time forth. Her husband died on July 4, 1881. Mrs. Hoover is survived by 4 children: Andrew Hoover Almenda County, CA; W.A. Hoover of Parkersburg; and Mrs. Asa Meyers and Mrs. Price Robison both of Norway. There are 29 living grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 16, 1906 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Sol. McCloskey
Sol. McCloskey, an old settler of Coos County died at his home Tuesday night. Buried in Norway cemetery. S.J. McCloskey was born in Philadelphia, PA on Nov. 14, 1859 (?) and was 71 years 7 months and 18 days old at the time of death. He was married to Mary N. Stewart on Winona, MN in 1859. In 1876, Mr. and Mrs. McCloskey came to Oregon locating on a ranch near Gravel Ford. In 1882 they moved to Norway where Mr. McCloskey engaged in business for 26 years. He is survived by his wife and 7 children: W.T. McCloskey of Myrtle Point; J.H. McCloskey of Norway; Mrs. L.A. Morgan or Bandon; Mrs. William Smith of Gravel Ford; and Mrs. Pinkston Laird of Coquille and Misses Minnie and Clara McCloskey of Norway. Mr. McCloskey was a member of the Masons.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, June 5, 1908
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. S.J. McCloskey
Mrs. S.J. McCloskey died at her home in Norway April 14, 1923. She had lived at Norway 40 years. She was born in Ireland, Dec. 12, 1836, being 86 years 4 months and 2 days old. Leaves children: Mrs. John Lester of Corcoran, CA; Mrs. P.W. Laird of Myrtle Point; Mrs. E. Morgan of Prosper; Mrs. Agnes Smith of Portland; Miss Clara McCloskey and J.H. McCloskey of Norway. Her husband and 2 children preceded her in death. Buried in Norway cemetery.
Southern Coos County American, Apr. 19, 1923
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Thomas William McCloskey
Thomas William McCloskey, son of Sol J. and Mary A. McCloskey, was born in Rochester, MN, Feb. 8, 1865. While an infant his parents moved to Cherokee, Kansas and when 10 years old started for the west in an emigrant train, and came directly to Coos County, OR. On Nov. 6, 1892 he was married to Miss Ida F. Self. To them was born a daughter and 3 sons-William Earl died age 1 and Reta Myrl age 22 years.
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For many years Mr. McCloskey was owner and captain of the river steamers plying between Myrtle Point and Coquille. Later he sold his boats to Capt. Panter and went into business in Myrtle Point. In 1915 their daughter who was attending the University in Eugene became ill and Capt. McCloskey sold out his business closed his home and took her to Portland and finally to Stockton, CA, where she passed away May 26, 1916.
They then made their home in Corcoran, CA where his sister Mrs. J.L. Lester, lived. Mr. McCloskey passed away May 20, 1921. Buried in Norway cemetery, Survived by his wife, and son, Jasper, his aged mother, 1 brother, J.H. McCloskey, and a sister Miss Clara of Norway, Mrs. Agnes Smith of Portland. Mrs. Lucinda Morgan of Bandon. Mrs. Flora Laird of Myrtle Point and Mrs. Minnie Lester of Corcoran, CA.
Southern Coos County American, June 2, 1921
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Miss Clara McCloskey
Miss Clara McCloskey died in Portland, Mar. 18, 1925. Born in Rochester, MN Jan. 15, 1869 and was 56 years 2 months and 3 days old. With her parents she crossed the plains in 1876 and they first settled in Gravel Ford but later moved to Norway. Four sisters and a brother survive: Mrs. L.A. Morgan, Bandon; Mrs. Agnes Smith, Portland; Mrs. P.W. Laird, Myrtle Point; Mrs. J.L. Lester Corcoran, CA and J.H. McCloskey. Buried at Norway.
Southern Coos County American, Mar. 26, 1925
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Sarah K. DeVaul
Mrs. Sarah K. DeVaul died at the home of her son, Albert DeVaul, at Norway, Tuesday Nov/ 4, 1902 at the age of 83 years 1 month and 22 days. Death was probably due from an injury about 22 hours before her death. Born in Hopkins County, KY, Sept. 12, 1819 and her maiden name was Sarah Howell. She moved with her parents to Missouri when 16 years of age and was united in marriage to James R. DeVaul Nov. 7, 1837 and 12 children was the result of this union. Mr. and Mrs. DeVaul left their home in Missouri in 1886 and went to Eastern Oregon and 2 years later came to this place where they have since resided. A loving husband and father who has shared her life’s journey for 65 years, 9 children and many other relatives mourn their loss. The children who survive her are: Jasper N. DeVaul, CA; Luther C. of ID; Martha A. Cornwell, CO; Louisa Roberts of Myrtle Point; Greene C. DeVaul, MO; Oscar DeVaul of Portland; Mrs. J.T. Dunlap of Norway, OR; Robert DeVaul of MO; and Albert DeVaul of Norway, OR. The funeral services were conducted at the M.E. Church by Rev. B.J. Hoadley. Internment took place at Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 7, 1902
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James R. DeVaul
James R. DeVaul passed away Sunday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J.H. Roberts. Internment will be in the Myrtle Point cemetery. James R. DeVaul was 92 years 7
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months and 27 days at the time of his death. He was born Mar. 28, 1814 at Elkton, Christian County, KY. Moved with his parents to Grundy County, MO in 1835. With his father he built the first store in Grundy County. On Mar. 2, 1837 Mr. DeVaul was united in marriage with Sarah K. Howell. To them was born 12 children. Those living are: Jasper N. DeVaul, J.A. DeVaul, and Melissa M. Dunlap of CA; Louisa Roberts and Dr. Oscar DeVaul of OR; Luther C. DeVaul of ID; Robert of MO; and Martha Cornwall of CO. With is his wife Mr. DeVaul moved to Eastern Oregon in 1886 and to Coos County in 1888. They were members of the Baptist Church for 60 but after coming to this county united with the M.E. Church. Mrs. DeVaul died Nov. 4, 1902 preceding her husband by 4 years. He was a veteran of the Blackhawk Indian war. He was the first justice of peace in Grundy County.
Myrtle Point Enterpise, Nov, 30, 1906
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Richard Haughton
Richard Haughton was born in Church Stratton, Shropshire, England, Feb. 11, 1830 and died very suddenly at his residence near Norway, Coos County, Nov. 21, 1912, at the age of 82 years 9 months and 10 days.
At an early age he immigrated to the United States, making several trips back to England. In 1874 he was united in marriage to Sarah Amy Foxen at Birmingham, England and they immediately left England for the United States, coming to Chico, CA and thence to Oregon, reaching Norway, Coos County, June 3, 1874 and have made this their home ever since. Besides his wife, he leaves 4 children: Mrs. Lily Perry, Richard Haughton Jr., George Haughton and Mrs. Mabel Barklow and 7 grandchildren.
Myrtle Point Herald, Nov. 28, 1912
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
J.D. Barklow (Johnnie D.)
J.D. Barklow of Halls Creek died last Friday at his home, age 60 years. Born in Story County, IA, he came to Oregon with his parents, Samuel and Annie Barklow when he was 2 years old. He lived the remainder of his life in this county. His parents lived for many years in the Norway district on what is now known as the J.H. Barklow home.
He was married to Sarah Noah and 2 children with mother survive. The children are: Lawrence Barklow and Mrs. Clarence Butler. Two brothers. J.H. Barklow of Norway and Nathan of Bandon; 4 sisters: Mrs. Broadbent of Lindsey, CA, Mrs. Bertha Snell of Raisin, CA, Mrs. Sarah Randleman of Bandon, Mrs. Alta McFarlan of Powers. He was a member of I.O.O.F. lodge of Coquille. Buried in the Camas Valley, the former home of his wife.
Myrtle Point Herald, Dec. 25, 1930
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Mrs. Asa Myers
Mrs. Asa Myers, nee Susannah Hoover was born Jan. 8, 1845 in Miami County, OH and died July 12, 1912 in Myrtle Point, OR. She was 67 years 6 months and 26 days old at the time of death. In 1861 she moved with her parents to Minnesota where in 1863 she was married to Asa Myers.
They came to Coos County in 1875 and have resided on a farm near Norway ever since. She was the mother of 13 children, 8 of whom with 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren survive. Besides her husband, she leaves 2 brothers and a sister; W.A. Hoover of Bandon and Andrew Hoover of Oakland, CA, and Mrs. Price Robison of Norway. Rev. Thos. Barklow conducted the service. Burial was in Norway cemetery.
(Note: Original obit says Mrs. Asa Meyers, her husband’s obit says Myers)
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 11, 1912
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Asa Myers
Asa Myers was born nearly 74 years ago and came to Coos County in 1875. He was on of the old pioneers of this county. He died June 3, 1918 and was interred as Norway cemetery.
He brought the second wagon to the county and at the time of his death owned the first reaper that ever came to this county. He settled near Norway when he came to Coos County and has resided there continuously since. Mrs. Myers preceded him in death about 5 years ago. He leaves 6 sons and 2 daughters, all but one of whom, Mrs. Hazen T. Murray who lives in Washington, lives in this vicinity.
Southern Coos County American, June 6, 1918
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Samuel Barklow
Was born in Union County, PA in 1841 to James and Anah Merlin Barklow. At the age of 7, in 1848 his parents moved to Illinois, where his father died. The mother moved to Iowa where she resided until 1872 when she came to Oregon and settled in Coos County. She made her home with her son, David, until about age 78 when she passed on at Norway.
In 1858 at age 17 Samuel united with the German Baptist Church. In 1861 Samuel married Mary Studebaker, in Pearl City, IL, she died in 1866 leaving two sons, James Henry Barklow, age 4, and Jacob Samuel Barklow, age 2, their father then married Anne Miller in 1867. James H. Barklow remained a resident of Coos County where he became county superintendent of schools. Jacob S. Barklow became a physician and died in 1889 at age 25.
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Samuel Barklow
From: The Coquille Valley, Vol II “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” By Patti & Hal
Strain
From: Centennial History of Oregon by J. H. Gaston
Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II, by Patti & Hal Strain, page 54
In 1867 Elder Samuel Barklow married Anne Miller who was born in PA in 1845 to
Jacob W. and Catharine (Walter) Miller, natives of that state. Samuel and Anne
Barklow came to Oregon in 1872 in company with 20 other people, and settled along
the Coquille River. He and his brothers, David and John, introduced the German Baptist religion to the Coquille Valley. David was presiding elder of the church until is death in 1889, when Samuel became the elder until his demise in 1897. He was also
elder over churches at Coquille, Moscow, ID and Oysterville, WA.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Anne Barklow
Anne (Miller) Barklow, “Aunt Annie” was born in Bedford Co., PA, Sept. 25, 1845. Married Sept. 8, 1866 at Keokuk Co., IA to Elder Samuel Barklow. Moved in 1872 Red Bluff, CA by train, then byteam to Coos County over the Coos Bay Wagon
Road, which was built only as far as Fairview and then they had to blaze their way to Coquille. Settled near Norway, OR. Surviving children: Mrs. C. Broadbent, Lindsey, CA; Mrs. Bertha Randleman, Myrtle Point; Mrs. Alta Winquist, Myrtle Point; Nathan, Bandon; John, Myrtle Point; a son, Willie deceased; 2 stepsons; J.H.
Barklow, Norway and Dr. Jacob Barklow, deceased; 1 brother in Nebraska; 21
grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Mr. Barklow died 29 years ago.Buried in Norway cemetery by husband and children.
Southern Coos County American, Apr. 7, 1927
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Captain C.H. Butler
Came Around Cape Horn
Captain C.H. Butler, father of Charles H. Butler of this city and grandfather of Mrs. E.J. Schneider was born in Maine, Mar. 17, 1841 and was among the first to sail around Cape Horn coming to the western coast in 1868. He settled in Empire first and
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sailed many sailing vessels between Empire and San Francisco, a pioneer master of Coos Bay for 16 years.
After that he was a Captain of the boat plying between San Francisco and British Columbia for 5 years, living at that time in San Francisco.
Leaving the see, he ran a dairy in Norway for 8 years, after which he settled in the Coquille Valley, living there for 15 years. His wife who was Anne Catherine Perry died July 3, 1918. Capt. Butler died at the home of his son, Jay Butler, at Berkley, CA, Sept 7, 1924, age 83 years 5 months and 20 days and leaving 7 children all of whom reside in California except C.H, Butler of Myrtle Point and Mrs. Beulah Westwood of Victoria, British Columbia.
Southern Coos County American, Sept. 11, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
August H. Schroeder; In Placer Operation
August H. Schroeder was born in Baltimore, MD, Mar. 8, 1843, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schroeder both natives of Germany. His father came to this country when he was 17 and his mother when she was 15, they both practically grew up in this country. In April 1859, the parents joined the Baltimore Company and with their family set out along the Atlantic coast, crossing the Isthmus of Panama and re-embarking in a steamer to take them along the Pacific coast into the great westland, August H. Schroeder received his education in the public and high schools of Baltimore. It was in 1862, he formed a partnership with Vale M. Perry in a large placer mining enterprise which they operated in the mountains near Johnson Creek in this county. In 1864, he purchased land in Bandon, where he did placer mining for many years. He later purchased 160 acres in the Coquille Valley, comparatively unimproved land and began its development. In October 1868 he married Miss Dora C. Perry, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Perry, one of the representative families of Connecticut. The Perry’s were also one of the pioneer families of Oregon, coming here in 1842 and settled in Oregon City.
To them was born 12 children of whom 8 are now living. Besides his widow, the children: Edwin F. of Broadbent; Thomas A. of Coquille; Charles E. of Reedsport; Mrs. Frederick Linegar (Johanna) of Ceres, CA; Mrs. A.H. Bender (Ada) of Norway; Percy G. of Norway; Henry A. of Myrtle Point and Mrs. John B. Carl (Edna) of Norway. He helped organize the first concert band in Coos County and played in the band which was located in Myrtle Point for all holiday occasions for many years. He helped his brother, Henry, to build and start the first creamery in this country, which was located at Arago.
Southern Coos County American, Sept, 11, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Dora Schroeder
Mrs. Dora Schroeder, 80 last October, died May 7th at her home at Norway. Mr. Schroeder died in Oct. 1924. Native of Oregon, she was born on what was then known as the Clatsop Plains. Maiden name was Dora Perry. Married 63 years to
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August Schroeder. 12 children born to them, 8 living: Edwin and Henry of Myrtle Point; Alfred of Coquille; Charles of Bandon; Mrs. Louisa Linegar of Chico, CA; Mrs. Ada Bender of Norway; Percy of Norway; Mrs. May Carl of Arago. Four sons have died; Eugene, Fredericks, Chester and Arthur Schroeder. Buried at Norway
Myrtle Point Herald, May 7, 1931
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Frederick Schroeder of the Baltimore Colony
John Frederick Schroeder died Oct. 23, 1925, he was one of the old pioneers of Coos County. He was born in Baltimore, MD, Sept. 15, 1844 being past 81 years. He spent his school days in Baltimore. On Apr. 11, 1859, Mr. Schroeder with his parents and 4 brothers and 1 sister and the Hermanns, Hollands, Benders and Volkmars and others started for the Coquille Valley via the Isthmus of Panama, arriving in this vicinity during the late days of May.
The Baltimore Colony as it was called, had representations of every trade with them. The Schroeder family chose as their home place 2 ½ miles south of Myrtle Point on the South Fork of the Coquille River.
He was married in 1866 to Mary (Perry) Grant, she was born at Clatsop Plains and was the first female white child born in Oregon. Her first husband T.L. Grant was a cousin of US Grant.
Soon after their marriage they purchased the Fred Schroeder farm between Coquille and Myrtle Point, and changed it from a wilderness to a fine farm. He brought the first Jersey cattle into the valley.
In 1903 he sold his farm to his 2 sons, C. Albert and Frank E. and moved to Coquille. His wife died in 1910. All the children survive: Clara Belle Snyder, wife of Capt. Levi Snyder of Portland; Charles Albert, Frank Elmore, James Finley and Eve L, wife of James Watson, Southern Coos County American, Oct. 29, 1925 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Mary Schroeder
Mrs. Mary Schroeder, wife of Fred Schroeder and one of the early pioneers of Coos County died at the family home in Coquille, Oct. 10, 1910. Mrs. Schroeder was the daughter of Wm. T. Perry, who came to Oregon in 1842, building the first flourmill in Oregon at Oregon City for Dr. McLaughlin.
The moved to Douglas County in 1851, settling on Deer Creek and he built the Roseburg flourmill. In 1858 he came to Coos County, locating where Norway now stands and moved his family here in Feb. 1859. Mrs. Schroeder was first married to Thomas L. Grant, a cousin of General Grant at Roseburg and when he died joined her parents at Norway and married Mr. Schroeder on Christmas 1866. A coincidence in the Schroeder family is that 3 brothers married 3 sisters.
The children of J.F. Schroeder are: Eva L., Clara B. Snyder of Portland; Albert, Frank, and Finley. Mrs. Schroeder was born on the Clatsop Plains in 1848 and is said to have been the first white female born in Oregon.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 14, 1910
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Albert Myers, Engineer, Fiddler taken by Death
Albert Myers of West Norway died Dec. 31, 1936. Born Jan. 31, 1869 near Minneapolis, MN. On Jan. 10, 1875 he, with his parents landed on Coos Bay and came up the isthmus in a small boat as far as Coaledo, where they transferred to a train, which was drawn by horses as far as Beaver Slough. Here they again took a boat up Beaver Slough to the Coquille River and then up the Coquille to Norway, where they settled.
Myers father worked for a time on the ranch which is now owned by J.H. McCloskey and which he later rented for a year. His father, A.C. Myers and Aaron Hoover went to San Francisco on a sail vessel, where they bought a sawmill machinery and a grist mill. When they returned with the machinery, they erected the mills on the ranch now owned by Price Robison of West Norway. Part of the grist mill building is still standing.
Myers, who was an engineer, helped his father run the mill for several years and up until the time of his death, held an engineer’s license for a boat of 250 tons. He also was an engineer on the boat runs on the Coquille River. Several years after that, the Myers family sold their property and moved to the ranch now owned by George Maas, where they made their home for 45 years.
After the parent’s death, the heirs sold the ranch to Gus Hammerstrum, who ran the farm for 2 years before selling it to G. Maas the present owner.
He was well known in these parts and he and his brothers were all fiddlers, and being the left-handed one of the group.
Survivors: 2 sisters: Mrs. Hazel T. Murray, Tacoma, WA and Mrs. Daisy B. Clinton of Myrtle Point and 4 brothers; J.E., and E.J. Myers of West Norway; L.A. Myers of Arago and R.A. Myers of Broadbent. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, Jan. 7, 1937
Pioneers & Incidtrents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Section 4
Arago
Arago—In 1853 the 19 men exploring to settle the coastal area formed Coos Bay Commercial Company at the Hoffman place. The next few days several canoes of white men and Indians peacefully floated down the river to the mouth of the river. Indians were camped all along the river and the chiefs, paddling their canoes, seemed content to make a short journey each day, as they visited with their countrymen at various camps. The place now occupied by the Arago creamery was their second camp. Here they found the largest fishing village on the Coquille River. “there were hundreds of Indians.” The company remained one night and one-half day, communicating the best they could with the shy and soical redmen who were peaceable and friendly, though they looked upon the whites with astonishment.
Arago, formerly called Hall Prairie voting precinct, established in 1855, was renamed by Judge John Henry Schroeder for Cape Arago, which is some 18 miles to the northwest. The post office opened April 1866 with William H. Schroeder was first
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postmaster serving 32 years, until 1898. The office remained in operation until 1959 (Oscar Harper bought the store in 1948 and was postmaster until his death in 1990.) when it was discontinued as a rural station of Myrtle Point.
Log Dump at Arago
David Hall had a donation claim at Hall Prairie, later owned by Judge Henry Schroeder. That land is where county fairs were held several years, including a race-track which was built in 1884, at which time the Southwest Oregon Agricultural Society was formed. For several years the fair was fairly well patronized and trails of speed were numerous and some of the native stock became quite famous. After the fair ceased operation in Hall Prairie, Judge Schroeder purchased the large pavilion, which had been erected, moved it a few hundred yards and in 1892 established a splendid creamery in the building. The creamery was subsequently purchased by a co-operative company formed among the farmers and it is now (1898) being satisfactorily operated and bring $25,000 or $30,000 for the farmers annually.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
David Hall Early Settler of Hall Prairie
David Hall settled on Hall Prairie on a donation land claim in July 1855. Lester Barkley has extensively researched how the name “Arago” attached to Hall Prairie in later years.
Lester W. Barkley wrote:
My research shows that a fellow by the name of Judge John Henry Schroeder, also known as J. Henry Schroeder, was a judge of the first Coos County Courthouse, located at Empire, in the year of 1884. Empire is located near Cape Arago.
A daughter that lived at Bandon, Oregon, in May of 1927 stated they needed a name for the post office on the prairie, but the postal authorities rejected a name with two words, so he called it Arago.
At least Schroeder could have used the name of Hall. I have a copy of David Hall’s donation land claim. It was taken up in July of 1855. I have a copy of the early-day marriages for Coos County, Oregon from 1854 (before Oregon became a state) through 1865.
In 1857, David Hall married an Indian Girl from the tribe that lived on the prairie. He called her Mary.
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Indian Agent David Hall of Hall Prairie From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” By Patti & Hal Strain
Township map showing David Hall’s Land Claim
Courtesy of Lester Barkley
David Hall died during the great flood of 1861-62. The records show that a guardian
was appointed for Mary Hall. His claim of 160 acres was sold for $100. Being and
Indian, I wonder if Mary received one penny of that money…The first Coos County
Fair site was at Hall Prairie. It had a racetrack that was about a half-mile long.
Lester Barkley—The Coquille Valley—Patti Strain
Darrell’s Post Script
Through a little research I was able to determine that the land along the river where the Arago boat ramp is located is where David Hall had his donation land claim (1850 see attached map). Mr. Hall drowned during the winter flood of 1861-62. It was a fast raising and extremely high water event. They say that extreme cold
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brought snow in the coast range. Then Chinook winds warmed the area up and melted the snow rapidly. Having witnessed some extreme high water I can only imagine what happened to Mr. Hall.
Arago Basketball goes to State
In 1925 the little high school of Arago with 50 students, and with a basketball squad of only seven boys, won over all the high schools in their own league such as Riverton, Broadbent, Bridge and Powers, then upset Bandon, Myrtle Point and Coquille, the top contenders in the larger schools, to become the undisputed champions of Coos County. Members of the team were Everett Lafferty, Wallace Miller, Wiley Cornwell, Art Ferrier, Wendall Robison, Frank Sinko and Bob Doyle.
The 1920’s is where it all began for Oregon high school basketball. By the middle portion of the decade, most districts throughout the state were organized and had an understandable and fair method for determining a district champion. Even if it was slightly skewed in favor of the bigger schools it was almost always settled on the court. Arago - State qualifier in 1925 after winning three games at the District 5 Tournament at the Marshfield Armory, each by one point. Arago was one of the first truly small schools to qualify for the state tournament with an enrollment of just 35 students in 1925. Arago would go on to lose to McMinnville by 19 in the state tournament but their stunning run through the District 5 Tournament became the stuff of legend in Coos County and southern Oregon. Arago continued to compete in basketball and even took home the 1932 Southern Oregon College Invitational, they never again competed at the state tournament.
1925 Arago High School Basketball Team
Adrain Schroeder, Wallace Miller, Fred Lafferty,
Alfred Cornwell, Wendell Robison, Art Farrier
Bob Doyle’s sister, Evelyn Edmon, who lived in Springfield, sent me an interesting article she wrote about how the Arago High School got its gymnasium.
The high school was started in 1920. Leta Ague and Margaret Watson were the teachers the first two years. Then in the fall of 1922 Frank Cooper and his wife and daughter came to Arago from Pleasant Hill, near Eugene. Mr. Cooper was hired as
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principal with his wife as his assistant. Their daughter, Margeret, enrolled in the freshmen class. The others in the class were Bob Doyle, Virgil Halter, Dick Matney, Art Ferrier, Bill Finley, Elbert Dean and Lena Wallen.
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Arago High School 1927
Back Row Left to Right—Harry Collier, Mrs. Seevy, Mr. Seevy, Winnie Paul, Opal Robison, Meldon Carl
Middle Row—Houston Robison, Harvey Meyers, Kenneth Carl., Everett Lafferty, Orvis Miller, Floyd Fredinberg, Ernie Milani
Front Row—Irene
Mr. Cooper decided right away that sports should be added to the curriculum, but there weren’t enough boys for football, so he concentrated on basketball. First they would need gymnasium, but a meeting with the Board of Directors got him nowhere. The directors were John Hickam, Nile Miller, Clarence Schroeder and John Carl. They told Mr. Cooper they thought a gymnasium was a good idea, but they simply didn’t have the estimated $1800 to spend, so it was out of the question.
In looking around for other ways to raise $1800, Mr. Cooper discovered the Arago Creamery used enormous amounts of cord-wood to heat the boiler. He made arrangements to supply the firewood then persuaded the neighborhood to become involved. Nile Miller and Jess Robison donate trees and furnished drag-saws to cut them into cord-wood. Art Ferrier and Bob Doyle hauled the wood to the creamery
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with a wagon and team. All the money collected was put into a building fund. E.W.
Gregg of Coquille was hired to supervise the donated labor. Everyone pitched in and by the fall of 1923 the gym was finished and ready to use, with the total cost of $1800
paid in full
Mr. Cooper was not only an excellent promoter, he was a terrific coach. Mr. and Mrs.
Cooper taught at Arago High School for only four years then went back to Pheasant Hill, but they left a gymnasium. After seventy years the old school house is long gone, but the gym is still alive and well. It is now owned by the Arago Community Church and is used regularly for church basketball games and other church functions.
Few people, in such a short time, have left a community with so many worthwhile and lasting accomplishments as Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.
From Life in the Past Lane by Boyd Stone and Oregon Hoops History Blogspot
J.W. Clinton Logging Camp at Arago, circa 1896
J.W. Clinton on end of log upper left. Historical & Maritime Museum #966:89D
Andrew Smalley of Halls Creek
ANDREW SMALLEY owns a well-improved farm of one hundred and sixty-seven acres, six miles below Myrtle Point, Oregon, and is well known as a general agriculturist and stock-raiser. He dates his residence in this section from 1888 and is
widely and favorably known as one of its substantial residents. He is a native of Pennsylvania, born April 3, 1853. His parents were Benjamin L. and Hannah M.
Smalley, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father came to America when he was sixteen years of age and married in Pennsylvania, where he resided until the outbreak of the Civil war. He enlisted in the Federal army as one of the first volunteers from his state and was killed in the battle of Bull Run. He and his wifewere the parents of three children: Mary J., who died in Virginia City, Nevada; Andrew, the subject of this sketch; and Edgar, who was killed in a mine accident in Nevada. Mrs. Smalley, the mother of our subject, died at the home of her daughter in Virginia City. Andrew Smalley was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania and remained at home until he was twenty years of age. He came
west a few years later and mined for eight years in Virginia City, Nevada, and thence
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went to California, where he worked in the timber forests and at various other occupations for seven years. When he came to Coos County in 1888 he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on Halls Creek and began its improvement by building fences and erecting good barns and out buildings. He has since added seven acres to his original purchase. He carried on the work of tilling and cultivating the soil, later adding stock raising to his activities, until he is now one of the most substantial citizens of his district and his farm is numbered among the prosperous enterprises of this kind in the state. In 1873 Mr. Smalley was united in marriage to Miss Emma Tillman a native of Pennsylvania. In that state their marriage occurred and in 1888 they came west to Oregon. Mrs. Smalley is a daughter of David and Sarah Tillman, who lived in Pennsylvania for a number of years and both died in that state.
The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Page 575
Smalley house on Halls Creek
Coquille Valley Histroical Society Collection
She is one of five children born to her parents, the others being: Sarah, who died in Pennsylvania; Miranda, the wife of James Brewster, of Pennsylvania; Marcus, also a resident of Pennsylvania; and one child who died in infancy. To Mr. and Mrs. Smalley have been born fourteen children: David J., who is still at home; Charles E., also living at home; Andrew, who died at the age of nine years; Christopher, who passed away when ten months of age; Carl, who is now a resident of Cashmere, Washington; Callie, the wife of Charles McVey of Napa, California; Dolly V., who married Russell Hill of Coos County; Emma J. , the wife of Bud King , of Coos county; Benjamin S. , Marcella , Mary J. , Mildred H. and Etta, all of whom are at home ; and Eva, who died at the age of two years . All the children of Mr. and Mrs. Smalley received their education in the public schools of Coos County. During the twenty - four years of his residence in this section Mr. Smalley has taken an active and helpful part in the work of improvement and progress, which has been carried forward along various lines. He has directed and managed his business affairs so successfully that he is today placed among
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the prominent agriculturists of Coos County. In his political affiliations Mr. Smalley
gives his allegiance to the Republican Party but takes no very active part in public affairs.
Churches at Fishtrap
The United Brethren Church at Fishtrap, known as Willowdale Church, was quite active in its early years. Families going there were the Fishes, Edwards, Radabaughs, Knifes, Albees, Hammacks, Halters, and Millers. Ethel Fish Halter recalled that in the wintertime dirt roads turned to mud and sleds pulled by horses became the best choice of travel, but Nile and Effie Miller and their three children, Wallace, Orvis and Gladys used a sled pulled by their old work horse they year around.
Brother Brady was the minister of the Willowdale Church when the Finleys moved to Fishtrap in 1914. The Finleys went to the little Fishtrap Methodist Church, but they would occasionally go to the Willowdale Church when the congregation had their monthly potluck dinners after church services.
Minnie describes Brother Brady as a young man who couldn’t preach for sour apples. One time in explaining why he became a preacher he said he was admiring the white fluffy clouds in the sky one summer afternoon when it suddenly dawned on him their shapes spelled the letters PC. He was sure it was a message from god telling him to Preach Christ.
One Sunday when the Willowdale Church had their potluck dinner and the Finley’s were present Brother Brady announced that the following Sunday he would be preaching a funeral. Everyone looked at each other for signs that one of them might die before the next Sunday, but everyone looked pretty healthy, and they didn’t know of anyone else on Fishtrap Creek that was expected to die before the following Sunday, but they Brother Brady was always getting messages from God. Maybe he knew something they didn’t.
The next Sunday the Willowdale Church was filled to capacity, Genarah Finley and quite a few others who usually attended the Fishtrap Methodist Church, were present because they were curious as everyone else about whose funeral Brother Brady was going to preach. They knew of no one on the creek that had died, so what a surprise they got when Brother Brady preached Christ’s funeral anyway.
The next year 1915, Brother Brady retired from preaching and started a chicken farm. Loren Young, a boy Minnie was going with at the time, said Brother Brady must have decided the clouds he saw in the sky didn’t spell PC after all, but RC, and it was a message from God telling him to Raise Chickens.
After several families moved away from Fishtrap Creek the Willowdale Church could no longer support a minister. The building stood vacant for several years, then in July of 1924 a spark, believed to be from a steam donkey in a nearby logging operation, set the building on fire and it burned to the ground. Only two pews were saved, and later the bell was recovered. Ethel Halter and her mother were shocking hay in their field across the road and watched it burn. They were sorry to see it go. Ethel’s father had helped build that church in 1894, and her parents were married there in 1900. The framework had been constructed without nails, but only wooden pegs were used.
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The Fishtrap Methodist Church
From: La Verne Brodie
Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II by Patti & Hal Strain, page105
The Fishtrap Methodist Church was located on the Arago Road directly across the
river from the south end of the Johnson Mill Road. The Newton’s with their 12 children lived on the Johnson Mill Road and would cross the river every Sunday morning in their rowboat to attend Fishtrap Methodist Church. Newton’s sand bar was often used by the church for baptismal services when someone wished to be baptized by immersion rather than the customary Methodist way so sprinkling. Minie was baptized by immersion on Newton’s Bar by a Methodist minister. The Fishtrap
Methodist Church was owned by the Coquille Methodist Church. It was eventually
torn down and the lumber used to build two rentals in Coquille still stands today.
When the Arago Community Church was established in 1936 some of those still living that had attended the Fishtrap Methodist Church or the Willowdale Church got together and contributed the pulpit for the new church. Alma Haler, Ethel Halter’s mother-in-law, was the driving force behind the fundraising. 20 families and
individuals contributed. The Oerding Brothers, owners of a myrtle wood factory in Coquille, designed and built the pulpit out of solid myrtle wood.
The Willowdale United Brethren Church and the Fishtrap Methodist Church are gone now, but not forgotten. The original Arago Community Church Building has been
replaced by a beautiful new edifice located in a grove of Redwood trees (located on the old Arago School property). Everything is new, that is, except for the myrtle wood pulpit. It is still being used and is a fitting memorial to the Willowdale Church
and the Fishtrap Methodist Church, and a testimonial to the faithful members who attended them.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
Used Horsewhip
Mrs. Radabaugh of Arago vigorously applied a horsewhip to a woman who had been preaching Holy Rollerism in this valley, on the river wharf at Coquille one day last
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week. The woman had so influenced the 16-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Radabaugh that she burned her best dresses and a watch that had been given her, that she might be sanctified according to the Holy Roller faith.
Mrs. Radabaugh asked the priestess to pay for the property destroyed, but she made for the boat and got away from the infuriated mother, who took a horse and buggy and followed the boat to Coquille where she caught the preacher and again gave her a chance to pay for the destroyed property. The woman did not pay, and Mrs. Radabaugh proceeded to apply a horsewhip over the shoulders and body, finally knocking her down.
The woman left by the first boat for the lower river points, probably thinking she was entitled to be classed with the prophets of old who were beaten and tortured. Many others think she got what she deserved and hope that Mrs. Radabuagh’s prompt action will make future visits for her ilk unpopular.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Sept. 4, 1908 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Graduates from Arago High School
Wed, May 23, 1923
Augusta M. Fredenburg
Norman W. Halter
Class graduation announcement 1923.
Lucille Hoover
Adrian Schroeder
Emily Schroeder
Mary Evelyn Woodman
F.F. Cooper, Princ.
E, Cooper, Asset
Mon, May 19, 1924
Thelma Elizabeth Schroeder
Velda Marie Schroeder
Hazel Gretchen Newton
Shirley Hichham
Wallace T. Miller
Adrian C. Halter
Sat. May 23, 1925
Christina Pauline Vetter
Dorma Agnes Lett
Mary Zelia Root
Ethel Eugenia (Halter) Fish
Edythe Woodward
Edward L. Fredenburg
Harry C. Hickman
Tue, May 18, 1926
Margret Cooper
Robley Doyle
Arther B. Farrie
Virgil Halter
Wendell Robison
May 1927
Frank Burbank
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Ariel McDonald
Sat. May 19, 1928
Everette E. Lafferty
Ruby Agnes Robison
Kenneth E. Carl
Roberta Ferryl Doyle
I.B. Sevy, Princ.
Sat. May 18, 1929
Harvey D. Myers
Irene E. Schroeder
Opal K. Robison
Irma L. Schroeder
Wed. May 14, 1930
Huston Robison
Orvus H. Miller
Edna Mabil Halter
Winnie Marguerite Paulla
May 1931
Lyle Paue
Harry Collier
Hildreth Hill
Georgie Deardoff
May 21, 1932
Melden A, Carl
Joe Sinko
Lavaun A Aasen
Doris V. Currie
Ray I. Barklow
Leona A. Paull
Ernest B. Milan
Leatha E. Hill
May 1933
Donald Currie
Hilo Griffin
Bud Griffin
Parm Patrick
Ike Miller
Shelly McAllister
Lois Schroeder
Roth Keltner
Ethel Collier Stewart
Leola Robison
Fri. May 11, 1934
Iola Josephine Robison
Herbert G. Carl
Harold E. Fish
Fri. May 10, 1935
Mary Evelyn Dolye
Wallace J. Carl
J. Price Schroeder
Mary Helen Watkins
Willis Sinko
G. Woodrow Robison
Leatha Julie Munford
C, Lee Collier
Ray Cornwell
May 1936
Fred Vetter
Annie Deardoff
Charlie Webb
May 1937
Marguerite Robison
Francis E. Barklow
Alvin Fredenburg
Jean Watkins
Hazel Miller
Wed. May 18, 1938
Stephen Aasen
Esther Barnett
Milton Hammack
Clyde Lillie
Ellis Rackleff
Ivan Robison
Tennessee Cue Robison
May 1939
Gladys Miller
Leon Garrone
Lois Robison
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Fri. May 17, 1940
James Everette Doyle
Betty Jean Blondell
Kenton A. Myers
Fri. May 16, 1941
Mary Maxine Rackleff
Mary Jean McAllister
Gerald Wayne Woodward
Thurs, May 14, 1942
Laura Bernice Lillie
Virginia Evelyn King Robison
Betty June Rieber
Glenn Albert Gulstrom
Arago Class Gradates Next Week, Class of 1943
(Last class to graduate from Arago High School)
Baccalaureate services for the graduating class of the Arago High School are to be held Sunday evening at 8:00pm, at the Arago Community Church, with Rev. Marion Stern of Myrtle Point as speaker.
The annual high school commencement exercises are to he held Wednesday evening, May 12, at 8:15 at the high school gym, with Principal L.P. Linn of Myrtle Point Union High School as speaker. David and Bruce Bishop are to be graduated from the high school.
The school and community picnic, held annually during the final week of school, is to be held at the Arago consolidated school, has been set for Saturday, May 15th at 12 noon. Ice cream, coffee and milk will be provided by the school, and families attending the picnic will provide food for the potluck luncheon to be served, as well as plates and eating equipment. Everyone is welcome.
May 1943
Bruce Bishop
David Bishop
R. Long, Princ.
Myrtle Point Herald May 6, 1943
Arago School Opens Tuesday
The Arago consolidated school opened the fall term Tuesday morning with W. Ralph Long as principal and the following teachers assisting: Mrs. Long, Mrs. Lee Powell, Mrs. Verna Oakes and Mrs. Arthur Jones, the last three from Myrtle Point, The Longs live in Arago.
Mr. Long, who was principal of the Junior High school in Myrtle Point last year, reports that four of the five of his Arago teachers hold college degrees and two have received their master’s degrees.
Myrtle Point Herald September 3, 1943
Arago to Vote on School Issue
The voters of the Arago school district will vote July 31st, at 8 pm on suspending their high school.
This announcement was made by the board following a meeting held Tuesday evening. The cause for calling a vote of the people resulted from the loss of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Long, who were employed in the high school, he as principal and she as
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teach under him. The Longs have accepted a position in a larger school at San Jacinto, CA, near Los Angeles.
When the couple had signed their contract with the Arago board, they had the understanding that they would be released at the time a position came up for them in California.
If the Arago voters agree to suspend, the board will provide tuition and transportation to one or more high schools.
(Note: I could not find a follow up article for this meeting. But since 1943 was the last year for the high school we can assume that they voted to suspend high school at Arago.)
Myrtle Point Herald, July 22, 1943
Oscar’s—The Place to go In Arago
Harper Merchantile
By Donna Breitkeutz
“You can’t miss it, “he tells a customer as he fills her gas tank. Shaking her head she laughs and adds if she does miss it, at least she has a full tank while she drives around in her search.
The customer is looking for her uncle’s ranch and after driving fruitlessly up and down valley roads has finally stopped for directions and gas at the small Arago store.
Oscar Harper’s voice, strong despite his 75-years, rumbles directions. His response to her questions are direct. He isn’t inclined to social amenities. He can seem gruff, but when he is with his wife, Virginia, bedridden with MS, his natural gentleness is revealed.
Youngsters from the small community of Arago grow up stopping by Oscar’s for candy, pop or to pick up the family mail. With a nickname for many of them, and recognizing the opportunity to educate, he demands they carefully count their money.
Oscar remembers when he gave credit to anyone walking into the store on just the basis of the person’s name. He didn’t have to worry. Now he sadly shakes his head,
“Not no more,” he adds thinking back over the 34 years, “to tell you the truth.” I probably took too many chances.”
Arago is located on the banks of the winding Coquille River between Myrtle Point and Coquille. When you look across the valley from Highway 42, Arago is a clump of green trees, a clustering of home nestled in the valley, and during flood times when the Coquille spreads out in all directions making a huge lake, it is an island.
It is like many small communities off the beaten path—a church, a school, a small store and a few homes. The families—some old timers—will always call it home. For other families it is a stop over—a brief remembrance in life. A place to stay while making a little money on a dairy ranch or picking ferns. It is one of those communities where everyone acknowledges the other driver with a short wave of the hand.
Oscar and Virginia have lived in Arago since 1948 when they heard the store was for sale and decided it was good place to raise children. Their two sons, William and Edwin, have long been raised, but Arago is still home form the Harpers.
Oscar was born in 1908 in Pearl, ID, and his family moved to southern Oregon when he was two and he has been an Oregonian since. His father died while the family was
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living in Eugene, and his mother worked in the Eugene woolen mill to support her four children.
“When I was a senior in high school I learned to weave. I’d run that loom, get down there about an hour before quitting time to relieve mom, work a couple hours more, all piece work.” He says.
During the depression years, the family was in Klamath Falls where Oscar was falling
timber and where he met and married Virginia in 1934. The young couple built their first home, in 1937. It was a stone, three bedroom with 18 inch thick walls, built by an Italian mason for $6,000. The house still stands in Klamath Falls. “It’ll be there forever,” says Oscar explaining that they could have had two-bedroom wood home for $1,800. “I was making good money then,” recalls Oscar about his years with Weyerhaeuser when he was making $200 to $250 a month. Though he was making good money, he was also working too hard.
“I knew I wouldn’t stand up too many years that way,” says Oscar about his timber falling years. He decided to try fishing and the young Harpers moved to Coos Bay in 1940. For the next eight seasons, he fished out of Charleston.
“If I remember right I got 7 cents for a pound for Silvers and 12 cents for Chinook. He also remembers a catch of 11 tons in 30 days. “I made good money at crabbing too.”
Oscar’s fishing days where the days of no fishing regulations. “No, no,” he says wshaking his head about regulations, “you just went out and fished. And the fish were there.” One year in the early 1940s he made $10,000 and had only about $600 for expenses. According to Oscar there were only 30 to 40 fishing boats at Charleston at that time.
Oscar recalls the incident, which resulted in on less fishing boat and nearly two fewer fishermen. He and a friend went out in his friend’s 44-foot boat. Oscar explains that his friend, “loaded the pots way high,” which along with stormy seas caused the boat to tip over.
“One of those pots was on top of me and took me under the water about 8 to 10 feet before I could get out. When I came back up that old boat was laying right square on its side and just running wide open. It was 80 to 100 yards away. I had to swim to it. Waves would break way over the top of me.” After getting in the boat and pulling up his friend who had been clinging to the boat, Oscar remembers that the men spent the next three hours believing they would not be rescued and wondering how their families would handle it.
Fortunately another fisherman spotted them and began towing them in. The Coast Guard arrived and took over the towing job. However,, the line broke and the boat was lost after all.
“I’d never been behind a counter,” says Oscar about their move to Arago as owners of the community store in 1947. “It carried hardware and everything when I came,” says Oscar explaining that as far as he knew the store was built in 1924 (The store had been built in 1924 by Lyn Burtis.) The wood floored store with the post office over in the corner has served the community since 1924, according to Oscar.
“Four or five customers that were on the books when we came here are still here.” That’s a long time, isn’t it?” he softly asked. Oscar adds that Virginia had experience clerking so when they took over the store, “she was more or less the boss.” Besides
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being the Arago Post Office where about 50 families get their mail, the store also is a place where you pick up a loaf of bread, the string beans you forgot to buy, or a needed bottle of aspirin. The shelves, are sparsely stocked but include the basics along with school supplies, gloves, socks and baseball caps. On top of the meat case is a jar of sausages. A wood stove is in the back of the store next to the door leading into the rooms, which are home for Oscar and Virginia.
“Used to be in the winter time, those farmers, always be four or five of them around that stove for an hour or so, yaking when it was mail time. It’s changed, but when it changes slowly you don’t pay no attention to it,” says Oscar citing the changes over his many years. Then he adds, “The people used to didn’t come and go. They were all stable. I used know everyone, but not anymore.”
Last year (1982) his small neighborly store was held up. “It was quitting time, it was dark. I just put my money in the safe. The door opened up, I hadn’t locked it yet. This guy ran right up to me. He had a mask over his face. I thought it was one of these young fellow around here clowning around,” he adds explaining, “they’re always doing something, you know. He raised up his hand and he had a stick, a club about 18 inched long.” Oscar continues, “And he said, ‘give me you’re money, or I’ll hit you/’ So I just laughed at him and said, Oh, I ain’t got any money.” When the robber pushed Oscar a bottle crashed to the floor scaring the robber away.
Oscar says he really didn’t think seriously about it being a robbery attempt until it was all over.
Although there have been a few home built in the Arago area since he arrived, there has been an influx of trailer houses. He has seen the Arago school which was once a noisy, with eight grades of children become and empty monument to consolidation and economic hard time. The co-op cheese factory next door is boarded up.
Besides operating the store, Oscar in the past has found time to enjoy hunting and fishing and be a member of the Coquille Masonic Lodge and the Myrtle Point Christian Church.
He is justly proud of the fire engine which is parked at this place and which serves the fire protection district. The district was formed under his leadership and for many years was fire chief. “They retired me—I’m 75,” he says.
Oscar admits there had been plans for retirement, but Virginia illness changed the plans. He explains they are confined since Virginia, paralyzed from the waist down for over 12 years, needs special daily care. “It would cost us double to live, in town,” he says. He points to Betty Hatcher of Coquille who is busy butting clothes in the washing machine and waiting on the occasional customer,” “we couldn’t make it without her,” he says.
“Yes, she gets lonely, he says about Virginia. “She never has enough company to suit her,” he adds leading the way into the living room where Virginia sits tucked in with a blanket, lying on a recliner. At Oscar’s gentle urging she agrees to have her picture taken.
The sun peeking through the rain showers, skips through the closed venetian blinks, but Virginia says it doesn’t matter to her whether it is rainy or sunny. “No” she shakes her head, the rain doesn’t depress her. Her life is inside this room with her husband, her friend Betty and the ever-present television. Because of her illness, she can no longer read, but can see TV.
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Is she bitter? She honestly admits that at first she wondered, “why her.” However, now she has accepted her life. “I’m so lucky,” she says, “I just put my hands around the back of Oscar’s neck and he lifts me into bed.” Her voice cracks as she gently adds that she knows many husbands would just walk out. Virginia, like Oscar, has praise for Betty, who is obviously not just an employee, but also a close friend.
Smiling, Virginia remembers her days when she was an active member of the garden club and Eastern Star. “Arago had theirown garden club. I was director for the district.” She says explaining that the district was from Gold Beach to Powers. As the memories of her former life come back, she hesitates, searching for a word. “I’ll think of it in a minute,” she says. And she does.
She points to the plants around the room, delighted with them. Sadly she admits that being able to garden is what she misses the most. “I used to have such a pretty yard,” she says proudly.
It is late afternoon and Oscar has several customers. He stiffly walks behind the Post Office counter to do some work while a deliveryman fills an order and teases him about being a celebrity. Oscar and the man briefly reminisce about changes in the area.
A young man comes in to pick up his mail. Oscar tells him it has already been picked up. “My sister beat me to it, huh?” the young man asks. He is like many of the ones in the community who have been coming into the store since they were young and stopped by for a pop on the way down to the boat landing to fish.
Now, Oscar walks is slower, his voice not quite as forceful, but he is there, calling them by name, knowing their post office box number.
For many Arago is home. It always will be. (Virginia passed away in 1988 and Oscar passed away in 1990. The store closed in 1990 after Oscar passed away.)
People Pleaser February 1, 1983
Sivert Aasen was born in Norway, Europe, May 15, 1846. He came to America in 1871 and settled in Coos County July 1, 1872.
The family homesteaded and farmed on Halls Creek, where the sons logged using a short railroad that they built. By occupation Mr. Aasen was a sailor and had been on most of the seas of the globe. He married Maria L. Bagge in San Francisco in 1873, she was born in 1843 in Chrihansai, or Kristians-sund, Norway, and come to America in 1873. In 1914 they visited their old home in Norway.
Maria Aasen lived at Halls Creek 46 years, where she died at age 75 in 1919. Severt Aasen deid in 1928, both are buried at Masonic Cemetery in Coquille.
Their children, birth/death and where they were when Sivert died in 1928, Marie, (1874-1923) married Henry K. Fredenburg of Halls Creek; Edwin, 1878, foreman of a logging camp, living in Coquille; Louis 1880, married Alice Everenden of Rock Creek, they lived at Halls Creek; John, 1881, married Amy Kelly of Coquille and lived there; Sigwald (1883-1917) a twin of Magnor 1883, who married Charlotte Hill, lived in Myrtle Point; Oluf, 1884, lived at Halls Creek. Gaston, Dodge, Peterson & Powers Woolridge The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
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Ben Figg
Ben Figg, an old pioneer of Coos County died at Coquille, Sunday age 75 years. Mr. Figg was born in England and came to Coos County in July 1856 and settled at the forks of the river. In 1859 he sold to Capt. Rackleff and moved to Fishtrap where he has since resided Benjamin Figg From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hall
Strain. Picture through courtesy of Laura Ruble Wad & Penny Stewart.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 5, 1906
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Grover Texas Robison
Grover Texas Robison, an old resident of Fishtrap community died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Hickum in Coquille last Saturday at the age of 65 years. Mr. Robison was a native of Missouri and came west with his family in 1888. He was married in 1872 and was the father of 4 children. Burial was in the family cemetery near Fishtrap.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 22, 1912
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Priscilla Robison
Priscilla (Matlock) Robison was born in Cole Co., MO, Feb. 19, 1848 and died at the home of her daughter at Fishtrap, OR, July 11, 1924 being 76 years 4 months and 22 days old. She married G.T. Robison of Cole Co., MO, Dec. 7, 1871 and to them was born 4 children, 1 having died. The family came to Coos County in 1888, settling at Fishtrap and has lived there ever since. The 3 children living are: George Robison, Mrs. Eva Hickum and James Robison, all of Fishtrap section. Funeral services at Fishtrap Methodist Church, July 13. Buried at Fishtrap cemetery.
Southern Coos County American July 17, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Radabaugh
John Radabaugh was born Feb. 15, 1828 in Montgomery Co., OH and died Apr. 28,
1898, being 69 years month and 18 days of age. He was married to Nancy Mack, Apr.
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18, 1857 in Darke Co., OH and to them was born 4 sons and 2 daughters. One daughter died in infancy and 1 son at the age of 22 years in MN. From Minnesota they immigrated to this state and county 23 years ago this month. Z.T. Johnson of Myrtle Point accompanying them. Mr. Radabaugh settled on the present homestead (Arago), where he lived up to the time of his death. Funeral services were conducted Tuesday at the Radabaugh home by Elder George Carl of the German Baptist denomination.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 9, 1898
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Uriah Root
Uriah Root, prominent rancher of Arago, died Sunday/ Born in Union City, IN, Oct. 14. 1853, his parents were both natives of Ohio. His wife and son Edward, preceded him in death. Survived by 2 daughters: Mrs. Elizabeth Darby, Salem and Mrs. Martha Self, Chico, CA; and 4 brothers: Daniel, Myrtle Pont; John S. Grenada, CA; Joel, Arago and Hezekiah K. of Waterforn, CA. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, June 22, 1933
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Franklin Benton Robison
Franklin Benton Robison, 88, a Coos County pioneer, died Feb. 3, 1938 at the home of a nephew, Roy (Brownie) Robison of Norway where he and his wife made their home for the past 8 years. His widow, Mrs. Sarah Ellen Robison, 91, survives. Born in Cole Co., MO, June 28, 1849, son of Samuel Lewis and Lucina Lamson Robison. Came with his parents when 21 years of age and settled in Josephine Co., OR in 1871.
A year later he came to Coos County and spent his first year in this section on what is now known as the Butler place in West Norway. Then he moved to the J.A. Lamb ranch in Fishtrap district where he lived until 8 years ago when his health failed. Married Sept. 22, 1882 at Lee to Sarah Ellen Henderson. No children.
Besides his widow, he is survived by a sister, Mrs. Martha Avrill, Ashland and a brother, Rock Robison of Coquille. Buried in the Masonic cemetery in Coquille.
Myrtle Point Herald, Feb. 17, 1938
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Susannah Brower
Mrs. Susannah Brower passed away Aug. 10, 1913 at the advanced age of 81 years 15 days. She leaves 5 sons, 28 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Buried at Norway cemetery, Rev. Thos. Barklow officiated. She was born in Montgomery County, OH, in the Little Miami Valley, 6 miles below Dayton in the year 1832, daughter of Eli and Mary Noffsinger. Joined the Brethren Church in 1846. Moved with her parents in 1840 to Randolph County, IN, near Union City, Sept. 6, 1849 was married to John Root in August 1857 moved to Bond County, IL.
In October 1874, they moved to Coos County and in 1887 her husband died. To this union was born 11 children, 2 girls and 9 boys. Six are deceased and 5 living. In 1892 she married Elder Davis Brower in Jackson County, OR, then moved to Talent,
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Jackson County, OR and in 1900 he died. In June of that year she moved back to Coos County and remained at Arago.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Aug. 11, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Ann M. Lamb
Ann M. (Drummond) Lamb was born in Bedford Co., TN, Aug. 6, 1840. In 1861 she with her sisters went to Arkansas. On Nov. 22, 1861, she married James Houston Lamb and to them was born 4 children. She died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. George Robinson, Coquille, Mar. 10, 1924, age 83 years 7 months and 4 days. Leaves 1 son, John B Lamb of Craigment, ID; 2 daughters; Mrs. Mary Robinson, Coquille, and Phoebe A . Herrington of Milton, OR. Buried in Fishtrap cemetery.
Southern Coos County American, Mar. 13, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Frank Sinko
Frank Sinko, one of Arago’s oldest residents, died May 6, 1937 at Coquille. Born in Austria and came to the United States as a boy. Survivors: widow, Mrs. Ella Sinko; a daughter, Mrs. Antonio Lammbbin, Portland; 3 sons, Frank, Joe and Willie and 1 grandchild, Joe Linn.
Myrtle Point Herald, May 13, 1937
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Isaac Newton DeLong
Isaac Newton Delong was born in Dubuque, IA, Oct. 28, 1853. As a young man he was a blacksmith and engineer by trade. He came to California in 1884 and moved to Oregon in the fall of 1888. Two years later he was married to Miss Annie Colvin of Coquille, OR.
He followed his trade as engineer at the Prosper Mill for 13 years, thence to the Randolph Mill for about 9 years and about 2 years at Bandon before coming to Arago. He bought the General Merchandise store in Arago from Mr. G.E. Breuer and where his wife continued the business until he died Apr. 5, 1916. He is buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery at Coquille.
He was a member of the IOOF lodge 28 years. He leaves his wife and a daughter, Mrs. Bessie Hedgpath, 5 brothers and 1 sister; Jasper Delong of Richmond, OK, Wm, DeLong of Inman, NE, Oliver DeLong of Coquille, Nicholas Delong and Mrs. May Hink of Winston, AZ
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 13, 1916
Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Forest Grove Girl to Wed Arago Man This Weekend
Saturday afternoon at the L.M. Aasen home in the Halls Creek community, Miss Esther Davidson of Forest Grove was surprised with a shower of lovely and useful gifts.
Miss Davidson is to be the bride of Alvin Fredenburg of Arago at a ceremony to be read at the Methodist Church in Forest Grove at 8pm Saturday, Nov. 25, 1939.
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Refreshment of cedar and doughnuts were served to the following Mesdames J.W. Barnett, J.D. Carl, R.B. Camerson, M.T. Aasen, M.W. Evans, George Gillespie, Earl Edgmon, Arthur Doyle, Glen Griffith, Wayne Woodward, Gordon Fleming, Gus Schroeder, Lawrence Rackleff, C.E. Myers, Ed Carter, Cleve McAllister, Rodney Davenport, Elton Aasen, Jack Deardorff, E.F. Hoffman, D.M. Aasen, Tyrrell Woodward and Theresa Reese and the Misses Leatha Munford. Esther Barnett and the honored guest. Miss Esther Davidson and her fiancé, Alvin Fredenburg.
Myrtle Point Herald, Nov. 23, 1939
Arago Youth Dies in Auto Accident Monday Morning
Alvin Harold Fredenburg of Langlois, a former resident of Arago, was found dead Monday morning in his car, which had gone from the roadbed near the Fat Elk bridge on the Coquille-Bandon dike road in to approximately 12 feet of water. It was apparent that Fredenburg was knocked unconscious, because of the large bump found on his head, thereby making it impossible to escape from the imprisonment of the auto.
The deceased was born at Arago Sept. 6, 1913, and had lived there and various other Coos County locations all of his life. He was married Nov. 25, 1939, to Miss Esther Davidson, a former Arago school teach, at Forest Grove. At the time of his death, the couple had been living at Langlois and Fredenburg had been commuting to his work at the Smith Wood Products plant in Coquille.
Surviving Fredenburg are his widow, Mrs. Esther Fredenburg: brother Floyd of North Bend; two sisters, Mrs. Rose Johnson of Bend and Mrs. W.R. Davenport of Myrtle Point. Uncles, Edwin Aasen of Coquille, L.M. and Olaf Aasen of Arago, M.T. Aasen of Myrtle Point and John Aasen of North Bend and an aunt, Mrs. Mary Hickenbotem of Port Angeles, WA.
Funeral service was held Wednesday at 3pm in Coquille from the Pioneer Methodist Church with Rev. H.L. Graybeal officiating. Arrangements were made by Gano Funeral Home of Coquille. Interment took place at Odd Fellows cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald, March 14, 1940
Albert Gulstrom Killed In Accident
Albert Gulstrom, whose home is on the road toward Arago, (between Shull’s and Train’s) was accidentally shot on Tuesday (April 16, 1945) dying almost instantly. According to Mrs. Gulstrom, who was in the house, he had said he was going to get a hawk that had been taking chickens, and left the house. She happened to look out the kitchen window and saw him trying to get loose from a barbwire fence. The next thing a shot rang out and she saw him slump over. She ran out to aid him but he was already gone. She went for help, as she was alone on the place. The bullet entered his neck and pieced the jugular vein.
He was born at Tillamook, OR 57 years ago, and married Bernice Robison, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Price Robison, 25 years ago this month. Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, Albert (Glenn) Jr. and Darwin all of Arago; three brothers living in Tillamook.
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Funeral services will be held on Thursday afternoon from the Schroeder Mortuary, and interment in the Norway cemetery. Rev. W.A. Barnett and Rev. M.G. Blickenstaff having charge.
Myrtle Point Herald, April 18, 1945
Robert Mavity
Robert Mavity died at his home on Halls Creek Apr. 20, 1901, age 69 years. He was a veteran of the Civil War and after his services in 1864. He crossed the plains and located to Redwood, CA where he remained a few years after which he came and located at Central Point, Jackson County where he was untied in marriage to Mrs. Missouri McVay who survives him. In 1888 he came to Coos County and settled on Halls Creek. Buried in Myrtle Point Cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 23, 1897
Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Emma M. Smalley
Emma M. (Tillman) Smalley was born Aug. 26, 1856 in Tunkhanock, Susqueshanna County, PA. She was married to Andrew Smalley May 30, 1873. 14 children were born to them, 5 have died.
In the spring of 1875 they left Virginia City, Nevada and from there were to Westport, CA. After living in Westport for 7 years they left by wagon and team for Oregon coming in over the Coos Bay Wagon Road to Coos County. They bought a farm on Halls Creek near Arago where they lived until her death, Feb. 26, 1923.
Besides her husband, she also leaves 6 daughters; Mrs. Dollie Hill and Miss Etta M. Smalley of Arago; Mrs. Emma King and Mrs. Mary Bartlett of Myrtle Point; Mrs. Marcella Ganzali of Grizzly Bluff, CA; Mrs. Mildred Slingsby of Montague, CA; 3 sons Charles E. of Portland; Carl W. of Fallon, NV; Ben L. of Arago; a sister and a brother in PA; 18 grandchildren, Buried at Norway cemetery.
Southern Coos County American, March 1, 1923
Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Section 5
Bridge
We leave Myrtle Creek and Rock Creek valleys, returning to the main wagon road where the community of Bridge is located. On the main road at the mouth of Big Creek is a post office called Bridge.
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The Bridge at Bridge
Coquille Valley Museum Colleciton
The covered bridge for which the community of Bridge is named,
collapses during 1969 snow storm
Myrtle Point Herald
This creek comes down from the hills and joins the Middle Fork on the East side. One of the first settlers was Mr. Martindale who eventually took up a donation land claim in Camas Valley where he lived many years. M.E. Anderson settled at Bridge where he owned “a noted stock farm.”
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Hatcher Store at Bridge, circa 1900 (?) From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hall Strain
Big Creek in 1898 is settled for a half dozen miles up the stream. Thomas Whittett, one of the framers of the Oregon Constitution, was among the first settlers. H.H. Brownson, Peter Axe, Mr. Hooton, Mr. Houser and others have valuable homes along
the valley. King’s Creek, a little farther down, also affords room for settlers who are thrifty and prosperous. Dr. King settled at the mouth of that stream over a quarter century back, and his family has been prominent citizens. This locality has the distinction of producing a lady orator, Mrs. Cutlip, (nee Miss Lucy Britenbusher), a granddaughter of Dr. King, occupies the pulpit in the United Brethren Church, in charge of a circuit, with credit, and no doubt a bright future before her.
Sugar Loaf Creamery
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
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MiddleFork Wagon Road
Coquille Valley settlers wanted better roadways to deliver products not only to coastal shipping but to interior markets. After thirty years of settlement when improvements were proposed road from Roseburg through Camas Valley following the Middle Fork to Myrtle Point and Coquille would be “The greatest curse that ever happened. The people in the valley will ship their products here and it will be completely ruin our butter and eggs market.”
The proposed Middle Fork route mirrored the Brewster Trail, elk trail turned pack horse trail. In 1889 after seventeen years of putting up with inconveniences of the Coos Bay Wagon Road, which was a vast improvement at the time, the people of Coquille Valley convinced they legislature to make an appropriation of $20,000 to build to decent wagon road along the Middle Fork. The promise of a good wagon
road encouraged Coos and Douglas counties to add like amounts. When completed the road remained a narrow muddy track for years, but directly benefited Coquille Valley.
Middle Fork Coquille Highway Circa 1890s
From: The Coquille Valley, Vol. I, “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hal Strain
John Fox, builder of bridges in the valley, was principle contractor for Coos County. This “thoroughfare,” was very much in demand in spite of its short-comings, it generated improvements in Coquille Valley lives.
The Coos Bay Wagon Road, which cost transferred ownership of 95,000 acres of public land to private developers, had “proved a miserable failure.” Completion of the new road on the Middle Fork caused a great rejoicing. Heretofore coastal areas below Coos Bay had been isolated from the interior of the state, and all trade and supplies were moved by ship. Upon completion of the road, now Highway 42, it was reported “that every available piece of land along the route was taken up by settlers.” But we
know that Indians, Mr. Barber, Mr. Packwood, the Hoffmans and others lived in small valley along the Middle Fork long before a road was built.
The Coquille Valley, Patti Strain
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The Cawrse Family Tragedy . By Patti Strain, February 25, 2013
Sadly, fifty years ago this June, Mr. Cawrse’s plane went down during a severe thunderstorm in the mountains between Prineville and John Day. (1963) Mr. Cawrse, his wife Katie, daughters Darla 17, Mary 16, Lou 15, Jean 7, and a friend Linda Langenfeld 16, were killed in the crash. Their three sons, Dennis 15, Frank 19, and Ruben 23, were not aboard.
Hal and I included Mr. Cawrse in our two volume book, The Coquille Valley, after learning of him through an interview with Howard and Lillian Winkelman; Lillian had worked for Mr. Cawrse. Then, Librarian Barbara Caffey located the 1963 Herald article of the Cawrse tragedy for us.
The article identified Mr. Cawrse as “the prominent Mt. Vernon and Remote Lumberman.” The family maintained their home in Remote and Mr. Cawrse regularly piloted his twin-engined Beechcraft Queenaire airplane between Remote and Mt. Vernon. The plane was large enough to hold seven people, the number killed in the crash.
When you drive Highway 42 and enter the passing lane behind the old Remote Store, notice the high hills Mr. Cawrse had to clear as he used that very same short space as his landing strip and take-off runway. It probably was necessary for his craft to have twin-engines to create power enough to rise quickly to skim above those nearby hills.
In one interview Hal and I were told that Mr. Cawrse came back from a Reno trip in the 1950s and walked into Clovis Church’s Pontiac Dealership in Coquille with a paper bag stuffed with one hundred dollar bills. There was a red Pontiac for sale in the showroom. Mr. Cawrse said to Mr. Church “I want that red Pontiac, tell me when I have enough bills laid down,” as he began laying one hundred dollar bills across the polished floor. It wasn’t too long before Mr. Church said, “Stop, you got it!”
The John Cawrse mill began as a small tie mill operation in 1946; The Herald’s aerial picture proved the mill was a large operation by the time it burned in 1960. The millpond remains there today..
After many years of on-going tree harvesting in that area, loggers can be proud of the clarity of the water. We should learn something from that. Sustainable logging can be and has been environmentally sound. . By Patti Strain
Riverboats, Stagecoaches and Pack Trains
Say that you lived in Myrtle Point about 1850 and had some business to do at the county seat at Empire over on Coos Bay. First you could plan to be gone from home for about a week. Early in the morning of the day of your departure you would walk
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down to the Forks where one of Rackleffs would row you out to the Little Annie or the steamer Ceres. Rackleffs had the first riverboats on the Coquille. Down river you would go to where Beaver Slough enters the Coquille. That would be a few miles down river from Coquille City. At that place you would go ashore to experience the most unusual boat trip in the west on a scow called the Mud Hen.
Poets have sung the terrors of the trials and incidents on the Beaver Slough passage, and careworn passengers have compared the whole thing to the horrors of the African slave ships. Anyway one of the Lowes had a hotel at the mouth of the slough and the place was called Freedom. At that place you would climb in the double ended Mud Hen manned by two oarsman whose business was to pole the boat up the narrow, willow lined, tortuous ditch-like slough for several miles. One of the difficulties of the trip were the beaver dams across the waterway. They had to be torn out about every trip.
At what is now Coaledo you would gladly step ashore after several hours on the hard seat of that slough boat. Then you had your choice of walking up a muddy trail or the opportunity to ride in what was called a “mud wagon.” Somewhere near the top of the rise you could board a tram railroad, which ran on wooden rail tracks for a trip to the water on Isthmus Slough. You would probably stay all night in a hotel before catching a boat down the slough to Empire. That might depend on the tide. At the most you could plan to take two or three days of hard traveling to reach your destination. The river and sloughs were the highways that the pioneers used.
Since the river was so important to the growth and development of Myrtle Point someone had to be first in the transportation field. That honor had to go to William Rackleff and his son William E. Rackleff. These two men played a very important part in the development of this area. The elder Rackleff sailed his small vessel, the Ortolan, around Cape Horn in 1849 on his way to the west coast from Maine. While navigating the Straits of Magellan a pirate ship hailed Captain Rackleff, but the intrepid old sailor out-sailed the marauder to safely arrive on the upper tidewaters of the Umpqua River. At Scottsburg he built a larger boat, the Twin Sisters, and carried on oceangoing and freight voyages for a number of years.
Often in sailing along the coast he noticed the mouth of the Coquille River. One day he anchored in Coos Bay, rented a horse, and went down the beach to look over the interesting river that had aroused his curiosity.
Not long afterwards on a high tide he sailed into the Coquille, a wide irregular bit of water without jetties or markings. In three days he sailed and pulled with rowboats his schooner to the mouth of the North Fork. This was in 1859. The Baltimore Colony had recently arrived in the valley and were in need of supplies. Rackleff sold goods right off the boat. Soon he built a trading post at that place which became known as the Forks. Later William E. had one of the first stores in Myrtle Point.
Another name that was familiar to the pioneers of Myrtle Point was Panter. Captain Panter and his large family of six boys and three girls became the best known riverboat dynasty for several decades along the Coquille. He organized the Myrtle Point Transportation Corporation, composed of himself, his boys, Elmer and Sherman Hufford and Paris Ward. As their business grew they enlarged there fleet of riverboats to include the Venus, Liberty, Antelope, Dora, Coquille, Myrtle, Echo and the
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Telegraph. The Charm was the last of Captain Panter’s boats to travel the river, His first boat was the Maria which he purchased in 1891.
The overland route to Myrtle Point was not a picnic. Roseburg had the Southern Pacific, which brought settlers to the area. From Roseburg was a rough, gouged out road of sorts, either down the Middle Fork of the Coquille or over the Coos Bay Wagon Road through Sitkim.
Many years ago when Dan Barklow had the stage run from Myrtle Point to Roseburg he had one of the toughest routes in the state with deep mud in winter and smothering dust in the summer. The road had been an old trail that had been widened and made passable by John Fox in 1877. In winter there were often trees and slides across the road.
In the winter time the deep mud was very hard on horse. Teams had to be changed at several stops along the way such as at Ecdicott’s farm, Bridge, Remote, Sheep Ranch, (county line), Camas Valley, Olalla, Brockway and Roseburg. In winter it took 16 hours of hard riding to make the trip. The summer schedule required 12 hours. In the summer it took two full four-horse coaches to carry the passengers each way. One trip they weighted 3200 pounds of mail out of Roseburg. In the winter wagons were used for passengers while the mail was carried on 10 pack horses with two saddle horse and two drivers for each division.
Some of the drivers for Barklow were Adrian Page, Nord Eddings, Charley Chambo, Bert Lawerence, Bob Braden, George Barklow, Isaac Barklow, Manley Barklow, Lloyd Barklow, Bill Moore, Gus McCulloch, Dick Martindale and Jim McCullock.
In November 1907 there was a fatal stage wreck in the upper reaches of the Middle Fork of the Coquille River on the Myrtle Point-Roseburg line. Charles Archambeau, the regular driver, was taking a few days off while Tom Gurney filled in for him. As the stage reached the top of Moore Hill, which is near the present Bear Creek camp, the four- horse team broke into a fast run which the driver could not halt. At break-neck speed the coach hurtled down the grade to a deep curve where the disaster occurred.
The coach and horses pitched over a 30 foot embankment. The driver jumped while passengers fell above a log., except one passenger who was thrown under the horses and coach in a pile of boulders. He was instantly killed. The four horses were also killed, and the other passengers were injured to some degree.
Assistance was sought at the John Lehnherr house. Dan Barklow, the local agent, went out with a team to bring in the survivors.
Is was stated in the old papers that it was a matter of credit to staging that in 30 years of driving over the Coos Bay Wagon Road and the Myrtle Point-Roseburg road, this was the first fatal accident.
The wrecked stagecoach was brought to Myrtle Point and as the news of the accident spread, many people came to town to view the wreck. (Some things never change.)
Barklow had a large operation consisting of 22 drivers-hostler and agents. His mail contract one year was for $18,000. He charged $6.25 passenger fee one-way.
He had a saying: “First class passengers keep your seats, second class get out and walk, and third class push.” That applied during the winter season.
Once in awhile a holdup man would stop a stage and demand money from the passengers. Pioneers druggist N.G.W. Perkins was a victim one time on Camas
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Mountain as he was on his way to Roseburg by state. As the stage made the top of the mountain a lone bandit appeared from the woods and ordered the driver to stop. The driver failed to stop until ordered to halt two or three times. The robber called for the express box and was informed by the driver that he carried no express. He then ordered the one passenger to alight from the stage. Mr. Perkins complained. He was ordered to turn over his money. Mr. Perkins had $32.00 in his pocket. As he turning his pockets inside out he held out a 20 and a five dollar gold piece between his figures and let the change fall to the ground. The robber gathered up the change and fled into the woods.
Another means of transportation that greatly added to the growth of Myrtle Point was the arrival of the railroad. On September 15, 1893, the fir cars arrived, causing a large celebration. Dodge describes that day. “The day dawned full of promise of good weather, and when the last traces of the morning mists had rolled away, the sun shone out with a splendor which indeed was cheering. About 10 am the far-off whistle of the locomotive heralded the approach of the coming train with its precious load of human freight. The crowd in town quickly turned their steps towards the depot and while many stopped on the bluff others went down to track to see, many for the first time, the cars coming into Myrtle Point. The train, consisting of the engine and four cars, was well loaded with people from Empire, Marshfield and Coquille City. Also, several people from other points as well as the brass band from Libby (a community outside Marshfield) was onboard.
Talk about the roads! The automobile was upon the nation, which was still using horse and buggy roads. In every issue of the old Myrtle Point papers were plans, pleadings and demands for better roads. “Get out of the mud” theme was the by-word of every car owner.
The horse and buggy did not give up easily as some people thought those new fangled autos were only a passing fad. And how the team owners damned those crazy drivers in those noisy machines! A team meeting a car would be an exciting event as each tried to get past on a narrow road. Causing a team to runaway was almost a capital offense.
One of the hazards of those early cars was getting a broken arm while cranking it. That could happen to those who didn’t know just how to hold the crank handle with the thumb out of the way. “Retard the spark, pull the choke, and twist her tail” were the normal instructions.
Jimmie Albee came to Myrtle Point in 1914 and went to work driving auto stages for Billie Weekly and John Lewellen. George Bryant bought out Weekly. The company owned two Model T Fords, a Buick, and a Cadillac. One of the Fords was used for jitney service—short hauls and extra trips. It cost 50 cents one way to Coquille. While train fair was 35 cents. Jimmie recalled that flat tires and getting stuck in the winter were part of the job.
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Auto Stage
Coquille Valley Historical Society Collection
He would haul passengers and packages from the Guerin Hotel to the Baxter Hotel in Coquille. Each driver would make three round trips a day on a regular schedule. Jimmie’s first trip out in the morning would be at 7 o’clock. His largest load was 11passengers on a Model T with the running boards full of grips and packages with some tied on the hood. He quit in 1917 to join the army.
Other early day auto stage owners and drivers were Al Baker, Frank Fish, Joe and Ivan Laird, and Joe and Cody Liggett. It was an interesting period, those “Tin Lizzie Days.”
After World War I, many young men all over the nation were bit by the flying bug. Myrtle Point has its own set of pioneer aviators. Harold Adams had learned to fly while serving in the Army-Air Force down in Texas. Nick Perkins and Bud Emery were two other local lads who took up flying. Some time in the early 20s Harold Adams and Nick Perkins purchased a plane in San Francisco. Adams flew it to Myrtle Point. The local fairgrounds was one of the best fields in the country. They used their plane to take passengers up during those early day fairs. Crowds would line up by the hundreds to pay $5 for a five-minute ride. Local banker Radabuagh paid $20 for a trip to Roseburg. For several years Bud Emery, who had a service station in town, brought in planes for the county fair. Adams and Perkins used their plane to seed many acres of logged off land.
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham
Stagecoach Days on Myrtle Point Roseburg Highway
From March 1, 1894 until 1900, Dan Barklow had the contract to carry the daily mail between Empire and Roseburg over both the Coos Bay Wagon Road and the Myrtle Point-Roseburg Highway. He also carried passengers and freight, that part of the business being his own.
Each morning a driver started out with a stagecoach from Empire and Roseburg simultaneously. Summer schedule allowed 2 hours for the one-way trip, the winter 16 hours. One-way fare was $6.25. Barklow had a crew of first-class, fast-time drivers, many of them being his own brothers or relatives. His 4-horse teams were changed frequently, none of them having to travel over 7 or 8 miles. Even then, sometimes a
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horse would give out. Then the driver would pull out a flask and pour some whiskey down the horses throat. This would revive him enough to get to the next station. At least one time a driver gave his horse to much whiskey and he had to borrow a horse from a farmer to finish the run. The next day the horse had sobered up and was ready to go again.
Some people wrote to the government, complaining that the drivers were also pouring whiskey down their own throats as well as the horses and the government sent a man named Vail to investigate. He rode from Roseburg to Myrtle Point with Dan Barklow who happened to be driving the team that day. The mud was deep and the rain was pouring. When they arrived in Myrtle Point, Vail told Barklow who he was and what he was doing there. His verdict was that these drivers had to be the best available anywhere and he didn’t blame them for drinking. If he had some whiskey he would take a drink himself. Barklow said Vail was a man of good judgment.
Living in the Past Lane, Boyd Stone
Sarah Jane Evernden
Susan Jane (Appleton) Evernden, died in Myrtle Point, March 26, 1910, age of 52 years and 10 months. Burial in the Enchanted cemetery. Rev. Thos Barklow conducted the service.
Mrs. Evernden is a native daughter of Oregon and was married at Roseburg, Aug. 27, 1873. They moved to Coos County, Oregon, Sept. 15th of that year. They camped on the old home on Rock Creek, Sept. 27th and have made that their home during the 36 years that followed.
Seven sons and 3 daughters were born to this union, all of the children surviving except one son, Harvey. She leaves the children, a husband, an aged mother. She was a member of the Methodist Church since she was 15 years of age.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 1, 1910
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Thomas Steven Evernden
Thomas Steven Evernden was born in Rochester, NY, Nov. 11, 1851, the son of an English couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Evernden. They came to the western part of the country in 1873, to Douglas County remaining there a short time and in September of that year came to Rock Creek, where he spent the remained of his life.
He married Susie J. Appleton, a native of Douglas Co., Oregon, Aug. 27, 1873. He died at his home on Apr. 26, 1924, age 72 years 5 months and 15 days. His wife died Mar. 26, 1910. He leaves 3 daughters: Mrs. Emma Aason of Arago; Mrs. Zilla Shields of Powers; and Mrs. Susie Huffman of Myrtle Point; 6 sons; James T. of Bridge; Ernest E. of Bancroft; Fred A. of Coquille; Charles A.. of Phoenix, AS; Leslie L. of Bridge; Joseph P. of Broadbent; 1 sister Mrs. Wesley Lee of Seadrift, TX and 1 brother, Henry E of Winston, MO. Buried at Enchanted Prairie cemetery.
Southern Coos County American, May 1, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Thomas Rookard
Thomas Rookard lost his life at the Williams Logging camp on Big Creek on the Middle Fork. His brother, James Rookard was working near him when he was killed. Thomas Rookard was born Aug. 12, 1875 and 32 years 6 months and 14 days old. He was born in Sonoma County, CA and in June 1876 his parents moved to the Middle Fork where he has since resided. On Jan. 10, 1900 he was united in marriage to Laura J. Hauser of Big Creek. He leaves a wife, 4 small children, mother, 1 brother and 4 sisters. Buried in Enchanted Prairie cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise Mar. 3, 1906
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John W. Mullin
John W. Mullin was born in Indiana, Feb. 8, 1836 and died at Marshfield, OR on his birthday, being 82 years old at the time of his death. J.W. Mullins was united in marriage with Mary C. Baer, Aug. 8, 1859 and to this union was born 6 children as follows: Lydia E., Jas. P., George F., Charles H., Clara H and John F. Mullin. All have preceded the father to the Great Beyond but George J. and Charles H.
He moved to Coos County in 1875 and settled near Bridge where he has resided most of the time, except the last 3 years he has made his home with his son, George Mullin. He has 21 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. He was a member of the First Baptist Church for many years. He was a soldier in the late rebellion and a Grand Army man. Buried in Enchanted Prairie cemetery..
Southern Coos County American, Feb. 14, 1918
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James B. Hoffman
James B. Hoffman of Bridge died at the home of his sister, Mrs. A. Clemens, near Bridge, June 20, 1913 age 71 years.
Mr. Hoffman was born in Buffalo, NY, Mar. 19, 1842 where he received his education and attained a reputation as a first class artist. He was a personal friend of Grover Cleveland. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in 21st New York Infantry, was discharged because of deafness, Re-enlisted in 100th New York and served the rest of the war. Spent 9 months in Andersonville prison, where he sustained himself and 3 comrades by selling sketches to the prison guards. Survived by a brother and 4 sisters. Buried in Enchanted Prairie cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 22, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Cordelia Matilda Rice
Mrs. Cordelia Matilda Rice, a pioneer of the state of Oregon and for many years a resident of the Coquille Valley died at her home at Enchanted Prairie on May 11, 1911, age 79 years 11 months and 5 days. Burial was at Enchanted Prairie cemetery, Rev. Thos. Barklow officiating.
Cordelia Matilda Tree was born on June 26, 1832, and on Jan, 1, 1848 she married Mr. Enos, to this union 3 children were born, all of whom are dead. In 1854 she married Wm. Cribbins, to this union 8 children were born, 5 of whom are still living,
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They are: Richard Alonza Cribbins and Mrs. Martha M. Belieu of Bridge; William Albert Cribbins of Lexington, OR; Daniel T, Cribbins and Mrs. Margarett S. Belieu of Roseburg, OR. In 1889 Mrs. Cribbins was married to Thomas Parrell and in 1905 married Sylvester Rice who survivies his wife and is at present residing in Washington.
The deceased came to Oregon in 1858 crossing the plains in an ox wagon and arrived in the Coquille Valley at Myrtle Point in 1865, moving onto the Cribbins ranch on Catching Creek in the spring of 1866. Left their home on Catching Creek 26 years ago and has made her home at or near Enchanted Prairie ever since. She leaves 25 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 19, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Richard Alonzo Cribbins
Richard Alonzo Cribbins, 77, died at his ranch home at Bridge, Mar. 23, 1933. Came to Coos County at the age of 10 years. Born July 25, 1855 in Land County, Oregon. Married Jan. 1, 1882 to Frances Jane Ward, who is a native of Benton Co., OR.
To them was born 8 children—6 of whom are living: Irvin, Camas Valley; William R., Edgar, Manley and Alma all of Bridge, and 1 daughter. Mrs. Ada Harrington of Bend, OR. 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. On brother, Dan F. of Bridge and 2 sisters, Mrs. Martha Belieu of Bridge and Mrs. Margaret Belieu of Roseburg. Buried at Enchanted Prairie.
Myrtle Point Herald, Mar. 23, 1933
5Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Ole Samuelson
Ole Samuelson passed away at the home of his sister, Mrs. O.O. Lund of West Coquille, May 19, 1913. He was born in Norway on June 25, 1854, being 58 years 9 months and 13 days old. Mr. Samuelson in company with his sister came to the United States in 1887 and went direct to Bancroft, OR, to join an older brother, Louis Samuelson who about 23 years ago preceded him in death. Mr. Samuelson owned a ranch at Bancroft, and has resided there until last fall, when he went to West Coquille. He was a member of the Lutheran Church. He was unmarried and besides his sister, leaves a brother in Norway.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Mar. 27, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Maria Thomas
Mrs. Maria Thomas, mother of Mrs. Charles Adams died at the home of her daughter in Myrtle Point, last Saturday, age 72 years. The funeral was held from the Christian Church Monday afternoon. Rev. H.L. Ford officiated. Interment was in the Myrtle Point Cemetery. Maria Allbee Thomas was born in Dayton, OH, May 5, 1835. She crossed the plains with her sister, Mrs. Laura Dunham in 1859 and was married the same year to Louis Thomas of California. They moved to Oregon with their family in the spring of 1884, settling in Remote, in this county, which has since been the family
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home. Four daughters and 4 sons survive. Mrs. M.R. Mecum, Mrs. Albert McMickle, Mrs. Jos. Davis, Mrs. Chas. Adams, George, Joseph, Charles and Nathan Thomas.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 24, 1907
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Maurice Orlando Hooton
Maurice Orlando Hooton, 79, died at his home in Coquille this morning. Born in Indiana Nov. 21, 1864. Leaves his widow, Mrs. Callie Belle Hooton of Coquille; a son, Arthur Hooten of Coquille; a daughter, Mrs. Anne Dungy of Coquille and a brother A.O. Hooton of Bridge. Buried Coquille.
Myrtle Point Herald, Jan. 30, 1935
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Amzi Otis Hooton
Amzi Otis Hooton, 73, Bridge rancher died Dec. 17, 1940. Born in Illinois was a Coos County resident for more than 50 years. Survived by widow, Zua Hooton of Bridge; 3 daughters: Mrs. Louisa M. Mutton, Coquille; Mrs. Dorothy Moon, Myrtle Point; and Miss Eva Maude Hooton at home; a sister, Mrs. Mary E. Roper, Springfield, MO; 3 half brothers, Walter E. Hooton of Kingman, KS; Oscar E, Hooton of Rolling Bay, WA; Clarence H. Hooton of Marshfield, MO and step-mother Mrs. Anna Hooton of Marshfield, MO
Myrtle Point Herald, Dec. 26, 1940
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Annie Mills Williams
Mrs. Annie Mills Williams, 66, wife of W.W. Williams, died Wednesday in Myrtle Point. Born in Hancock County, IL, Aug. 8, 1866 and married William Walter Williams Feb. 25, 1883. To them was born 7 children-2 died while infants before their parents came west and one daughter, Mrs. Nettie Davis died at Bridge Dec. 24, 1922. Besides her husband, 2 sons and 2 daughters survive: Joe, Portland; Harry, Coquille; Mrs. Doris Van Alstein, Bridge; and Mrs. Edith Davis, Arago. 17 grandchildren. The couple came to Coos County in March 1900 and settled first at Myrtle Point. In 1910 they opeated a stage station on Rock Creek. In 1916 they moved to Powers until 1920 when they moved to Bridge. Coming to Myrtle Point in 1928. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, Sept 15, 1932
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
William Walter Williams
William Walter Williams, 77, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H.C. Van Alstein in Bridge. Born in Hancock Co, IL May 14, 1858. When 16 he crossed the plains with relatives and settled in the Rogue River Valley. After living in Oregon for a time he journeyed back to Illinois on a mule. In 1883 he was married to Miss Anna E. Mills, at Carthage, IL. To them were born 7 children.
He came west in 1900 bringing his family with him. He first settled in Marshfield up on his return to southwestern Oregon and then lived in Myrtle Point.
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In 1908 he purchased and built the Rock Creek Stage Station and Inn. When stages were discontinued he operated the Virginia Grill in Powers.
In 1920 he bought a ranch at Bridge where he has since resided. Leaves 4 brothers: John and Clarence, Des Moines, IA; Jim, New Mexico; Arthur, Marshfield; 2 sisters, Mrs. Jessie Brough, Centerville, IA; Mrs. Fannie Horsley, Marshfield; 2 sons, J.E. Williams, Portland and Harry Williams, Powers; 2 daughter; Mrs. Edith Davis, North Bend and Mrs. Doris Van Alstein, Bridge. Three children and his wife preceded him in death. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, May 10, 1934
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Etta Avelina Waterman
Etta Avelina Waterman of Bancroft died Dec. 9, 1939, resident of Bancroft for 40 years. Born in Reston, Feb. 2, 1880, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elishas Harsman. In 1897 married Clarence Waterman, who died June 13, 1922. Spent the first year of their marriage in Dora, moved to Bandon, then in the month April 1899 to Bancroft where they made their home. Survived by 9 children: Clyde of Glendale, Elvin, Perry, Clarence, Andrew and David all of Bridge; Mrs. Echo West of Central Point, Mrs. Irene McWilliams of Powers and Mrs. Grace Jewett of Bridge. Two brothers, Mark and Ben Hardman of Bridge; 4 sisters, Mrs. Milly Fitzgerald of Lookingglass; Mrs. Rilla Patterson of Portland; Mrs. May Graf of San Diego, CA; and Mrs. Belle Appleton of Bridge and 8 grandchildren. Buried in the family plot at Bancroft.
Myrtle Point Herald, Dec. 14, 1939
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Section 6
Broadbent
Hoffman Wayside
This area was earlier called The Junction, which is the confluence of the Middle Fork and South Fork of the Coquille River. At various times it was also called The Forks, as was the junction of the South Fork and North Fork. However, the area has been known for about 153 years as the Hoffman Place or Hoffman Wayside, today the area may also be referred to as Powers Junction, where Highway 42 and 242 meet on the east side of the Middle Fork.
Abraham and Jemima Hoffman were some of the earliest settlers by “The Forks.” In 1855 Indians burned the Hoffman cabin, in response to guards, (volunteer miners) acting as citizen volunteer soldiers, killing a young Indian boy near the wayside. The wide spot south of Myrtle Point on Highway 42 east and the roadside/riverside park, “Hoffman Wayside,’ is historic ground. The wayside commemorates the section of the valley where the Marple/Harris cavalcade estimated seeing one hundred Indian people, catching and drying fish and eels for winter food in May 1853, and commemorates the 1854 settlers of the area, Abraham and Jemima Hoffman, and the burning of their cabin November 21, 1855, during truly turbulent times in Coquille Valley.
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When Abraham and Jemima arrived in 1854, the Indians were being pushed from their favorite hunts, one was outside Hoffman’s door.
Just as the Hoffman’s arrived, the dragoons from Fort Orford at Port Orford came to punish the Indians for the T’Vault massacre near the mouth of the river. They fired upon and killed six warriors near the Hoffman locations in 1851.
Mr. Hoffman established a ferry near the wayside in 1857 and for 29 years it was a lucrative business, but the stream filled with debris and places to ford the river became plentiful.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
The Hoffman Family, From the Book “I Remember When”
By Nellie Palmer
Jemima Hoffman was a bride at 13 and a widow at 21. During those eight years she
bore three children and with her husband Abraham Hoffman, established a home at the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Coquille River. This area is now known as the Powers Junction, three miles south of Myrtle Point. Theirs was the last of the donation land claims granted by the United States Government. The Hoffman’s established their home there in 1854 on 640 acres allowed a man and a wife.
Life was raw and rugged in those times, and Indians prowled the countryside. Not all of them were unfriendly however, for one time when Jemima had completely worn out her shoes and was going barefoot, an Indian came by with a pair of beaded moccasins he had made and gave them to her. He understood her smile of thanks, and they were instant friends Nevertheless, there were some trying times with the Indians. The first cabin of the Hoffman’s was burned to the ground with all of their winter supplies destroyed. Abraham took Jemima to Roseburg to stay with her cousin, as it was nearly time for Edward Hoffman, father of our author, Nellie, to be born.
The Hoffman Family
Picture from Nellie Palmer’s book “I Remember When”. Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II by Patti & Hal Strain, page 409
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Six weeks later, about the middle of March 1858, Abraham went to Roseburg to bring his little family home. Jemima rode horseback, carrying the baby, while her husband walked. By the time they reached Sugarloaf Mountain, a wild storm was in progress. It was too dangerous to continue as branches were whipping about. So Jemima walked too. When they reached the top of the mountain and came into green timber, they felt more secure and eventually arrived safety home.
Abraham obtained a license to operate a ferryboat at the forks of the river. He was allowed to charge 37 ½ cents for the passage of a horse and rider, 12 ½ cents for a footman and for an ox, a horse or a cow, the fee was 25 cents. The charge for a team and wagon was two dollars.
Sadly, however, Abraham died in 1862 of a lung disease contracted while working as a miner in Jacksonville. Jemima, the 21 year old widow continued on the farm. She operated the ferryboat and fed and housed travelers. She never remarried. She died in 1924. Spent the last 22 ½ years as a bed-fast invalid who, from her bed placed conspicuously in the living room, ruled the house with an iron hand—the absolute matriarch.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Brief History of the Emigration of the Baltimore Company in 1859
On the afternoon of the 7th day of April, 1859, there as a number of people gathered on Light Street Wharf, Baltimore City, MD, to bid farewell to a company of relatives and friends departing for the West. The company’s destination was the Coquille River, Coos County, OR, and it consisted of the following persons: Dr. Henry Hermann and his wife Lizzie and their children, Binger T, Manuel, Washington P, Cass M, Thrusenalda and Franklin P., Henry Schroeder and wife Dora, and their children, J. Henry, Augustus H. J. Frederick, Louisa A., George William, and Charles E. Wm. C. Volkmar and his wife and child Carl, August Bender and wife and son Edward, David Holland and wife, Sara Holland and three children, Mrs. Edward Pagles and children, Carolina Mar and Edward, Hermann Wilde and wife and two children, Hermann Leeke, John A. Bothe, and Charles Linderman. At New York Julius and Gustav Pohl, cousins from Philadelphia, joined the company. On the 11th of April, 1859, they embarked on steamer Northern Lights, of the Vanderbilt Line, for Aspinwall, thus across the Isthmus of Panama and then by steam “Uncle Sam” to San Francisco, where they arrived May 7, 1859. The trip to Aspinwall was uneventful except the novelty of a sea voyage and its attendant uneasiness of the inner man. At Panama they had a novel experience. The beach there has a very gradual slope, steamers cannot approach within a mile or more from shore. The only way the opposition line had to reach the steamer was by means of a fleet of small yawl boats. To reach the yawls which could not approach with a quarter of a mile from shore one had to straddle the back of a greaser, who, after wading that distance go rid of his burden as soon as possible and as best suited his convenience. The women folks protested against this mode of conveyance. After considerable moral suasion and seeing no other way out of the dilemma, except to wade it themselves, they braced themselves for the ordeal. Philosophy taught us that heat unequals and cold contracts. This theory did not hold good on the Uncle Sam on this trip. The nearer we approached the frigid zone the thinner the syrup and bean soap got. The passengers
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suffered insults and indignities at the hands of the waiters. Appeals to the commanding officers were unheeded. The passengers held a meeting aboard before reaching San Francisco, and decided to place the matter before the proper authorities, but when they were landed all were so anxious to find something to eat that nothing was down afterward.
The leading spirit of this company was Dr. Henry Hermann, a physician of some note, whose extended practice was undermining his health. In the spring of 1858 the doctor determined to come west and seek some healthful and congenial location for a home. Informing his personal friends of his intentions, a number concluded to cast their lot with him. Besides the persons heretofore mentioned, the following persons came with the doctor in 1858; Edward Pagles, Joseph Osterhaus and wife and two children, James Burke, John Mackey and James Coleman. After reaching the Pacific slope, the doctor visited a number of places in California and Oregon, and hearing of the Coquille River country, concluded to visit it before making a selection. The picturesque scenery, cool and exhilarating atmosphere, abundance of game and pure water and its natural resources were prime factors in determining that this was the ideal spot he was seeking.
The rest of the company, after learning of the doctor’s selection, came to the Umpqua by the steamer Columbia, and then by small boats and on foot to the South Fork of the Coquille River. The doctor, Mackey, Burke, and Coleman had purchased a small stock of general merchandise at San Francisco intending to start a store. The goods were shipped on the schooner Cyclops for Coos Bay. She was wrecked on the bar and all her goods were lost except two cross-cut saws and a plow. Dr. Hermann located on the Harry H. Baldwin place on the South Coquille, built a cabin, and returned to Baltimore to bring his family to the new land of promise.
Mr. Pagles and James Burke located on a stock ranch above and adjoining S.M. Dement’s. Osterhuas located on the place known as the Majory place, now owned by R.C. Dement. Finkledie on the Berry place just above Myrtle Point. Coleman went to Johnson’s mines and Mackey to Douglas County. At San Francisco August Bender, though the persuasion of relatives who resided in Santa Cruz decided to leave the company and located there and Geo. Stauff and wife Henrietta and daughter Caroline and Henry Veitmyer joined the company. After devoting several days to purchasing necessary tools and supplies, the company embarked on the steamer Columbia, which landed them at Port Orford, about the 22nd day of May, 1859, discharging passengers and freight in small boats and thence to the beach. As soon as the landing was effected Dr. Hermann procured a horse and started for the Coquille River Valley to secure a pack train to convey part of the goods and also boats to meet the majority of the company at the mouth of the Coquille River, who with the baggage and some few provisions would come by the beach route. At Port Orford, Peter Ruffner kept tavern to accommodate the occasional travelers. To him the company is indebted for many favors. Here they first met Louis Knapp.
There was several days delay in making the arrangements for the overland journey and then commenced an experience new to all the company. All being city buds, they were not use to the camplife. Many little incidents occurred which kept the company in good humor, notwithstanding the many privations. Chas. H. Hillboro, with an ox team and wagon, piloted the company to the mouth of the Coquille River. The first
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night they camped about three miles above Sixes River; the next night at John Flemming’s (Audrew Johnson’s place), and n the next day, May 28, they arrived at the mouth of the river where they met Dr. Hermann with the boats, and continued the journey and camped for the night at D. J. and Y. Lowe’s place opposite Parkersburg. The next day at Cedar Point, Geo. Wm. Schroeder, aged about 10 years, fell from one of the boats and was drowned. Binger, in an attempt to rescue the lad came near sharing the same fate. After a fruitless attempt to recover the body, they camped at Cunningham’s (Coquille City) for the night. The next day they reached J.A. Harry’s place on the South Fork and on the 31st day of May they continued their journey to temporary quarters, which had been previously decided upon by the settlers who were expecting them. Veitmyer, Rothe, Julius and Gustave Pohl, T.M. Hermann, Charles Linerman and J. Henry Schroeder were left at Port Orford to follow the pack team over the hills. When the pack team arrived with Hermann Kuhlmann in charge, it was found that it would necessitate two trips to transport all the goods, therefore Gustave Pohl, T.M. Hermann, Chas. Linderman, the youngest members of the company, were detailed to follow the train on the first trip, the others remaining to await its return.
The second evening out they reached Brush Prairie where they camped for the night. Here they found an eccentric Teuton called Hans. He was monarch of all he surveyed. He informed us that he had started a stock ranch and gave a a pressing invitation to see his stock. After inspecting the same, we found that he had one cow and seven bulls. Hans told us that he expected an increase in a short time and expected twins or triples.
They arrived at Pagles’ the next day, May 31st, and the following day witnessed them tramping to join the others who had come by the beach route. They found one less and the rest mourning his loss, and all were sunburned, footsore and tired. The individual members of the company must ever gratefully remember the many kind attentions bestowed on them by the few settlers along the route and those who were to be their neighbors. Elk meat and venison was supplied without stint. All joined in making their advent as pleasant as possible. As soon as a location was made, all joined in erecting a log cabin. What a contrast compared with the conventionalities of a city life. The latch-string of every cabin hung on the outside. All were made welcome. After resting, and while making selections for homes, the community was again cast into gloom. Mr. Wilde, having made a location on Catching Creek and while returning, accidentally discharged his gun, the charge entering his head, killing him instantly.
The Fourth of July being near, preparations were made to celebrate the first anniversary of the nation’s birthday in their new home. The celebration was held in a grove on J.J. Hills place (now the Schroeder Place). Binger Hermann read the Declaration of Independence and when these words fell from his lips. “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,that among these are life. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” one could see by the actions of many of the company that never before were these grand sentiments so fully realized and appreciated by them. F.G. Lockhart, then a resident of Coos Bay, delivered an oration, and then followed a barbecue and picnic dinner. In the afternoon the young people of the company organized a hobo band and lead a march to J.J. Hill’s new residence, then in course of
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construction, and the only house of smooth floor, where the dance commenced at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and was continued without intermission until 8 o’clock the next morning. S.M. Dement and George Thomas (Kentuck) presided at the fiddle. Boiled shirts were at a premium on this occasion.
The endurance of some of the old pioneers was remarkable. The writer remembers the
day at John Hamblock’s on New Year’s Eve, 1859, when Frank Ross, Wm. Dryden and Allen Davis walked from Empire City, a distance of 28 miles. Danced all night,
and proceeded home on foot the next day.
Hermann Ranch Barn
Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II, “Wagons to Wireless” by Patti & Hal Strain,
page 379Photo By Patti Strain, 2009
There was a clipper ship loading at Baltimore for San Francisco when the company left there, giving them an opportunity to ship their household and other goods direct. The freight charge to San Francisco was $12 per thousand ton, There was an occasional schooner to Coos Bay. To the final destination it cost $34.25 per ton.
Mitchel Duvall and Captain Davis arranged the contract. The additional cost of transfers and incidentals made a total of $60 per measured ton. The goods were transported a distance of two miles across the isthmus between the headwaters of Isthmus slough between Coos Bay side to the headwaters of Beaver slough, a tributary of the Coquille, by a lot of squaws (you can’t say that today) under the
supervision of A.H. Hinch. Among the goods was a grand square piano (the first piano brought to Coos County) and a 51-inch Page portable sawmill belonging to
Henry Schroeder Sr., and an 8horsepower portable boiler and engine and a pair of 24-inch mill burs belonging to William Volkmar. These parties had, prior to leaving
Baltmore, entered into a co-partnership. The mill was put up on the south fork of the Coquille River, on the Schroeder place, and was operated for several years, William Volkmar filling the position of engineer and J. Henry Schroeder that of sawyer and
miller. In transporting the goods from Coos Bay a boat load was swamped just below the Hoffman place on the South Fork. This cargo consisted of Dr. Hermann’s valuable library and surgical instruments, some of the mill machinery and provisions.
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The goods were nearly all saved, but badly damaged. Parts were not found until the summer of 1860.
After paying all expenses the company was without money and surrounded by conditions to which they were not accustomed. After a short residence, Messers, Pagles and Osterhaus and families and Finkeldie removed to Santa Cruz, CA; Mr. Leeke and Mrs Wilde and children to San Francisco, and Coleman and Mackey returned to Baltimore. The others remained to hew out homes in the forest.
The professions and trades represented by the company were as follow: Henry Hermann, physician: Wm. Volkmar, tinsmith: Heny Schroeder, shoemaker: Wilde and Leeke, cigarmakers; David Holland, miner: Julius Pohl, music teacher: Edward Pagles, locksmith: Geo Stauff, carpenter: Chas Linderman, carpenter: John A. Rothe, cabinet maker: Joseph Osterhaus, cigarmaker: Werner Finkeldie, piano maker: Gustave Pohl, farmer: Jas Burke, laborer: James Coleman. Locksmith: John Mackey, ship carpenter.
Those who were in the Coquille River Valley at that time who had taken claims or contemplated doing so were. Edward Fahy and Chris Long, at the ferry, now Bandon: John Hamblock and family, D.J. and Y.M. Lowe and families: Seth Lampa at Lampa Creek: Capt Davis, Mitchell Devual and Lon Braton at Beaver Slough: Ephriam Cunningham, at what is now Coquille City: Alex Wheeler, James Malcolm, George Weeks, William T. Perry and family, Robert MeCleary and family, Alex VanCamp, Bemjamim Figg, opposite North Fork: John B. Dully, Ephraim Catching, Fred Gready. John Beirbrower, Hermann Kuhlman, J. Alex Harry and family, Geo Haines, Jos. Ferry, Daniel Pulaski and wife, Walter Parks, J.J. Hill, Wm. Packwood, at Enchanted Prairie:
Alex Jones, S.M. Dement and family, John Yoakam and family, Orley Hull and family, R.Y. Phillips and family, Wm. Rowland, H.H. Woodward, H.H. Baldwin, Isaac Brigham, Wm. Lenty, Luke McDonald, Iradel Bray, Preston Caldwell.
The county was divided into two school districts, Coos Bay country No. 1 and Coquille Country No. 2. The valuation of the taxable property in 1859 was small. The total vote cast at the election in 1860 in Coos County was less than 300. Empire City, the only town, had a population of about 30. H.H. Luce had a small sawmill there, and George and Henry Camman were keeping a store. Court was held in a shake building on the northwest corner of the block opposite the O.L. Cash store. Capt R. Cussans kept a hotel, and Capt W.H. Harris, F.G. Lockhart, B.F. Ross resided there. At North Bend was the mill and store of A.M. Simpson and Chas H Merchant had just taken charge of the store at Marshfield. There was a log cabin on the hill, the residence of Capt Hamilton and on the water front, about where the Garfield hotel now stands, was a shake building occupied by Reed, who pretended to keep a store, but was generally out of goods except liquid merchandise. S.S. Mann and Patrick Flannagan had opened a coalmine at the head of Coal Bank Slough, and named it Newport. Thos and Wm Hirst, John Kenyon, James Aiken, Harry Pond were residence of the village springing up. Northuya and Simpson were operating a coalmine at East Post on Coal Bank Slough. The coal from the mines was loaded into scows, which were floated to Coos Bay and unloaded into schooners. John Henderson, H.H. Barnett and James Jordan had located on Coos Bay opposite but above Empire City. The settlers on Coos River were, Mack and John Davis, Matt and
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Wm Bayley, Henry Miller, Vet Parker. A.B. Culver, H. DeKuse, M.M. Leamed. Wm Donnels, Amos Rogers, Anderson Wright, Cyrus Landrith, Francis Frank. & Luce.
The coming of the company induced others to follow. The first to come were John Kroneberg and family, Geo Carpenter. Gustave Grube, G. Kockler, Chas E Getty, two sons and two daughters. W.A. Border and family, John A. Rhody and two daughters and two sons, Conrad Linderman, Chas E. G Deitz, Alex Stauff, John and Fred Metz and Edward Bender.
During the latter part of the summer of 1859 Capt Rackleff and son, William, came to the (Coquille River) with their schooner Twin Sisters, 40 tons register, with a cargo of general merchandise, which they sold from the deck of the vessel, moored to the bank at the junction of the North and South Forks where the Rackleff mill stood.
Pioneer History of Coos & Curry Counties by Orvil Dodge
Dement Creek
Did you enjoy your trip into Floras Creek Valley? Well, then, 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
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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
Mrs. Jermima Hoffman
Mrs. Jermima Hoffman died at her home on the Middle Fork July 2, 1924, age 83 years 8 months and 26 days. Mrs. Hoffman was born Jermina Filett, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James Filett, in Winnipeg, Canada, Oct. 6, 1840. She came to Oregon in 1841 with her parents locating in Hillsboro.
In 1855 she came to Coos County locating on a donation claim where she has since lived. Her husband, Ephraim Hoffman, died sometime ago. Leaves a daughter, Mrs. Rachael Marquis of California; a son, Edward Hoffman f Myrtle Point, 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Buried Norway.
Southern Coos County American July 3, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Elizabeth Hermann Mrs. Elizabeth Hermann, mother of Hon. Binger Hermann. Commissioner of the General Land Office, died at the old Hermann homestead on the South Fork of the Coquille River, 6 miles from Myrtle Point April 2, 1900, age 79 years 1 month and 1 day. Deceased was born in Tredegar, Monmothshire, South Wales, England, March 1, 1821 and came to the United States in 1837 with her father, David Hopkins, who built the first iron furnace in United States near Cumberland, MD. she was married to Dr.
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Henry Hermann in 1840 and came to Coos County with a colony from Baltimore in May 1854, where she resided on the old homestead until her death. She was the mother of 9 children, those surviving her being. Binger and T.M. Hermann of Washington DC, and Mrs. E. Bender of Myrtle Point and Mrs. J.W. Baker of Phoenix, AZ. Buried on the old homestead place. Myrtle Point Enterprise, April 6, 1900 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Louisa Dement Rev. Jas. Moore preached the funeral sermon of Mrs. Louisa Dement at the Dement home on the South Fork last Monday. Louisa Dement was born in Ohio, Sept 7, 1838 and died at Salem April 12, 1898, age 59 years 7 months and 5 days. Her maiden name was Louisa Lovett and she married Samuel Dement in the spring of 1866. They came to Oregon the same year where they resided until their death. Four children, 3 sons and 1 daughter survive them; E.T., W.C., M.H. Dement and Mrs. Carrie Moomaw. Samuel Dement was born Oct. 5, 1824 and died Nov. 15, 1885 in California. His remains were buried beside his wife at their present resting place on the old home. July 7, 1898. He crossed the plains in 1853 and settled here in 1855. Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 19, 1898 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Washington Polk Hermann
Washington Polk Hermann was the third son of Dr. Henry Hermann and came to the Coquille Valley with his parents arriving the 25th day of May 1859, when he was 11 years old, as he was born on the 2nd of Dec. 1848, at Cumberland, Alleghany Co., MD. He attended the primary grades in Baltimore and attended the first school taught on the South Coquille River, his brother, Binger Hermann, being in charge. He went to Douglas County and applied himself diligently to his books and with such energy that about the time he reached his majority he passed a creditable examination and became a teacher, which profession he followed with success in Coos and Douglas Counties several years. June 22, 1875, he was united in marriage to Carrie N. Brown. He then engaged in farming, teaching at intervals, until 1877, the young couple moved to Washington Territory. They returned and built up one of the most lovely homes on the South Coquille. The funeral services were held at the residence of the family and at the cemetery on the Hermann homestead July 12, 1899. Rev. Thomas Barklow officiating.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 15, 1899 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Carrie M. Hermann
Carrie M. Hermann was born on Deer Creek, Douglas Co., OR, near Roseburg, April 4, 1854, daughter of Bozier Brown. She died May 11, 1932. Moved to Coos County with her parents in 1874. Settled on a farm on Hall’s Prairie (now Arago) on the farm now owned by John D. Carl. Married W.P. Hermann in 1875. Moved to Broadbent and developed the farm now owned by Ernest Clausen. Four children were born to
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them: Vivian, a son died several years ago; the other 3 are: Arthur Hermann, Broadbent; Mrs,. Cora Schroeder and Mrs. Edna Nelson both of Myrtle Point. A sister, Mrs. Abbie Carl of Portland. Her husband died 31 years ago. Buried at the Hermann cemetery at Broadbent
Myrtle Point Herald May 19, 1932
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Levi Gant
Levi Gant died at his home near this place Mar. 25, 1905 after an illness of 3 months. He was born in Randolph Co., IL, Feb. 22, 1827 and was therefore 78 years 1 month and 3 days of age at the time of his death. He was married to Sarah A. Stillwell, who preceded him in death about 12 years ago. Mr. Gant was one of the old pioneers of this county having crossed the plains in 1848, went to the gold fields of California in 1849, came back to Oregon two years later and in 1857 settled in Coos County and has since resided near this place.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 31, 1903
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Darius Gant
Darius Gant, a highly respected pioneer of Coos County, died Feb. 11, 1911 at the home of his brother-in-law, John Neal, in the South Fork valley, age 78 years, 6 months and 12 days. Internment was in the Neal cemetery. His wife died 29 years ago. He is survived by 2 brothers, Valentine, who lives in Mexico, and Wesley in Illinois; also he has 4 to 5 sisters living. He was a brother of Levi Gant who for many years lived on a farm just south of Myrtle Point.
Mr. Gant was born July 22, 1832 in Illinois and crossed the plains in 1854 with his two brothers, Valentine and William. They first landed near Gardiner, on the Umpqua River, where they remained a short time when Darius and Valentine moved to Coos County, the former making his home up until his death. His wife was a sister of John and Darius Neal of the South Fork.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb, 17, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
O.J. Grant
O.J. Grant, an old and highly respected pioneer of Coos County, died at his home on the South Fork, Monday the 10th and the funeral was held from the family home. Interment being in the Neil cemetery. Rev. Thos. Barklow officiated.
Orant John Grant was born in Cass County, MI, Sept. 6, 1826 and died Apr. 10, 1911, being therefore 74 years 7 months and 4 days of age at the time of his death. His family moved to Dupage County, IL about 1874 (?) where his father died 2 years later. From there they moved to Rock Island in 1858, living there until 1861 when they started across the plains on March 16th with a horse team and arrived in the Umpqua Valley Sept. 6th, having been 6 months on the road.
Mr. Grant came to Coos County in the fall of 1862, settling on the farm in the Coquille Valley where they have since made their home. He was the only son in the family of 10 children. Two sisters survive him, the eldess Aunt Mary Brooks and the
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youngst Mrs. Carman of Myrtle Point. Mr. Gant was united in marriage to Roena Neal by Henry Schroeder on Feb. 5, 1872; there was born to them 5 children, 3 of whom are living. His first wife died and about 1880, he was married to Sarah Clemenza Neil, who died Feb. 10, 1906. The children living are: James Grant, John Grant, Zack Grant, by his first wife and Glenn Grant, the only child by the second wife. The children were all present at the funeral except the youngest son who was in Wyoming.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 21, 1911 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Rowena Neal
Mrs. Rowena Neal, nee Pruett, died at the home of her son, Darius Neal, on the South Fork, May 3, 1910, age 78 years 2 months and 18 days. The funeral was held at Rowland Prairie with Rev. Thos. Barklow officiating. Interment was in the family burying ground on the Neal Prairie where her husband is buried.
Mrs. Neal is a pioneer resident of this section, having come to Coos County with her husband in the fall of 1874. She was born in 1832 in Indiana and crossed the plains in 1847 when she was 15 years of age. She located in the Willamette Valley where she was united to John Neal. In November 1874, they located in the Coquille Valley and made that their home up to the time of their death. Mr. Neal died in 1879 and Mrs. Neal made a home for and with her children since. During several years of her life she lived in Myrtle Point.
Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Neal of whom 4 are living: John Neal of Rowland Prairie, William Neal and Darius Neal of Myrtle Point and Mrs. Barbara Barnett of Prosper. Surviving are 40 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren. Mrs. Neal has been a member of the Christian Church for many years but in September of 1904 she untied with the Church of the Brethren.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 5, 1910 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Charles Broadbent
Charley Broadbent of Lindsey, CA, died at the family home Friday. Owned several creameries in this section and the town of Broadbent named for him. He was about 50 years old. Born in PA, and came west to California when a young man, later coming to Coos County.
In Nov. 1904 he married Laura Barklow in this city and they have one daughter, Helen Jo. She is a teacher of Spanish and is at present in Europe. Ten years ago the family went to Lindsey where Mr. Broadbent invested in citrus land. Buried at Lindsey.
Myrtle Point Herald, Feb. 20, 1930
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Washington Clay Dement
Washington Clay Dement died recently at Myrtle Creek. Born in Coos County on the Dement homestead Feb. 22, 1873, son of Samuel and Louisa Dement. In December 1896 he married Bertha Hermann. Five children born to them. All living but one daughter, Iva who died in infancy.
Survivors: widow, Mrs. Bertha Dement, Myrtle Creek; 2 daughters, Mrs. Zena Dyer, Myrtle Creek and Mrs. Ira Stromquist, Dillardl 2 sons Loyd and Milton both of Myrtle Creek. 1 brother, William Taylor Dement, Myrtle Point and 1 sister Mrs. Carrie Moomaw, Hubbard and 10 grandchildren. Buried in Roseburg.
Myrtle Point Herald, Dec. 12, 1935
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Binger Hermann, First Public Paid Teacher
Binger Hermann was born in Lonaconing, MD, Feb. 19, 1843, son of a practicing physician. He attended a country school and also an academy in Manchester. Came as a lad, when his parents, who were members of the Baltimore party, came to Coos County, the party taking up residence in Myrtle Point, then simply known as the headwaters of the Coquille River.
Mr. Hermann was the first school teacher in this part of the county to be paid out of public funds. Engaged in mercantile business in Myrtle Point. Erected the 3 story brick building at the west end of Spruce Street where his business was carried on for years. He studied law and was admitted to practice. President Grant appointed him receiver of the US Land Office in Roseburg.
In 1883 he was elected to Congress, serving the state as the only member of the lower house. President McKinley appointed him commissioner of the general land office in Washington DC.
Later he returned to Congress and served 4 years more. Served in both houses of the state legislature. Buried in Masonic cemetery in Roseburg—Masons in charge. Survivors; his wife, who was Flora A Tibbits, daughter of one of the early Methodist preachers in Douglas county; sons Schiller of Portland; Elbert B., attorney in Roseburg; daughter; Mrs. Mabel Gatley of Washington DC. Sister and brothers T.M. Hermann of Broadbent; Cass Hermann of Roseburg; Frank Hermann of Myrtle Point; E.W. Hermann of Broadbent; Mrs. Nellie Bender of Portland and Maria Baker of Phoenix, AZ
Southern Coos County American, Apr. 22, 1926
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Flora Hermann, Widow of Congressman Hermann Flora A. Hermann was born Oct. 23, 1847 at Lawrenceburg, IN. She was the widow of Binger Hermann who served 16 years as a Representative in Congress from Oregon, and died at Roseburg on Aug. 22, 1929. She came to Oregon in 1852 age 4 years. Her father was Jonathon Tibbitts, a Methodist minister, and he commanded the wagon train in which trip was made across the plains. The family lived a few months in Portland in 1852 and then moved to Umpqua Valley, settling near Oakland on the Calapoola River. Mr. Tibbitts bought the farm from an Indian. There were 10 children in the family and Mrs. Hermann was the last survivor. Married June 7, 1868 to Binger Hermann. Lived 30 years in Washington DC, Mr. Hermann died Apr. 15, 1926, They were the parents of 6 children, 3 survive: Schiller B. of Portland; Mrs. H.P. Gateley of Washington DC; Elbert B. of Roseburg. Buried in Mosonic cemetery in Roseburg. Myrtle Point Herald, Aug. 20, 1929 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. J.W. Carman
Mrs. J.W. Carman, one of the pioneer woman of the South Fork, died at the old family home last Monday evening, where she had resided since the early sixties. E.M. Hoffman, a Middle Fork resident, states that Mrs. Carman, Hon. Binger Hermann and Mr. Fred Schroeder were the only ones left of the pioneers that attended his father’s funeral years ago.
Mrs. Julia Ann Carman (nee Grant) was born Nov. 12, 1840 in Cook County, IL and died in Coos County Mar. 1, 1915, age 74 years, 3 months and 16 days. She was the last survivor of a large family. The lady came across the plains in a horse team emigrant train in 1861, their first stopping place being Scottsburg, Douglas County, OR, where she taught school that year. She came to Coos County in 1862, to make her home with her brother, Orant Grant, and taught school in this section.
She was married in May 1867 to J.W. Carman and to this union, 6 children were born, all of whom survive their mother. With the exception of the eldest daughter, Mrs. H.M. Coke, now of Covela, CA., the children were all present at the funeral. The children are R.P. Carman, Mrs. Eufa Cook, Mrs. Florence Marsters, Mrs. Anna Hamblock, Clinton Carman and Asa W. Carman.
Mrs. Carman was postmistress at Eltelka for a number of years; she was a very kindhearted lady and many were the pioneer families who enjoyed the hospitality of the Carman home. Buried at Neal cemetery. Rev. Thomas Barklow had charge of the service.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Mar. 4, 1915
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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Max G. Pohl Coos Horticulturist
Max G. Pohl, 94, on of the early pioneers of Oregon and Washington died last Friday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Clarence L Gotchy, 1618 West First, Aberdeen, WA, where he had made his home for the past 5 years. His 94th birthday was only last Thursday, May 15th.
He came west from Maryland prior to the outbreak of the Civil War with the party headed by Dr. Hermann, father of Binger Hermann, formerly Oregon Congressman. Mr. Pohl was 8 years the senior of Binger Hermann. The two were fast friends up until the death of Mr. Hermann several years ago.
Mr. Pohl was an optometrist by profession but his preference was for horticulture. He was county horticulturalist for Coos County, OR in 1872. He was born in Germany, Mr. Pohl had some very interesting stories to relate of the early days in Wyoming, Oregon and Washington. He cut hay for the government on the Walla Walla meadows in 1861 and he saw Custer and his troops ride for their last mission. He was wounded twice by the Indians, who at one time he was engaged in fighting.
He is survived by 2 daughters, Mrs. Gothchy Aberdeen and Mrs. William H. Thatcher, New Brunswick, NJ; a son George H Pohl, Trenton, NJ and by a sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Rabiger, Berlin, Germany and by 9 grandchildren Interment was in Fern Hill cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald, May 22, 1930
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Robbins
John Robbins, Broadbent, died Tuesday in Mast-Wilson Hospital after an accident. John Amos Robbins was born at Broadbent July 23, 1893 and would have been 35 years old next Monday. He spent his entire life in the community. Graduated from Myrtle Point High School June 1914 and in October 1916 married Miss Chesta Chandler at Marshfield.
They lived on a ranch until about a year and a half ago when thy bought a building site in Broadbent where Mrs. Robbins is teaching school and built a home. Besides his wife, he is survived by his mother, Mrs. Sara Robbins, Broadbent: brothers, Ivan, Harold, Truman, Elton and Emory all of Broadbent; 3 sisters, Mrs. Florence Sale, Astoria, OR; Mrs. Howard Smith, Coquille and Mrs. Helen Graham, Broadbent. Buried at Norway.
Myrtle Point Herald, July 19, 1923
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Wiley Wilborn Whittington
Wiley Wilborn Whittington was born Oct. 7, 1849 near Boone, in Wattauga Co., NC and died at his home in Myrtle Point June 15, 1924 age 74 years 8 months and 8 days. He spent his young manhood in North Carolina and then went to Missouri. Oct. 20, 1878 he married Miss Isabella T. Knight and to them was born 9 children, 4 of whom are dead.
He came to Coos Co., OR in March 1884 and located on the South Fork of the Coquille River near Broadbent and resided there until lately when he moved to Myrtle Point. Leaves his widow; 2 daughters, Mrs. Minnie Russell, Idaho and Mrs.
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Bonnie Groke of North Bend; 3 sons, Wiley W. of Canada, John T. and Franklin M. both of Myrtle Point. Buried in the Whittington Cemetery
Southern Coos County American, June 19, 1924
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Whittington
John Whittington, a pioneer resident of this section, passed away at his home Dec. 7, 1920, age 72 years. He was born in North Carolina. Survived by 1 brother and 3 sisters. Buried in Whittington cemetery
Southern Coos County American, Dec. 9, 1920
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
William T. Dement, Pioneer Cattle Man Dies at Home Here
Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock from the Schroeder chapel in Myrtle Point, for William Taylor Dement, 75, who died at his home here last Thursday night, after a lingering illness of several years. Rev. C.E. Brittain had charge of the service. Interment was in the Dement plot at the Norway cemetery.
Mr. Dement was a member of one of the first pioneer families to come to Coos County, his father having settled on Dement Creek in 1854. He was the son of Samuel M. and Louisa Lovett Dement, was born at the family home on Dement Creek, 8 miles south of Myrtle Point on Nov. 17, 1860 and spent his entire life here. He was married on Dec. 29, 1897, to Miss Nellie Figg of Coquille. His early education was received at the Bunch Academy at Coquille and the Ashland Business College, from which he graduated in 1889.
Taking his greatest satisfaction from the raising of the fine cattle and horse, and living the life of the outdoors, he spent more than 51 years in beef production at his ranch on Dement Creek. He was also in business for a time in Coquille and was also interested in the sawmill and other business.
He served as County Commissioner, as Mayor of Myrtle Point, and president of the Coos County Fair Association, being remembered for this lively interest in people and his never failing sense of humor, which won him many friends.
For the past ten years he had been confined to his home because of failing vision, but was bedfast for only one day prior to his death. He was 75 years 3 months and 5 days of age.
Surviving relatives include his widow, Nellie F. Dement: a son, Wallace B. Dement, attorney in Myrtle Point, a daughter, Lieut. Alice L. Dement, USNR of San Diego, CA and a sister, Mrs. John Moomaw of Hubbard, OR.
Myrtle Point Herald, March 14, 1940
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Section 7
Dora
Sitkum, Gateway to Coos County
“Tucked away behind ridge after ridge of virgin timber and surrounded by parks of maple and myrtle. Brewster Valley lies like a magnificent jewel in a green plush case”.
Those were the words of Ernest Krewson as he described Brewster Valley in his book, “Tioga’s Pigs”. In the latter part of the 1860s Horace Brewster hiked to the top of the Coast Range from Roseburg and dropped down on the west side to the headwaters of the East Fork of the Coquille River and followed it until he came to the wide level prairie that bears his name. In the next two years several people took squatters rights there, attracted by the abundance of deer and elk. In 1870 John Alva Harry and Horace Brewster went up the North Fork from the Coquille Valley by canoe to Gravel Ford then on up the East Fork until they were stopped by the rapids at now Dora. They then hiked the seven miles on to Brewster Valley. It was clear this was a more direct route between Coos County and the Umpqua Valley than the route up the Middle Fork that John had been using.
John Alva Harry was 23 when he worked his way across the plains of Oregon in 1851 as a bull-whacker and night-guard for a wagon train. He and some of his friends settled around Roseburg, but in 1854 he decided to look over the Coquille Valley and liked what he saw. He took a claim just south of Ephraim Catching, where Myrtle Point would later be, and built a cabin where Coffee Cup Turn is now located. He didn’t forget his friends in Roseburg, however, and made frequent trips back there to help them develop their farms. It also helped him keep contact with Chloe Cook, a girl he had met on the wagon train. She was only 10 at the time. Her family had gone to Noti, west of Eugene, where her father was a Methodist circuit rider. In 1857 when Chloe was 17 John figured he had waited long enough and went to Noti and brought her back as his bride. In explaining his odd middle name to his new wife, he said it was an old family name. He had a cousin with the same middle name, but he wasn’t considered very bright. The family didn’t think he would ever amount to much, and neither did his teacher. He was always getting ridiculous ideas that no one understood. Only his sister would listen to him and help with his experiments. His name was Thomas Alva Edison.
The trail through Brewster Valley and down the East Fork became known as the Brewster Valley. By 1873 it had been widened into the Coos Bay Wagon Road when John and Chloe moved to the east end of Brewster Valley and started a hotel. They intended on calling it “The Halfway House”, but another hotel already used that name, so they decided on “Sitkum” which means “half” in the Chinook Indian jargon. (Later his competitor must have gone out of business because the Sitkum Hotel became known as the “The Halfway House” as long as it existed, but the post office established there remained the Sitkum Post Office.)
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In 1874 tragedy struck. On one of his twice-a-year journeys to Empire for supplies, John caught pneumonia and died. He was only 46 and left a wife and five children. He is buried at the old Empire Cemetery. Lee Valley School From: The Coquille Valley, Vol 1 “Wagon Wheels to Wireless” by Patti & Hall
Strain
In 1875 Chloe married James Laird who had bought a claim in Brewster Valley the year before. He was an accomplished teamster and started a state-line from Roseburg
to Coos County. He also had the mail contract and was the Sitkum Postmaster. In
1875 Western Union Telegraph Company put a line from Roseburg, through Sitkum, to Marshfield and Chloe’s daughter, Nancy Belle Harry became the Sitkum operator, a position she held from 1875 until the line was discontinued in 1917.
James Laird had been married before and had four children. In 1881 his youngest son, James Daniel, married Nancy Belle and they built a home down the valley from the
Halfway House and moved the post office and telegraph office there. James Daniel followed his father as a state-line operator and worked for Western Union
maintaining the line between Roseburg and Marshfield.
Reuben Brown who lived his entire life at McKinley remembered a day in 1906 when several people were in the telegraph office. When the key started clicking tears came
to the eyes of Nancy Belle. Only she understood the message. A devastating earthquake had struck San Francisco.
For 42 years the main line of communication between Coos County and the outside world through Sitkum and it was a prominent factor in developing the county when it was a wilderness. Life in the Past Lane, Boyd Stone
Dora Is a Nice Place to Live
Charles Howe was the first to file a claim where Dora, OR is now. In 1867 he followed the pack trail west from Roseburg, over the mountains and down the East Fork of the Coquille River. Seven miles below Brewster Valley the narrow gorge widened on both sides of the river with several streams running into it. It was there he laid out his homestead. As he told his children later, he would have gone to the Coquille Valley, but figured he was getting far enough away from civilization as it was. Roseburg was the main town at that time. There wasn’t even a store in the
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Coquille Valley, and only two on Coos Bay. Charles Howe operated a nursery for many years and sold fruit trees all over Coos and Douglas Counties.
In 1872-73 the pack-trail was widened and became the Coos Bay Wagon Road and others settled near Charles Howe. John Roach brought his family there in 1874. The next year a post office was established and was named “Dora after the Roach’s little daughter, Dora. John Roach became the first postmaster.
William and Sarah Abernethy came to Dora in 1891 with their nine children. They were both children of early missionaries so it was only natural that they would provide the religious training for the community. Sunday School was held every Sunday morning and Thursday nights were prayer meetings and bible study. Sarah was also an accomplished pianist and singer and gave music lessons.
In 1894 a chapel was built on the cemetery grounds. In 1905 it was enlarged. In 1924 the chapel was replaced by a new one at the cost of $1385.
The Dora cemetery was established in the late 1880s and other graves in the area were moved there. There are over 300 graves now. Some years ago the Lairds started a trust fund to assure perpetual care, so now it is as nice and well kept as any cemetery in the county.
In 1903 William and Sarah’s son, Ed Abernethy, built the first sawmill at Dora to make planks for the Coos Bay Wagon Road. He also sawed lumber for several homes around Dora, including is own mansion which is still standing.
Ed Abernethy’s sister Pearl married a local farmer and logger, Marion Miller, who came to Dora in 1892. The Millers were faithful workers in their church and community all their lives. On interesting and unique custom of this family was at Christmas following the birth of one of their children, they would dig up a Douglas Fir for a Christmas tree. Then afterwards they would plant it in the front yard in that child’s name. The first tree was planted in 1899 for their oldest son, William. It had now grown to 12 feet 4 inches in circumference. Six more trees followed that one, making seven in all. Joe and Delores Peterson own the place now. The old house is gone and a mobile home is in its place. Five of the trees are still in the front yard. Priscilla’s tree was never healthy and finally died. The seventh tree, planted in the name of their youngest son, Ted, was healthy, but when Ted was killed in World War II, his tree died. Just a coincidence? Maybe.
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Sitkum CCC Camp 1933
Coquille Valley Historical Museum Collection
The Dora Store was built in 1923 by Everett Howe as a butcher shop, but he soon learned there was a market for other things before meat. Moonshine, whiskey was one of those products that did quite well. Hugh Gearhart remembers that Howe cleaned up when Capco powerline was constructed from Roseburg to Coos Bay in 1928 or 29 selling moonshine to the crews. Everett died in 1945, when his daughter, Florence Weathers, ran it for many more years. Doug and Debbie Nevis own the store now. (1995) I stopped there awhile back to look the old store over. It hasn’t changed much, but you can’t buy moonshine there anymore. I settled for an ice cream bar.
The first Dora School was built of logs at “The Forks” in 1872. It was replaced in 1890 by one made out of lumber. In 1913 a nicer building was constructed at The Forks and is now a residence. That school was replaced by a modern one on Gold Brick Road in 1955. Since the Dora School was consolidated with Myrtle Point, the building has housed the volunteer fire department and the Dora Public Library. .
The Gold Brick Road and Bridge connects the Coos Bay Wagon Road to the Elk Creek Road. It was named by Robert Easton, whose land it crossed, because it cost the county so much to build for the few people it served.
All the gypo sawmills and logging operations that were around Dora are gone now. So is the 30 acre Sun Valley Bulb Farm, started in 1945 by Ivan and Kenneth Laird. For many years they raised daffodils, iris, gladiolus and other cut flowers for the market in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Spokane.
There is still a wilderness beauty and a certain community spirit about Dora that would make it a nice place to live, but Charles Howe would probably still tell his children it is about as far away from civilization as he would want to be.
You Are The Stars by Boyd Stone
GEARHART FAMILY OF PLEASANT HILL . By Patti Strain, January 2007
Dora Bigelow married Neal Gearhart in1909. The “children” shown on previous page is the result of that marriage, almost ninety years later. Dora was a school teacher who met Neal Gearhart when she rode her father’s horse, Buckskin Billy, from Myrtle Point to Pleasant Hill School, in 1908. Pleasant Hill was only a 15mile trip through the wilderness northeast of Myrtle Point. She traveled with a fellow teacher, Doris Williams, who would teach the Shiloh School that year. Wilderness didn’t worry Dora Bigelow. Her parents settled in the wilderness at Eckley in 1888, just seven weeks before Dora was born; she was their seventh child and grew up in the remotest corner of northeastern Curry County. There she roamed that wilderness as she grew.
On a spring day full of daffodils and wind to dry clothes, Dora Gearhart walked from the clothesline toward the house. She was probably thinking of the next chore that
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awaited her. The house stands today at 107 years old in 2007. The home is located at Pleasant Hill, on L G and Christy Sanders ranch about half way between Gravel Ford
and Dora.
John Neal Gearhart was nine years older than Dora when she rode up to his gate and hallooed the house. Neal dried his hands on a towel as he stepped off the back porch
to meet the young woman on horseback. Dora asked “Is that Pleasant Hill School back the road a piece?” Neal, a man of few words, responded “sure is.” Little did either of them know as they looked intently at each other, that they would spend
sixty-two years together living in that same house with the handy washing-up place on the back porch.
Gearhart house built at Pheasant Hill in 1904 Photo by Patti Strain, 2007
Neal was born in Astoria, Oregon in 1880 and attended school there until ready for college. He “completed the greater part of what Oregon Agricultural College had to
offer” at age 21. He learned engineering, carpentry and surveying. After college he designed and supervised the building of a sea-going raft. He then traveled to Alaska,
where he spent four years. He operated a hardware store in Skagway for a time and later traveled by dog team to Fairbanks.
After time in Alaska Neal decided Oregon Country was more to his liking. He also decided he’d like to be a farmer. He moved to Coos County in 1907, at age 28. He bought the farm near Pleasant Hill School after walking the fifteen miles from Myrtle Point to view the property. A man by the name of Byron R. Sheldon owned the property. Neal gave him $75 earnest money “as part payment and as earnest of his intention to purchase from me” this farm of ninety-seven acres near the East Fork of the Coquille River. Sheldon signed and soon the farm transaction was complete.
Mr. Sheldon required $600 for the personal property and $3,500 for the ranch; the deed signing took place 13 January 1908. The transaction included the land, a house built about 1900 by prior owner George Folsom; 13 head of two year old cattle; 6
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milk cows; 6 calves; 2 mares; l brood sow with five young pigs; one hack; 1 set of harness; all the poultry; farming tools on the premises this day by deed conveyed to J. N. Gearhart, and also the furniture in the house, except three rocking chairs, and all the hay in the barn on said premises.
They inked in two hand-written amendments: “one saddle, new; also one share of paid up stock in the East Fork Telephone line.” The witness to the transaction was E. C. Robert. There! John Neal Gearhart had fulfilled his desire for a farm, now he had to put the agricultural part of his education to use. He did two things that improved his chances of being a good farmer. He began farming as systematically as he would survey Coos County in the future; and he married a strong helpmate, Dora Bigelow, in 1909. The two young people combined had every attribute to be successful in the extremely remote area.
Neal immediately began his custom of keeping records. The documentation of their life’s work on the farm was recorded through Neal’s early day efforts, and Dora’s inspiration at age 41 to begin a diary. Then their life was revealed more fully by Dora’s gift of an interview to a news reporter in 1976. These items have been gathered and saved by L G and Christy Sanders, as part of learning about the family and saving the Gearhart’s house at Pleasant Hill.
Neal gathered his wits about farming as he walked over the property and inspected the small orchard. Four days after the purchase he sat at the kitchen table and titled his paper “Special Orchard Record.” He methodically began to record work he did in the orchard:
The following items were in 1908: “Friday January 17 pruned the orchard.” A few weeks later he wrote: “February 14 and 15 plowed running cross-wise.” Ninety-seven year old Hazel Gearhart Clark recalled that her folks had only horse drawn farming tools for many years. That required various harnesses and straps to hitch up the horse and walk behind, or to the side of the team. “March 8th sprayed, used lime-sulfur.” A couple weeks later he noted: “March 21- trees B8, B9, P4, P5, P6 and P8 have been opening blossoms for a week. These are all peaches, I think. Tree I-5 is nearly in full bloom.”
On his chart Neal numbered each existing tree and each new tree he planted. As soon as the sun came to stay he wrote: “April 6 - planted 9 Gravensteins, yearling trees from Mr. J. Crosby’s. Trees presumed to be grafted or budded from the best stock to be had in vicinity. Dug good sized holes and rubbed off all lower buds.” Work recorded, each tree numbered. Two months later Neal wrote: “June 24, 1908 sprayed with Bordeaux mixture using about 35 gallons.” And on it went, and he didn’t forget to record his first harvest. Boxes of apples, yellow plums, “some permitted to bear too heavily for size of tree, 15 fine Bartlett pears, a few fine large peaches ripening second week of September, petit prunes, plums, peach plums, yellow Transparent.”
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After fall came Neal began a new sheet and a new addition to the orchard. – “November 10, 1908, Plot of Orchard Addition.-Staked out ground this afternoon. Used the transit to turn the angles and get the base lines. Worked alone, being rodman and transit man both.”
He got done just in time for new trees: “Thur. Nov. 12 received the 49 trees from the Capital City Nursery this noon. Trees came in apparent good shape; all seem to be exceptionally good trees and well rooted. Set this afternoon 12 Franquette Walnut, 15 Gravenstein Apples, and 1 Bing Cherry. Weather, the last of a dry spell, commencing to rain slightly about 3:30 with indications of a rainy period. Dug good sized holes for trees and loosened up the bottoms of the holes well, Pruned off all ends of roots and took pains to have all the roots and rootlets spread out to their proper or natural places. “Fri. Nov. 13 - set 3 Gravenstein apples, (note to the side of the paper: (“Had to replace #G9 in 1911”) set 18 Jonathan Apples, planted tree H5, a Gravenstein of the lot from J. Crosby. Today is a fine clear day again. Pruned all the trees excepting the walnuts; cutting back half the top, or more, in most instances.
“Friday Nov. 20, 1908, hauled manure – half rotted horse – on new orchard and put a good dose around each tree, also around the grapes. Set one more grape in row, it being the fifth one from Peter Axe’s on Big Creek, said to be a fine white grape.” 1
The next month Neal made sure each tree had attention: “Monday Dec. 28, 1908, practically finished pruning the orchard. The heavy frosts last week took off most of the remaining leaves from the trees.”
After working outside, Neal worked by candlelight or kerosene light beside a warm kitchen stove to enter his day’s labor. Each tree had a number neatly entered on his Orchard Addition paper. As a last thought the man, who later became the elected surveyor of Coos County, wrote at the bottom of the page: “Trees .485 chains apart.” [One chain is 100 feet, so about 50 feet]
Monday January 18, beginning the second year on the farm, Neal repeated the spraying process and planted more trees, including four Gravenstein apples from the Crosby nursery on the East Fork.
February, the month Neal and Dora married no entries were recorded in the Orchard journal. But March 12, 1909 he wrote, “sprayed about ½ of the orchard Wednesday, finished this morning. Used lime sulfur. March 11, 1909, Tree J5 has been opening blossoms several days. One of the pears, K6, is also opened.” The life of a farmer was going to suit Neal Gearhart just fine.
For eleven years Neal recorded production from his orchard. His last entry, November 28, 1918, he recorded the planting of eight Prolific Peach, one Elberta Peach, and one Sugar Prune, and noted “all the above trees from the Washington Nursery of Toppenish, Washington. Trees arrived yesterday in fair order. The roots were not wrapped.”
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The last page in his Orchard Record showed 17 rows of trees containing 141 trees, each numbered and identified. Dozens of those trees still produce on the Gearhart/Sanders farm in 2007.
While Neal took care of the orchard, farmed and surveyed for individuals in various parts of Coos County, Dora was not idle. Children were born: Hazel, 1910; Agnes, 1912; John, 1914; Clark, 1916; and Hugh in 1917. The children slept downstairs until they were old enough to climb stairs and sleep alone. The eldest, Hazel, remembered her mother holding a lantern at the bottom of the stairs for the children to go up to bed. One bedroom at the top of the stairs remained unused, except for a hired girl when Dora had a baby or the few days they had a hired man, or a schoolteacher boarded with them; whenever they had extra people, they used the bedroom at the top of the stairs.
Dora was a great help-mate; when first married she helped Neal in the blacksmith shop, handled the team to haul corn to the shed loft to dry, and helped butcher hogs, later, after children were born, her chores turned to household work, cut up meat to dry and smoke, canned hundreds of jars of produce each season; fruit from the orchard and vegetables from her large garden, all for winter use.
During World War I Dora was called on to teach school again. They called upon an Aunt to help with the household, and Dora taught for one year. The children were small with Hazel, about age 8.
Dora started her diary in 1929 at age forty-one, just as the recession of the century engulfed the country. She wrote of “doing up the work,” housewife things, sweeping, mopping, making beds, washing, milking the cow, separating milk, churning butter, general meal preparation for seven three times a day, but did not include the extra projects necessary to feed a family. Plowing, planting, hoeing, weeding, harvesting, canning, rendering lard, tending chickens, etc; while the men brought in the winters wood, butchered, ran logs in the river, surveyed etc.
Nothing was easy to come by. At first, water came from a hand-dug well covered by the back porch roof. To get water required a bucket and rope and hand-last to drop the bucket and wind-up the rope to pull the full bucket of water to the surface. Later a hand pump placed over the well on the back porch made it easier to draw water to the surface. The water was heated on a wood cook stove for washing and “doing up the work.” Once when the temperature was 16° lanterns were placed on each side of the “pitcher” pump on the back porch to unthaw the handle.
Wood gathering was a major summer function; not only to heat house and water and cook, but the Gearhart family provided wood to heat the school building. Winter chores were sewing and darning; Dora “harvested” material from Aunt somebody’s old dress, or unraveled wool from worn out socks to make a new item or darn socks. Nothing was wasted and food production was shared. In 1929 Dora wrote “Neal ground wheat and corn meal today. [Browns had a grist Mill on Cherry Creek,
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McKinley.] I am so glad to get it. Ground a flour sack full, for Tom Guerin, real coarse for mush.”
To give a feel of the work during that time of business depression that many farm families faced, the next paragraphs include condensed information from Dora’s diary. The diary is being typed by Penny Clark, whose husband, George, is the son of Hazel Gearhart. I have years 1929 through 1936. I thank Hazel and Penny for allowing the use of excerpts. As Hazel reviews her mother’s diaries she makes comments to Penny about that time. Those comments, when used, are in [brackets] to separate from Dora’s diary words.
February 24, 1929 Dora wrote of their twentieth wedding anniversary; “baked up some nice things and drove to Bandon to the beach, the tide was in and it was cold. Mrs. Johanson went with us and seemed to enjoy it.” [Mrs. Johanson was the Pleasant Hill schoolteacher in 1929.]
Throughout 1930 to 1936 the chores were completed even though the family of five children had a lot of sickness to deal with; measles, mumps, chickenpox, whooping cough, scarlet fever, colds, flu, boils and small pox. The entire family was exposed to smallpox in January of 1929, and cases of Tuberculosis were in the area. Many of those ills are almost unheard of today.
The family had a lot of company and since people traveled some distance by horse or buggy, they usually stayed for dinner. Dora mentioned many people in her diary, Mr. Moser, Mrs. Bunch, Macie Mayse, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Loud, Frank Howe, Mr. and Mrs. Marcy, Mr. Waters, Minnie Huff, Miss Meeker, Mrs Swan, Mrs. Angie Krantz Yoakum, Vern & Josie Bennett, Mrs. Young, Dora’s sister Ella Bigelow Guerin, Mr. & Mrs. Marcy, most came and spent the day. Some were club members, others just visited. Dora wrote of sewing while Elena Minard, wife of Fred Minard visited.
The family raised lambs on the farm and come spring that meant round-up to tag, cut off tails and trim feet. Then shearing, sacking and selling wool. Dora mailed 12 pounds of wool to Mrs. Broadbent, that family operated the cheese factory at Broadbent. The wool brought 25 cents a pound.
Neal and the boys butchered sheep, cattle, hogs, chickens, and pigeons. Dora was next in the process as she “dressed” chickens and pigeons, roasted mutton, fried sausage to put down in crocks, and cut and canned meat and cooked for seven every day and as many as 20 when the Heller’s threshing crew came. The family always produced: some to sell, some to eat, and some to give the neighbors. Hazel recalled that as soon as Dora had glass canning jars those were used to can meats instead of using crocks.
Canning and drying foods were daily events during late summer and fall days. Cooking a hog’s head, rendering buckets of lard, and making soap. In between those chores Dora cut open a growth on the old horse and drained a quart of brown liquid.
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Neal made a special harness strap so it would not rub on the horses sore spot. It seemed everything could be handled.
Dora spaded and plowed and harrowed the ground, with a good horse any woman could do as much. She wrote: “Went out and harrowed until 1 p.m. then came in and washed clothes.” And later: “Today the boys and I planted 20 rows of Blue Bantam Peas, 66 paces long,” and followed with, “This is our first adventure in peas, I’m so glad to get them in early; sold $21 worth of hens the other day. Got 23 cents a pound; that entry was January 16, 1929. Two weeks later Dora and the boys planted 18 more rows of peas, 66 paces long.
When the peas were ready: Dora wrote “sent 20 pounds to Petersons and 259 pounds to sell but when we got to town found the market sadly flooded sold $1.30 in Coquille. The Ford got bucking so we did not go to Marshfield. Came back to Myrtle Point, I gave Ella 75 lbs, sold Anna 45 lbs and Mrs. Young $2.00 worth. Gave Am and Bertha two big messes and came home to can the rest.” Don’t waste them, put the peas up for winter.
Eight days later Dora wrote: “All picked peas had four sacks gathered by supper time.” The next day, “Delivered peas and got two sacks of flour at one place. Back to Coquille by noon, drove to Norway School and ate our lunch. Then went to Leathermans for strawberries, got about 2 ½ crates for $4.54. Came home and took care of the berries.” [Hazel noted: Lloyd and Selata Leatherman, lived one mile from them towards Myrtle Point on Yankee Run Creek.]
August 4, 1929 Dora wrote: “Neal and John went on a surveying trip up to Eckley for Mr. Pulford and Kenneth Laird. Went clear up there in the Oakland. Stayed all night at the Haines place.”
Eckley! Where Dora grew up, she wanted to go too, and soon she had the chance.
August 16 1929, Dora wrote: “Bright and early we were up, met at the early morning restaurant and ate. At 6:30 the speeder belonging to Albert Powers was ready soon we hopped on and were off. We had a wonderful time going all around over the old Greene ranch besides our old ranch up on the hill. There are five black walnut trees and quite a lot of fruit trees up there. Even the rose bushes are still there and a little ground ivy that Ella planted. Old miners were going back and forth just like they used to. Two autos came up there while we were there so now I know they can go clear up. We started back about 5:30, ate lunch in Powers and came on to Myrtle Point.
November 27, 1929 Dora wrote: “Keith Laird was killed in a logging camp and today his Uncle Walter & Clyde Barker came up to locate a place for the grave. And December 17: “Mrs. Moser was buried today in the pouring rain at Gravel Ford. Neal went and was one of the pallbearers. Dora and Neal managed the Dora Cemetery, and she also cleaned the Chapel prior to funerals.
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Dora attended Club once a month; she was a founder and Charter Member of “Dora Friendly Club” that exists to this day in Dora. January 9, 1930 she wrote: “This is club day & new officers to install. Mrs. Velda Bunch, President, Mrs. Lela Crosby, Vice President, Mrs. deBoer, Secretary-treasurer. [deBoer family had the creamery at Gravel Ford. Their daughter Helen deBoer married Howard Leatherman, three children, later divorced.]
In the fall of 1930 the Gearhart boys dug 40 sacks of potatoes, got the washing machine going, but not very good. They sold a crate of 14 fat hens for $22; Dora sold 29 pounds of peas to Everett Howe for 18 cents a pound. The men worked up acres of ground, took care of the orchard, cut hay, hired out to survey land, made booms in the river to hold logs; opened the booms when the river was high and floated logs down to the North Fork, and beyond to Harnishes. Neal was so busy he forgot a Port meeting, where he was a Director.
Both Neal and Dora were usually on the Pleasant Hill school board, so it wasn’t unusual for visitors to come calling about school matters. Shiloh School Board came to see if Pleasant Hill District would take their kids for the year. The Shiloh School needed a new roof and the District didn’t have the money. After some discussion by the board, Pleasant Hill said yes, for $30 a month for the twelve kids.
Shiloh then got busy and put it to a vote to consolidate Pleasant Hill, Shiloh and Gravel Ford districts; that failed 16 to 21. Dora didn’t record what they finally did with the Shiloh School or the kids, but did note that Miss Howdyshell taught at Pleasant Hill in 1930, but Miss Whobrey wanted the school next year. Cathryn Nelson visited, she taught school there 9 years ago. The teachers, after the 1920s, sometimes boarded at the Gearhart’s small cabin next to the river at the north end of the farm. Early-day teachers always stayed with a family in the area of the school.
The Gearharts worked hard but also enjoyed life; taking all kinds of produce to the County Fair and stopped by the dance where a “drunken crowd” made them “disgusted.” Went to Grange meetings in Brewster Valley; bought a radio that attracted “a bunch of boys in to hear the radio.” Went to many nearby picnics along the river; one at Gold Beach to see the bridge over the Rogue that was under construction. Caught a flat car and rode to the end of the line above Powers with their feet dangling over the side in the wind. The family had a good time at the Corn Show in Coquille; celebrated John’s 16th Birthday, and Dora’s 42nd birthday. The “kids got her a nice egg beater, the best one she ever saw.”
Neal and Dora said goodbye to old friends in 1930; “Lewie Heller died, and Frona Lawhorn passed away.”
Every Monday, rain or shine, Dora washed clothes and hung them outside to dry on the clothesline, and some times in winter brought them inside to finish drying. And week-in-and-week-out the usual cleaning, cooking, fire building and resting from the day’s labor went on.
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In 1931 Dora noted that Katie Guerin took T. B. and is going to the Sanitarium at Salem; her daughter Agnes was working at Giles, where they have measles; Agnes did get measles that affected her eyes; and Dora worried about a man by the name of Nelson who posed as a mining engineer and had been around Myrtle Point about a month and issued bad check to the amount of $2,000 and got away, taking Helen Russell with him. A message from Roseburg said they were married and would be back Monday, “all leads to believe he is a criminal.” Dora noted later that Helen returned, but nothing more about the situation.
In spring Dora got interested in “an Old Stove Hunt contest.” She phoned around the neighborhood to find the age of wood stoves in the home. Regularly she noted: “Found more old stoves.” And one time “Sick but still hunting old stoves. Trying to find age of mine. Phoned to Folsom’s the former owners of this ranch.” And then she wrote: “Finished contest. Figured my stove is 35 [years]. Folsom’s got it second hand in 1900 and it was 3 to 5 years old then. I have local finals in contest if no more come in. I went to collect my “plunder” from the stove contest. Brot home a nice grass rocker as first prize for most names.”
The school board elected to have Miss Whobrey for teacher next year. In April they had a wind that gradually increased in velocity until the front gate went flat taking the rose bush and the tall posts. The tall trees, toward Mayses fell into our field over one end of the peas. By 6 P.M. the dust was so thick in the air Elk Mt. could not be seen and Swans place looked very hazy. Must have blown in from Eastern Oregon & Idaho. It whipped tender shoots all to pieces. A thick dust was spread over everything this A.M. and there is some in the air yet. That wind dried everything out so. At the end of May it was Very warm 96° F. [Hazel recalled those were two white fir trees, very tall and she was glad to see them go.]
The family enjoyed picnics; in the Bennett Grove, there were 35; Leathermans, Millers, Wilbergers, Plaeps, Ferris, Lundys, Ella, Jean, Duke and Dale. Had such a good time. Later in June: We all went to the Logger’s ball at Brewster Valley. Attended Grange at Brewster, Mr. Marcy was elected Grand Master of the Grange.
In July it was clear and hot. We all went to Bandon. Enjoyed the water sports. John & Ruthmary went up in an airplane. The family attended Woman’s Club where Bald Hill, Gravel Ford, Shiloh and Pleasant Hill schools each gave a number. In July Dora wrote: Fixed over my red dress. John cut hay. Neal went to town in P.M. Clark & Hugh just about forgot to quit swimming and bring the cows. Jeraldine Minard slept in the hay with the children. This year Dora and Neal took “wheat, pears, apples, summer squash and quinces” to be entered at the Fair.
Neal made a trip to his hometown of Astoria. Weddings were entertainment and Neal and Dora attended the marriage of Anna Laird and Kenneth Taylor.
As usual the river came up enough to float logs over rocks above Minard’s bridge; “logs marching by most all day. Very warm & fair. I just laid off and wrote letters,
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practiced on the piano and felt comfortable for once.” [Dora had had a spider bite that turned into boil.) “Like the linoleum on kitchen table.” The river is the highest it has been for some time. Neal & the boys closed booms & tied up logs feverishly. Rained continuously all day.” A week or so later: “Men working on logs turned the boom loose south end of ranch and had trouble in starting them.” There were dangers aplenty in that job, working a logjam loose. Logs were cut and dumped above a splash dam, or boom, fall rains raised the river and the dam was opened or the booms unhooked. The logs lay ever-which-way, it took caulk boots and pike poles in the middle of the river to begin straightening logs to move with the flow of the river. Coos County had dozens of splash dams and men were sometimes killed in that work. [Hazel recalled two deaths in the Pleasant Hill area; one was the son of Wells Bigelow and the other death occurred near Frona Park.] By November 23rd “men got the logs clear down to mouth of North Fork.” December 31, water was all over the lower valley.
In late November, after school started, Dora wrote: Had the thrill of my life. I got word that Hazel is one of 20 at the Oregon State College that got the highest grades last year and is honorary member of the Phi Kappa Phi. 1700 students started.
Life goes on and unfortunately friends also: Dora wrote of each death on date of occurrence: We laid C. F. Leatherman, Sr. away, very fine funeral. Jim Hobson found dead in the barn, suicide. Ted Bennett came to select a grave for their 2 ½ month baby, died of pneumonia. Letha Sumerlin [Althea Krantz Sumerlin] died of cancer. W. J. McLean a homesteader above us was killed in an auto accident on Cherry Creek hill, above Marcys. - Went to Jim Guerin’s funeral. He had brain tumor like Harry. Has been sick since Sept. Saw Eckley Guerin. Went to Alvie Brown’s funeral, cemetery white with snow, called on the Thompsons on the Stemler place.
[Hazel Clark “recalled that her family had a big farm wagon in 1918 and hauled wheat and corn to the Brown’s to mill. She thought that mill operated until about 1929, about the time of the recession. Hazel said the Brown family lived at McKinley near Cherry Creek and was a very important part of the countryside, they had a number of boys, and ground flour; she could not recall the type of power used.”]
I talked to Alice Brown Yost of McKinley February 27, 2007. She hasn’t heard a lot of family history but would talk to her brother in Alaska.
I found that Marcus L. Brown and wife, Eliza, came to Camas Valley in 1899. Brown was a Union soldier in the Civil War and was with Sherman in his march from “Atlanta to the Sea.” He told many interesting stories to the children in the Camas Valley School. Mr. Brown traded his property in Nebraska to Cox and Ben Wilson for their holdings in Camas Valley. Their children: Alva, Arthur, Eunice (Church), Wilfred, Louis, Mildred, Frank and Bessie (Wheeler).
Two of their sons, Alva and Arthur Brown, settled in McKinley before their parents came to Oregon in 1899. Alice said her grandfather Alva Brown was a blacksmith
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and had a stage stop at McKinley to change horses on the Coos Bay Wagon Road. The house with the stone foundation at McKinley was known in the 1970s as the Reuben W. Brown place, between Middle Creek and Cherry Creek, west of Lone Pine Bridge. Alice said Reuben was her father and the son of Alva Brown. Reuben married Hilda Loshbaugh, Alice’s mother, in 1931. Hazel Gearhart Clark recalled members of the Brown family clearly; maybe Alice’s grandfather, Alva Brown, ground wheat and corn for the Gearhart family.
There was another mill in the area that ground flour, but it was long before Hazel’s birth. The Monte Minard family came in 1872 and located across the river from the Gearhart ranch in the late 1870s. Mr. Minard built a gristmill on the south bank of the river about 400 feet down river from Dan Melton’s log bridge. A dam and turbine water wheel furnished the power. According to Howard Leatherman, the making of flour at Minards was quite a process and required a lot of machinery and belts to operate the equipment. The grain was ground with stones called burrs. Some are in the Coos Historical and Maritime Museum.
Mr. Minard’s customers were the old pioneer families of the area. They came from near and far, from Douglas County, Curry County, Coos River, and most of the communities of Coos County. The old mill was made into a sawmill in the early 1900s.
Mrs. Clara Minard, wife of Steve Minard, lived in Dora from 1882-1892 and from 1898-1913. She helped run the stage station and the Post Office. Many of her family are buried in the Dora Cemetery.
In 1932 life went on much the same at Pleasant Hill while the recession deepened across the country. It was a cold January with six inches of snow the last of the month. “Hazel making a jacket from an old coat and sewed over a dress, a linen one that Esther Gearhart had years ago”.
Summer days were the busiest with produce from the garden to take care of beginning in June and ending in September. These entries spread over the months give an idea what the days were like. Hazel, Agnes and I picked and canned 29 quarts of peas. Hot. Picked and canned 47 ½ quarts of peas. Picked and canned 18 quarts of peas. Picked cherries and got out plants. Canned all the cherries, I expect to get 35 quarts. Gathering seed peas. Canned string beans. Hazel has been making soap, used half lard & half mutton tallow and the product is very good. We canned and dried corn. We put prunes out to dry. We canned 4 ½ gallons of applesauce and made apple jelly. Ella canned corn. I just generally hustled. We canned pears and evergreen [blackberry] juice and put prunes to dry. Agnes & I went Huckleberrying and got about 8 gallons. We looked over huckleberries and canned 12 quarts. Gave the teachers and Celia some and have 2 ½ gallons left fresh. Neal made sour kraut. I tacked a cot mattress.
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We caught the fryers this morning. The fryers averaged 4 lbs. apiece and brot $4.75 which I consider very good. Cold morning. I gathered concord grapes and quince pears.
Men hauled hay. We cut up and canned meat also roasted mutton and fried sausage to put down. Sent neighbors all a piece of meat. Neal and the boys ground grain for flour. Neal and Clark went to Brewster Valley surveying. Neal and John repairing barn. They trucked the 2 steers to town to be loaded on train for Portland. Market very poor. John and Hugh sawing school wood. The men hauling wood and the woodshed bursting full. The male members of the family dug potatoes and got 25 sacks.
Sandwiched between all the work, were picnics that required cooking but also good clean fun. Dora wrote: -All went to Davenports Grove for Picnic. Ella, Jean, Gail, Robert Thompson & all of us Agnes, John & Jean staid for evening. John took our 1914 Ford to the Corn Show and got first prize. Virginia Crosby and Norland Gant were married at the Corn Show today.
Aug. 4 - Very hot, Temperature ranged between 102 and 105° F. I came home from Ella’s on the mail stage. Neal & Clark surveyed at Laney Parrish’s. Went to Sunday school and then to Holmstroms in P.M. [Charles and Frances Holmstrom parents of Buzz Holmstrom, who ran the Green and Colorado rivers in the late 1930s. They lived on Middle Creek.]
The summer was gone in the blink of an eye and just before school started: Agnes and I oiled the schoolhouse floor.
Of course friends passed on in 1932: Tom Guerin found his brother George Guerin paralyzed in the mud back of his barn. They rushed him to the hospital but he passed away at about eight that evening. Neal & I went to George’s funeral; he had been a father & brother to me during my first years away from Eckley. I made 7 four sack pillow cases. Mrs. W. H. Bunch’s funeral. So many old teachers out to the funeral. [The Bunch family started the Coquille Adademy and later the Gravel Ford Academy.]
Went to old man Bramley’s funeral. Lindy & Anne’s child found dead near their home after 72 days. Had been struck on the head 2 months or more ago.
Beautiful day. Mr. Dell E. Walker laid to rest in Dora Cemetery at 10:30 A.M. He was a Spanish American War Veteran.
There was also good news as one of Dora’s Bigelow relatives had a baby. “John Charles Bigelow born at Wesley hospital.” [The Wesley Hospital was either in Marshfield or North Bend]
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This year the boys had to watch a fire that got away. “Fire got out from river brush by Bennetts, Neal and Joe, Clark and Hugh down fighting it. John and Mr. Marcy staid up all night watching Bennett fire. Neal and John back in morning making fire trail. Fire started up by our cabin. The girls went up and helped all P.M. Strong north wind, fire whipping up. Warm, smoky weather, nights cooler. Pumpkins nice and ripe. Have to haul water to wash. This has been the driest Sept and so far in October. John up and off at 5:30 to fight fire on Steel Creek. We surely do need rain. I never saw it so dusty and dry and dirty, nothing growing, every thing going dry.” Dora just thought it was dry in 1932, little did they know that in September of 1936 the country would burn along with the town of Bandon.
Dora wrote: “November, water in the well at last. Election returns came in on radio all evening & before bed time I knew F. D. Roosevelt was elected with a great majority. The country went Democrat.”
“Thanksgiving Day. We were just here by ourselves and thankful to be well and above board. Neal, John and Clark dressed the hogs ready to take care of tomorrow.” The next three days they “worked on the pork.”
December 10th: “It is only 10° absolutely the coldest.” She dressed chickens and made a cake, and finished the 2nd crocheted rug.
Dec 24-25, “Neal dressed the little pig. I finished cleaning house, boiled the sausage etc. Made candy in evening and opened packages. The first time we ever went without a tree. The roast pig came out beautiful, was so filling.”
Two weeks later Dora wrote: “The river’s frozen over in the still places. Many water pipes bursting, potatoes and apples freezing [in storage]. John took Neal’s ice skates and went to Liege Culbertsons to skate were there is a large pond frozen. The pipes at the teacher’s cabin are frozen.”
Dec. 31- “Saturday. Sent 2 fryers by Elmer Wilson for Jean to take to Corvallis. Snow flakes fell. Spent day cooking and baking. Went to Grange at Brewster Valley.” [Elmer Wilson was the mail carrier.]
In 1933 the cold and rain continued, Dora wrote in the first week: “All night the wind howled and the rain poured. I got up early and did the washing. The ground was covered with water and at noon the river was raising 28” an hour. Water all in road, but Elmer made it. Washed Swan’s foot bridge out. Hustled thru my work. Raveled out some socks, worn ones, to make darning cotton. The boys and I went up to see Brewster Canyon and it was a seething foaming roaring mass.”
Even while it was so cold and wet a “drummer,” a traveling salesman came through. “Got a mending basket from a man for a chicken. He is trying to keep the wolf away by making these and getting whatever he can for them.”
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At the end of January: “John took chickens to Marshfield, got $21 + at 12¢ a lb. Surely glad to be rid of them as feed is gone and money scarce; sold 4 cows for beef at $20. Neal and John took the hogs, got $30 for a sow and 11 pigs. Pigs weigh 75 to 80 lbs.”
Many believed the recession of 1929 was over, but it continued to deepen through the years of the early 1930s in most parts of the country. The threat of war in late 1939 began the economy lifting process and WWII reversed the recession.
Dora noted an earthquake near Los Angeles started at 3:45 P.M. and lasted all night. There were two babies born in May, baby Helma to William and Edna (Gill) Olsen who lived on Elk Creek, and the second birth Dora attended: “Sunday. I hustled around and went to Celia. Arrived about half hour before Lewis William was born at 9:37a.m. She had a long 27 hour siege of it. Everything was fine, baby healthy and strong. Gave baby first bath. Lewellen Southmayd, the father, and Leslie down on their knees watching me. Everything fine. I had cleaned Celia up and was just starting in on the baby when a car load of 7 came from Marshfield and just as they left that many more neighbors came. Of all the thoughtless things that was the worst for a bunch of relatives to do, come the 3rd day. The Doctor came and I managed to have him give a good talk on contraceptives.”
In June of 1934 fern pickers, Frank and Francis, got 91 bundles of fern at 4 cents each. [Hazel recalled that Frank and Francis Young lived in the little cabin north of the farm until sometime in the 1920s. They worked around the area.] The boys ground wheat for flour and “the butterfly that we have kept for 9 months came out of its’ chrysalis and it is a beauty; Eckley Guerin died at Juneau, Alaska; John and Leland Minard put the foot bridge in; The Elk Creek men gathered here to hear the radio this evening; L. Waters here. [Lafeatte Waters was an itinerant peddler of eye glasses, every year for many years, he walked to remote areas to sell eye glasses.]
In August the family had a bonfire party in the orchard, attended the Club picnic at Marcy Grove; Bettencourts and Ruels came. Johnnie Bettencourt played accordion and they all swam at the dam.
Dora was the person that tended the bees in the later years of farming. In August the supers were full and there were so many bees she put an empty super on to hold them, and she got stung four times, but she wrote: “My the honey was good.” During this time there was “the most peculiar blue light all morning.” Dora noted August 29th “even the Times noted it.” [Coos Bay Times newspaper]
The first day of September: The threshers came, 20 strong and we got 300 bushels of grain, about half oats and half wheat. [The threshing was always done by the Heller family of Cherry Creek.]
December 30th of 1933 Dora wrote: “Neal has been appointed Deputy County Surveyor by Mr. Vinton.” Neal beginning a full time job, instead of intermittent
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surveying for individuals, meant more of the farm work would fall to Dora and the boys in the coming years. The boys were young and strong and enjoyed farm work.
In February of 1934 Dora and Neal celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. In that year their son, Hugh, decided to expand their chicken business when he ordered 300 baby chickens, they came in March. Hugh got rid of last year’s hens selling 24 fat hens for $16.
Money was still scarce; John and friend Dale went hunting for work, drove as far as the Rogue River Bridge. He was promised a job of surveyor, a trade learned from his father and a few weeks later went to work for Kenneth Murdock on Hayes Ridge in the Powers area. He no sooner got to work than he was laid off. Dora wrote: “On account of the strike as is the whole Coos Bay Company – 800 men.”
“In July Neal preformed the marriage ceremony for Pete Olford and Marion Jones here at our house. I gathered seed peas. Clark off to Baylor’s at 4:30 A.M. to cut his hay. Drove the team and took the mower.” Even though gas engines had been perfected and tractors were available, the Gearhart family still used a horse team.
In July the school board “elected Olga Lang for teacher next year.” Dora worried about the “terrible strike. We are fearful as to the severity it will take to put it down.” She sentimentally wrote: “The men cleared the shop of old car parts. Now the little old Ford and the brown Oakland are no more.”
The “threshers for dinner” in August were two weeks earlier than last year. “Clark and Dad working on the old Grandfather clock. Aunt Maggie sent it several years ago. At 5 P.M. Clark started the old clock to going. It says tic-toc so plain.”
“Very hard rain and wind last night, a post of our grape vine and Mayses silo went over killed 7 of their turkeys. Hard rain today, Neal getting ready to run log. Walnuts all over the ground by the house.” [Some of those dozen Franquette walnut trees Neal planted in 1908 were now twenty-six years old and bearing bountifully.]
“Mrs. G. G. Swan passed away at 10 A.M., her throat had been paralyzed for several days. I went up and cleaned the chapel.”
In the fall Dora was in the hospital for a hysterectomy and she wrote: “Got thoroughly initiated into see women smoke cigarettes; one woman past 40 and another almost 60 smoked all the time and how Alice would burn them up. This wild young generation.” Home from the hospital, Dora wrote in December 2– “Sun. Beautiful day. Neal’s 54th birthday.” [Dora was 45.]
In 1935 Neal and Clark surveyed at Butlers to locate a place for Everett Howe’s store. Johnnie Bettencourt came for music lessons from Dora; Hazel found work with Coos Bay Lumber Company as waitress at Camp 1 on Eden Ridge above Powers for “$3 per day clear;”
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[Hazel Gearhart Clark recalled that Jess Forester oversaw the Coos Bay Lumber Camp in Eden Valley and that the dining area seated 400 men. She recalled two dining rooms had 24 tables in each one and each table sat 8 men. Two large wood cook stoves set between the two rooms, in the middle, back to back.
In ’35 Hazel’s mother Dora received $5 in the mail from Sunset magazine for an article she submitted on how to roast venison, she was thrilled. By September of that year, Dora noted “Humidity the lowest ever recorded,” but she didn’t tell the figure. She noted fires were “raging terribly up where Hazel is working,” and that three railroad trestles had burned out between Camp 1 on Eden Ridge and Powers, and 5 donkey engines burned.
In 1936 the recession of ’29 was still a factor on the west coast. In January Dora noted a “Seaman’s strike.” It closed down logging camps, mills and shipping in Coos County. In June Dora wondered, “if Miss Jackson’s death will ever be solved.” She was found dead in her home, in the bathtub.
In July Clark went to work for McNair & Sykes at Eckley on the Middle Fork of Sixes River. In late August Camp I closed down because of humidity, it was 98° at Dora’s house. On September 24th Dora noted, “all this week has been very warm, nights warm and days hot.” Two days later Hazel came home from Camp I, but soon every employee was called back to work on account of fires. About the same time “fire that started about 11 a.m. in Brewster near the school house swept clear to Howe’s, burning Christensen’s farm, the Brewster Rock lookout and all but the 2 end Canoe Club Cabins. It burned all around Howe’s store. Others in the path of the flames fought to save their property.”
Then Dora wrote of the Bandon fire, of Sept. 26, 1936: “About 6 or so, around nine Bandon burned. The flames from a camp swept over the tops of trees and were upon them before they knew it and had to run for their lives.”
On the 27th the Lusk Bridge burned and she noted, “there is fire all around down there. In fact there seems to be fires every where.”
“All logging operations are ordered closed from Gold Beach to Reedsport and from the Junction to Myrtle Point all traffic is ordered stopped excepting for relief or necessity. The smoke started drifting in about 3:30 this afternoon and by five o’clock lamps were lit. There was a ghastly yellowish red light and no wind. Ashes falling thick.”
September 28, Dora wrote: The smoke seems about the same and ashes falling thicker about 10 a.m. the smoke seems thicker. I can’t see the trees across the road as I could before. When I first got up about 6 it was warm. At 7:30 it started getting cold and it is quite chilly since. 52° F all day. Quite a change from 85° and more what the thermometer has been registering. We had to light the lamp to read the mail when it came after noon.”
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September 29: Dark & smoky. Lightened up so we didn’t have to light the lamp in the middle of the day. Hazed came home in the afternoon. Ashes still falling and cold.
October 4th the Gearhart family drove to Bandon, as did most everyone in Coos and Curry, to see the devastation first hand. Dora wrote with her customary succinctness, “It surely is swept clean. And the houses that are left one doesn’t see how it happened to leave them. There was a string of cars coming and going. . .”
1936 was an election year; on November 4th Dora noted that Roosevelt was elected by a very large vote. Neal was elected to the position of County Surveyor and Dora noted: “Roosevelt’s election will give him a chance to prove himself. He has had 4 wild years of power and spending. Now we shall see if he can make good.” (Doesn’t this sound like 2009?)
In November of 1936 the Seaman strike was still on and no rain had come, and it was Armistice Day. “Some way I do not thrill any more on this day. The terrible war meant nothing, no good was accomplished. Now all the nations are arming as never before, it makes one ponder and ponder.”
Toward the end of the year, Agnes came home trained as a full fledged nurse who made next to the highest grade in the state examination. By December the rains had returned to Oregon, it was streaming. The family went to Lloyd and Selata Leatherman’s for Christmas dinner. Dora ended the year: “1936 was a joyous year for us and here are a few reasons. Paid off the Bank, Bought a Really good car. Neal, elected County Surveyor. Agnes finished her Nurses Course at Stanford. Put a new roof on the house.”
Those were the worst years of the recession, when Dora began her diary. It took steady hustle to keep up with all the work to feed themselves, share with the neighbors and bring in a few dollars for the things they couldn’t grow for themselves, such as sugar, coffee and paper products. There wasn’t much they couldn’t grow or do for themselves, but the work required discipline and constant attention.
During WWII the boys were all drafted into the Army. After WWII the boys and Hazel worked in logging camps in the Sitkum areas. Neal was busy also. He worked for Coos County as deputy surveyor under E. L. Vinton in 1932 and 1933. He was appointed to fill the office of Surveyor December 30th to begin January 1934; in 1935 he ran for the office and was elected. His fourth term ended in 1952, he turned 72 that year. He returned home to farm, a vocation he chose at age 28 and counted a success. He lived until age 91, passing on in 1971.
Dora was age 82 that year and had nursed Neal for the last year. She was tired, but sixty-two years of marriage was hardly enough. She told her eldest son John Bigelow Gearhart, I “won’t be long.” But Dora regained her strength and lived six more years at her home, until age 88. As her eyes roamed the farm she recalled all the good times they had. When she was done with that she thought of her years growing up in Eckley
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where she learned of her mother’s death when she was three years old. That time of her life is shown in this book under Dora Bigelow. (See page 39)
The children pursued careers and families or stayed on the farm with Dora and Neal. Son followed father, John chose surveying as his life’s work. Hugh and Clark stayed to work the farm. Agnes became a registered nurse and Hazel became a housewife. The Gearhart family, pioneers, in the finest sense, accepted responsibility, knew what must be done and did it, all to care for the family. What a good job they did of that. The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
William Abernathy, Oldest Living Pioneer
The oldest living pioneer of Oregon is William Abernathy, of Dora, this county. His family left IL in 1839 and traveled by wagon and canal boat to New York, thence they sailed around the Horn. There was no San Francisco the, so the ship headed for the mouth of the Columbia River, where they arrived April 1840. Mr. Abernathy, who is a well-preserved man of 70 helped his father build the first sawmill erected in Oregon. The assistant secretary of the Oregon Historical Society, Mr. Geo. H. Himes secured two years ago, a journal of the voyage of the Lansanna from New York to the Columbia River Oct. 1, 1839 to April 1840. This was the vessel which brought Mr. Abernathy and his parents. His father, Hon. Geo. Abernathy was the last provisional governor of Oregon serving from June 1845 to March 2, 1849. The next day Gen. Joseph Lane assumed his duty as the territorial governor.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Nov. 21, 1902
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
The Abernathy House
“What cha’ building Ed, at hotel?” a neighbor asked Ed Abernathy one day in 1905 when he found Ed laying a foundation large enough to be a hotel on his 160 acre ranch alongside the Coos Bay Wagon Road.
“No,” Ed replied, “I’m building a house. Then I’m going to fill it with kids.” If Ed had any serious thoughts along those lines Ethel Laird probably didn’t. Maybe that was why she didn’t marry him until she was almost beyond child-bearing age though they had been engaged for many years.
The story actually begins in 1840 when Ed Abernathy’s grandfather Revered George Abernathy, crossed the plains from Illinois to join Jason Lee at the Methodist Mission at now Salem where he was appointed secular agent. Revered Abernathy was instrumental in the building of the first Methodist Church in Oregon City. He also ran a store and originated change by scribing the amount on small pieces of obsidian rock he had purchased from Indians that could be returned to the store for goods at a late date.
At that time there was no governing body in Oregon Territory because it was felt none was needed. Practically every white person in the territory were either a Methodist, a Presbyterian or a Catholic missionary, or was a member of the Hudson Bay Company, and each of those organizations took care of their own. Then in 1841 Ewing Young died. He had brought cattle into the Oregon Territory from California and it had made him a wealthy man. He had no family, nor any known relatives, and
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he was not affiliated with any church or the Hudson Bay Company, so who was qualified to probate his vast herds of cattle and extensive land holdings? That was when it was decided some form of governing body was needed.
For the next three years the organizing of a provisional government was discussed, with the Methodist and Presbyterians in favor and the Catholics and Hudson Bay Company against. Finally, in 1845, a meeting was held in Champoeg on the bank of the Willamette River above Oregon City where a vote was taken and those in favor of a provisional government won by a single vote. (Another source says two votes.)
An election was held on June 3 and Revered George Abernathy, “an upright man of smooth face and agreeable manner,” was elected Provisional Governor.
Governor Abernathy set up his office in the primitive state house in Oregon City then built a modest cable-roofed home with fireplace and French doors and windows, for himself and his family at “Green Point” on the northern outskirts of Oregon City. The streets of Oregon City were only trails meandering between stumps at the that time, so the governor whitewashed all the stumps bordering the trail between the state house and his home so he could find his way after dark.
First order of business was taking a census. It revealed there were 1259 white males and 851 white females in the Oregon Territory under the governor’s jurisdiction.
On June 3, 1847 Governor Abernathy was elected to a second term during which time the Oregon Territory was divided into counties and county officials elected. It was also the year trouble began between the whites and Indians. Whites were complaining the Indians were stealing their horses and insulting them in every way while the Indians would demand in return, “Pay for our land or quit destroying our pastures and driving out our game.” Governor Abernathy would no sooner get one complaint settled than another would surface. Then a measles epidemic broke out in the eastern side of the territory. Measles were usually only an aggravation for the whites, but could mean death to Indians. Dr. Whitman at the Whitman Mission doctored the Indians the best he knew how, but as soon as his back was turned they would go back to their old custom of taking sweat baths then jumping in the river. As often as not they would come up dead, then Dr. Whitman would be blamed for their deaths. It resulted in the Whitman massacre where at least ten whites were killed, including Dr. and Mrs. Whitman. Several others were taken prisoner. Three children ill with the measles, one of them Joe Meek’s half breed daughter who was attending school at the Whitman Mission, died of neglect.
Governor Abernathy sent 50 rifleman to The Dallas and 100 more volunteers were gathered in Oregon City ready to go, but in the meantime Peter Skene Ogden, Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company, personally took several boat loads of trade goods up the Columbia River and successfully negotiated the release of the prisoners. Two years later the 5 instigators of the massacre were arrested, tried, and hung in Oregon City by United States Marshal Joe Meek.
That winter Governor Abernathy chose Joe Meek to go to Washington DC to plead federal assistance from the President and Congress to control the Indian. It resulted in a territorial government being formed to replace the provisional one in 1849 Joseph Lane was elected first governor of the Territorial Government. Revered George Abernathy was out of politics and glad of it.
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Revered George Abernathy and his wife Ann had two children, William and Annie. William graduated from Willamette University they took six more years of schooling back east. Returning to Oregon he farmed his father’s ranch at Green Point, and also worked as an assayer in Portland. Afterwards he purchased a 160 acre farm on what is now part of Lake Oswego and operated it for 25 years. In 1863 he married Sarah Gray, daughter of Presbyterian missionary that had come west with Dr. Whitman in 1836 to help establish the Whitman Mission near Walla Walla, Washington. Ten children were born to William and Sarah and in 1891 they brought their family to Dora on the Coos Bay Wagon Road where they purchased 160-cre ranch from Matthew Simpson. In 1903 their son Edwin built a sawmill on the ranch to saw planking for The Coos Bay Wagon Road. He then added a planner and planed enough lumber from fine-grained, knot-free, old-growth yellow fir to build a mansion for himself. He also set up a kiln so he could make his own brick.
In 1906 William and Sarah retired to Forest Grove and eventually their children left the4 Dora area as well, all except Edwin and his sister Pearl. Pearl had married Marion Miller, a logger and farmer who had come to the area in 1892 and purchased a ranch that bordered Abernathy’s. Edwin remained because he not only had inherited the Abernathy ranch, he was engaged to Ethel Laird, the daughter of James Daniel and Nancy Belle Laird.
Nancy Belle retired as postmistress of the Sitkum Post Office in 1916 when the telegraph line was discontinued. Then Ethel took her mother’s place as postmistress. A position she held for 35 years, the longest term of any postmaster in Coos and Curry Counties.
Reuben Brown lived at McKinley, across the mountain from Dora, all his life. He knew Ed Abernathy well and once told me Ed had actually meant his mansion to be a hotel in anticipation of the travel that was expected over the Coos Bay Wagon Road, but that road was just too steep and rugged. The route up the South Fork of the Coquille River and through Camas Valley was longer, but was on a more even grade and easier to develop. It replaced the Coos Bay Wagon Road as the main thoroughfare between Coos County and the interior.
Ed Abernathy’s mansion stood vacant and unfinished for twenty years with bats its only occupants until six inches of bat guana covered the floors. Then in 1912 Ed and Ethel Laird finally married. Ed cleaned and finished the lower floor and he and Ethel moved in and lived there for the rest of their lives. Ed died in 1958 at the age of 83. Ethel lived on by herself until her death in 1979 at age 94. Ethel’s niece, Lila May Shelton, inherited the ranch and she and her husband Bob lived in the mansion at this time and have finished the upper floors and updated and spruced up the place in general.
As it has done for over 100 years, that beautiful mansion continues to startle then delight unsuspecting wayfarers when they suddenly come upon it in the wilderness setting along the old Coos Bay Wagon Road.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
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Sturdivant Homestead
By Mrs. Dan B. Keating
The Civil War was over and conditions in the South were deplorable. In the Holland Dutch Sturdivant family in Virginia, there were 13 children, of whom five brothers had taken part in the war, three with the South and two with the North.
One of the brothers, John M. married to Emily Paterson of Mississippi, learned of land grants being thrown open to homesteaders out in Oregon,
The year was 1873, when wood burning steam engines were hauling emigrants trains over the railroads to the far west—into California, not yet into Oregon, emigrant trains. Into these the emigrants would load all their belongings—household goods, personal effects, cooking utensils, tools, even livestock in some cases. Housekeeping might set up in the car, where the occupants would cook, eat, and sleep as they went.
It was with such a party that John and Emily Sturdivant, together with their young son, Daily Leander, left Missouri. They reached Empire City on May 2, 1873.
A homestead was found on the East Fork of the Coquille River, just a wilderness of tall trees and under brush, with elk trails through it.
A little spot was cleared and a log house was soon put up. A doorway in one end had a quilt hung over it to serve as a door. Gunnysacks were hung over the small square windows.
John made all the furniture for a log house. The chair backs and legs were of maple and the bottoms were rawhide woven across for the seats. The table and beds were split from logs.
He started clearing the land to plant the seeds they brought with them. One day he went out to the lower end of the place to slash brush. He took his gun, a muzzleloader, with him. Emily was alone with the bay at the cabin, when she heard a scream, which to her sounded like a woman in distress. She thought someone was lost, and she answered. It screamed again; she answered again. It was closer, coming down the mountain just across the river. It was moving too fast for a person, she thought, as it screamed again on her side of the river. Realizing too late it was a panther she had been answering, she dashed into the cabin and put the baby on the bed. She grabbed everything moveable and piled it in the doorway. Then snatching the iron pot from the fire, where she always kept it full of boiling water, she stood by the window with the gunnysack pulled back a few inches, peering out. She was planning to throw the hot water on the intruder if it tried to come through the door. That was only protection. They had no dogs then. The panther didn’t come.
This was her first experience with a wild best but as months passed and she learned the habits of different animals and the night noises near the house, she feared them less. Something always seemed to be prowling around the house at night. Sometimes it would climb up the logs of the house, then, slide down the real fast. They never knew what animal was cutting such capers. There were a great many hoot owls in the trees. Their loud hooting at night made the woods seem alive and terrifying.
John found a bee tree. He chopped it down and carried home the honey, placing it on a high log beside the house. That night they didn’t get much sleep, as bears came prowling most of the night. A couple of them got into a fight. John went out and shot at them in the dark, the jumped off the log into the brush. The next morning the hone was all gone.
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A generous spot was cleared and made ready for planting the garden seeds. The planting was done by the moon. Some in the light and others in the dark of the moon. The soil was very fertile and the plants flourished. It looked like a bumper crop when things began to happen. The deer and elk did a lot of damage, eating and trampling. The coons were very fond of the corn. Fencing in the garden had to be resorted to. Split rails and logs were used. The deer would leap over an ordinary fence with ease, so it was very high.
The first trip out for supplies was made on foot. A group of settlers walked over the trail through Brewster Valley and over the mountain to Roseburg. In the Lookingglass Valley, near Roseburg, they found a grist mill. The flour sold for 75 cents for a 50-pound sack. Each of the men carried a sack home on his back. It took several days for this trip. Finally pack trains were used. Men would ride the horses. Load them with supplies, and walk and lead the animals home.
The water supply was from a creek, several hundred feet from the house. Emily would take the baby on her hip and with the bucket in her other hand, would run all the way to the creek, fill the bucket and run all the way back. The brush was so think on each side of the trail, the baby’s legs would get scratched and its cries would cause Emily to run faster. She was afraid the crying would bring wild animals. One day she was about to dip her bucket into the creek when she heard a noise in the chittem team close by. Glancing up, she saw a cub bear sliding down. She threw the bucket and ran. It also ran just as scared as she was.
Each pioneer home had a doctor book or medical book. In case of sickness they watched for symptoms, read the book, then diagnosed the case, proceeded with the treatment, and usually effected cure. Nature had to play a big part in those days. Emily suffered from a bad tooth for days. When she could no longer stand it, she heated the sharp end of a file in the fire till red hot to sterilize it; then when it was cool, she pried the tooth out.
The first horse John bought was named Charlie. He would carry the produce from the farm to Myrtle Point. Two kerosene cases would be used, strung across the saddle, balanced on each side. These would be filled with eggs, blackberries, dressed chickens, or farm produce—anything to trade for the things that were needed. One day Charlie was in a playful mood and when John tried to catch him, he kicked up his heels, tossed his head and galloped away. As he bounded along he stepped into a hole, fell and broke his neck. John cut Charlie’s head off and used it to bait a bear trap. The next day he had a big black bear in the trap. They ate the bear meat.
When a large bird was killed, such as an owl or an eagle, Emily would cut off the wings and set a heavy weight on them to press them flat. When they were dry they made excellent dusters or could be used to sweep with.
By donation labor the settlers of the East Fork made a road to connect with the Coos Bay Wagon Road at Dora. Some of the settlers living in our valley were the Weeklys, Brights, McCloskeys, Culbertsons, Hanson, Jacksons, Smiths, Bennets, Swans, Minards, Krantes and Taylors.
The name selected for the community was Gravel Ford. The river had to be forded to get to Myrtle Point, as there were no bridges then. At this particular spot was the only gravel bottom in the river for a convenient crossing, so the ford was made there, and
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hence the name. It was near the forks of the river where the North Fork flowed into the East Fork of the Coquille River.
There were 12 children in the family of John and Emily Sturdivant, each trying to help in his or her small way, even when littlie tots. They were Daily Leander, Mary J. (Mollie), Nancy Jane, Ella R., Robert, James Alexander (Alex), William Tell, Thomas M., Frances May, Laurabelle, Ira and George Alfred.
The parents John and Emily, lived their last years in town, he tell he was 88 and she till she was 78.
A Century of Coos & Curry by Emil Peterson and Alfred Powers
Edwin P.S. Abernethy was born in Portland in 1875 to William and Sarah (Gray) Abernethy. He came to Coos County in 1891 and settled with his parents on a farm near Dora. He married Ethel Laird, daughter of James D. and Belle Laird.
Mrs. Abernethy. As Ethel Laird, became postmaster at Sitkum January 25, 1917 and still served in January 1952, which gave her 35 years service, at that time the longest term as postmaster in Coos or Curry County. (The post office was established May 9, 1873. William F. Flock was the first postmaster. The office closed in 1880, but was reestablished August 1890 and continued operation until 1964 when the mail was transferred to Myrtle Point.)
Edwin Abernethy developed and carried on farming, built a portable sawmill, making planks for the old Coos Bay Wagon Road. Later he added a plaining mill and built a fine home on the homestead of his parents.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
The Coos Bay Wagon Road and the Masts
In 1870 a corporation calling themselves “The Coos Bay Wagon Road Company: was formed when the US Government provided a land grant made up of every other section (640 acres) alternated on either side of the 60 mile long right of way between Roseburg and Coos Bay. The rules stipulated that the land was to be sold in parcels not to exceed 160 acres per parcel, not to extend over eight miles out from the road, and sell for not over $2.50 per acre, with each buyer being allowed one parcel. The money received was meant to pay for the construction of the road, but the rules were often ignored or grossly violated, so in 1916 the grant was rescinded and land that had not been sold was reclaimed by the government.
Dr. Salathial Hamilton of Roseburg was president of the company/ The mansion he built for himself in 1892 on the hill at the then southern end of Main Street may have been an indication that being president of the Coos Bay Wagon Road Company paid off handsomely before the grant was rescinded. With its 4-story tower the mansion was visible from most of downtown Roseburg. There were 13 large, well-lighted and well-ventilated rooms elegantly finished in the finest of woods, plus several bathrooms and may closets. Unfortunately the mansion burned to the ground in 1912, two years before the death of Dr. Hamilton.
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In 1872 66 families from North Carolina, known as the North Carolina Colony, arrived in Roseburg. They had traveled by rail from North Carolina to the end of the line at Red Bluff, California, then by team and wagon over the Sierra Mountains and on to Roseburg. One of those families was that of William F. Mast. Besides William and his wife Charlotte Helen there were four boys; Reuben, William, James and Webb. The Masts rented a farm near Roseburg their first year in Oregon during which time their fifth and last child, Hardee, was born.
In 1873 the Coos Bay Wagon Road was completed and I October William Mast traveled down that road in search of good farmland he could purchase. Eventually he got into Coos County and found what he was looking for on the North Fork of the Coquille River four miles from where the Coos Bay Wagon Road passed through Burton’s Prairie (now Fairview). A rough mountain trail, only passable for pack animals, led from the Coos Bay Wagon Road down the North Fork to the 160-acre tract. A Mr. Elvry was living ther my Mr. Mast was able to trade a wagon for his squatter’s rights and improvements. Those improvements probably included the 12X14 log cabin the Mast moved into. That winter Mr. Mast and his older boys cleared 10 acres of land and by the following June had a fine crop of grain that ever grew.
Other settlers soon moved into the valley and by the combined efforts of the pack trail was widened into a wagon road. Eventually the road was extended on over, not Stuck Mountain, coming into the Coquille Valley at Norway.
In 1884 William Mast served one term as Coos County Commissioner. In 1888 he succeeded in getting the US Postal Service to establish a post office in the valley that he named “Lee” after General Robert E Lee, general-in-chief of the Confederated armies in the Civil War. Though there is no longer a post office in the valley it has been know as Lee Valley ever since. William Mast died in 1889.
The Mast’s oldest son, Reuben, born in North Carolina in 1854, was one of the organizers of the farmers and Merchants Bank in Coquille and served as cashier. Later became Coos County Judge and still later a juvenile officer. His son, also named Reuben, became a medical doctor and started the Mast Hospital in Myrtle Point that is now The Myrtle Point Care Center.
In 1947-48 I hauled milk for Swift and Company Creamery in Coquille and the Mast farm in Lee Valley was on my route. By that time the 160 acre farm had grown to 1200 acres with 100 of those acres being rich bottom land alongside the river and the rest hill land where hundreds of sheep grazed. 75 to 90 cows were being milked and the original log cabin had been replaced by a three-story eye catcher that always looked like just had a fresh coat of white paint. The Mast built the house in 1918-19 from plans out of the Sears and Roebuck catalogue. Webb Mast and his son Hollis called “Punk’ by his friends were doing the milking. Quite often on Sunday mornings I would have to wait for the milk because Punk hadn’t returned home from whatever he did on Saturday nights and poor old Webb would be doing the milking by himself.
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As often as not Punk would come driving in while I was there. He excuse was that he had gotten sleepy on the way home and had pulled off to the side of the road to take a nap and hadn’t wakened until morning. Later in 1949 he married neighbor girl, Ann Anderson. I think she mellowed him quite a bit.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
Sherman Baylor of Gravelford
By Glen Olson for the Myrtle Point Herald 2007
We didn’t have many neighbors on Elk Crick (this is the correct pronunciation—they didn’t become creeks until later). In fact, the Sherman Baylor family was our only long-term neighbor and they lived about a mile and a half upstream. The Baker, Crosby, Shores and Weekly families lived about the same distance downstream near the mouth of Elk Crick, but their access was to the main highway east of Gravel Ford. Our road went over the hills and connected with the Sitkum highway just below the Minard Riffle. A covered bridge spanned the river at this point.
Sherman and his wife had two grown sons who lived with them most of the time. Rastus was in his 30s and single. He was a sort of lazy fellow who peeled a little cascara bark, picked a few ferns and loved to hunt and fish. He was a craftsman with wood and made a beautiful myrtlewood gunstock for me in later years. Cody Baylor was married and had two daughters. He was a little older than Rastus and in later years when I was in high school, he worked as a desk clerk at the Myrtle Point Hotel.
The elder Baylors were probably pushing 60 when we were on the homestead. Sherman was a round fellow with a graying mustache. He was an energetic type who had a very outgoing personality. He liked kids and they felt comfortable around him. When the first spring days came old Sherman would pull off his shoes and go barefoot until fall. His old soles became as thick and hard as leather/ He used to amaze the Olson kids by hopping barefoot into an evergreen blackberry bush and doing a little jig on the thorny briars. Lyle and I went barefoot most of the summer and it made our feet hurt just to watch him.
Dad and Baylor often went to town together to do all the shopping. One time on the way home they stopped at Gravel Ford to visit with Al Bazosky, Al had a Justice of the Peace designation. A young couple wanted Al to marry them, but he did not feel qualified to do the job. Baylor immediately offered to substitute “Are you a minister?” asked the potential groom. “Certainly,” replied Baylor. “And when I marry them they stayed married!” Dad said Sherman performed the ceremony like he was used to doing it every day, finishing it off something like this—“And what God and Baylor hath joined let no man put asunder.” He charged them $2.50 and signed some paper for them. We trust the couple stayed married since Baylor guaranteed it.
The whole Olson family went up to the Baylor farm one time for Sunday dinner. The Baylors had a big family fruit orchard like we did, but also had 8 or 10 beehives at the edge of the orchard. The Olson kids were interested in the bees so Sherman took us out to show us all about beekeeping. He bent over to a hive listening to the noise
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inside, bees bussing all round him. “It’s okay,” he said. “ When they are going hum, hum, hum, it’s always okay. When they are ee, ee, ee, it’s time to get out of there.” He then lifted the top off a hive pulled out a handful of live bees, and stuffed them down the collar of his shirt. He reached in and pulled out another handful. He grabbed the front of my shirt with another hand. “Have a handful, Bud,” he said, I got out of there.
The Baylors left Elk Crick about the same time the Olson’s did in 1935. I only saw him one time after that. He was living near Bridge at the time. I had finished high school, had a job falling timber, a 1936 Ford V8 auto, gobs of money, and a wonderful girlfriend named Evelyn Wicks. I took her with me to visit the Baylors. We had a good visit with Sherman and Mrs. Baylor. I imagine he was about 65 at the time and he was very busy constructing violins. He was an accomplished fiddle player. He used to talk about starting his own band and even sold dad a fiddle so he could start practicing, an event not appreciated by the family. No music by a beginner sounds too good, but beginning fiddle music has sort of a grating quality. Old Sherman must have had 20—30 violins hanging on the walls of his house, all made from local woods. They were beautiful. I often wonder how this venture turned out for him. We probably talked for an hour, said our goodbyes and left. I never saw the old man again.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Irene J. Weekly
Irene J. Weekly, commonly known as “Grandma” Weekly, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. I.F. Rose near this city, last Saturday, Jan. 14, 1899. Her maiden name was Skaggs and she was born in the state of Tennessee, Oct 11, 1823. She was married to Wm. E. Weekly in 1841 and crossed the plains and located in the Willamette Valley in 1853. However, the next year they moved to Douglas County where they remained until 1873, when they came to Coos County and cast their lot in the Coquille Valley. The family has been closely identified with every stage of the county’s development and advancement, as Mr. I.T. Weekly being at present, one of our county commissioners. The honorable old gentleman departed this life several years ago and his remains were buried in Dora cemetery, by the side of whom the remains of Mrs. Weekly was laid last Monday. The 7 children are all living and are: John S. of eastern Oregon, I.T., E.E., R.L. and W.M. of this county and Mrs. Turner of Portland and Mrs. I.F. Rose of this city.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 31, 1899 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mary Jane Weekly
Mary Jane (Waterman) Weekly was born in New York, Nov. 1, 1859. She came to Oregon in 1878 with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and Mary Scofield. She married Edmond Elze Weekly July 1, 1879. Passed away at he home Aug. 10, 1923, age 63 years 8 months and 19 days. Member of the Methodist Church. Mother of 9 children, but 2 passed away. Survived by her husband and 7 children: Mrs. Ora Laird; William Weekly; Mrs. Opal Barker; Mrs. Irene Steele; Smith Weekly; Edmund
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Weekly and Edith Weekly; 2 sisters, Mrs. Loretta Young and Mrs. Emma Otis; a brother, Raymond Waterman. Buried at Dora.
Southern Coos County American, Aug. 16, 1923
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James Laird Sr.
James Laird Sr., one of the best known pioneers of Coos County, died at the home of his son, J.L. Laird, in this city, Saturday morning, age 77 years and 7 days He came in from his home in Sitkum on the old Coos Bay Wagon Road early in the winter for treatment but he gradually failed. The funeral was held from the chapel at Dora and burial was in the Dora cemetery.
He was twice married and both wives are still living. The children are: Mrs. Wm Bettys, Fairview; Mrs. P.A. Alford, Coquille; Mrs. Robert Anderson, Klamath county; W.M. Laird, Sitkum’ J.L. Laird, Myrtle Point; and J.H. Laird, Sitkum. He was a pioneer in the stage line business carrying passengers between Roseburg and Coos County points.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 14, 1909 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Chloe Laird of Halfway House
Chloe Laird passed away last Friday at her home in Brewster Valley, one of the oldest residents of Coos County. Mrs. Laird was known to all the old pioneers as she has mingled with them since about 1858. Chloe Cook was born in Cedar Co., IA in 1841 and crossed the plains with her people in the immigration train of 1852.
She was married in the Willamette Valley to John A. Harry, at the age of 15 and came to this county soon after. Five children were born to them, 3. are deceased, W.N. Harry, O.C. Harry and Eva. The 2 living children are: G.W. Harry of Coquille and Mrs. J.D. Laird of Brewster Valley. Mr. Harry passed away and was buried at Empire.
About 1875 she was married to James Laird, 4 children were born to them, 3 of whom are living, they are: W.M. Laird, J.L. Laird and J.H. Laird; Carl E. passed away at the age of 7, Mrs. Laird has 7 step-children, 5 of whom are living. They are; Eunice McDaniel of Redding, CA; Mrs. Annie Anderson of Merrill, OR; J.D. Laird of Brewster Valley; Mrs. Fannie Alford of Brewster Valley; Mrs. Isco Ferris living in CA. The 2 deceased were Mrs. Emma Bettys and Teeny Laird. Besides 9 children and 7 step-children were 43 grandchildren and a number of step-grandchildren. Three sisters and a brother of Mrs. Laird also survive living in various parts of the Willamette Valley.
The deceased lived in Brewster Valley as Mrs. Harry and continued in the valley after marrying Mr. Laird until he died. The ranch home was as the Halfway House, where the stages stopped on the way to Marshfield and Roseburg. The ranch is still the property of the Lairds, the W.M. Laird family being the owners now (1929).
After Mr. Laird passed away in 1909, she moved to a small home of her own opposite her grandson Ernest Krewson, where she has since resided.
She attended the first pioneer meeting of the Woman’s Club in Myrtle Point 3 years ago and received the prize for being the oldest pioneer present. Services were held
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Sunday at the Dora Chapel. Mrs. Laird was raised a Methodist, her father having been a Methodist minister. She was laid to rest beside Mr. Laird in the Dora cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald, June 6, 1929
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Sarah Dugger Mast
Mrs. Sarah Dugger Mast, better know as Grandma Mast, died at her home at Lee May 8, 1909 at the advanced age of 90 years 6 months and 26 days. The funeral was at Lee cemetery, Rev. Thomas Barklow conducting.
Sarah Dugger Mast 1818-1909 From: The Coquille Valley, Vol. II, “Wagon Wheels To Wheels” By Patti & Hal Strain and through prior courtesy of Ann Anderson Mast
Mrs. Mast was born in Watauga County, North Carolina, Oct. 15, 1818. She came to Oregon with her husband in June 1872, locating in the Lee neighborhood. Her husband died June 24, 1884 and Mrs. Mast resided with her children at the old homestead since. The children are Charlotte E., Eli P. and Hester H. William Mast of this city is a grandson of the deceased.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 14, 1909
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
James Lamb
James Lamb was born in Crawford County, MO, Jan. 6, 1821 and died at Gravel Ford, March 28, 1907, age 80 years 2 months and 22 days. He was married to Nancy Freeman Jan. 11, 1849. To this union were born 11 children, Nancy C., Jane M., Sarah C., John W., Martha M., George W., Louise E. and Henry A. He came to this county with his family in 1873 and was married to Emina Freeman in 1874 and to this union was born Edward J. Lamb. He was a member of the Methodist Church for 40 years.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Apr. 12, 1907 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. James Lamb
Grandma Lamb was born in Tennessee, May 2, 1830 and died at the home of her step-daughter Mrs. Ike Chandler near Lee, Oregon Dec. 31, 1913 being at the time of her death 83 years 7 months and 23 days. She moved to Missouri when she was 5
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years old and later was married to John Jackson, 4 children were born to this union, 3 of whom are still living. Mr. Jackson died during the Civil War. She then married Samuel Freeman and to them was born 3 boys, all of whom are dead. She came to Coos County in 1873 and was married to James Lamb in 1874. To this union was born 1 boy, who at present resides in California. Her husband died March 1907. Besides her own children, 4 step-children survive. Burial in the Gravel Ford cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 8, 1914 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Angeline Bright
Mrs. Angeline Bright died May 6, 1913 at the home of her son, Albert Bright, near Gravel Ford. She was born in Tennessee and was 81 years 6 months and 17 days old.
She was married twice, her first husband being a Mr. Tucker, and on son was born to them. Her second husband was James S. Bright and 5 children were the issue of this union, 3 girls and 2 boys. With her last husband and family she came to Coos County September 1872 and located in on a homestead on the North Fork, where she resided nearly 41 years.
Her husband and some sons worked 150 days during one year making roads to their place, and received not one cent of compensation. She was a member of the U.B. Church.
Rev. Thos. Barklow officiated at the funeral.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 8, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. S.F. Abernathy
Mrs. S.F. Abernathy, well known in Dora District among the pioneers died at her home in Forest Grove Monday of last week. Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy came to Dora district from Portland and lived there for 12 years.
They were both children of pioneer families who crossed the plains around 1839. Mr. Abernathy’s father was a missionary of the Methodist Church and Mrs. Abernathy’s father was a missionary for the Presbyterian Church. Their home was a stopping place for the Coos Bay Wagon Road.
Mr. Abernathy died 14 years ago in Forest Grove.
She leaves the following children: Mrs. Anna M. Starr of Monroe, WA, Mrs. Caroline Burgess of Seattle, WA, William G. Abernathy of Tacoma, WA, Edwin P.S. Abernathy of Dora, OR, Mrs. Violet A Stanton of Eugene, Mrs. Sarah F. Hahn of Charlotteville, VA, Mrs. Pearl D. Miller of Coquille, Mrs. Frances Hahn of Mutlnomah, OR, Camill D. Abernathy of Forest Grove, Mrs. I Waterman of Portland. There are 3 children deceased. Mrs. Caroline Kamm of Portland is a sister. There are 30 grandchildren. Miss. Caroline Hahn of Portland, granddaughter was the Queen of Rose Festival last year.
Myrtle Point Herald, Mar. 3, 1931
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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John Melvin Sturdivant
John Melvin Sturdivant, an old settler, was born in Surry County, North Carolina, Mar. 30, 1834. He with his family moved to Lee County, VA. While there the Civil War broke out and Mr. Sturdivant was mustered in and served through the entire war with the 20th Virginia Cavalry. In 1870, he went to Missouri and married Miss. Emily Paterson.
Three years later they came to Oregon, and he located at Gravel Ford. He was the father of 12 children. He was a member of the M.E. Church South in Virginia but joined the Missionary Baptist in Oregon. He leaves a widow and 8 children. He was a Charter member of Myrtle Lodge A.F. & A.M. Died July 4, 1922, age 88 years 2 years and 4 days.
Southern Coos County American, July 13, 1922
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Jane Goodrich
Mrs. Jane Goodrich passed away Monday at the residence near Gravel Ford where she and her sister, Grandma Bunch, have been making their home for several years. Jane Saunders was born in Tennessee, July 8, 1831 and was 84 years 6 months and 2 days old at the time of her death, Jan. 10, 1916. She came to Oregon about 32 years ago. She was married twice: her first husband, Mr. Coffman, was among those who never returned from the battlefields of the Civil War in the Sixties. After she came to Oregon, she married Captain Goodrich, who died about 23 years ago. Funeral services were held at the United Brethren Church at Gravel Ford.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 13, 1916
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John N. Sumerlin
John N. Sumerlin was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Jan. 10, 1839. He moved to Tennessee and was married to Merrian Richie in 1857. To this union was born 3 children: Alvin C., Martha E. and a babe that died in infancy with its mother.
In 1865 Mr. Sumerlin was united in marriage to Liza C. Lippsand to this union was born 10 children, 6 boys and 4 girls. Of these children 8 still survive 6 boys and 2 girls, most of whom live in Myrtle Point and vicinity. He died Dec. 24, 1911, age 76 years 11 months and 14 days. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Burial was in the Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Dec. 29, 1911
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. John N. Sumerlin
Mrs. John N. Sumerlin, a pioneer resident of Coos County, passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W.E. Lewellen at Norway, Apr. 24, 1921. Eliza Catherine Lipps was born in Elizabethtown, TN, Aug. 22, 1847. She was united in marriage to John N. Sumerlin, June 24, 1865. To them was born 10 children Carrie C. Lewis of Lee, who died Dec. 13, 1907 and an infant daughter who died in Tennessee; these with her husband who died Dec. 24, 1911, preceded her in death. The 8 surviving children are: Reuben G. of Portland, Michael P, Thomas G., Mrs. Corda Lewellen and Frona
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Lawthorne, John Cleveland of Old Town, FL, Lester L. and Henry Grade Sumerlin, were all here except Cleve.
In the year 1886 the family moved from Tennessee to Coos Coutny, OR to the old home place in the Lee Neighborhood where they lived until 1909, when they moved to Myrtle Point. In Tennessee she was a member of the Southern Methodist Church but when she moved to Myrtle Point she joined the Presbyterian Church.
Southern Coos County American, April 28, 1821
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Section 8
Powers
Eckley
If you should follow a crow that had roosted in Powers, Oregon then flew straight over the mountains to Port Orford for breakfast, about halfway there you could look down and see Eckley country.
Eckley was first seen by white men in 1854 when gold was discovered on Johnson Creek on the upper South Fork of the Coquille River then a little later on Sixes River. The trail that ran between Johnson Creek and Sixes River passed through the natural prairies covered with lush grass and wild clover amid patches of dense forest that would become known as Eckley country. It was first called “Little Switzerland” by Swiss gold miners because it reminded them of their homeland.
Washington “Wash” Waters was the first to file for a Donation Land Claim in Little Switzerland. He owned a pack train of mules and made his living carrying supplies to the gold miners in 1860 Joseph Haines came down from his home in the Willamette Valley and purchased Waters’ claim then went back after his family. When they arrived at Waters’ cabin they found he had moved out but left all his old pack saddles inside the cabin. Mrs. Haines made her husband clean out the cabin before she would set foot inside.
Over the next few years the Haines were joined by the Greenes, Bigelows. Gibbs and Guerins. All those families made good living boarding travelers passing through the area as well as raising beef cattle. The also raised a lot of kids. The Guerins had 10, the Gibbs had 12 and the Haines had 15.
Regular mail serve came in 1880. The post office was in the Guerin home under the name “New Castle,” with Charlotte Guerin the first postmaster. Because it was such a great distance from Myrtle Point (called Ott at that time) through New Castle and on to Port Orford and the other from Port Orford. They would arrive at the night then return to their respective homes the next day. In 1885 the name of the post office was changed from “New Castle” to “Tell Tale,” but that name lasted only 39 days before being changed to “Eckley.”
In 1912 most of the settlers around Eckley sold out to Smith-Powers Lumber Company and left the area. The Eckley post office, then in Haines home closed in 1916.
Today Sam Dement is the owner of the grazing lands in Eckley country while Georgia Pacific Corporation owns the timberlands. Like those before him Sam Dement raises vast herds of beef cattle. His headquarters is in the old Haines home.
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One story that eludes me (and there must be a story) is what was behind the name of the New Castle post office being changed to Tell Tale, and why only 39 days later it was renamed Eckley.
Anyway, everything in Eckley was not all love and peace as the number of children in the Guerin, Gibbs and Haines families suggest. In 1913, 50 year old Liberty Haines and his brother-in-law Hugh Hampton were having trouble over Hampton’s hogs running loose on Liberty’s rangeland. Liberty had come to the post office at 9:00am to mail a letter before mail carrier Stephen Whitney started his return trip top Myrtle Point. Liberty wanted to show Whitney the hogs that had been running loose on his rangeland and took him down to the barn where the hogs were. While Whitney and Liberty were in the barn Hugh Hampton must have noticed they had left the house and suspected that they were at the barn. He went outside and hollered, “Get out of there and off my property!” Liberty, from inside heard him and came out. He saw Hugh Hampton coming down the hill with a pistol on his hip. Liberty, called to Hugh to stay back, but Hugh kept coming with his wife trying to stop him. Liberty drew his gun and it accidentally discharged. Hugh’s wife jumped out of the way and Hugh emptied his six-shooter at Liberty. One bullet struck him in his shoulder and two in his abdomen. Liberty returned fire with three shots, but they all went wild. Liberty was carried to the house where he died the following day, but before he expired he signed a statement telling his version of what had happened. In the trail that followed the jury brought the verdict that Hugh Hampton had fired in self-defense. Liberty is buried in the family cemetery not far from the Haines house. No—it wasn’t always love and peace in Eckley.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
The Powers Story
The so-called “Indian Wars” were over. Indians had been settled on reservations or assimilated into white society by the time the Wagner/Hayes families from the east ventured west to settle the Powers area. The Indians that were still in the area were “very peaceful and quiet.” The new policy to deal with Indians that began leaving reservations to return to their homelands was “out of sight, out of mind,” or maybe finally, a “live and let live” policy, the best land had been tied up with legal deeds and what was left was now available for settlement without confrontation with natives.
“Chinese were mining here when Wagner came; hence China Flat derived its name from the Chinese.” Peterson and Powers p127
In 1873 the Wagner family, Henry Wygant, the Hayes family and T.C. Land settled near what is now the town of Powers. They came west from North Carolina and chose this location because it reminded them so much of their old home place. This new home was called ‘The North Carolina Settlement.” Other families that came west with that settlement: Baker, Bingham, Arnold, Grant and Woodby families.
The Chinese “bought their supplies from the ranchers, “The settlers were more afraid of the Chinese than they were of the Indians. Finally they decided they could get along very well without the Chinese who were very superstitious, so it was an easy task for the settlers to scare them out. The settlers could not get along nearly so well with the Chinamen gone as they did while they were here.” This action against a superstitious people took place around 1884 to 1887.
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The Wagner Ranch
Earnest Rollins Collection
The official government post office wasn’t established until 1890, 17 years after the Wagner family arrived; it was called “Rural,” and it was a little further up river than present day Powers, according to postal records. James O. Hayes was the postmaster. That post office stayed in place until 1915 when the mail was forwarded a short distance downstream to the newly established town built by Alfred Powers that carried his name.
Powers School
Earnest Rollins Collection
In 1912 A.H. Powers, vice-president and general manager of the Smith-Powers Logging Company bought the Wagner ranch of 166 acres. It was plated for a town and Block 8 was deeded for a school. A very nice school was built in district #31, and by 1915 the first house was built.
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Birds Eye View of Powers
Earnest Rollins Collection
Early settlers made their own shoes, clothes and flour. The gristmill was at Mill Creek, south of Powers. Glass canning jars were not with cloth, by dipping them in sealing wax. It took 4 ½ days to drive cattle to Roseburg where they were shipped by rail to Portland.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
The Albert Powers Story
By Darrell Gulstrom
Although in other parts of this book we talk about the town of Powers, but we cannot talk about the town unless we talk about the man: Albert Henry Powers.
Albert Henry Powers was born in Orono, Clark Township, Durham County, Ontario, Canada, Nov. 6, 1861. He was the son of Amos and Dinah Burton Powers. His mother died when he was 16 in 1877.
After the death of his mother, Albert left home. Seeking job opportunities in Michigan. Got his first job as a teamster.
After several years he partnered with a young man named Dwyer. They formed the Powers Dwyer Logging Company and operated for 11 years.
After that partnership dissolved, Albert Powers formed the Simpson Powers Logging Company with George A.R. Simpson. In 1891 they started logging in Hibbins, MN. The yearly output of all these logging companies was upward of 500 million board feet per year.
Albert Powers married Johannah Elizabeth Hogan, a native of Minnesota, on Sept. 13, 1887. To them 4 children were born: Frederick, Lucy M. Albert Jr. and Margaret.
I was clear to Powers that the logging in Minnesota would not last very long, so he started scouting other parts of the country. In 1906 he made his first trip to Oregon. He started to buy property and making a business plan to build his future company on.
In 1907 the family moved to Coos Bay. Powers had bought a lot on 5th and Hall in Coos Bay and built a home for his family.
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He partnered with C.A. Smith and formed the Smith Powers Logging Company. Smith was building a mill at the site where The Mill Casino is now located. They had logging operations around Coaledo and the South Slough. Two ships built to carry lumber to Southern California. Because the ships dragged bottom in the bay, it had to be dredged.
Smith-Powers Locomotive 103
Earnest Rollins Collection
The Smith-Powers Logging Company gave a great boost to the economy of Coos County and contributed to the rest of the State in general.
The Railroad line construction to Powers from Myrtle Point was started in October 1912. The town of Powers started to spring up soon after. Al Powers wanted to name it after the Wagner family who had a ranch on the site of the town. But he found out that there was another town by the name of Wagner so it could not be used.
After having successfully established a robust company, Albert Powers retired in the mid 1920s. His son Frederick took over management of the company. Albert Powers built the railroad and logging camps and provided well paying jobs for the men.
On January 21, 1930 Albert Henry Powers passed away. M.C. Malone, editor of the Coos Bay Times said “a good citizen, kind heart, with a charming personality. A man with progressive ideas. An Empire Builder. Public spirited. A man of vision and courage.”
“A kind, honest and manly heart ceased to beat when this man passed on and not soon or ever will Southwestern Oregon look on his likes again.”
Darrell Gulstrom
REGION SHOCKED BY WORD OF CAR CRASH IN SOUTH
Sudden Death of Prominent Citizen Occurs in Southern California
WAS ALONE IN CAR
Heart Failure Given as Cause by coroner; Body at Indio, California
By Associated Press to Coos Bay Times.
The Coos Bay section was shocked late yesterday when word was received here of the sudden death of A.H. Powers, one of the best-known and best-loved citizens of Southwestern, Oregon, at Indio, California. Today the community had far from
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recovered from the news of the passing of Mr. Powers, more familiarly known as “Uncle Al,” who was reputed to have logged more timber than any man in the world.
First information yesterday indicated that Mr. Powers died of heart trouble while apparently returning to Palm Springs, to rejoin his family after attending the New Years game at Pasadena, but the Associated Press dispatch this morning gave the first information that he died in an auto collision. The message from Riverside, CA stated.”
Albert Henry Powers, 1861-1930
From: Article by World Forestry Center Staff
Courtesy The Coquille Valley, Vol. II by Patti & Hal Strain, page 616
“A.H. Powers of Marshfield was killed when his automobile crashed into a telephone pole near Indio, CA. The coroner stated Mr. Powers suffered from a heart attack while driving
Alone In Car
A later message followed: “Mr. Powers was dead when passing motorists found the body. Coroner Dickson, who conducted the inquest at Indio shortly after the body was brought to that place, said that apparently Mr. Powers had suffered from a heart attack and was probably dead before the machine careened off the Imperial Valley highway and smashed into the pole. He was alone in the care at the time. The body is being held pending word from Marshfield relatives.
It was assumed that Mr. Powers was returning to his family, who are spending the winter at Palm Springs, from Pasadena, where he had attended the football game. Mrs. Powers and Margaret have been in California for the past three months, and Mr. Powers was with them returning here shortly before Christmas and then going back south to join them for several months.
Born In Canada
Mr. Powers was born in Ontario, Canada, November 6, 1863. His parents, American born, came to Michigan when Mr. Power was 12 years old. He followed the logging business since a youth of 12. He worked in Michigan and later at the age of 16 worked in Minnesota, and worked with C.A, Smith in all his operations in the mid west.
He came to Coos Bay in 1907 with C.A. Smith, opening up this country for the Smith interests and in the early days was in charge of the Smith-Powers logging operations at Powers. For more than 20 years, he was active in this work and only during the
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past two years had he ceased devoting most of his time to the logging. He was ever watchful and alert to the smallest detail for the logging industry. He logged for the Weyerhauser International in Minnesota before working for the Smith interest there. Mr. and Mrs. Powers were married in Minnesota in 1880.
Started In Minnesota
A.H. Powers first started logging in Michigan about 1878. First operations were started along the Muskegon River and after a few years of cutting logs he moved to Minnesota where the contracting and cutting of logs was continued for many years by the Marshfield man.
It was while engaged in logging operations in Minnesota that Powers was titled the “king logger” of the state. Employing hundreds of men, he became known to everyone connected with the logging industry during this period up to 1907, when he left the east to come to Coos Bay. Coming here to do the log cutting for C.A. Smith, a company was formed known as Smith-Powers Logging Co. He lived on Coos Bay ever since and up to 1922 was actively engaged in the logging business. Mr. Powers started his retirement then and from 1922 until 1928 was connected with logging only in an advisory capacity/ It was during 1928 that he became associated with an incorporated company known as the Powers-Davis Logging Co.
Logs Most Timber
In the logging industry Mr. Powers was known to have cut more logs during is contracting and logging career than any other man in the logging industry. At a conference of northwest lumbermen held some years ago it was said that but one man, Alex Folsom of Grays Harbor had cut about as many logs as Mr. Power.
During his logging days in Minnesota, Mr. Powers expressed a great love for horses of all kinds and during the contracting used hundreds of teams of work horses. He, at various times, had owned many blooded race horses, and he attempted to give the same treatment to his horses as was received by the racing horses.
While a resident of Coos Bay he was an inveterate4 follower of all forms of athletics. In season Mr. Powers attended all athletic games possible. In the past few years he has traveled to various sections of the United States to attend national athletic contests. Friends here today said that his logging operations and his following of sporting events gave him a wide acquaintance were many nationally known players, and boxers.
From the crudest methods of logging to the most modern methods, he had followed logging. He has worked in the woods, being in charge of hundreds of loggers, who were all friends, for he was known as the friend of the logging man throughout the country. He was a man of firm dealings while working with laboring conditions, but was known to be most loyal to his workman. He was a heavy timber owner in this section.
Civic Worker
He did not devote his entire time to logging business, but was active in civic enterprise, always working for Coos Bay. He was an active member of the Port Commission, and made trips to Washington DC to plead for harbor improvements for Coos Bay, and it was through his ardent work along with others that Coos Bay now can boast of her improved harbor. He was a member of the Marshfield school board,
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years ago was a member of the City council and was also a member of the state fish commission.
“Uncle Al” as he was known to all, was one of the most ardent sportsman this section will ever know. He was an enthusiastic fan and always supported fair play and clean athletics. The local high school football was cheered on by Mr. Powers and it was through his enthusiasm for high school athletics that the present gymnasium was built. He attended the first two games of the World Series in the east this year and attended many of the football games in the south this season.
Brought Race Horses
Horse-racing was another sport he loved. He had some of the finest blooded horses of the state sent to Coos Bay more than twenty years ago, when horse-racing was one of the most popular sports in this section. The Powers home on Hall avenue had a large stable which was filled with fine blooded animals which he engaged in races here and throughout the state. He had the best driving team in this section, when horses were the only means of transportation.
The town of Powers, an active togging town in Coos County, was named for Mr. Powers. He was president of the Bank of Powers at the time of his death and was also a starter member of the West Cost Savings & Loan Association in this city. He was active in the Elks’ Lodge, being a trustee for many years. In Rotary Club he was also active, interested in the work of young boys, which is one of the objectives of the Rotary Club. Mr. Powers was head of the committee which made the regatta an established thing on Coos Bay, for hundreds of boys tuned out to build boats for this annual regatta and Mr. Powers assisted the boys in every manner. It was “Uncle Al” again, who always passed th4 prizes when the boys won the race and he always officiated at the boys sports. It was Mr. Powers, too, that brought the first speed boat to Coos Bay, when he brought General II to the bay and started the first boat races here.
Families Survive
He was a devoted friend and companion to his wife, his sons and his daughters, who survive to grieve his death. It was the thought of his family that lead Mr. Powers to build, what was at one time the finest home on Coos Bay, the old home on Fifth and Hall. Just a few years ago a lovely new home, smaller than the old family home, was built just opposite the old home on Hall.
Mr. Powers is survived by his wife; son, Fred Powers of Powers; daughter, Mrs. Cletus Hodall of San Francisco; daughter, Mrs. Robert Dixon; daughter, Mrs. J. Arthur Berg of Coquille, son, Albert H. Powers Jr. of Power and daughter, Margaret Powers of Marshfield.
Coos Bay Times, January 3, 1930
MALONEY WIRES ABOUT ACCIDENT
Late Wire Today Reveals Exact Cause of Fatal Crash
(Death of Al Powers January 2, 1930)
A telegram received by the Coos Bay Times from M.C. Maloney, formerly of Marshfield, who arrived at Indio last night after hearing of the death of A.H. Powers, gives a different version of the accident. The Times wired Mr. Maloney for particulars today. The wire follows:
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A.H. Powers expired suddenly in his car here about 12 noon yesterday. He left his wife and daughter at the hotel a few minutes before to talk a walk, but evidently changed his mind and took the car from the garage. While driving into a service station a short distance from the garage, the fender struck a concrete post, he backed the care to make a turn to avoid the post put when he started forward again, hit the concrete post head on. This was repeated three times.
“Attendants hurried forward as he slumped forward in his seat and one hurried for a physician, when an attendant reached Mr. Powers, he said “308,” which was the number of the room at the hotel. Messengers hurried to notify Mrs. Powers and they rushed to the scene, but the doctor who arrived shortly, pronounced him dead,
“The corner’s jury found a verdict of a combination of heart attack and accident.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Powers and daughter, Margaret, arrived here Monday to spend a few weeks for Mr. Powers health. Mrs. Powers collapsed, but is recovering under a physician’s care. Albert and Fred Powers will arrive at 2 this afternoon when arrangements will be made for the return home.
Coos Bay Times January 3, 1930
Feudin’, Fightin’, and Fussin’ in Powers
As the 1917 Dodge touring car bounced over the winding and rutted dirt road, the lady in the rear seat suddenly called out, “Stop the car! I lost my hat!” Driver Joe Leggett retrieved the lady’s hat then started on, but soon the lady called out again “I lost my teeth!” Joe Leggett again stopped the car, had all the passengers get out of the and found the lady’s false teeth lying on the floor-boards.
That was just one of the experience Joe and Cody Leggett could tell about when they operated a stage line from Myrtle Point to Powers between 1915 and 1933. The two brothers started a Service Station in Powers in 1915, the same year Al Powers completed his logging railroad from Myrtle Point to the Wagner Ranch. There in the tiny isolated valley on the South Fork of the Coquille River, 21 miles south of Myrtle Point. Al Powers laid out a town beautifully situated on both sides of the river.
David Wagner had located the valley in 1870 and filed for 1560 acres under the Homestead Act. Then he returned to his home state of North Carolina and persuaded 80 of his friends and family members to come back to Oregon with him. They all settled near the Wagner Claim and the settlement became known as the North Carolina Colony. A post office named Wagner was established in the Wagner home, but in 1890 the name was changed to “Rural” after mail got mixed up several times with another post office named Wagner.
Rural was a peaceful little settlement—then the Smith-Powers Logging Company purchased the Wagner Ranch and the loggers moved in. The town Al Powers laid out for his workers wasn’t the usual kind of logging town. South of the river streets were 80 feet wide and had sidewalks. Waterlines buried in the streets made running water available for every lot. There was also a sewer system so homes could have indoor toilets. Lots sold for up to $800 each. North of the river streets were narrower and without a sewer system, but they did have running water. Lots sold for $300 each. Some of the houses that ended up there had been “railroad shacks.” 8’x40’ houses that were moved on railroad cars from one location to another while the railroad was
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being built. After the railroad was completed there was no further need for them and Al Powers gave them to the families who had lived in them.
Hotel Powers
Earnest Rollins Collection
Lots were not limited just to workers for the company. Businessmen bought them and started stores. There were two or three grocery stores, a drug store and a dry goods store, two barber shops, a furniture store and a bank. A company-owned building supply store made it convenient for those building their own homes. It was cash and carry only, but All Powers complained it went into the hole $10,000 the first year, which goes to show that at least part of the houses were built for free.
Most of the stories about Powers have come from the loggers who worked there and had to do with baseball, fighting and drinking.
Powers did have an excellent baseball team and Al Powers supported it by furnishing all the players with uniforms. Though Al Powers didn’t allow alcohol in his town, there seemed to be plenty of it. It was said the Powers cemetery was started when a Swede who worked in the roundhouse drank himself to death. He drank so much the moonshiners had cut him off so he drank some canned heat that did him in. There was no one to claim his body so Powers had to start a cemetery for a place to bury him.
After prohibition was abolished in 1933 saloons came in. On Christmas Eve Harvey Gant remembered going down town to get some Christmas candy. As he came in sight of the saloon it looked like the whole town was fighting in the street. He decided he didn’t want any candy after all and went back home.
You Are The Stars by Boyd Stone
Rowland Prairie
In 1853 William Rowland and his wife, who was a dusky maiden of the forest, settled in the valley of South Fork Coquille River on what has become known as Rowland Prairie. Rowland was a well-known pioneer, and a fragment of his history is found in Dodge’s Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties. During the Indian troubles of 1855-56 the Rowland place was provided with some defense works and was called Fort Rowland. Rowland Creek, a tributary of South Fork Coquille River, named for the same family.
Rowland Creek heads up East of Eckley Mountain Road a mile or so from the Curry County line, it enters the South Fork about three miles southwest of Gaylord.
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The Rowland post office was established February 12, 1880 on the South Fork about three miles south of Gaylord. The name was intended to honor William Rowland a pioneer settler. William N. Warner was the first Postmaster, the office closed in 1882.
Herald extra, no date
It has been ascertained that the rapid in the river last Friday and the immense drift that came down at the time was caused by land slides coming into the river from the mountain on both sides on the South Fork just below Rowland Prairie and also stupendous land slide near the mouth of Salmon Creek which joins the South Fork near John Wagner’s place as the North Carolina settlement. It has been said that a whole side of a mountain of fir timber slid in; when it gave way water raised 25 feet in the valley and left drift in the top of Wagner’s orchard when it went down.
No date, probably Feb. 1890. Pioneer and Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley
Cecil Caster has purchased the Flanagan place at Rowland Prairie. The place consists of 1000 acres and is one of the best ranches in the county, and besides has considerable valuable timber. The consideration was $16,000. Mr. Caster will soon move onto the place and begin logging off the timber.
Coquille City Bulletin, Jan, 1904
The Coquille Valley by Patti Stain
History of Haley & Haley
As Told by Loran Haley
Haley & Haley Inc. was originally started by my father and myself in 1930.
My father (Curtis Haley) had a 1928 Chevrolet truck, which had wood spoke wheels. It was necessary to put wet gunny sacks over the wheels at night, so the wood spokes would be tight for the following days hauling.
This truck was used for hauling machinery and other equipment for a small sawmill that was being built at Sumpter, a small town in Eastern Oregon, where I was raised.
As soon as the mill was built we decided we wanted to haul logs for the mill, so we traded the Chevrolet off for a 1930 Modal A Ford, which had dual and metal wheels. The motor was four cylinders and no midship transmissions.
We also purchased a used home made trailer that was made out of a Federal truck frame cut off just in front of the rear spring hangers. Both truck and trailer had mechanical brakes and the trailer was rigged up with three-eighths rope block for the trailer brakes, and when I wanted trailer brakes I had to pull up on the rope, which was anchored in the cab with a pulley on the floor boards.
We soon after we started hauling with this truck decided it would not do the job and bought three new 1930 Chevrolet trucks with trailers built in Portland. OR. The trailers were single axle but had metal wheels and vacuum brakes.
After one year of hauling for this mill we moved to Kinzua, OR and did our own logging and hauling for one season. The company then wanted us to take over all of their hauling and as they had five new Mack truck on order it was necessary for us to trade our trucks in on these new Macks as our trucks were not heavy enough for the off the road job that we would be hauling on.
We hauled the first season and were laid off for the winter in November as they had cold decked enough timber to run them through the winter. We had all of the new trucks parked in a big shed that was connected to our shop. On December 7, 1937 the
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shop caught fire and burned the trucks to the ground. The fire was so hot the frames bent to the ground as the trailers were still loaded on them.
We did not want to go in debt again for more new trucks on this job so we decided to move to Molalla, OR, which is about 30 miles below Portland.
On May 18, 1938 at which time we were getting ready for our move, we had another partner by the name of Larry L. Haley arrived to make our Corporation a little stronger.
We bought two E.R. Mack trucks and started hauling around Molalla for different people. These trucks were chain drive and were not meant for highway work. The following year we went to work for Ostrander Railway & Timber Co., which owned a very large block of time in that area. The company bought their own trucks but let us continue to run our trucks with their own. At that time I stopped driving our own truck and took charge of all of their equipment as well as pickups, busses and etc.
We hauled for them for seven years until 1945 at which time we had a chance to buy a trucking firm at Valsetz, OR. This party had five GMC trucks and was hauling for Valsetz Lumber Co. and Western Logging Co.
Valsetz, OR is about forty miles due West of Salem and sets on top of the Coast Range. It is one the wettest spots in the USA. The average rainfall is around 140” per year. Western Logging Company sold out to Georgia Pacific and they wanted us to move to Powers and take over their off road hauling, which we did in 1957.
At this time Larry had graduated from high school and decided he wanted to haul logs instead of going to college (and I am very glad he did), so he took the lighter trucks and went to Amboy, WA, to haul for a friend of ours. This did not last very long, so he came to Powers with me.
The following spring the company wanted us to also take their highway haul at Myrtle Point, which we did. At that time we were running private road trucks at Powers and Larry was running highway trucks at Myrtle Point.
After many years in Myrtle Point we built a new shop in Coquille in 1975.
Around 1980 the Haley and Haley name was dropped when they moved to Mapleton and changed the name to Ocean Way Transportation.
As told by Loran Haley
Haley & Haley Powers Yard
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William Roland
The inscription on the grave marker read, “Roland, Jane Mallion, Indian (Umpqua)?”
The question mark may have meant her husband, William Roland, gave the information for the marker, and anything William Roland said was questionable.
William Roland claimed the way he met his wife was when he was hiking through the woods along the Umpqua River he was attacked by a bear and would have died if the Indian maiden, Jane Mallion, had not found him and carried him to her village where she nursed back to health. During those weeks love bloomed and after his recovery they were married.
William and Jane Roland came to Coos County in 1854 and filed for a 640 acre land grant on prairie land across the South Fork from now Gaylord, 640 acres was the maximum amount of land a man and wife could file for under the Donation Land Claim program that was in effect from 1850 to 1855; 320 acres for the husband and another 320 acres for his wife, but William Roland boasted to his neighbors that by rights he was entitled to yet another 320 acres beyond the 640 acres he already had. He didn’t explain how he had arrived at that conclusion, but the neighbor s reasoned that if he were entitled to another 320 acres he must have another wife. It started a rumor that grew and was improved upon until it was claimed he had abandoned a wife and family back east.
“Roland’s Prairie” became important during the Indian wars of 1855-56 on the Rogue River because the prairie was the farthest white settlement up the South Fork of the Coquille River. The only whites above there were gold miners on Johnson Creek. Those miners were only 15 miles from the Rogue River where the fighting was going on. And they felt 15 miles was too close, so they all went down to Roland’s Prairie where they erected a stockade for protection. Then the soldiers at Fort Kitchen at the mouth of Kitchen Crick made daily patrols between the fort and Roland’s Prairie arresting any Indians they found.
It was during this time that William Roland claimed to have shot an Indian. He said the Indian was a long way off but that was no problem because he had a good gun an d was a crack shot. An extensive investigation was conducted but a single clue was ever found that an Indian had been shot. The story was written off as just another of William Roland’s boasts.
In later years Jemima Hoffman would tell her granddaughter, Nellie Hoffman Palmer, that the Roland home was a favorite place for holding dances in those early years. People would come on horseback from every direction for miles around and they would dance until the wee hours of the morning.
After William and Jane Roland grew old they moved to Kitchen Crick to live with their daughter Nella and son-in-law Elmirus Poland. They are all buried in the Roland-Poland cemetery that no longer exists. The cemetery bordered the west side of Catching Creek road, on the hill just beyond the Ward’s Creek turnoff. It is said some of the graves were destroyed when the road going up the hill was widened. All the markers were made of wood and have been destroyed by forest fires or vandalism, but in 1981 when Alice Wooldrige was compiling her book of records of cemeteries in Coos and Curry Counties she found on lady, Pearl (Barklow) Poland, wife of Merl Poland whose family is buried there.
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Pearl listed these graves:
Poland, Nella M. Roland b. 1853 near Jacksonville, OR died 1886 or 1887, TB
Poland, Elmirus M. b Iowa d 1886 or 1887, six months after the death of Nella
Anne E d. Feb. 3, 1886 age 17
Amy
Mary
Rolland, Wm b. July 20, 1800, Grayson County, KY, US Army, Donation Land Claim #37 near Gaylord, OR
Then there was William Rolland’s wife, Jane Mallion, Indian, (Umpqua) question mark.
My Valley by Boyd Stone
Cecil Arneson
By Nanci Ann Mann Axelton
Cecil Arneson was born William Cecil Arneson December 19, 1887 in Portland, Oregon to Erik and Mary Arneson. His family moved from time to time, but after he was born they settled in the Upper Coquille Valley near Myrtle Point in Coos County, Oregon. The family farm produced food, became a logger. He married three times. In 1909 he married Ruby Whitington who died giving birth to a daughter, Leah in 1910. He then married Ruby’s sister, Margarite Whitington in 1911. Sadly, she also died in childbirth leaving him another daughter, Gladys. The girls were left with their maternal grandparents and Cecil went to British Columbia to work the logging camps. He returned sometime in late 1912 early 1913 to Myrtle Point and worked at the Aasen Camp up Middle Creek. It may have been called Kelly and Aasen Logging Company.
In 1913, on November 28th Cecil again married, this time to Viola Pearl Rouse in Myrtle Point. Cecil, 25 and Viola 18 quickly had babies, six in all: Roy Grant, 1914-1956, was probably born in Myrtle Point or maybe Powers; Floyd “Pete,” 1915-1970; Cluade, 1916-1995; Ella May. 1917-1987; Vera Helen, 1921-1999 and Fawn Maggie Arneson was born in 1928 in Marshfiel. From their six offspring came 19 grandchildren.
After Cecil and Viola married they moved to Powers to work for Smith-Powers Logging Company. This may have been the longest time he worked for any one company. In Powers Pete, Claude, Ella and Vera were born. Vic Stevens tells a story about Cecil in his book “The Powers Story,” It goes like this;
“There was an amusing incident which happened during one ball game which I was attending. There was a large crowd of men congregated in the street between the depot and the tavern across the street. This was the same place that Mr. Link was having his shin-dig. This time it was one of our local boys putting on a show. I was attracted to the place by the crowd of people. What I saw, when I got where I could see, was John Darling chasing his brother-in-law around and around inside the circle. Evidently John had caught up with his victim several times for the poor fellow’s face was smeared all over with blood, and his nose was bleeding. He probably looked worse than he was.
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I couldn’t understand why the little fellow didn’t break out of the ring and make a run for it, but he never did. He only kept running around the ring, which was formed by the amused audience, hollering for help.
The crowd soon dispersed and I suppose the one-sided fight was stopped for lack of an audience. Since it was a family affair, no one seemed very concerned about it. Well almost no one.
There was one person, who, when he heard about the pseudo fight, reacted in a peculiar manner. The way he heard the story, it sounded like a Mutt and Jeff deal and he meant to do something about it. By this time, the ball game was on, and Cecil Arneson, who was a native of Myrtle Point, began his search for John Darling and found him lying on the ground watching the game.
Cecil approached Darling and said, “On your feet, Darling.”
Darling looked up at Cecil and seeing the serious look on Arneson’s face, he immediately arose to his feet and as he did so, Arneson slammed him a good hard punch and John went down, but he was not out.
Angry now, and humiliated besides, he sprang to his feet to put Cecil in his place, for Cecil was even smaller than his victim of hour or two before. As he made his rush for Cecil, he was met by another bystander and down John’s meathouse again. John still wasn’t satisfied that it wasn’t just a lucky punch so he “upped and at him” another time, going down for the third time. As John sat thereon the ground, he looked up at Cecil and asked, “What’s the big beef anyway?”
And Cecil replied, “I just wanted you to see how it goes.”
Cecil was often described as a feisty Norwegian. His career in logging was long and varied. Back the4n they called a logger who went from camp to camp a “Tramp Logger” which is what he was. In the 1920 census his occupation is given as “stationary engine” living in the Rowland Precinct West Powers. In the 1930 census he worked as a “High Climber” a dangerous, but higher paying job and 15 year old son Roy was a “Whistle Punk.” At that time Cecil, Vi and children were living in Coquille on North Collier Street and East 11th Street.
Sometime later he began working for some of the smaller gypo logging companies leaving Coos County along with many others looking for work and opportunity. I know he was working for Pope and Talbot Timber near Molalla in Clackamas County, Oregon around 1943 from a family story about a man who “had it in for Grandpa Cecil and Uncle Roy.”
When Roy and his brother-in-law, Dave Hickey walked into the bunkhouse one night they found a bloody mess. When Cecil was asked what happened, he replied, “He mad one mistake. He let me finish putting my boots on.” The man left camp the next morning, never to be seen by my grandfather again.
In 1959 Claude and Pete owned a saw shop and logging supply store in Crescent City, Del Norte County, California. Cecil lived in a small trailer close to that shop and served as the night watchman. The trailer was kept warm by a propane stove that had to be lit with a match. One night the gas was accidentally turned on and Cecil unawares lit a match to light a cigarette. He spent a week in the hospital and was released only to die shortly afterwards from a blood clot. He was 71 years of age. I never know my Great Grandfather Cecil. I wish I had. His temper cause him and his family a lot of heartache, but when I look at the details of his life, I see a man who
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lost two wives in childbirth in a brief span of years while he was still quite young and who at 7 had already suffered the loss of his only sister when she was 4. I think they were close because he named his first daughter after her, Ella May.
Ella was my grandmother. She told me life was hard work when she was young. She watched her mother work very hard in difficult situations. I can’t even imagine living in a logging camp cabin with my husband gone before sun up and back after dark. Trying to raise children when you moved frequently and many of your neighbors spoke little English. Now days divorce is common, It must have been uncommonly hard for Cecil and Viola to divorce. Viola married again and was happy.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain
Charles Morris
Charles Morris, a resident of Rural, on the South Fork, dropped dead Monday afternoon. Mr. Morris was a pioneer resident of this county, having come to the Coquille Valley in 1865. The deceased was born in Wayne Co., Missouri and moved from there to California in 1854 where he remained until he came to Oregon. He was 74 years of age. He leaves a wife and 6 children—4 sons and 2 daughters. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. Secrist Wednesday and the remains laid to rest on the home place.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, May 1, 1903 Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John Hayes
John Hayes Sr. died June 6, 1905. He was born in Buncombe County, NC, March 18, 1825, therefore was 80 years 2 months and 28 days at the time of death. He was married to Miss Susan Wagner Nov. 26, 1854. 15 children blessed the union –8 girls and 7 boys of whom 4 daughters and 7 sons survive and 28 grandchildren. In 1865 Mr. Hayes moved to Tennessee and lived there until 1872 when he and his family journeyed to Coos County, OR and settled on what is known as the Uncle Chris Lehnherr place at Rowland Prairie. Two years later he took up his home in the North Carolina settlement and lived there until the time of his death. Grandpa Hayes untied with the German Baptist Church July 22, 1900. The funeral was held June 18, 1905 at the Brethren Church, Myrtle Point with Rev. Thos Barklow conducting the service. Burial in the Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald June 23, 1905
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Susan Hayes
Grandma (Susan) Hayes, nee Wagner, was born in Johnson Co., TN, Jan. 5, 1858 and died at her home near Powers Aug. 22, 1917 age 74 years 7 months and 22 days. She was married to John Hayes Nov. 26, 1854 and moved to North Carolina in 1866, remaining there to May 1872 when the family came to Jackson Co., OR and remained there about 4 months and come to Coos County in the fall.
They first settled on what was known as the Lehnherr place at Rowland Prairie, and about a year later moved to the vicinity of Rural, now Powers, where she has resided the past 43 years. To Mr. and Mrs. Hayes was born 15 children, 7 boys and 8 girls.
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All the boys are still living while only 3 girls survive the mother. The survive children, all residents of this valley are: James David, William Henry, J. MacD, John Preston, Jacob M., Thomas J., Peter W., Mrs. Calvin Gant and Mrs. Leonard Hartley. 36 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Her husband, John Hayes, died June 6, 1905, age 80 years. Buried at Norway cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald, Aug. 23, 1917
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Joseph Haines
Mrs. Joseph Haines of Eckley passed away in the Willamette Valley where she was visiting her children. Mr. and Mrs. Haines came to this section and settled at Eckley Aug. 15, 1860 and lived there 52 years except a short interval when they went to Wilbur, Douglas County, in order to educate their children. This wild country was a wilderness at that time. John Dully had built a cabin at the mouth of the North Fork. Eph Catching had a cabin just a little south of Myrtle Point and Hoffman had settled at the mouth of the Middle Fork.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Jan. 23, 1913
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Joseph Ed Haines
Joseph Ed Haines, 81, resident of Scottsburg, OR died at Mast Hospital Sunday, Feb. 16, 1941. Many years a resident of Eckley, managed his fathers holdings and bought considerable other land in that locality.
In 1887 he married Mary Ella Divelbiss, daughter of well-known pioneers and Sixes River rancher, D.H. Divelbiss. Came to Myrtle Point where he remained until 1910, returned to Eckley in 1918 and has since lived in Monmouth, Bandon and Myrtle Point.
Survived by his wife Mary; 1 daughter, Mrs. M.E. Cramer, 3 sons, Ted, Ralph and Ray; 7 grandchildren, Edward Raymond Haines: 5 brothers and sisters, Mrs. Mable Statts of Monmouth, Mrs. Ruby Postwood, Bakersfield; Mrs. Harriett Hampton of Bakersfiled; Jim Haines of Idaho and Oscar Haines of Bakersfield. Buried IOOF cemetery in Eugene.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Feb. 20. 1941
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
George Halsey Guerin Lived Varied Careers
George Halsey Guerin was born in Mobile, AL, Sept. 23, 1842. When he was 4 years old the family moved to Newark, NJ. He entered Saunders Institute in the city of Philadelphia, PA in 1857 and remained for 4 years.
From there he went to the coal regions of Jeddo, PA, where he met and married Priscilla Dobinson in 1866. To this union was born 10 children—9 boys and 1 girl. The eldest William S. was drowned at the mouth of the Klamath River May 1891 when he was 24 years old. The youngest son, John Long, died at the Eckley home at the age of 9 months. Addison Henry, Thomas Dobinson, George Halsey, James Tichenor, Watterman Citerly, Charles Vincent, Annie Rebecca and Eckley Cox with their mother and 14 grandchildren survive him.
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Immediately after his marriage he went to Kansas with a surveying party for 9 month. Returning, he was connected with the Lehigh Valley Railway Co. in the capacity of superintendent. He joined the Masonic Lodge in Mauch Chunk, PA in 1868, 49 years ago.
His health failing, the family moved west, settling in Curry Co., OR in 1876 at Eckley—where they lived until 1897 when they moved to Myrtle Point and established the Guerin Hotel. They conducted the hotel for 8 years, when on account of failing health they moved to Oakland, CA, where they resided until his death June 8, 1917.
During the pioneer days, when the family lived at Eckley, Mr. Guerin served a number of years as justice of the peace. He was called upon to preside at marriages and funerals and often assisted the neighboring families in time of illness and trouble. His mother was a sister to Captain Tichenor, the Port Orford pioneer. She came west with her son and lived with the family until her death. Mr. Guerin was buried in Langlois cemetery
Myrtle Point Enterprise, June 14, 1917
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Watterman Citerly Guerin
By F.B. Tichenor
Born at Buffalo, NY, Nov. 24, 1875 and died at Bakersfield, CA Feb. 28, 1921, age 45 years 3 months and 4 days old. W.C. Guerin moved with his parents from Buffalo, NY to Eckley, Curry County, OR at the age of 6 months and remained on the Guerin ranch for 22 years. As a boy he was far in advance of those much older than himself. He took the lead in clearing off the land in the Eckley country and was one of the first to work for good roads in Curry County and helped to build the first wagon road to Eckley.
During his boyhood days he attended Eckley school. This district held only 3 months of school a year. Watt, as he was known by his many friends, made the best of country school. He attended school at Myrtle Point one term and one term at Coquille. Being a good student, he managed by his own efforts to acquire a good education and was granted a certificate to teach in Coos and Curry counties. He taught in the two counties for one year.
In the year 1908 he took charge of a party on survey of the boundary between Alaska and Canada. For 4 years he braved the dangers of the frozen north and completed his work at the Artic Ocean in 1912. Out of several hundred men who started on the survey only 6 were able to stand the hardships and remain with the work until completed. All the maps for the boundary survey were made by Mr. Guerin. Rough sketches were made in Alaska and finished by him in San Francisco and Washington DC. After these were finished, he was classed by the head of the department in Washington as the greatest draftsman in the United States.
He was next sent to survey the boundary between the New England states and Canada. After finishing the work, he was sent to Alaska and surveyed the right of way for the government railroad and spend one year in the work. He was in charge of the work, with several hundred men taking orders from this young man from Eckley. Two hundred of the party, were from West Point.
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July 1918 when the call for Topographic engineers for the army came, he volunteered and was commissioned a Captain of Engineers at Washington DC Aug. 13, 1918. Assigned to the department of the southeast in charge of fortifications and military reservations survey, he completed a detailed topographic survey of Camp Banning, Georgia, of the highest accuracy every attained in this country.
Mr. Guerin applied for discharge in October 1820 but on account of poor health, he was not mustered out and died in the service.
Few men, if any, knew the great Alaska better than Mr. Guerin and the lecture he gave in several parts of the United States were enjoyed by thousands. Mr. Guerin was Governor Rigg’s closest friend and advisor. Mr. Guerin had been urged many times by the people of Alaska to become Governor of the territory on account of his knowledge of the north and its people.
He gave 23 years of his life to the hardest kind of work for the country and at the end was given the highest honors that can be given a citizen.
Dressed in his uniform, wrapped with the Stars and Stripes he was buried with military honors in the officers’ plat at the Presidio, CA.
Watt Guerin may be forgotten in the years to come, but his work will live as long as man treads the earth and be admired by men who do things.
Southern Coos County American, Mar. 17, 1921
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. Charles Stewart nee Julia Ann Giles
Mrs. Charles Stewart of Powers died last Thursday at her home in Powers. Julia Ann Giles, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Giles was born in Myrtle Point and lived there many years. Born Mar. 13, 1872. Married July 3, 1893 to Charles Stewart and leaves 3 sons and a daughter besides her husband. Sons are: Ray, Harry and Hillis of Powers and daughter Mrs. Fay Nash of Portland, 3 grandchildren. Brothers and sisters: Daisy Short, Bisby, AZ; Mrs. Henry Venture; Sam Giles, Hereford and 3 half brothers: Claude, Marshfield, Willin and Clark Giles of San Francisco. Buried at Sunset cemetery.
Myrtle Point Herald, Jan. 13, 1931
Pioneers & Incidents from the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
John W. Sears
John W. Sears, familiarly known as “Uncle Jack” died at his home Tuesday night. Interment was in the Myrtle Point Cemetery. He is survived by 3 sisters and a mother in Iowa and Oklahoma. His property goes to the daughters of Mr. Sears sister, Mrs. Veil. John W. Sears was born in Hamilton County, OH, Sept. 20, 1834 and first came to Oregon Sept. 7, 1852 landing in Portland. He married Catherine F.G. Williams of Atlantic City, NJ, in July 1857. She died in 1897. Mr. Sears lived for a time Astoria, Crescent City and Ellensburg. He spent some time in Nevada, British Columbia, and Coos County, landing where Norway now stands. He located on the Coquille River, 1 mile above Beaver Slough, remaining there until 1868, when he moved to the forks. He lived there about a year then moved to Rowland Prairie 12 miles south of Myrtle Point. He moved to he headwaters of Sixes River in 1870 where he secured a ranch of 920 acres now owned by R.C. Dement. He lived there for many years, however, after
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the death of his wife, he moved to Myrtle Point where he lived in his fine house near the German Baptist Church on Spruce Street.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, July 31, 1908
Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
Mrs. J.W. Sears
Mrs. J.W. Sears died at her home in Curry County (Eckley) OR Oct. 29, 1897, age 58 years 6 months and 1 day. Her maiden name was Catherine G.F. Williams and she was born Apr. 29, 1839 in Atlantic City, NJ. She came to Oregon with her father in May 1857 and in July following she married J.W. Sears at the home of J.B. Tuffts on Rogue River. With her husband she moved to the Coquille Valley in July 1867 and then to Curry County home in March 1870 where she died. She is buried in Myrtle Point cemetery.
Myrtle Point Enterprise, Oct. 23, 1897
Pioneers & Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge
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LIST OF PIONEERS
Pioneers listed
Sivert Aasen 166
Mrs. S F Abernathy 231
William Alexander Adams 125
Jimmie Albee 104
Gary Anderson 104
Cecil Arneson 246
Erik Arneson 105
Edwin Baker 107
Henry Hewett Baldwin 121
Birdie Barker 107
Anne Barklow 148
Benjamin F. Barklow 126
Elizabeth Barklow 143
J D Barklow (Johnnie D) 146
Samuel Barklow 147
Thomas Barklow 114
Mrs. Anna Bender 125
Edward Bender 125
Ernest E. Bender 126
Capt C A Bullard 113
James Burk 110
Capt C H Butler 148
Philip Brack 120
Angelina Bright 231
Charles Broadbent 195
Mary Alice Brockman 105
Mrs. Susannah Brower 168
Mrs. Florence Buell 122
James B. Buell 122
James L. Buell 123
Mrs. J W Carman 197
James A Clinton 112
Perlina Clinton 112
Richard Alonzo Cribbins 182
Charles Deitz 110
Mary E Deitz 111
Isaac Delong 169
Mrs. Louisa Dement 193
Washington Clay Dement 196
William T. Dement 199
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James R. DeVaul 145
Mrs. Sarah K DeVaul 145
Orvil Dodge 116
John B Dully 113
Jacob Endicott 122
Sarah Jane Evernden 180
Thomas S. Evernden 180
Horace Fellows 127
Ben Figg 167
Alvin Fredenburg 170
John Frederick 147
Darius Gant 194
Levi Gant 194
Daniel Giles 112
Jane Goodrich 232
Charlotte Nutman Guerin 115
George Halsey Guerin 249
Watterman Citerly Guerin 250
Albert Gulstrom 170
Albert Graham 127
Mrs. Priscilla Graham 127
O J Grant 194
Mrs. Joseph Haines 249
Joseph Ed Haines 249
Richard Haughton 146
John Hayes 248
Susan Hayes 248
Moses Hixson 115
Sarah T. Hixson 115
Binger Hermann 196
Carrie M Hermann 193
Mrs. Elizabeth Hermann 192
Flora Hermann 197
Washington Polk Hermann 193
James B Hoffman 181
Mrs. Jermima Hoffman 192
Amzi Hooten 183
Maurice Hooten 183
Mrs. Christiana Hoover 144
Ann M. Lamb 169
James Lamb 230
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Mrs. James Lamb 230
Chloe Laird 229
James Laird Sr 229
Dr. K.A. Leep 123
John A Lehnherr 108
Elizabeth Lewellen 113
Harvey Lewellen 113
John T. Lewellen 115
Joe Liggett 121
Mrs Liggett 121
Mary J Emerson Lundy 119
Rufus W Lundy 118
Elizabeth Machado 116
Jason Dias Machado 116
Sarah Dugger Mast 230
Robert Mavity 171
Mrs. E E McCracken 121
Miss Clara McCloskey 145
Sol McCloskey 144
Mrs. S J McCloskey 144
Thomas William McCloskey 144
Charles Morris 248
John W Mullin 181
Albert Myers 151
Mrs. Asa Myers 147
Asa Myers 147
Mrs. Rowena Neal 195
Philo Northup 126
Mrs. Eliza A Parrish 119
F A Parrish 119
Max G. Pohl 198
John Radabuagh 167
John Henry Radabaugh 127
Capt Oloff Reed 143
Mrs. Cordelia Matilda Rice 181
John Robbins 198
Franklin Robison 168
Grover Texas Robison 167
Mrs. Price S Robison 142
Price Robison 143
Priscilla Robison 167
Thomas Rookard 181
256
Uriah Root 168
Ole Samuelson 182
August Schroeder 149
Mrs. Dora Schroeder 149
Henry Schroeder Sr 107
John Frederick Schroeder 150
Mrs. Mary Schroeder 150
A.M. Self 111
John W. Sears 251
Mrs. J.W. Sears 252
Frank Sinko 169
Emma Smalley 171
Jacob Paqua Stemmler 120
Mrs. Charles Stewart 251
Catherine Strong 124
Harry Strong 124
Louis Strong 123
Margaret Strong 124
John Melvin Sturdivant 232
John N Sumerlin 232
Mrs. John N Sumerlin 232
James Thom 108
Mrs. Maria Thomas 182
Mrs. Wilhelmina C Volkmar 109
William Volkmar 109
William H Walker 108
Mrs. W H Walker 109
Etta Avelina Waterman 183
Irene J Weekly 228
Mary Jane Weekly 228
John Whittington 199
Wiley Wilburn Whittington 198
William Walter Williams 183
Mrs. Annie Mills Williams 183
Martha Wise 111
Peter Wise 111
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The Pied Piper
Heimer Statue Fund
As you may know there has been an on going effort to erect a bronze statue of Mr. Elgin Heimer. The budget for the project is $30,000. To date $17,000 has been raised. Another $13,000 is needed to complete the project. We feel that this is an important project for the people of Myrtle Point. I feel that if another generation passes by, people will not know who Mr. Heimer was.
This book has been lovingly compiled as a venue to raise funds for the project. Our goal is to sell 800 books at $35.00 (+$5.00 shipping charge).
The fundraising for the Elgin Heimer Statue Fund is ongoing. Please send donations to Elgin Heimer fund 2373 NW 185th Ave, PMB 265, Hillsboro, OR 97124.
Bust of Mr. Heimer Mr. Heimer playing tricks with children
Elgin Heimer was born on a homestead northeast of Potter, Nebraska to David and Sarah Herboldsheimer in 1894. One of 13 children they lived in a stone house that was put on the National Register of Historic Place in 1991.
Elgin joined the Marines in 1917, age 23, after working on a construction crew that helped build the California Aqueduct. His last visit to Nebraska followed his discharge from the Marines after World War I on his way to the Pacific Northwest.
He came to Coos County in 1926, worked in logging and ranching before retiring in Myrtle Point in 1950. He spent the next 30 years, until his death December 11, 1982, entertaining people, especially children. With his magic tricks each afternoon on his long walks through town.
Each August Elgin led the town’s big Fair parade. Jugging and performing his sleight-of-hand tricks as the children followed. For years he gave the children arise reed whistles and spinning tops he made from wooden thread spools.
He was a book lover, taught himself trigonometry, wrote poetry, and was a avid chess player. He spent much time visiting the elderly at the nursing home. In 1973 the students at Myrtle Point High School dedicated their yearbook to him. In 1981 he was called ‘Pied Piper of Myrtle Point,” And was named Grand Marshall of the Coos County Fair Parade. He was widely interviewed on statewide and national television.
His home on top of a hill overlooking the Coquille river Valley was surrounded by his carefully cultivated raspberry bushes and apple trees. He generously shared both raspberries and apples whenever family would visit. Family members remember him as loving children, Oregon, the ocean, and showing off his community. He left his modest home to the city of Myrtle Point and his estate to the Flora M. Laird Memorial Library of Myrtle Point. Former City Manager Bud Schmidt said “Heimer was devoted to the city and left his estate to the city for an addition to the library which is named for him. As the memory of this local legend begins to fade, citizens have renewed the idea of making his remembrance more visible, more visible, more personal and more lasting.” Efforts were begun to create a life-size statue of Heimer on Spruce Street in the downtown area.
The Coquille Valley by Patti Strain