February 14, 1859 - February 14, 2009 • A publication of The News-Review

Page 2 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150

The first European contact came in 1579

Land of
the
Umpqua

ROBIN LOZNAK/News-Review file photo

The colors of autumn are reflected in the Umpqua River in the Kellogg area near Elkton.

JOHN SOWELL blackberries, wild onions, Indian let- Land Act brought an influx of people to in the Riddle Enterprise.
The News-Review tuce, acorns, mushrooms and lambs what would later become Douglas Coun- The town of Riddle is named for Rid-
quarters. ty. The land act provided 160 acres of land dle’s father, William H. Riddle, who

H
undreds of years before
white settlers arrived in the
Umpqua Valley, members
of the Cow
Creek band of the
Umpqua Tribe of Indians
inhabited lands along the
South Umpqua River and
its tributary, Cow Creek.
The Cow Creeks, who
covered a vast trading, hunting and
gathering area from Crater Lake to the
Columbia River, hunted deer and elk
and fished for silver salmon and steel-
head. They also gathered huckleberries,
Snakewood was used to treat burns
and cuts, leaves from the mullen plant
were steeped to make a cough syrup,
while tea made from wild
ginger eased fevers.
Indian women wove bas-
kets from bear grass, hazel
bark and maidenhair fern
stems.
Winter homes were
made by placing pine boards over shal-
low impressions in the ground. Rock
shelters were also utilized.
The discovery of gold in the Umpqua
and the 1850 passage of the Donation
to single men and 320 acres to couples.
Miners, many of whom came from
California, filed claims on local streams.
Hydraulic equipment deposited silt and
other debris and disrupted salmon runs.
Tensions erupted between the natives
and the newcomers.
“There were many things (that) hap-
pened to irritate the Indians and to
threaten the peace. There was a class of
white men in the country who acted
upon the principal (sic) that the Indian
had no rights that a white man should
respect,” wrote George Riddle in a
series of articles first published in 1920
brought his family to Oregon in 1851,
after a neighbor in Springfield, Ill.,
returned and spoke of fertile valleys,
clear-running streams and beautiful
forests and mountains.
Miwaleta, the Cow Creek chief,
signed a treaty with the U.S. govern-
ment in 1853, ceding possession of
more than 800 square miles of land. The
tribe was promised $12,000 in compen-
sation, 2.3 cents per acre at a time when
the government was selling land to set-
tlers at $1.25 per acre.
Turn to UMPQUA, page 20
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 3
OREGON 150

... early exploration by white men was linked to the fur trade.
Happy
Birthday,
Oregon
California did it nearly nine years
ago. Washington won’t do it for anoth-
er 30 years.
Minnesota was the last state to cele-
brate the 150th anniversary of its entry
to the union. The land of 10,000 lakes
marked that milestone in May. Kansas
will be doing the same in January
2011.
Meanwhile, there’s Oregon. Feb. 14
was the state’s sesquicentennial, and
that’s a word we bet you can’t say five
times fast (if you’ll pardon the
ungrammatical phrase).
Today’s special section is dedicated
to Oregon’s statehood. Within these
pages, you’ll find accounts of Douglas
County history, as well as stories about
our communities and chronicles of pio-
neering families.
So, all together now: “Happy birth-
day, dear Oregon ...”

Table of
contents Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum
Land of the Umpqua ................... 2 This building along Main Street, near Douglas Avenue, in downtown Roseburg served as the first Douglas County Court-
house. The county was established in 1852, with this courthouse built three years later. Other courthouses were constructed
County communities .................... 3 in 1870 and 1891. The current courthouse dates from 1929, with additions in 1956 and 1977.

Courage heading west ................ 4

Letter from a pioneer ................... 5

Fort Umpqua rising ...................... 6

Douglas County’s 12 cities are
Celebrating our homeland ........... 7

Douglas County history ............... 8

only as old as they feel — sort of
TRICIA JONES platted in 1858, although commercial That year is also displayed on the door
Growing conditions .................... 11 activity began a good seven years earlier. of City Hall, as in “established 1852.” Yet
The News-Review
Former Mayor Chuck Spindel went a history books state that the community had
Agriculture memories ................. 12

Hero of Scottsburg ..................... 13
Glide’s pioneer clan ................... 14
Applegate history ....................... 15
Finding family heritage ............... 16
Laurance family ......................... 17
Y
outh-conscious people may try
to hide their ages. Cities, on the
other hand, usually
want to vie for the
distinction of being the oldest
in a region. But their true birth
dates can be just as difficult to
pin down.
Canyonville threw itself a
150th birthday party last spring, proudly
proclaiming that the city is a year older
than the state of Oregon. The town was
step further in promoting Canyonville’s
bragging rights. In a recent conversation
with The News-Review, Spin-
del said the city is considered
the third oldest community in
the state.
Spindel admitted he wasn’t
sure what historic detail quali-
fied Canyonville for that par-
ticular designation. He thought it might
have to do with the fact that the town’s
first post office made its stamp in 1852.
its beginning in 1851, when settlers began
sprinkling through the Canyon Creek area.
Accounts name Joseph and Elizabeth
Knott as owners of Canyonville’s first
store, opened circa 1851 at the site of
today’s Fifth Street.
Regardless of when Canyonville offi-
cials or anybody else considers the town to
have been launched, the city has some
competition in the third-oldest claim.
Turn to CITIES, page 22
Page 4 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150

‘What courage they had, what hopes, and what fears’ Courage a
must for folks
heading west
LAVERNE MURPHY
For The News-Review

I
t took a lot of courage for these people
to make the move to Oregon. There is
much history to read, so after doing
my own research, most on the Inter-
net, I only used a little of the story of the
first big wagon
train to Oregon in
1843.
On to Oregon!
It all began with a
crude network of
rutted tracks
across the land from the Mississippi River
to the mouth of the Columbia River.
Today the 2,170 mile Oregon Trail still
brings to mind instant images of the Pio-
CRAIG REED/The News-Review neer’s Westward movement. In 1840 only
three states existed west of the Mississippi
LaVerne Murphy with the oxen and covered wagon that he made out of different types of seeds used in the Umpqua area. River.

Packing the wagon, heading west SHIFTINGTurn to WEST, page 21

EDITOR’S NOTE: LaVerne Murphy
of Umpqua copied this picture of the
oxen and covered wagon from the Ore-
gon State Seal onto a piece of material
and glued seeds onto it to form this
picture. He used grass, sub-clover,
wheat, sudan and rye seeds. Oats were
used for the ground under the oxen
and wagon. The frame is from a piece
of weathered board that is well over
100 years old. The picture and follow-
ing poem by Murphy were displayed in
a booth at the 1984 Oregon State Fair
in Salem. Murphy says both fit the
theme of that year’s fair, “A Great
Moment in History.”
The Oregon Trail 1843
A great moment in history that I like
the best,
Is the farmer loading his wagon and
heading west.
He brought his plow so he could till
the land,
The grains and seed for the crops he
had planned.
She took her pots and pans and
some gingham too,
Books for the children as there would
Are Your Foundation or Walls
be no school.
She had dried some food and could
SHIFTING
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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 5
OREGON 150

‘We were six months today, from the time we left home’

West on the Oregon Trail

Photo courtesy of Don Corsetti
Samuel Materson Gilmore wrote about his jour-
ney over the Oregon Trail in 1843.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is
from a letter written in 1843 by Samuel
Materson Gilmore after he traveled
west on the Oregon Trail for six
months. The letter was printed in the
Western Journal newspaper in St.
Louis, Mo., on March 15,
1845, and then was record-
ed in the “Oregon Histori-
cal Quarterly,” in 1903.
Juanita Larimore of
Roseburg, a distant relative
of Gilmore, provided The
News-Review with a copy of Gilmore’s
letter.
LETTER FROM OREGON
The following extracts from a letter
written by one of the emigrants of
1843, will be particularly interesting at
this time, and should be carefully read
by those going out this spring. It will
be particularly useful to emigrants who
leave from this part of the country:
Fort Vancouver, Nov. 11, 1843.
Dear Sir: We were six months today,
from the time we left home, in getting
to this place, though we might have
arrived one month sooner had we not
unnecessarily wasted time on the way.
To give you a full descrip-
tion of our travels would
occupy more time than I
have to spare. I will, how-
ever, give you and my
friends a short sketch. We
left Westport on the 27th
of May, and crossed the Kansas River
near the old village: thence up the
north side of the Kansas, where we had
a great deal of rain and stormy weather
to encounter, which made it very dis-
agreeable traveling. We then crossed
over (to) the Platte, about eighty miles
above the Pawnee village; thence up
the Platte about fifty miles above the
forks, where we crossed the South
Fork. We then struck over on the North
Fork and traveled up it until we came
to Fort Laramie. We then crossed
Laramie’s Fork of Platte, which we
found very difficult to pass. We still
kept up the North Fork to within forty
miles of the Rocky Mountains, where
we crossed it. We came to a small
stream called Sweetwater, one of the
streams of the northern branch of the
Platte; we traveled up this until we
passed through the Rocky Mountains,
which we found to be as good as any
part of our road. We then came to the
waters of Green River, which is one of
the branches of the Colorado — then
to Fort Bridges (Bridger), which is on
the waters of Green River; from there
we next struck Bear River, which emp-
ties into the Great Salt Lake. We trav-
eled several days down this river, then
crossed over on to the Snake River,
and arrived at Fort Hall on the 25th
Turn to LETTER, page 24

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 Page 6 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150

Fort reconstruction will engage younger generations and attract tourists

Fort Umpqua
rises again
MARISSA HARSHMAN
The News-Review
ELKTON — When all is said and
done, it will have taken about 1,000
limbed, peeled and pressure-treated
logs set in concrete to build the
stockade walls of the reconstructed
Fort Umpqua.
Currently, the stockade is about
half finished, but a group of dedicat-
ed volunteers hopes to have the
walls and front gate completed by
the Fort Umpqua Days event held
during Labor Day weekend.
But Merrel Smith and the other volun-
TIRED OF THROWING AWAY PLASTICS?
teers have quite a bit of work left to do in
order to reach that goal, and come spring-
time, the volunteers will get back to work
rebuilding the Hudson’s Bay Company
replica.
The original fort, which was con-
structed in 1836, served as a fur
trading center for the com-
pany for many years, Smith
said. After the fur trade
industry slowed, the fort
became an agriculture center,
he said.
Jean Baptiste Gagnier head-
Courtesy photo
ed the post, which never had a military
presence. Gagnier is considered the first Fort Umpqua is being reconstructed along the Umpqua River near Elkton by vol-
white resident farmer and merchant in unteers. LEFT: The original fort, constructed in 1836, flew the Hudson Bay Compa-
ny flag.
Douglas County. He married a Lower
Umpqua Indian and they later lived among
the Siuslaw Indians, whom he taught
American farming techniques.
How you can help ...

WANT TO RECYCLE MORE?

In November 1851, a fire destroyed
most of the fort. For a few years after the
fire, the remains of the fort served as Elk-
ton’s post office before it was washed
away by the 100-year flood in 1861.
Douglas County residents can help
fund the Fort Umpqua reconstruction
and have their names on a plaque at the
site by sponsoring logs.
Logs can be sponsored for $25 each.
Sponsors will have their names on brass

Now you can! In Now, volunteers are trying to rebuild the

fort on the banks of the Umpqua River,
behind the Elkton Community Education
partnership with Center — a mile or so downriver from the
original fort site that was on the other side
Sunrise Enterprises. of the river, Smith said.
All clean plastics Turn to FORT, page 23
plaques on a recognition board at the
fort. The donation is tax-deductible.
The reconstruction volunteer group is
also looking for additional volunteers to
help complete the fort.
For more information on sponsoring a
log or volunteering, call Merrel and
Joanne Smith at (541) 584-2160.

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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
‘What we’re doing is celebrating our homeland’ — Sue Shaffer
Making Douglas County shine
CARA PALLONE
The News-Review
W
hat birthday present do you
give to a state that has every-
thing?
Many Oregonians have been
pondering that question for at least the past
year. While the gifts may not be extrava-
gant, they’re from the heart.
“What we’re doing is celebrating our
homeland,” Sue Shaffer said. “We’re very
proud of the beauty of Oregon and our
people.”
To prepare for Oregon’s sesquicentenni-
al, Gov. Ted Kulongoski created Oregon
150, a nonprofit
organization led
by 30 motivated
citizens from
across the state.
There are numer-
ous subgroups of
that nonprofit, including the Douglas
County OR 150 committee, of which Shaf-
fer is the chairman.
As the leader of the Cow Creek Band of
Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Shaffer was also
appointed coordinator of the five western
Oregon tribes — Confederated Tribes of
Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indi-
ans; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek
Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; Con-
federated Tribes of Grand Ronde Commu-
nity of Oregon; and Confederated Tribes
of Siletz Indians.
A gathering of Oregon’s first nations
was held on Jan. 31 in Salem, a couple of
weeks before Oregon’s official birth date
on Feb. 14.
With a mission statement to inspire peo-
ple across the state to remember, experi-
ence and celebrate Oregon and together
Happy Birthday Oregon!
The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 7
OREGON 150
Ray O. Sims — Retired businessman
So you know ... and author: 673-8531
Aaron Auer — Reverend, modern-day
circuit rider: (503) 705-7627
Speakers are available for your
meetings: KatSue Grant — Umpqua Heritage
Players: 673-1744
The following speakers are available Chris McCullough — Douglas County
to give presentations free of cost. All of Public Works: 440-4350
the presentations are related to Ore- Cookbooks are for sale:
gon’s history or future. Call to schedule a “Douglas County Cooks,” a recipe/his-
time and date and to learn more about tory book, is available at the following
the programs.
places: Douglas County Museum; Pre-
Lois Eagleton — Executive director, mier West Bank Branch Offices; Cow
Friends of Mildred Kanipe Memorial Creek Tribal Government Office; Seven
Park Association: 459-9397 Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort gift
Charles Young — Umpqua Communi- shop; Canyonville, Elkton, Myrtle Creek,
ty College history teacher: 680-2865 Oakland and Yoncalla City Halls.
Mark C. Baratta — Umpqua Journal Cost is $10 per book.
Publisher: 464-6060
Bob Robins — Retired Roseburg • The next monthly meeting of the
schools music director: 673-6353 Douglas County OR 150 committee is
Sue Shaffer — Chairman of the Cow scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the
Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians: Cow Creek Government Offices in
677-5580 Roseburg. The public is invited.
create a robust and sustainable future,
Kulongoski’s appointees have been
encouraging their neighbors to become
involved at a local level.
Of course, showcasing the Umpqua Val-
ley’s offerings was the Douglas County
OR 150 committee’s main objective. The
group’s motto, “Let’s Make Douglas
County Shine” speaks to that.
Spring Home
“I don’t know any other group in the
state that is doing what we are,” Shaffer
said. “There are very committed people in
& Garden
Douglas County.”
In March 2007, Douglas County OR
150 began meeting at the Cow Creek Trib-
SPECIAL SECTION
al Government Office in Roseburg to plan
Turn to CELEBRATE, page 26
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Wednesday, March 25th News Review
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Page 8 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150
First cattle drive brings livestock from Mexican California

County history through the years

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sources for the follow-
ing timeline of history for Douglas County
were the “Land of the Umpqua,’Steven Dow
Beckham, author; and The News-Review
archives. The timeline was compiled by News-
Review reporter John Sowell.

7,000 years ago — Evidence of animal

bones, fish remains and Native American
tools at Tahkenitch Landing north of Gar-
diner.

3,190 years ago — Evidence of large

News-Review photo
Laurie Kell, a News-Review graph-
ic designer, also loves to bake in
the kitchen of her Sutherlin home.
She made the cake that’s featured
on the cover of this special edition.
Oregon 150th
amounts of deer and elk bones and fish
remains at a Native American hunting camp
at South Umpqua Falls, northeast of Tiller.
1579 — Sir Francis Drake of England
lands at the mouth of the Umpqua River.
1603 — Sebastian Viscaino charts the
mouth of the Umpqua.
Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum
1819-21 — North West Company trap-
This photo shows a California & Oregon Stage Co. stagecoach stopped in front
pers enter the Umpqua Valley and establish
a fur post at Umpqua. During this period the
fur group attempts to trade with local Indi-
of the Metropolitan Hotel in Roseburg in 1877. Al Beard was the driver. The same
team brought President Rutherford B. Hayes to Roseburg three years later.

edition ans, who they found timid. The trappers held

Published by
The News-Review
345 N.E. Winchester St.
Roseburg, OR 97470
Phone: (541) 672-3321
Features Editor: Craig Reed
Layout and Design: Lacey Hoyer
News-Review Editor: Vicki Menard
Advertising Director: Pat Bridges
All contents copyrighted and may not
by reproduced without consent of The
News-Review. The Oregon 150th edi-
tion can also be seen online at
www.nrtoday.com
the Indians’ horses to force them to stay.
The Indians resisted and the trappers
opened fire, killing 14 Indians.
June 1826 — Botanist David Douglas
crossed the Calapooya Mountains and
entered the Yoncalla area to collect speci-
mens for the Royal Horticulture Society of
London.
October 1826 — Douglas and trappers
from the Hudson’s Bay Company explore
Elk Creek to the Umpqua River. Douglas
sought seeds from a “magnificent conifer,” a
sugar pine, that he had collected from an
Indian at Fort Vancouver the year before.
July 1828 — Jedediah Smith party cross-
es the Umpqua River, where they are fol-
lowed by Lower Umpqua Indians. One of
the Indians stole an ax. After the tool was
returned, the party traded beaver skins,
lamprey eels, elk meat and tallow. The next
day, 14 of Smith’s men were killed.
1836 — Fur trading settlement Fort
Umpqua established by the Hudson’s Bay
Company outside present-day Elkton. Jean
Baptiste Gagnier, an HBC employee who
served as head of the fort, is considered the
first white farmer and businessman in Dou-
glas County. Two apple trees were grown
from seed and Indians came long distances
to see the fruit produced because they had
never seen fruit trees before.
1837 — First cattle drive brings livestock
from Mexican California to the county. Such
drives became a regular practice.
August 1840 — Jason Lee traveled to
Fort Umpqua to look for a site for a mission.
He and other preached to the Indians on a
trip down the Umpqua River, but found the
prospects dim for converting them to Chris-
tianity. Lee was involved in the formation of
the territorial government and the formation
of Willamette University.
1847 — Applegate families settle near
Yoncalla. William and Lurena Scott selected
land that year in the Yoncalla Valley, but did
not maintain a permanent home there until
1850.
1848 — Robert and Caroline Cowan
Turn to HISTORY, page 9

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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 9
OREGON 150

Timeline
A crowd lines
the railroad tracks
at Drain to hear
Theodore
Continued from page 8 Roosevelt on April
5, 1911, two years
after Roosevelt left
settle on a farm in the Yoncalla Valley. Most office as the 26th
of the settlement over the next three years president of the
takes place in what is today northern Dou- United States. Roo-
glas County. Farmers throughout the valley sevelt spoke from
plant cereal crops, including oats, wheat, the back of the train
corn, rye and barley. Much of the yield was
in the background.
consumed at home or used as feed for live-
stock. Courtesy photo
Douglas County
1850 — Levi Scott settles a claim near Museum
Drain and later that year began development
of Scottsburg, which later becomes a major
supply center for the interior. Warren Goodell
settles a claim that same year in Drain, while
Amos Rogers settles on a land claim at
Umpqua City on the North Spit on the coast.
Nathan Scholfield and his son Socrates set-
tle at Gardiner, which later attracts people
from the wrecked Bostonian ship. U.S. Cen-
sus lists 12 households with 75 non-Indians
in the Umpqua region. Of those, 38 were
members of the Applegate family.

1850 — First export of wood products
takes place when members of the Winches-
ter Exploring Expedition fells trees in the
Umpqua estuary, chops off their limbs and
places them on sailing ships.
1851 — Settlement by farmers takes
place in the main Umpqua Valley, along
Calapooya Creek around Oakland, Garden
Valley, Lookingglass and along Deer Creek.
In September, Aaron Rose, the founder of
Roseburg, settles at the mouth of Deer
Creek. Calvin and Almira Reed settle in Win-
chester. Several families select land claims
in the South Umpqua region. They were
joined that fall by families who came into
Western Oregon by the southern Applegate
Trail.
1851 — Umpqua County is formed from
the southern portion of Benton County and
the western portion of Lane County. Elkton is
named county seat and its post office opens.
Later, the county seat was moved to Green
Valley and to Yoncalla.
1852 — Douglas County, named after
U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas of Illinois, is
formed. Winchester selected as the county
seat.
1852 — Moses True Dyer builds a sawmill
in Myrtle Creek. It featured a saw driven by a
waterwheel geared through a turbine. Previ-
ously, two-man whipsaws were used to cut
lumber locally.
1852 — Herman F. Reinhart, who settled
on Lower Cow Creek, discovers gold in a
load of dirt he picked up near Canyonville.
More than $1 million of gold was pulled from
various streams throughout the county.
1853 — Cow Creek Band of Umpqua
Tribe of Indians sign treaty with the United
States. The tribe agrees to give up its home-
lands, more than 800 square miles of territo-
ry, in exchange for $12,000. Soon afterward,
Miwaleta, the tribal chief, dies and the tribe is
drawn into the Rogue River Indian War. The
treaty sum is never paid.
1854 — County seat of Douglas County
moved to Deer Creek from Winchester. The
following year, Deer Creek’s name was
changed to Roseburgh.
1855 — Roseburgh chosen as the head-
quarters for the Northern Battalion of the
Oregon Volunteers during the Indian War of
1855-56. Hundreds of men poured into
town, providing business for hotels, restau-
rants and clothing stores, as well as those
selling guns and ammunition.
1856 — More than 2,000 Indians
removed by the government from southern
Oregon between January and June.
1862 — Umpqua County disbanded after
the rest of its lands are absorbed into Dou-
glas County. Declining populations fueled by
a decrease in the amount of gold discovered
by prospectors led to the change.
1865 — County has 48,507 sheep and
produces 109,826 pounds of wool.
1870 — Mercury mining begins in the
Elkhead Mine east of Yoncalla. By the
1960s, the mine had more than 1,800
feet of tunnels. The Bonanza and Non-
pareil mines east of Sutherlin later
became the county’s top mercury produc-
ers.
1872 — The Oregon and California
Railroad is built over the Calapooya
Divide.
1860 — U.S. Census lists 3,162 people
in Douglas County. Roseburgh has 789
residents, followed by Winchester with
440, Canyonville with 336 and Oakland
with 329. Only seven Indians were listed,
suggesting that most of those who were
left were concealed in camps in the
Coast Range or Cascades.
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 Page 10 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
Timeline
Continued from page 9
1881 — Commercial mining of nickel begins
on Nickel Mountain outside Riddle, a peak for-
merly known as Old Piney. Mining of tin ore
and copper had begun as early as 1864, but
production was limited.
1890 — Prunes are the dominant fruit of
Douglas County. Trees planted in the 1870s in
Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, Winston and Dillard
all proved their value, leading farmers in other
areas to add more trees.
1894 — Town’s name changed from Rose-
burgh to Roseburg.
1895 — Five dryers and warehouses built at
Umpqua Ferry to handle the burgeoning hop
harvest. Another dryer had been erected by
the Stearns family near the Oakland railroad
depot to process their crop and those of neigh-
boring families. George Stearns paid out more
than $1,500 in wages to his hop pickers, near-
ly $40,000 in 2009 dollars. Overall, $6,000 was
paid to hop pickers in September 1895. Com-
petition from Willamette Valley farms, along
with increasing problems with lice and fungus
and lowered demand from Europe, led to a
decrease in the crop after 1900.
1902 — Between 1902 and 1917, 271 mil-
lion board feet of lumber and 12.9 million shin-
gles were produced by local companies. The
Gardiner Mill Co. produced 65 percent of the
output during those years. Since the 1850s,
more than 300 sawmills, many of them
portable, have operated in the county.
1910 — Prunes grown in Douglas County
account for 20 percent of the state’s produc-
tion, with prunes raised in every county west of
the Cascades. At the time, the county boasted
337,670 prune trees.
1920 — Prune industry declines following
over-production and after a flooding of the
eastern market with low-quality fruit grown in
other areas. Berry crops and nut production
became more important.
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OREGON 150
1929 — Northwest Turkey Show established
in Oakland, at the appropriately named Turkey
Hall. Ward Cockeram and James Conn devel-
oped the broad-breasted turkey that is today’s
national standard. Previously, turkeys were
much smaller, appearing more like large chick-
ens. Hundreds of train cars of live turkeys were
shipped to San Francisco for Thanksgiving in
the decades before frozen turkeys became
popular. Local production fell off then.
1930s — Construction of the Coast High-
way, Highway 101, opens the lakes, sand
dunes and the Umpqua estuary to millions of
travelers following the coast.
1936 — Kenneth Ford leaves his father’s
lumber business to operate a sawmill on Dia-
mond Lake Boulevard in Roseburg. Eight
years later, Ford builds a mill at Dillard. During
the Great Depression, Ford bought thousands
of acres of tax-delinquent land, at as little as
$2 an acre, amassing 160,000 acres that by
1979 Business Week estimated were worth
$368 million.
1950s — Construction of Interstate 5 bene-
fits Roseburg for travelers needing food, gaso-
line and motel rooms. Other towns such as
Drain, Yoncalla, Oakland, Myrtle Creek, Riddle
and Glendale, communities that were part of
Highway 99, found the new superhighway
bypassed them and business suffered.
1956 — U.S. government terminates tribal
status for 60 tribes and bands west of the Cas-
cade Range.
1982 — President Ronald Reagan signs
recognition law for the Cow Creek Band. It ear-
lier passed the U.S. House and Senate by
unanimous consent. At the time, the Indian
population numbered about 500.
1990s — Listing of the northern spotted owl
as an endangered species leads to a sharp
decrease in logging in county forests.
2000 — Federal safety net legislation pro-
vides millions of dollars to Douglas County and
other timber-dependent counties throughout
the nation. The safety net was renewed for one
year in 2007 and for an additional four years
through legislation passed last year. Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum
Several loggers pose in front of trees in the Rock Creek area near Drain in 1914.
Sources: Land of the Umpqua, Steven Dow Only two of the men were identified, Wess Krewson in the dark shirt in center and
Beckham, author; News-Review archives Bill Miller behind him.
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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 11
OREGON 150
Mild temperatures create good growing conditions about 365 days a year

Rich soil, mild winds, fruitful valleys

DD BIXBY
The News-Review

A
rchives from the Douglas Coun-
ty Museum date the first signs of
agriculture in the Douglas Coun-
ty area to 1836, at the junction
of Elk Creek and the Umpqua River near
Fort Umpqua.
The 80 acres of bottom land was cleared
and railed in for livestock and growing
grains, vegetables and fruit trees.
The diversity of what was grown and
raised had been a hallmark for the Umpqua
Basin for decades prior to Oregon’s addi-
tion to the union. And 150 years later, it’s
still that way.
Agriculture commodity sales reported
by the Oregon
State University
Extension Service
for 2008 list eight
categories, includ-
ing nursery, hay,
small wood lots,
cattle and Christmas trees, as well as the
two “other” categories for small scale live-
stock and crop niches.
“Douglas County is unique in that it is
the only county in the nation whose
boundaries coincide with the watershed
limits of a major river system from the sea
to the crest of the Cascade Range,” stated Courtesy of the Douglas County Museum
Rufus H. Cates, a former Douglas County A horse-drawn wagon loaded with watermelons heads for market in this early 1900s photo.
extension agent, in an undated document
filed in museum archives. Livestock Services. Century Farm and Ranch Program, with that agriculture was central to life in the
The Cates document went on to state But, Lane said, more than the favorable the oldest two original deeds dating to area, and because the economy was “cash-
that while timber was the primary source conditions, Douglas County’s agriculture 1848. less” until harvest, the regions’ towns were
of economic health of the area, the agricul- industry is so vibrant because of active Ingenuity and versatility of the Umpqua slow to develop, in contrast to mining
ture potential was greater than “current or producers who keep on top of marketing Basin’s farmers and ranchers is evident in towns that “boomed” with the faster
past realization.” problems and finding new niches. the resume of crops and markets that have exchange of money through the communi-
Mild temperature creates good growing Fifty-five ranches and farms more than boomed and busted over the last 173 years. ty.
conditions about 365 days a year, said 100 years old have been registered with “Life in Douglas County, Oregon,” by
ruminant nutritionist Woody Lane of Lane the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s research librarian Fred Reenstjerna, stated Turn to GROWING, page 27

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 Page 12 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
... the logs were hued flat on two sides to fit together
Memories of Douglas County agriculture
LAVERNE MURPHY
For The News-Review
I
have seen many changes on this farm
and throughout Douglas County since
the year 1854, when Alvah and Bur-
netta Churchill filed Donation Land
Claim #44 of 360 acres in Coles Valley,
Oregon.
Alvah died in November of that year,
which left Burnetta and her 10 children to
finish the log house, dig a well, plant a
family orchard and garden and build a barn
and miles of fences. As an 8-year-old boy
in July 1923, I remember the Churchill’s
old log house. The logs were hued flat on
two sides to fit together.
When sawed lumber was available,
rough boards were nailed verti-
cally, covering all the logs. Also
a kitchen was added on the back
and some rooms upstairs. It no
doubt took me a long time to
understand what all happened
here on the farm those first years.
As the Churchill family grew, they left
the farm except for one boy named
Charles. He married Malinda Hebard in
1863 and remained on 240 acres of the
Donation Land Claim. Charles and Malin-
da raised seven children in that old house.
Charles hurt his hand while threshing
grain, got blood poisoning and died in
1875. Patrick Murphy, my grandfather,
then married Malinda in 1878. They had
twins — one was my father, Henry — and
five other babies.
That takes me back to the things I
remember of the signs from 1854 to 1909
on this farm and many others in Douglas
County. Very few of these signs remain
like the small orchards of pears, apples,
plums and cherries. Wheat, oats and corn
were grown on every farm. Like the ruts
across the prairies made by the wagon
trains, I can show you furrows made by the
UCC symposium to honor state’s sesquicentennial
The News-Review
WINCHESTER — A full day of educa-
tional speeches, exhibits and music in
honor of Oregon’s sesquicentennial is
planned for Wednesday at Umpqua Com-
munity College. All presentations are free
and will take place at Centerstage Theatre
located in the Whipple Fine Arts Center.
The schedule of events for the Oregon
150 Symposium is as follows:
10:15 a.m. — Sue Shaffer, introduction
10:30 a.m. — Ken Carloni, “150 Years
OREGON 150
walking plow on the hillsides and across
the flat fields here on this farm.
From what I remember of the remains of
growing hops here in the Coles Valley area
combined with research from an old news-
paper, there were several hop yards in
Douglas County up to the time of prohibi-
tion in 1920 to 1933. Records show this
was the beginning of the prune era. Horses
were the means of travel, working the
fields and harvesting crops. Farmers raised
milk and beef cows, sheep, goats and
swine.
Moving into the next 50 years from
1909 to 1959, electricity brought many
changes both in the home and on the farm.
The prune acreage increased to over
100,000 acres. There has
never been another crop that
had the impact on as many
people as the prune era. Many
orchards of pears, apples,
peaches, and walnuts were
planted. At one time several
acres of cauliflower were grown on the
rich, sandy river loam soils. My folks even
planted an acre down along Mill Creek.
It was a good cash crop, harvested and
shipped to Portland, until a few nights in
1932 when the temperature dropped down
to 2 degrees below zero. This discouraged
the growing of cauliflower.
Another big row crop was the “Pride of
Dillard Melons” grown on the farms with
sandy river soil. Many truckloads of deli-
cious cantaloupe were shipped to Portland
for several years.
When that large market disappeared,
Blue Lake pole bean became a good cash
crop for several farms for 10 years or so.
For many years most all farms raised a few
turkeys. The size of the flocks increased
and Oakland, Ore., became nationally
known for the largest turkey show and the
development of the Broad Breasted Bronze
Turkey. This turkey with more breast meat
of Forestry in Oregon”
11 a.m. — Charles Young on national
happenings in the late 1850s as Oregon
became a state
11:20 a.m. — Bentley Gilbert, “The
Migration to Oregon Continues”
11:45 a.m. — Chris Lake, “A History
of Grapes and Wine”
Break: Susan Rochester’s exhibit “She
Flies With Her Own Wings: Women in
Oregon History” will be on display in the
UCC Art Gallery.
The UCC cafeteria will be open from 11
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
increased the profit for commercial grow-
ers elsewhere and we lost the market.
When the prune market went into a
slump about 1934, many of the small
farmers began to look at leghorn laying
hens to supplement their income. Chicken
houses sprung up all over Douglas County.
Oregon Egg Producer Co-op put a
receiving plant in Roseburg so there was a
marketplace for all the eggs. This was
another farm crop that grew and faded
away in a few short years because of the
large commercial producers.
Growing Christmas trees was another
crop that found its way onto many family
farms in Douglas County and still remains
today. At that time in our history, J.R.
Parker, our county extension agent, was a
great help in many of the crops and live-
stock projects. He was searching for a
legume crop to turn these old grain fields
and pasture lands into productive pastures.
He found the answer with subterranean
clover. That little black seed changed Dou-
glas County.
I was involved with some of the first
planting of a small field. Many came to
view this foliage for the amount of pasture
it would produce. This annual legume
a.m. to 1 p.m. and menu items will reflect
Oregon and its history.
1 p.m. — Susan Rochester, “Images of
Oregon Through History”
1:30 p.m. — Sue Goff, “History of
Oregon Public Higher Education”
2 p.m. —Performing arts and musical
entertainment by the cast of the original
play, “Judge Dunson’s Secret” and the
quartet, Four Friends. The Umpqua
Singers will also perform the Oregon state
song, “Oregon, My Oregon.” Directed by
Dean Remick and Jason Heald.
Frank
Cunningham,
left, and an
unidentified man
shear sheep
with a
hand-powered
shearer in
Glendale, circa
1910.
Courtesy of the
Douglas County
Museum
known as sub clover was a perfect match
for Douglas County climate producing a
high-protein pasture which replaced nitro-
gen in the soil. With this high protein pas-
ture our breeding ewe numbers grew to
over 100,000. There were also several
Grade A dairies, but none today
As we moved into 1959 to 2009, with
the decreasing price of lamb and the big
losses due to predator kills, many of the
farmers changed over to a mama cow-calf
or feeder calf operation. The Boer goat for
the meat market has attracted a number of
small farmers.
The acreage of wine grapes has been on
the increase year by year, taking over
many of the acres that were in prunes.
New wineries have also been on the
increase.
Here in the Umpqua area the growing of
sugar beets, cabbage and other vegetables
and grasses for seed has increased. Hazel-
nut acreage has also been increasing on a
smaller scale. We now have the largest
blueberry farm in Oregon.
Looking back at the changes in agricul-
ture since 1854, we can’t help but wonder
what the next 100 years will bring.
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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
... half of Hedden’s small party were
killed, but Hedden escaped
The hero of
Scottsburg
CHELSEA DUNCAN
The News-Review
A
sked about his run-ins with
American Indians back in the
1850s, Cyrus Hedden would
have likely left his inquirers
with short responses.
Only after a couple of snorts from the
whiskey keg, sitting around the stove in
the Hedden Store in wintertime, was the
early Scottsburg settler
known to open up, his great-
grandson has been told.
“Sometimes he would start
telling about it, and if you
didn’t interrupt him or noth-
ing, he’d tell the whole dang
thing,” said Henry Fryer, 74, who still
lives in the small town along the Umpqua
River, next door to the fourth version of
his great-grandfather’s mercantile store.
According to a brief biography of the
man published in “Scottsburg — Land of
the Giants” by William M. Barber, Hedden
only saw fighting, a battle between two
tribes, from a distance on his journey to
the West in 1850. About a year later, after
a stint prospecting and mining in Califor-
nia, then working as a blacksmith in Port-
land, Hedden was persuaded to help found
a town in Port Orford.
That summer, Cyrus became one of nine
men to defeat an attacking group, 150
strong, of American Indians in the Battle
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OREGON 150 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 13
of Battle Rock. But it was a run-in with
Indian attackers on the Coquille River later
that year that made him a hero in the eyes
of many, and brought him to Scottsburg.
In the surprise ambush, more than half
of Hedden’s small party were killed, but
Hedden escaped. The man soon came upon
a badly wounded companion by the name
of Loren L. Williams. Hedden is said to
have helped the gravely injured man to
safety, both arriving, after a tortuous jour-
ney on foot, at the mouth of the
Umpqua River on the verge of
death. There, they were discov-
ered by a sea captain and taken
by boat to Scottsburg.
“He really was a hero,” said
Fryer’s wife, Patti, “He carried
him all the way to Scottsburg, and the man
begged him, ‘Leave me, leave me. Let me
die,’ and he brought him and nursed him
back to health.” Courtesy photo
But Hedden was never interested in war-
ring with the natives. Cyrus Hedden saved the life of one of his companions by carrying him from the
“He wanted to be a merchant,” Henry Coquille River to the mouth of the Umpqua River after being attacked by Indians.
Fryer said. “He didn’t want to be known as
an Indian fighter or nothing.” the Umpqua Discovery Center in Reed- Hedden and his wife, Margaret, would
After working for a time as a blacksmith sport. have four children, including Henry
in Scottsburg, a trade he started up as a “It really was the hub of everything that Fryer’s grandmother, Huldah.
teen in his home state of New Jersey, Hed- went on,” he said. There was even talk of Cyrus Hedden went on to become super-
den opened his mercantile business in making the town the capital of the soon-to- visor of the Scottsburg Road District,
1852. As one of three leading ports in Ore- be state of Oregon. ensuring that those who owned taxable
gon, Scottsburg was booming then, with About two years after establishing his
nearly 5,000 residents and some 25 busi- general store, Hedden
PWB_Oregon's 150thmarried the daugh-
Anniversary Ad_2-09.ai 2/10/2009 10:45:53 AM
nesses, said Jim Akre, program director for ter of fellow pioneer John Jacob Sawyers. Turn to HERO, page 30
We’re excited to help celebrate
Oregon’s 150th Anniversary!
Donations: P.O. Box 2078
Roseburg, OR 97470 For locations visit us at www.PremierWestBank.com or call (541) 440-2600
 Page 14 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150
‘A new paradise; it beats ’em all’ — Thomas Shrum

Glide’s
pioneer clan TRICIA JONES Thomas’ great-grandson, Ken Shrum of
The News-Review Glide. Before the early 1940s, when the
timber industry began attracting a host of

H
e’d recently been prospecting in
California, but it wasn’t until
Thomas Shrum arrived in Dou-
glas County, proba-
bly in the fall of 1854, that he
decided he’d struck gold.
“A new paradise; it beats
’em all,” was Shrum’s verdict
on the area that would one day
be known as Glide.
If paradise it was, Shrum took to heart
the biblical command to be fruitful and
multiply. More than 100 Shrum descen-
dants still occupy the county, according to
outsiders, “almost everybody east of Rose-
burg, about 95 percent, was somehow
related” to the clan, Ken Shrum said.
He ought to know. Since
shortly after his retirement in
1987, Shrum has been
researching his family history,
exchanging information with
shirttail relatives and sifting
through old documents and
records to get the lowdown on the pioneer-
ing Shrums. The former mechanical engi-
neer for Sun Studs can trace his relations
back and forward through 14 generations
Courtesy photo
The Shrums of Glide can trace their lineage back to Thomas Eugene Shrum, far
right, and his wife, Cassandra Kernes Shrum. Thomas’ brother, Nicholas, is seen at
the far left. A donation land claim neighbor, Enoch Wimberly, is pictured between
Cassandra and Thomas Shrum.
of Shrums. He’s in the ninth generation, new family farm soon after in an attempt
himself. to strike it rich in the California gold rush.
He also has information on his mother’s Thwarted in their desire to become mil-
family, the Casebeers, and on surnames of lionaires, the two returned to Oregon and
others that have married into his parents’ proceeded to separate destinies. Nicholas
families. went on to become a member of the con-

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“These go back to the early 1700s or late
1600s; that’s what I have in hand,” said
Shrum, 77. “Putting together the Shrums
and trying to keep it up to date ... and
they’re all scattered from Florida to Alaska
to Maryland to San Diego.”
But it was Oregon, now a proud 150
years old, where the Shrums really flour-
ished.
According to family lore, Thomas
Shrum in 1846 took a journey by ox-drawn
wagon from St. Joseph, Mo. With him
were his parents, three sisters and five
brothers. The Shrums took six months to
reach their destination near Salem, Ore.
Thomas and his brother, Nicholas, left the
stitutional convention that met in Salem in
1857 as a precursor to statehood. His barn
ended up as a refuge three years later for
six runaway senators embroiled in a politi-
cal battle.
Thomas opted to leave the Salem area
and investigate land south of the
Willamette Valley. His enthusiasm for the
Glide area led him to secure a 160-acre
donation land claim. He later acquired 600
acres a mile from what is today the old
Shrum homestead on the North Umpqua
River near Little River.
Turn to CLAN, page 29

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677-4800 • 1-800-237-9294 1333 W Harvard Ave
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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
Jesse and Lindsay set out to find a route ... later named the Applegate Trail
Applegates blazed way into history
MARISSA HARSHMAN
The News-Review
T
he story of one historic Douglas
County family — the Applegates
— didn’t begin in Oregon; it orig-
inated five states to
the east.
After spending their early
years in Kentucky and Mis-
souri, three Applegate brothers
— Charles, Jesse and Lindsay
— and their families packed
their belongings into wagons and headed
west as part of the Great Migration of
1843.
The families, which included 38 chil-
dren, originally settled in Dallas, Ore.
After a few years, Jesse and Lindsay set
out to find a route to southern Oregon,
which was later named the Applegate
Trail. During their journey, the brothers
passed through the Yoncalla valley and
were captivated by the beauty and by the
similarities of the area to Kentucky, partic-
Exhibit features Oregon women
WINCHESTER — In celebration of
Oregon women, an exhibit titled, “She
Flies With Her Own Wings” is currently
on display at the Umpqua Community
College Art Gallery, 1140 College Road.
Oregon’s cowgirls, festival queens, cof-
fee-shop waitresses and other women who
carved a place for themselves in Oregon
are featured in historic photographs.
The images were drawn from the Ore-
gon Historical Society and the Douglas
County Museum. Women’s literature and
artistic achievements are also highlighted.
The show will run through March 20.
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OREGON 150 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 15
ularly the tall bluegrass, said Shannon
Applegate, Charles’ great-great-grand-
daughter.
The three brothers packed their belong-
ings again and moved to the Yoncalla area
in the late 1840s and early 1850s. The
three families acquired about three square
miles of contiguous land
through the Donation Land
Claim Act, Shannon said in a
recent interview.
Charles and his family lived
in a log cabin for a few years
while Charles was building the
two-story house, commonly known today
as the Applegate House.
Lindsay lived in Yoncalla for several
years before moving to the Ashland and
Klamath Falls areas. Jesse remained in the
area, living near Mount Yoncalla until he
died in the 1880s. Charles remained in
Yoncalla until his death as well.
The Applegate House was completed in
Courtesy photo
The Applegate House, completed in 1856, still stands in the Yoncalla area.
Turn to APPLEGATES, page 26
Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday through Friday or by appoint-
Sutherlin Visitor’s Center
ment. There is no gallery admission.
wishes
Information: 440-4692.
Oregon
a
Happy 150th!!!
Sutherlin Visitors Center
1310 W. Central Ave.
85th Anniversary
Founded in 1924
Sutherlin Oregon
The Log Cabin Just off of 1-5
Page 16–The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg Oregon, Sunday, February 15, 2009 Sunday, February 15, 2009–The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg Oregon, Page 17

Celebrating Oregon’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, here “Before Oregon”, would like to congratulate Oregon on
150 years of Statehood. It’s rich and diverse history is a unique period on the time-line of events in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.

Please join in the celebration of Oregon’s 150th Birthday at dozens of events in Douglas
County throughout 2009. A couple of events to look forward to are the Douglas County
Fair on August 4 - 8 and the Douglas County OR150 Exposition on September 26, 2009.
Congratulations to the Douglas County OR150 Committee for their continued effort and
determination to make “Douglas County Shine” as we honor Oregon’s 150th birthday.

For more information, we invite you to contact the

Cow Creek Tribal Government Office
541.672.9405
2371 NE Stephens • Roseburg, Oregon
Background painting of South Umpqua Falls, a historic Indian
gathering place and fishery, by artist Jim Evangelista
Page 16–The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg Oregon, Sunday, February 15, 2009 Sunday, February 15, 2009–The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg Oregon, Page 17

Celebrating Oregon’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, here “Before Oregon”, would like to congratulate Oregon on
150 years of Statehood. It’s rich and diverse history is a unique period on the time-line of events in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.

Please join in the celebration of Oregon’s 150th Birthday at dozens of events in Douglas
County throughout 2009. A couple of events to look forward to are the Douglas County
Fair on August 4 - 8 and the Douglas County OR150 Exposition on September 26, 2009.
Congratulations to the Douglas County OR150 Committee for their continued effort and
determination to make “Douglas County Shine” as we honor Oregon’s 150th birthday.

For more information, we invite you to contact the

Cow Creek Tribal Government Office
541.672.9405
2371 NE Stephens • Roseburg, Oregon
Background painting of South Umpqua Falls, a historic Indian
gathering place and fishery, by artist Jim Evangelista
 Page 18 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
Anderson Hugh Darneille and his family traveled in a large wagon train
Uncovered family heritage thrills woman
JUANITA D. LARIMORE
For The News-Review
L
ife sometimes involves traveling
strange and mysterious paths.
Little did I know when I moved to
Douglas County, Ore., from Santa
Rosa, Calif., in the summer of 2006 how
my interest in genealogy would
come full circle right here in
Roseburg. Although I’m a
native Oregonian, born in Port-
land, I hadn’t lived in Oregon
since my birth in 1939.
My father, James Newton
Larimore, died when I was five weeks old
and shortly thereafter, my mother and I
moved to Southern California to live with
her mother.
Mom remarried when I was 3 to a mili-
tary man, so I spent my youth moving to
different duty stations every two to three
years. My mom didn’t know anything
about my father’s family as she had lost
track of them through the years. In 1986, I
decided to search for my father’s family.
G O SI O
E
OR Marking Oregon’s 150th Year UM
Speakers
Whipple Fine Arts Center
Centerstage Theatre
Sue Shaffer: Introduction
Ken Carloni: Forestry
Charles Young: 1850’s history
Bentley Gilbert: Migration
Chris Lake: Grapes and wine
Susan Rochester: Images
Sue Goff: Higher education
OREGON 150 Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
I started with my father’s death certifi-
cate, which stated he was born in Apple-
gate, Jackson County, Ore., and that his par-
ents were George C. Larimore and Rachel
E. Mee. Within a couple of years I knew the
names of his grandparents —James Wesley
Mee and Mary Jane Darneille; Alfred G.
Larimore and Sarah Jane McGee. I also
discovered that my great-great-grandpar-
ents, Anderson Hugh Darneille
and Mary Lane (reported to be
a first cousin to Gen. Joseph
Lane) emigrated to Oregon in
1853 when my great-grand-
mother, Mary Jane Darneille,
was 6.
When I learned that I had ancestors who
trekked to the Oregon Territory in a covered
wagon on the Oregon Trail, I was thrilled!
I’ve always been a history buff and this was
Courtesy photo
titillating news.
Anderson Hugh Darneille and his family Mary Lane Darneille, left, and Anderson Hugh Darneille came to the Oregon Terri-
traveled in a large wagon train. A segment tory in a covered wagon in 1853.
of the weary travelers decided at Fort Boise
to take a reported “shortcut” to Lane Coun- as the Lost Wagon Train. near today’s Junction City. Their farm was
ty through eastern Oregon. This group, After they were rescued by the settlers,
guided by Elijah Elliott, came to be known Anderson took out a donation land claim Turn to FAMILY, page 30
N 1 5 0 SYMP
of Statehood, 1859 - 2009
Events
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 Whipple Art exhibit: “She Flies
With Her Own Wings: Women in
Whipple Fine Arts Center Oregon History”
UCC Cafeteria: Menu reflects
Umpqua Community College Oregon’s history
~ Free admission ~ Centerstage Theatre: Musical
theater, by Jason Heald and
Dean Remick. Four Friends and
Umpqua Singers entertainment
includes Oregon state song,
“Oregon, My Oregon.”
UCC is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 19
OREGON 150
Smaller prairie schooners ... were much more common

Pushing on key decision

for Laurance ancestors
JOHN SOWELL traveling west — a fortunate decision, Julia, headed first for Marion County
The News-Review because the Whitmans and a dozen other and later came to Douglas County.
white settlers were killed by Indians a Laurance, a sixth-generation Douglas

J
oe Laurance’s ancestors might
have never reached western Ore-
gon had they not declined an offer
of hospitality farther east along the
Oregon Trail.
Leonard Buell, the Douglas County
commissioner’s great-great-great-great-
grandfather, came over the trail in 1847.
After crossing over the Blue Mountains
late that fall, the wagon train, headed by
Leonard’s brother, Elias, came across
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, who had
established their mission west of pres-
ent-day Walla Walla, Wash.
The Whitmans tried to persuade the
party to spend the winter at the mission
and push off again the next spring. The
wagon train members decided to keep
few weeks later.
The Indians reacted to the death of a
large number of children because of
measles and other diseases brought by
the travelers.
Indigenous peo-
ple did not have
immunity to
those diseases
and they
believed that
Whitman, a medical doctor as well as a
preacher, had caused the children’s
deaths.
While Elias Buell settled in Polk
County — where the hamlet of Buell,
located west of Rickreall, is named for
him — Leonard Buell and his wife,
County resident, does not know what
Leonard Buell did in Iowa, where he
came from.
“I don’t know that he was a merchant,
but he had money. So I’m guessing that
probably he had a very nice farm that he
was able to sell quickly or he had a busi-
ness that he was able to sell quickly, that
was desirable. Because of the fact they
immediately went to retail sales out
here, I’m guessing that it was a busi-
ness,” Laurance said.
Having 12 children might have also
factored into the family’s desires to Courtesy of Joe Laurance
move west, he said. Frederick George Buell was the great-great-
grandfather of Douglas County Commissioner
Joe Laurance. Buell lived in Douglas County.
Turn to LAURANCE, page 31

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 Page 20 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150

Umpqua: Cow Creeks were federally recognized as a tribe in 1982

Continued from page 2

Shortly after the treaty was signed,

Miwaleta died and his successor drew the
tribe into the Rogue River Indian Wars,
an action Miwaleta opposed. As a result,
the United States canceled its treaty obli-
gations.
In 1856, the remaining Cow Creek
Indians were rounded up and taken to the
reservation at Grand Ronde. Others that
were not captured went into hiding.
It wasn’t until 1982, when President
Ronald Reagan signed an order, that the
Cow Creeks were federally recognized as
a tribe.
The first European contact came in
1579, when Sir Francis Drake of England
landed at the mouth of the Umpqua River.
Spaniard Sebastian Vizcaino charted the
mouth of the Umpqua in 1603. Another
Spanish ship entered the Umpqua in
1732, going upriver 20 miles and ending
up near the present town of Scottsburg.
The first white settlement in what
would become Douglas County was a fur
post built by the North West Company in
1820 near Umpqua. It was abandoned a
year later. In 1836, the competing Hud-
son’s Bay Company established its south-
ernmost outpost, Fort Umpqua, near pres-
ent-day Elkton. Courtesy photo
The area included several other tribes, Two modes of transportation are shown in this photo, circa 1905. The Drain stagecoach, left, brings passengers to the Eva, a
including the Yoncalla, the Coos, the stern wheel steamboat at Scottsburg on the Umpqua River. Scottsburg was named the county seat for Umpqua County in 1855.
Calapooya, the Coquille, the southern
Molalla and the upper and lower
Umpqua. More than 3,200 Indians were dle and Deer Creek had been founded. Douglas County was formed Jan. 7, Rose, who provided three acres of land
living in the Umpqua River area in 1800, Deer Creek later became Roseburg. 1852, from all of Umpqua County located and $1,000 for the courthouse.
but smallpox, influenza and other dis- Those towns were first attached to east of the Coast Range. Umpqua County
eases introduced by whites took their toll Umpqua County, formed Jan. 24, 1851. remained through statehood, but dis- • You can reach reporter John Sowell at
quickly. By the 1840s, there were fewer The county seat was first established in solved on Dec. 16, 1862, when the rest of 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrto-
than 400 Indians left. Elkton but was moved back and forth its territory became part of Douglas
Drain is probably the oldest white set- between there and Scottsburg until 1855, County.
tlement in the Umpqua River valley, when Scottsburg became the permanent Winchester was the original county seat
founded in 1847. Nearby Yoncalla and seat. The land that formed Umpqua Coun- for Douglas County. Two years later, fol-
Scotts Valley were settled the following ty is now part of Douglas County, Coos lowing a public election, it was moved to
year. By 1851, Scottsburg, Winchester, County and the southern portion of Lane Deer Creek. That same year, the town’s
Umpqua City, Elkton, Canyonville, Rid- County. name switched to Roseburg, after Aaron

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Continued from page 4
The first white men to reach Oregon
were the mountain men, trappers, and the
maritime explorers along the Oregon
coast. In 1812, John Jacob Astor estab-
lished Fort Astoria at the mouth of the
Columbia River. He sent Robert Stuart
overland to carry dispatches east telling of
the beautiful mountains and fertile farm-
land waiting for someone to stake a claim.
Many people became interested in Ore-
gon from stories about others finding gold
in California, but it was not until 1841 that
the first group of serious emigrants left the
banks of the Missouri River and headed
west. In 1843, nearly 1,000 completed the
trip, which led many to follow.
Each part of the journey had its difficul-
ties. For the first third of the way, the emi-
grants got used to the routine and work of
travel. They learned to hitch and unhitch
their livestock, to keep the wagons in good
running order, and to make sure that their
animals got the water and food they need-
ed to survive.
They learned to get along with their fel-
low emigrants, to agree on rules they would
all follow on the journey, and to set up and
break camp every night and morning. They
learned to spread out in several columns so
that they raised less dust and fewer of them
had to breathe the choking air.
They rotated positions in the line in a
spirit of fairness. They learned to travel six
out of seven days as experienced voices
told them that some of the most difficult
sections to travel would come at the end
when they would have to cross mountains
before the winter snows. Fortunately the
landscape was relatively gentle as they
traveled through the Platte River Valley
heading for the High Plains.
Starting in the spring provided them
with abundant grass for the livestock.
Water was also plentiful, and if they were
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OREGON 150
Wagons such as this one were used by travelers heading west on the Oregon Trail.
water holes would not be overgrazed or
fouled.
More people died from cholera than
anything else. How many emigrants died
along the trail can never be known. The
number of deaths varied from year to year.
The emigrants were excited when they
passed the landmarks of Chimney Rock
and Scottsbluff, about one-third of the way
on the trail. It meant they were making
progress.
By this time, too, they would have an
idea if their money would hold out. Tolls
at ferry and bridges had to be paid. Sup-
plies and food were bought at trading posts
along the way or from other emigrants.
A week’s journey beyond Scottsbluff
brought them to Fort Laramie, the great
supply depot and resting place. Here they
could replenish dwindling stocks of food
and other staples — for a price. Wheels
could be repaired and wagon boxes tight-
ened before they set out on the steep
ascent to the Continental divide.
Water, and grass for livestock, became
more scarce. The drier air caused wooden
wheels to shrink and the iron tires that held
the wheels together loosened or rolled off.
Buffalo herds on which the emigrants
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The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 21
Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
had depended for fresh meat to supplement From Fort Laramie to Fort Bridger, on
their staples became increasingly hard to the western edge of present-day Wyoming,
find the farther west they went. Cooking the Mormon Trail flowed with the Oregon
fuel, whether wood or buffalo chips, was and California trails. At Fort Bridger, the
also harder to find. emigrants parted ways as those bound for
To lighten their wagons, the emigrants Oregon turned northwest toward the Snake
left treasured pieces of furniture and other River Valley into Oregon. They still had
personal belongings by the wayside. Sur- the Cascade Mountains between them and
viving the trip had become of paramount the New Frontier they were seeking.
importance; food and tools were vital, The Oregon Trail celebrated its 150th
heirlooms were not. anniversary in 1993.
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 Page 22 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
OREGON 150
Cities: Roseburg is oldest incorporated city in the county, Drain is oldest settlement
Continued from page 3 ers that can be said to describe the birth of a community.
Different cities opt for different historic events to signify
when a town came into being. For some, it’s settlement, as
According to Karen Bratton, research librarian at the with Drain. The original town site can be traced to Warren Smith R
iver

Douglas County Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Goodell, who received 320 acres through a donation land
Elkton
reference books identify Yoncalla, Elkton and Scottsburg as claim in 1847. Myrtle Creek, Riddle, Roseburg, Sutherlin, Reedsport Drain
“the earliest settlements where you actually started having Winston and Yoncalla follow Drain’s lead in regarding set-
commerce taking place, and that was in 1850.” tlement as the key point of origin. Oakland considers its Yoncalla

In dealing with the history of cities, it’s understood that founding date to be 1852, the year in which settler Dorsey Tyee Oakland

Umpqua Rive
Sutherlin
most written records begin with white settlement. Indian S. Baker began operating his gristmill.
N. Umpqua R
tribes were naturally the area’s first inhabitants, but it’s the For others, the establishment date is linked to other con- r iver
Glide
pioneers of European extraction who get all the fanfare. siderations. Glendale was renamed from “Julia” in 1883. Little R
iver
For Douglas County, Reedsport, near the older Roseburg Diamond

early exploration by communities of Scotts- DOUGLAS COUNTY

Lake

Winston
white men was linked to burg and Gardiner, got Myrtle Creek r
ive
the fur trade. The Hud- its big push decades after Um
pqu
aR
Riddle South
son’s Bay Trading Com- its neighbors. A British Canyonville
pany established Fort firm began survey and
Co
Umpqua in the mid- construction of a railroad w Creek

Glendale
1830s. Reconstruction is via the Siuslaw River to
ongoing to present a fac- the coast. The town’s
simile of the original fort, first business debuted in
which was on the oppo-
site side and a mile
1912, according to Diane
Novak, director of the Douglas County cities
upriver from Elkton
today.
Elkton also was the
Umpqua Discovery Cen-
ter in Reedsport.
Despite its relatively
celebrate origins
site of the earliest gov- late start in Douglas
ernment actions in south- County history, Reed- Canyonville: Reedsport:
Established in 1852; Established in 1912;
western Oregon, in 1851, sport did thrive enough incorporated Jan. 1901 incorporated Aug. 9, 1919
according to “Land of the to achieve the distinction
Umpqua,” by Stephen of incorporation. Reed- Drain: Riddle:
Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum Settled in 1847; Settled in 1851;
Dow Beckham. He also sport officially became a
incorporated March 11, 1887 incorporated Feb. 13, 1893
writes that Scottsburg This two-story building, built in 1882, served as the Douglas city in 1919, making it
was for several years the County Jail. Men pose in front of the building while bedding is the second-youngest city Elkton: Roseburg:
metropolis of the region, aired out on the lawn. The building was located in the court- in Douglas County’s cur- Established in 1850; Settled in 1851;
due to its position at the house block. rent lineup of a dozen. incorporated Nov. 16, 1948 incorporated Oct. 3, 1872
head of navigation on the Elkton, one of the first to Glendale: Sutherlin:
Umpqua estuary. Founded in 1850, the community flour- be recognized as a community in the Umpqua Valley, didn’t Established in 1883; Settled in 1851;
ished until rival shipping points developed in other key become incorporated until 1948. incorporated 1901 incorporated May 4, 1911
coastal areas. This began the road to Scottsburg’s decline. As for the oldest incorporated city in Douglas County, the
Myrtle Creek: Winston:
Unlike other important towns in the area, Scottsburg never honor goes to Roseburg in 1872. Its closest competitor is Settled in 1851; Settled in 1852;
incorporated. first runner-up Oakland, which followed suit six years later. incorporated Feb. 13, 1893 incorporated Sept. 28, 1953
The same can’t be said for Yoncalla. Settled by Robert Canyonville, host of last year’s self-proclaimed birthday
Cowan and his family in 1848, the future city saw its first hoopla, delayed incorporation until 1901, along with Glen- Oakland: Yoncalla:
Founded in 1852; Settled in 1848;
commercial activity launched with the opening of a small dale and Yoncalla. To which we can only ask: Canyonville, incorporated Oct. 17, 1878 incorporated Feb. 1, 1901
store in about 1850. The town gained a post office in 1851; what took you so long?
its second postmaster, appointed six months after the grand
opening, was store owner Jesse Applegate. • You can reach assistant news editor Tricia Jones at • Sources: City halls. Full dates of incorporation were not
Yoncalla’s beginnings illustrate the various pivotal mark- 957-4216 or by e-mail at tjones@nrtoday.com. available from Canyonville and Glendale

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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009 OREGON 150 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 23

Umpqua Dairy Fort: Tens of thousands of dollars’

honors 150th with
special ice cream
The News-Review
Umpqua Dairy, a long-time Roseburg-
based company, is saying “Happy Birth-
day, Oregon” and commemorating the
occasion with a special edition ice cream.
It’s called Oregon’s 150.
The ice cream features flavors of Ore-
gon: roasted Oregon hazelnuts, sweet
clover honey and juicy huckleberry
syrup. It comes clad in its own special
Oregon blue and gold package.
The limited release flavor will be in
grocery and retail outlets through the
summer
Umpqua Dairy Products Co. is one of
the Northwest’s leading dairy and ice
cream companies, serving grocery retail-
ers, restaurants, food service, schools and
hospitals throughout Oregon, Washing-
ton, Idaho and California.
For more information, visit the compa-
ny’s Web site at www.umpquadairy.com.
Umpqua Dairy was started in 1931 by
Ormond Feldkamp and Herb Sullivan.
The family tradition continues today, as
third generation Feldkamps, Doug and
Steve, guide the business.
Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum
Jean Baptiste Gagnier, an employee of the
Hudson’s Bay Company, managed the Cana-
dian fur company’s post at Fort Umpqua,
which operated between 1836 and 1854 out-
side Elkton. He’s considered the county’s first
white farmer and merchant.
worth of trees have been donated
Continued from page 6
Blueprints were drawn for the recon-
structed fort, based largely on an origi-
nal rough sketch and from examining
other forts built in the 1800s by the
Hudson’s Bay Company, he said. No
original drawings or blueprints from
Fort Umpqua still exist, Smith said.
Volunteers began the reconstruction
in August 2007. Tens of thousands of
dollars’ worth of trees have been donat-
ed by businesses and private parties to
create the stockade. As loads of logs are
delivered to the fort’s site, volunteers
get to work peeling.
The peeled logs are then treated —
unlike the logs used for the original
stockade — and set in concrete. The
ground is stabilized with beams and
rebar, in addition to the concrete, and
the stockade walls are reinforced with
oak dowels, Smith said.
When complete, the stockade will
stand 15 feet high and will enclose a
150-by-200 foot area. A 13-by-13-foot
guard post will occupy one corner of the
fort, which will be accessible through a
16-foot-wide gate. The stockade should
be able to sustain winds up to 80 mph,
Smith said.
Once the stockade is finished, the vol-
unteers will begin recreating the three
buildings that were inside the fort. They
plan to reconstruct a granary, the fort
master’s home and sleeping quarters for
the trappers, Smith said.
A small orchard will also overlook the
completed fort. So far, about 30 trees —
grafted from trees in the original
orchard — have been planted near the
stockade. The main difference between
the young orchard and the original is
that the newly planted trees are enclosed
by a fence to keep deer away, Smith
said.
Smith has dedicated about 1,000 hours
to the project since 2007 and said he
hopes the fort reconstruction will engage
younger generations and attract tourists.
“If it’ll spark their interest in history,
maybe it’ll help them get a visual idea of
what was going on back then,” Smith
said.
• You can reach reporter Marissa
Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at
mharshman@nrtoday.com.

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 Page 24 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary OREGON 150 Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009

Letter: ‘We have found the Hudson Bay Company at all the forts very accommodating’
Continued from page 5
day of August. Here I found some of the
best beef I ever saw. From here we trav-
eled down Snake or Lewis River, crossing
and recrossing the same to Fort Boise
(Boisé); thence to Fort Walla Walla, cross-
ing the Blue Mountains in our route. We
passed them much easier than I expected.
At Walla Walla, myself and Reeves, and
many other of the emigrants, exchanged
cattle (for cattle) at Vancouver. We got age
for age and sex for sex. Here we found it
advisable to take (to the) water and travel
down the great Columbia, which we did
with some difficulty. Those who did not
exchange their stock went to the Methodist
mission at the food of the Cascade Moun-
tains. Here they carried their wagons by
water and drove their stock through by
land. A large portion of the emigrants have
arrived, and the remainder will be here in a
few days. Those who have been to the
Willamette Valley say it is a rich and beau-
tiful country, but to what extent they know
not, as they have not had sufficient time to
examine it. I find any quantity of provi-
sions can be had here. Doctor McLoughlin
of Vancouver, has rendered a great assis-
tance to the emigrants in loaning them his
boats and furnishing them with provisions
The ruts of the Oregon Trail are still visible through the sagebrush of eastern
Oregon.
to take back the companies that are yet
behind — at the same time refusing any
compensation for either. We have found
the Hudson Bay Company at all the forts
very accommodating. The road from Inde-
Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
pendence to Fort Hall is as good a road as
I would wish to travel — from Fort Hall
there is some bad road and some good.
The reason why we did not try to take our
wagons across the Cascade Mountains was
that the season had so far advanced it was
thought to be a dangerous undertaking
through so much snow and cold weather.
We will prepare a road across these moun-
tains next summer, so that the next emi-
grants can bring their wagons through
without any difficulty. Some of us will
meet the next emigration at Fort Hall.
I will now give you a description of the
necessary outfit each person should have
to come to this terrestrial paradise. Your
wagons should be light, yet substantial and
strong, and a plenty of good oxen. Though
I wrote while on the Sweetwater that mule
teams were preferable, but after seeing
them thoroughly tired I have become con-
vinced that oxen are more preferable —
they are the least trouble and stand travel-
ing much the best — are worth a great deal
more when here. Load your wagons light
and put one third more team to them than
is necessary to pull the load. Bring nothing
with you except provisions and plenty of
clothes to do you one year from the time
you leave. They can all be had on as good
terms here as in Missouri and even better;
bring but few bedclothes, for they will be
worn out when they arrive here — and
they can be had here on good terms. Your
oxen will not require shoeing. Bring plenty
Turn to LETTER, page 25

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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
Letter: ‘Be sure and bring nothing except what will be of material use to you ...’
Continued from page 24
of loose cattle, cows and heifers
particularly, as they are but little
trouble and are worth a great deal.
Bring mules to drive your loose
stock. Bring a few good American
mares, but use them very tenderly
or you will not get them here.
American horses are worth consid-
erable in this country. Horses can
not get here except they are well-
used, and you should have two or
three pairs of shoes and nails for
them and your mules. You should
bring 200 pounds of flour, 100
pounds of bacon, for every mem-
ber of the family that can eat,
besides other provisions. Make no
calculation on getting buffalo or
other wild meat, for you are only
wasting time and killing horses
and mules to get it. Have your
wagon beds made in such a manner
that they can be used for boats; Canvas-covered wagons brought settlers over the prairies and the mountains to the Oregon Ter- this country, and I am convince
you will find them of great service ritory in the 1800s.
in crossing streams — have your
wagons well-covered so that they
will not leak, or your provisions and
clothes will spoil. Have your tents made
water tight; start as early as possible; let
your teams and stock all be in good order. duce or labor than they will for cash,
Start as soon as your stock can get grass
enough to travel on, for the grass will be
getting better every day until you arrive at profit on cash. In fact, business is done
Fort Hall; after that you will find the
grass bad in places until you get to the
Blue Mountains. You will find plenty of
grass from there to the Willamette Valley.
Our cattle are in better order than they
were on month ago. Large flintlock guns
are good to traffic with the Snake Indians. horses from $60 to $100; oxen $60 to
Bring a plenty of cheap cotton shirts to
trade to the Indians on this side of the
mountains. You might start with calves
and kill them on the way, before they get
poor, for fresh eating. You will find some
beans, rice, and dried fruit of great use on
the road. You should travel in companies
of forty wagons, and continue together
the whole route. You will find some ship
biscuit to be of great use at time when
you can not find fuel sufficient to cook
with.
Be sure and bring nothing except what
will be of material use to you on your
journey, for, depend upon it, if you over-
load you will lose your team, wagon, and
goods. You will find good stout young
cows to answer in place of oxen, in case
you should not have sufficient; let them
be about middle size; let them be good,
sound oxen, that have never been injured. strong guard in nighttime and a sharp
I am satisfied from the products of the
country that a man can live easier here
than he can in any part of the United
States. If he raises any produce he is sure
of getting a good price for it in anything
he may call for, money excepted. There is some of the emigrants were imposed on,
very little money in this country, though it in fact, some of them were robbed,
is very little use when a man can get any-
thing he want s without it. The merchants
here will sell their goods cheaper for pro- some medicine, for you will have more or
because they make a profit on the com-
modities they purchase, while there is no
here altogether by exchanging commodi-
ties. We can purchase anything of the
Hudson Bay Company cheaper by prom-
ising wheat next year than we can for
cash in hand. Cows are worth (that is,
American,) from $30 to $50; American
$80; wheat $1 per bushel; oats, 40 cents;
potatoes, 40 cents; peas the same; beef, 6
cents; pork, 10 cents; butter, 20 cents;
common labor, $1.50; mechanics, $2 to
$3.
The next emigration will get their cattle
and wagons through quite easy, if they
will start early and travel constantly
though slow; they must not push.
Persons on the north side of the Mis-
souri should rendezvous on the south side
of the river, opposite the Blacksnake
Hills, and go up the Nemaha and strike
the Platte near the Pawnee village; by so
doing they will avoid crossing the
Kansas, and avoid some bad roads, and
go 100 miles nearer.
We were not troubled with the Indians
in the dangerous part of the country, for
this reason, I have no doubt, —we kept a
lookout in daytime. After we passed
Green River we abandoned guarding and
broke up into small companies though
advised to the contrary, and in passing
from the Blue Mountains to the valley
OREGON 150 The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 25
less sickness until you get to Fort
Hall. Be sure and take good care
not to expose your self unnecessar-
ily, for people have to go through a
seasoning on the road, which
makes the most of them sick. We
are now eating apples which grew
at Vancouver. They are now gath-
ering their apples, peaches, and
grapes, etc.; these are the only
fruits tried as yet; they are fine.
The missionaries here have done
more toward Christianizing the
Indians in five years than has been
done in the States in twenty years.
Numbers of them who can not
speak one word of English hold
regular family worship. They are
members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church. I am convinced it is in
consequence of not being able to
get liquor. The Hudson Bay Com-
pany and missionaries and settlers
have taken a bold stand against the
Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
introduction of ardent spirits into
while they continue this praisewor-
thy course we all will see more sat-
isfaction and pleasure, and our lit-
though it was their own fault for not tle colony will profit thereby.
sticking together. You should start with
S.M. Gilmore.
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 Page 26 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
Applegates
Continued from page 15
1856 and had separate living quarters —
one side for men, one side for women.
Later, Shannon’s great-grandfather cut
down the door and staircases that separat-
ed the two sides of the six-bedroom home.
The house was surrounded by a variety
of vegetation, including a rose bush dating
back to 1836, an elaborate medicinal herb
garden and acres of grassland and forest.
Now, more than 150 years later, the home
is situated on about 100 acres and is still
owned by the descendants of Charles Apple-
gate, Shannon said. The inside of the house
appears as it did in the 1800s, while still
reflecting the lives of the family members
who lived in the house throughout the years.
“It very much retains the family feeling
through the generations,” Shannon said.
Nobody has lived in the house since the
1970s, but the house still serves as the
gathering place for family events. The
home is also open to the public during cer-
tain times of the year, mainly for special
events sponsored by the Applegate Her-
itage Arts and Education Foundation.
Throughout the years, the house has only
had minor modifications because the fami-
ly wants to respect the age of the house but
OREGON 150
Courtesy photo/Douglas County Museum
Oliver Cromwell Applegate, center,
poses with two American Indians in
this undated photo. Oliver was the
son of Douglas County pioneer Lind-
say Applegate.
still give it a vibrant feel, Shannon said.
“I think about it as if it were an extreme-
ly elderly lady who is excited when people
come visit, but has a sigh of relief when
they leave it in peace,” Shannon said.
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
Celebrate: Planning for Sept. 26 event
Continued from page 7
for Oregon’s birthday this year.
“We knew at the start we had to generate
our own funds,” said Donna Fields, the coor-
dinator for the local committee.
The first fundraiser came to the committee
in the form of a spaghetti feed. With nine
communities in Douglas County participat-
ing, a simultaneous spaghetti dinner was
planned in October 2007. With two follow-
up spaghetti feeds and more community par-
ticipation, the committee was able to raise
enough money to fund specific projects for
Oregon’s birthday, such as a cookbook with
a historical slant.
“Douglas County Cooks” is filled with
stories, pictures and recipes from local resi-
dents. More than 1,900 cookbooks have been
printed and 1,200 have been sold. Proceeds
from the books are being funneled into a pot
to fund one giant celebration planned for
Sept. 26 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
The committee currently has more than
150 members countywide and has managed
to raise a significant amount of funds while
staying debt-free, said Fields.
Within the committee, several subgroups
have been formed, such as the “Speakers”
group. Nine knowledgeable Douglas County
residents have offered to speak at meetings,
luncheons and other public events free of
cost. Retired music teacher Bob Robins
would be more than happy to teach a group
to sing “Oregon, My Oregon.” Or, Chris
McCullough with Douglas County Public
Works will give a presentation on waste
reduction strategies and the future of the
Douglas County landfill. History teacher
Charles Young will talk about Oregon in the
mid-1800s and Shaffer is available to discuss
the tribe’s history and American Indian gov-
ernments.
Another subgroup is a “Children’s Future
Vision” group, with its members working
toward involving children in recognizing
Oregon’s 150th birthday. There is also the
“Take Care of Oregon Day” group with its
members dedicated to beautifying Douglas
County on May 16.
Throughout the entire year, annual events
such as the Timber Truckers Light Parade,
Pioneer Days, the Douglas County Fair and
Fort Umpqua Days will be Oregon 150-
themed.
Shaffer said she contributes much of the
committee’s success to its members’ realistic
approach and willingness to help.
“This has been an educational lesson in
Douglas County about what we can accom-
plish when we all come together,” Shaffer
said. “It has been a really great experience.”

Through 150 years of statehood, Oregon and Roseburg

have both shared a vision of growth and prosperity.

Umpqua Bank is proud to call these places home.

Happy Birthday Oregon!

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Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
Growing: County
always productive
Continued from page 11
Different crops were important at differ-
ent times in county history, and an 1878
account from the Oregon Agriculture
Company Ltd. estimated that Douglas
County had 37,981 acres of land in agri-
culture production that year.
From the 1880s until prohibition, hops
were grown for area breweries and sold as
far south as Ashland, Reenstjerna wrote.
The industry brought in around $3.75
million at the turn of the century. Other
museum archives named hops a highly
important crop to the local economy’s
health because it employed more “needy”
people, such as women and children, to
pick the small flowers, whereas other agri-
culture jobs mostly used men.
Also around the turn of the century,
prune orchards were planted all over the
county, and big dryers were built in the
southerly and central parts of the county.
The blossoming prune industry began as
wheat prices fell in 1887 and farmers
abandoned the grain crop that had brought
12 gristmills to the county.
Prunes thrived through the 1920s and early


OREGON 150
Grain was once bound for threshing in the Elgarose area.
1930s. The value of those orchards was list-
ed as $2.5 million in 1920, and in 1934 Dou-
glas County had the largest acreage in prune
production, with 10,000 acres of trees pro-
ducing 15 million pounds annually.
Prune orchards reached their peak in 40
years and then pests and a poor market
pushed the industry off the cliff and by
1941, museum archives report that
orchards were being removed.
In 1955, museum records showed that
prune trees’ numbers were at 200,000,
down from 1 million trees.
According to the museum archives,
when the stars aligned for the industry in
the ’30s, it was a $675,000 industry, but
dwindled to $79,000 by 1970.
Shadows of the industry that produced
The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 27
Courtesy of the Douglas County Museum
and processed the fruit can still be found
around the county with one operational
dryer and a handful of producing orchards,
but blackberries have reclaimed most of
the untended trees and the cold dryer
buildings have been adopted for storage or
other uses, like lambing barns.
Broccoli and melon crops both had their
heydays, too, in the early 1900s.
Accounts from museum archives state
that raiding melon patches was a favorite
pastime of youngsters, and farmers devel-
oped elaborate deterrents — driving stakes
into the patches to flatten tires, sleeping in
the field in order to catch culprits, or plant-
ing melons inside a cornfield to hide the
fruits, for example.
In the late ’20s, cantaloupes were the
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second biggest garden crop, with 300 acres
in production.
Other bygone crops include lily bulbs,
peonies and sorghum from the World War I
time period. And until an unsuspecting
Scottsburg homeowner cut it down in 1999,
Oregon’s first filbert tree, planted in 1958,
also claimed Douglas County as its home.
Crops made up 68 percent of Douglas
County agriculture and brought in $43.7
million in 2008, while livestock made up
32 percent, a $20 million industry in Dou-
glas County.
Currently cattle is the most popular,
bringing in $14.7 million, but sheep used
to be the favored stock animal in Douglas
County.
Lane guessed that in the ’80s and ’90s,
Douglas County was one of the No. 1
areas in the country for non-range sheep.
“There were about 90,000 sheep at one
time,” he said.
The rise of the sheep industry was slow,
and is first recorded as an $887,000 indus-
try in 1870, reaching $8.9 million by 1950
and $24.7 million in 1983, according to
museum archives. Extension records from
2008 show that the industry brought in
$2.2 million last year.
Changing crops and stock can be attrib-
uted to markets rising and falling, and the
versatile nature of the region has allowed
Douglas County producers flexibility in a
fluctuating world.
Page 28 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009

IT’S A GREAT STATE WE’RE IN!

(1857) Aaron Meier opens a one-man store on the riverfront in

Portland. (1859) OREGON BECOMES THE U.S.’ 33 RD STATE.

(1873) Aaron Meier and Emil Frank partner to name the store Meier

& Frank. In appreciation of customer loyalty, Meier & Frank President Julius

Meier pioneers the concept of a “money-back guarantee.” (1908)

Henry Ford introduces America to the Model T. (1924) Macy’s hosts its first

Thanksgiving Day Parade. (1930) Meier & Frank President Julius Meier

is elected governor of Oregon. (1950) Invention of the first multi-use credit

card. (1969) Neil Armstrong becomes the first man on the moon. (1977)

Portland’s team brings home the World Championship. (2002) The

Miss Oregon Pageant winner, Katie Harman, is crowned the new

Miss America. (2005) Meier & Frank joins the Macy’s, Inc. family, adopting the

brand and name. (2009) Oregon celebrates its 150th year as a state.
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
Clan: More than 100 Shrum descendants still live in Douglas County
Continued from page 14
Ken Shrum believes Thomas was proba-
bly visiting his parents in Salem when he
met Indiana-born Cassandra Kernes in
1859. They wed in October, eight months
after Oregon was admitted to the United
States.
A red-haired nurse in her early 30s, the
new Mrs. Shrum agreed to relocate to
Douglas County despite her husband’s
warning that she would have no white
neighbors and no shopping outlets (Fred
Meyer was 63 years away from its Port-
land grand opening).
The two made their mark on the future
Glide area, giving birth to seven children
and wresting a living from bare ground.
Asked what he knows of his great-grandfa-
ther’s personality, Ken Shrum said Thomas
must have been pretty robust. He’s equally
unpretentious about the Shrum legacy.
“Just common folks that had a lot of skills,
which is how you survived back then,” he
said. “You had to be a blacksmith and a car-
penter and a little bit of everything.”
Written records within the family state
that Thomas also found time to fight in the
area’s Indian wars and participate in local
government.
Rare maps on display at Capitol
The News-Review
EUGENE — The period between 1802
and 1861 was a time of exploration and set-
tlement in the Pacific Northwest, specifical-
ly in the area that would become Oregon in
1859. An exhibition of rare maps from this
era will be displayed through this month in
the Capitol building in Salem as part of the
state’s sesquicentennial celebration.
The exhibit, “Tracking Oregon’s Bound-
aries: Maps from 1802 to 1861,” highlights
more than 60 years of the changing topogra-
phy, geography and political boundaries of
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OREGON 150
Ken Shrum of Glide can trace his Douglas County roots to his great-grandfather,
Thomas Eugene Shrum, who settled in the Glide area in the 1850s.
After Cassandra’s death in 1895,
Thomas lived with his son, George. The
old man was about 75 when he fell asleep
the region. Many of the maps were commis-
sioned by the U.S. government and were
created by the best cartographers of the
time. One is from the same printing of the
map used to plan the Lewis and Clark explo-
ration, with the area from the Mississippi
River to the Pacific Ocean virtually blank.
The show features high-resolution digi-
tal prints of the maps from the collection
of Dr. Jim Walker. The show will also
include interactive features, such as an ori-
gin of names activity as well as informa-
tion about mapmaking and the biographies
of some of the cartographers.
Welcoming worshipers for
more than 150 years
First United
Methodist Church
1771 W Harvard Ave
Roseburg, Oregon
672-1629
www.fumcrbrg.org
Founded in 1852
The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 29
ROBIN LOZNAK/The News-Review
one day by the fireplace and never awoke.
Ken Shrum today lives with his wife,
Marilyn, on land once owned by Thomas.
Stop in and Visit
the last of the
old fashioned drug stores
❧ Opened 1959 ❧
The last of the old fashioned drug stores!
Other Shrum descendants not only trade
information about family history, but also
arrange periodic gatherings. The next one,
the 60th annual Shrum picnic, is scheduled
to take place Aug. 8 at Mill Pond Park near
Rock Creek.
Although many Shrums have left the
area, enough remain to keep Ken and Mar-
ilyn from ever being lonely for kinship.
Marilyn Shrum, born Marilyn Myers, has
done a bit of research on her own family;
she grew up on Myers’ property south of
Roseburg and north of Green. She’s spent
quite a bit of time helping out her husband
by organizing family albums of folks relat-
ed to the Shrums, Casebeers and others.
“I just feel it’s something that should be
done while Ken can still tell the stories
(behind the photos),” said Marilyn Shrum,
72. “I don’t want to do the part of the work
that he’s done, the genealogy, but I think
someone in each family should.”
It’s hard to say whether Thomas would
appreciate the effort that went into compil-
ing the Shrum family history. But being a
practical sort, he probably would agree
with his great-grandson’s matter-of-fact
attitude about his lineage and its ties to
Oregon’s history.
“There are people before me, and there
will be people after me,” Ken Shrum says.
1175 W. Harvard
672-1961
Mon.-Fri. 9-7 • Sat. 9-6
www.harvardavedrugs.com
 Page 30 – The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
Family: Early relatives came to Oregon during the Great Migration of 1843
Continued from page 18
flooded and destroyed in 1861, so the
Darneille family moved to Missouri Flat in
Josephine County and then finally settled
on Thompson Creek, Applegate, Jackson
County. While they were crossing today’s
Harney County, near the Malheur River,
Mary Lane Darneille gave birth to Jasper.
Descendants of Jasper Darneille meet
annually at Singleton Park in Roseburg.
My great-grandmother, Mary Jane
Darneille, married James Wesley Mee on
Nov. 11, 1867 in Applegate, Jackson Coun-
ty. James Wesley immigrated to the United
States from England circa 1842 as a boy of
10 years. He eventually moved to Jackson
County when gold was discovered in
Southern Oregon. He enlisted in the First
Oregon Infantry, Company I, in Applegate
on Jan. 15, 1865 for three years.
During my early research, I came across
an 1880 Douglas County, Ore., census
record that listed my grandfather, George
C. Larimore.
After deciding that Douglas County suit-
ed me just fine, and Roseburg was just the
kind of town in which I desired to live, I
started thinking about the fact that my
Grandfather Larimore lived in Douglas
County in 1880. I was curious as to where
in Douglas County he’d lived.
I found the specific census record. It
gave me a good chuckle. The census record
was for Deer Creek Precinct and the post
office area was Roseburg! One hundred
twenty-seven years later, I was living in the
OREGON 150
same area as my
Grandfather Larimore!
He died in 1915 in
Williams, Josephine
County, Ore.
I noted that he was
living with a family
named “William A.
Willis.” His occupation
was noted as a laborer,
so I assumed he was
Mary Poteet boarding with a local
Gilmore family.
In the meantime, I
continued researching my difficult-to-find
great-great-grandparents, the parents of my
great-grandparents, Alfred G. Larimore and
Sarah Jane McGee. I knew Alfred and
Sarah lived in Liberty, Clay Co., Mo., and
that both had died there by 1870. My
grandfather George Larimore was born in
Clay County.
I am amazed at how the Internet has sim-
plified genealogy research. I uncovered my
two great-grandparents easily: Campbell
Larimore and Martha Graham in Green
County, Ky.; and Charles McGee and
Mahala Poteet of Missouri, although
Charles was born in North Carolina and
Mahala in Lee County, Va.
From there, it was an easy matter to find
a Web site containing some of my newly
discovered ancestors. This in turn led me to
a newly found cousin (whose mother was
born and raised in Roseburg!) – see, more
of these mysterious pathways through life
unfolding! My new cousin informed me of
Roseburg, Oregon — Sunday, February 15, 2009
my connection to the Gilmore family of
Roseburg. Mary Poteet Gilmore was the
sister of my great-great-grandmother,
Mahala Poteet McGee. This makes James
and Mary Gilmore my great-great-great-
uncle and aunt.
James and Mary Poteet Gilmore set out
for the Oregon Territory in the spring of
1852, using the Applegate Trail to reach the
Umpqua Valley. The whole clan of
Gilmores made the trek West, including
their daughter, Virginia Caroline, who was
married to a William A. Willis, and their
family.
I also learned that the Gilmore’s oldest
child, Samuel Materson (Matt) Gilmore, at
age 28, with his wife and two children,
journeyed to the Oregon Territory in 1843
in the same group with the Applegate
brothers. This was the large overland emi-
gration group that Dr. Marcus Whitman
met at Fort Hall to assist them on the jour-
ney through the mountains. It was also the
first wagon train to use the Oregon Trail.
Shortly after Matt’s arrival at Fort Van-
couver, he wrote a letter dated Nov. 11,
1843, which was published in the St. Louis
Western Journal on March 15, 1845. He
mentioned the travails of the 1843 epic jour-
ney and offered advice for future emigrants.
Matt Gilmore was a member of the first
elected lawmaking body of Oregon in 1844
— the Provisional Territorial Government.
In 1844, on May 14, officers of the provi-
sional government were elected. Matt
Gilmore was chosen, along with three oth-
ers, to represent the Tualatin district.
The Gilmores and members of their fam-
ily took out donation land claims along
Deer Creek in the present Dixonville area.
I have since learned that William A. Willis
was a farmer and Methodist minister. The
first quarterly meeting of the South
Umpqua charge of the Methodist Episcopal
Church was held at the residence of James
Gilmore on South Deer Creek on Septem-
ber 30, 1853. St. George’s Episcopal
Church was organized during the summer
of 1860. William Willis and Aaron Rose
were among the original subscribers. Mr.
Willis also served as a minister for the
Methodist Episcopal South church during
1872-1874.
I was so surprised to learn that I had
ancestors in the Oregon Country as early as
1843. And I was exhilarated to discover
“family” in Roseburg as early as 1852! I
think it’s very special that I am now living
in Oregon, my birth state, which some of
my ancestors helped to develop into the
wonderful state it is today. I attribute my
perseverance during adversity, survivabili-
ty, and my interest in traveling the
unknown road to my pioneer stock!
During this year of Oregon’s sesquicen-
tennial, I shall be honoring my Oregon
ancestors who contributed to Oregon being
what it is today. I am proud that I am a
native Oregonian and will strive to discov-
er further the stories of my Oregon ances-
tors. These families (Gilmore, Darneille,
Mee, Larimore, McGee, Poteet, and Cox)
leave many descendants in Oregon and
around the world.

Hero: Hedden became a businessman, Umpqua County commissioner

Continued from page 13
property either performed labor to
maintain public roads or paid their
dues.
During the winter of 1861-62,
Scottsburg suffered a blow from
Henry Fryer which it would never fully recover.
Floods wiped out much of the area,
leaving few businesses standing and
sending most of the residents off in
search of a new start.
Hedden and his store remained,
however, and in the early 1860s, he
was elected to serve as an Umpqua
County commissioner. Hedden’s time
as a commissioner would not last long.
The Oregon Legislature decreed
that Umpqua County should be
absorbed into Douglas County. In
1863, Umpqua County was no more.
Hedden remained a successful
businessman throughout his life, said
the Fryers, who have chronicled the
family history and worked to pre-
serve the historic aspects of the town.
Hedden died in 1911.
“I think he was an honorable busi-
ness man,” Patti Fryer said. “I think
he was very respected, from every-
thing we’ve read.”
• You can reach reporter Chelsea
Duncan at 957-4246 or by e-mail at
cduncan@nrtoday.com.

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OREGON 150
Laurance: Couple trace their roots
to same wagon train that came west
Continued from page 19
“The prospects might have been far bet-
ter for the kids out here than back there,
where everything was established,” he
said.
One of the enduring myths of the Ore-
gon Trail is that most families came out on
Conestoga wagons, Laurance said. Those
wagons were too big, heavy and slow for
such a long trek. Smaller prairie
schooners, which held about 2,500 pounds
of gear — less than half the capacity of the
larger wagons — were much more com-
mon.
“They didn’t have these big Pennsylva-
nia Conestoga wagons. They were very
much a rarity,” Laurance said. “What they
had were farm wagons. Most of them had
canopies, with canvas and hoops.”
Laurance’s wife, Ricci, traces her roots
to the same wagon train that brought Lau-
rance’s ancestors to Oregon. She is a
descendant of William, Nathan, Job and
Sarah Ann Conner, who joined with the
Buells and others on the trek from Mis-
souri.
The Laurance side of the family, known
for growing fruits and vegetables in the
Dillard area, did not arrive until 1903.
Former Oregon Territory governor Joseph
Lane retired to, buried in Douglas County
The News-Review
While Lane County was named for
Joseph Lane, he wasn’t buried there but in
Douglas County, where he retired after
leaving public office.
A North Carolinian by birth, Lane grew
up in Kentucky and moved to Indiana to
become a farmer. He spent 24 years in the
Indiana Legislature before being appointed
by President James K. Polk as governor of
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The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary — Page 31
steel buildings
Retail • Offices • Community
Centers • Recreation Centers
They came from North Carolina. Storage Units • Garages
Through family letters, Joe Laurance Warehouses • Offices
said he sensed excitement over Oregon’s
move toward statehood. Agricultural • Riding Arenas
“I imagine that statehood was something Horse Barns • Livestock/Storage
they all talked about. They were all famil-
Carson Paving
iar with Joe Lane, who was our local hero
and really a senator and close confidante
of (Missouri Sen.) Thomas Hart Benton,
who was a senator very much for the & Sealing Inc.
expansion in Oregon.”
Driveways • Walkways • Parking Lots
A constitutional convention was held in
1857 in Salem, where a governing docu-
ment based on those of Iowa, Indiana and
Michigan was drafted.
ALSO:
Later that year, the Constitution was Now Available!
approved, which was greeted with a mix- SEAL-COAT & RUBBERIZED CRACK FILLER! • ROCK
ture of joy and relief, Laurance said. Crack filler fills in the cracks and breaks in driveways and parking lots and roads. • GRADING
“There was always a concern before
statehood that they would somehow wind
SEALCOAT is made of sand slurry (Silica) and refreshes and gives new life to your • PATCHING
paving. It also extends the life of moderate traffic areas up to five years!
up British subjects,” Laurance said. “They • EXCAVATION
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the chief benefactor to everybody who
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• You can reach reporter John Sowell at & Sealing Inc. 672-6270
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Page 32–The News-Review, Oregon’s 150th Anniversary
What is the Secret of Thriving
During Economic Uncertainty?
Story and Photos By Darlene Alexander/Wildlife Safari
When Frank Roland Hart, the founder of Wildlife Safari, envisioned
an African game park here in Douglas County, he had no idea the
economic troubles he would be facing. When the park opened in
1973, it faced off against an oil
embargo, a stock market crash
and a depreciating US dollar.
Instead of tourists lining up to
enter the park, they were lining
up at the pumps for their ra-
tioned allotment of gasoline.
And yet, thirty-six years later,
while the world is facing an-
other fiscal crisis, and Oregon
itself suffering from a dramatic
unemployment rate, Wildlife
Safari has not only survived,
but is thriving. The question
is; how is it possible for a non-
profit organization to succeed
despite multiple setbacks and
a threatening economy? It’s
called “the comfort factor.” The
comfort factor – that “warm
and fuzzy” feeling you get when
you cuddle with the kids, sip a
cup of hot cocoa, or bury your feet in the sand at
the beach. And when it comes to warm and fuzzy,
Wildlife Safari is the real thing!
·Our always free Village is a labyrinth of alcove gar-
dens, ponds and topiaries, arranged around animal
exhibits that help a person feel calm and content.
The Village playground is a popular spot for kids to
offload some energy and for parents to take a well
deserved rest.
· The drive-through entry fees are affordable for
those not able to take trips to exotic locations.
· Wildlife Safari brings people and animals together by unique on-
site “Wild Encounters!” These personal up-close tours can include
feedings for lions, bears, cheetahs, elephants and giraffes.
· In addition to regular Encounter programs, Wildlife Safari has
developed new programs to connect with autistic and critically ill
children and adults.
I-5 Exit 119 follow the signs
541-679-6761 • www.wildlifesafari.net
Roseburg Oregon, Sunday, February 15, 2009
· The Education De-
partment specializes
in children’s nature
programs. For exam-
ple:
· Low-cost Discover
and Adventure Camps
for children: Day
CAMPS are conducted
when your children are
out of school. Check
out upcoming Conser-
vation Camps: March
23-25 (ages 4-7) and
March 26-28 (ages 7-11).
· Whether it’s your child’s school or a birthday party, OUTREACH
programs will bring the zoo to you!
· The ZOOSCHOOLs your child attends on fieldtrips can be tai-
lored to the needs of your scout or youth group.
· Special free community-sponsored events throughout the year
such as Celebrate Children, Day of Discovery and Zoobilee – all
focused on providing children with fun and safe entertainment.
Wildlife Safari could not be where they are
today without partnerships with other com-
munity businesses and services. Just to name
a few; Brooke Communications, ODFW, Wolf
Creek Job Core, Cow Creek Umpqua Band of
Indians, Douglas County Inmate Work Crews,
and many more, are intricately laced with the
park’s success. Regular food donations from
such businesses as Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Brosi
Orchards, Bear Creek/Harry and David, Red-
daway, Rock Creek Hatchery, as well as local
farms, ranches and individuals, all help to nour-
ish the park’s animals. Wildlife Safari will always
be grateful for the ongoing support from these
organizations, donors and volunteers.
Despite poor economic conditions Wildlife Safari remains resilient
amid changes and gives back to the community. Let Wildlife Safari
provide a little oasis for your family during these difficult times.