COW CREEK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2009
WELCOME TO A STRUGGLING 2009! Will it get
better?? Or worse??? Only time will tell and we are all hoping for BETTER!
A couple of note-worthy items to start this
newsletter: There has been a change in our Board of Directors: secretary,
Nadine Tanner, who held that position since the formation of the group, has
moved to New Mexico to live near family. Nadine will be greatly missed and we
all wish her well in her new home.
Volunteering to fill the secretary position for
a while (after a little ‘arm twisting’) is Norma Redfield Winkelman, a
descendant of the pioneer Redfield family. AND for a little over a year, Norma
has been hard at work on a great idea that came when she found an old, 1949
cookbook, put together by the Friendship Club. Norma began tracing descendants
of those 1949 cooks - and has put together a very special book. When the
results didn’t fill enough pages to suit her, Norma began “digging ROOTS &
RECIPES” from other valley residents. The result of all her work is a book of a
combination of genealogy and recipes, aptly titled YESTERDAY & TODAY -
Memories of the Cow Creek Valley. This will be the second cookbook to be
published under the name of the Cow Creek Historical Society and will go on
sale for the first time, FEBRUARY 14TH at the Oregon 150 birthday celebration
to be held at all museums on that date. The Springer-Martin House museum will
be open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Items of valley history will be on display
and light refreshments will be offered. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
THERE.....
We are very appreciative of help with some
finish work in the ground floor rooms of the Old House - from 3 high school
students: Derrick Converse, Jerrod Reid and Phillip Wolters. Thanks to Patti Flemming for allowing the students to help out - and thanks
also to Millie Lawrence for being “chauffeur” when needed. We enjoy having
school students at the Old House; learning about its’ history and the
preservation of things from the past. AND since most of the Board is on the
WRONG side of 60 (or 70 plus!!) we can use all the young (read: strong!) help
we can get!
In searching for records for the growing number
of “Name Files”, chairman Lynne Diltz
copied some records of minutes for the city of Glendale, from July 2, 1928
until 1955. The July 2, 1928 record was “business as usual”. Mayor was J. H.
Brown, recorder was W.B. Lesh and councilmen present
(no women allowed) were listed, simply, as Olson, Stevenson, Smith, Lystul, McFarland and Moore. First names were seldom used
and in most cases, not even initials. Many pages were done on an old-fashioned
typewriter (non-electric - and HEAVEN FORBID - no Spell-Check!!)
THEN - a brief record of minutes, dated July 12,
1928 reads as follows: “....Council met in adjourned session, Mayor Brown
presiding. Councilmen present: Olsen, Stevenson, Smith, Lystul,
McFarlland & Moore.
Motion made and second that the election called for Aug 2, 1928 be postponed indefntly because of recent conflagration; motion carried.
Motion by Smith that persons be granted permits to erect temporary buildings
within the fire limits on the SP Right of Way; said buildings to be removed by
May 1, 1929. Motion second and carried. Mayor appointed WB Lesh,
IH Smith & RM Moore as members of a building comitte.
Motion made second to adjourn subject to call by Mayor. Motion carried.....”
(Copied exactly, complete with errors)
That record, of course, refers to the
devastating fire which reportedly started at the meat market during the process
of rendering lard over a hot fire. And THIS WRITER admits, the word
“conflagration” sent me to the Webster’s Dictionary!! where
I learned that the word definition is ... “large, disastrous fire..” Recorder,
WB Lesh, said it all, with that one word.
Another shorter meeting, held July 16, 1928,
reads: “....council met in adjourned session Mayor Brown presiding. Councilmen
Smith, Lystul, McFarland & Moore ans roll call. Meeting to discuss the ?
of housing the fire equipment. Motion made seconded
and carried to adjourn.....” (Copied exactly..)
Those council minutes are all that survive from
the heads of a small town devastated by fire. The gentlemen involved were no
doubt too stunned and too busy to consider writing details - but what a piece
of history THAT could have been! Many pictures of Glendale before the fire -
and several scenes after the fire - are in existence. After the Springer-Martin
museum officially opens to the public, copies of those pictures can be obtained
for a small fee.
City Council (referred to as the “Common
Council”) records started again Aug 6, 1928, at the recorder’s office and
contain merely bills read and approved for payment. Some of the bills include
$107 to the town Marshall, George Olinghouse. That
was the month’s wage. The Cal-Ore Power Company bill was $102.65 and for this
and all subsequent bills, the wording was for JUICE. “Aug juice, Sept juice”
and so on. As a kid, I recall my parents referring to electricity as “juice”.
Also in the August bills were $3.50 each to Claude Humphreys and Allen Heller
for “watching fire”. Wonder what “fire” they were watching?
Sept 14, 1928 minutes were much the same bills
except John Rostermundt, C Nebel
and IH Smith were paid small sums ($28.90, $10.50 and $20.60 respectively) for
“grading city lots”. For those not familiar with “grading” in those days, it
was a scoop-type affair pulled behind a horse or team of horses, depending on
the size of the scoop. ie -
grading done the hard way.... Also on that list of bills - Ed Kafer was paid $1.00 for “rolling up hose”.
October 1928's minutes contained 3 bids for
“construction of city hall”. One bidder name is not readable due to type-overs.
Low bidders were “weighed and measured” and the second lowest bid of one Sig
Ash, for $8,892 was accepted. And quoted as written in those minutes.... “Each additonal cubic yd concreet in retaining wall - $15. Each sqr
ft of ceement sidewalk, 20
cents. Ea lineal ft of hand
rail, $1.00. Said Sig Ash to sign contract to pay penalty of $10 for each and
every day if roof not complete in 6 weeks from signing and penalty of $25 for
each and every day if said building not complete and ready for occupancy by Jan
1, 1929....”
Each month following are bills for the new city
hall, such as the firm of Tourtellotte & Hummell, architects - paid $311.22 - and Lory Miller, $24
for 30 yards of gravel for city hall construction.
ONE FINAL NOTE on the Dec 1928 minutes - Sig Ash
was NOT paid his Dec bill of $2752.63 due to “Lack of Funds” - but when he is
paid, he will collect 6% on that amount.
City Hall was NOT ready for occupancy by the
deadline of Jan 1, 1929, because plumbing and lighting still appeared in bills
for March of 1929. There was no record of how the issues were resolved.
Other interesting tidbits from city council
minutes:
Several months bills included “feeding
prisoners” and amounts were small - $1.60 to $2.60. (But remember, in those
days, you could get a good meal for 25 cents!!)
“Common Council” minutes of Jan 1930 asks for “issurance of bonds” in the sum of $16,000 to improve and
expand the city’s water system. The Glendale State Bank got the bid for the
purchase of water bonds. J. Elmer Nelson was employed as Superintendent of
Water Works Construction at $10 per day. Mr. D. P. Slater’s bid of $10,816 for
materials and labor to complete the whole water system, was accepted. And
throughout the following months, numerous members of the community were paid
SMALL wages for hand digging ditches and laying pipe.
May 5, 1930 - A petition signed by 58 residents
“and taxpayers” of the city, asked the council to take steps to establish a
sewer system on Sether Avenue.
May 19, 1930 - Business men allowed to sprinkle
the streets with an old fire hose, until further notice.
Jun 16, 1930 - Standard Oil Company and others
notified they will be charged with water rental if they persist in allowing
persons not on their property to draw water from private outlets to avoid
payment of water rental.
Nov 3, 1930 - in a city-wide election, the first
woman, Bessie Cunningham Seimers, was elected city
treasurer - for one year. Others elected to city council were WM Hazen, WL Dobyns, LC Bayse - and a repeat
for RM Moore.
After upgrade of the water system, the same was
started on the sewer system and many local men were hired over the next 3 or 4
months. A $1200 surplus from the water upgrade was transferred for use on the
sewer project.
Jan 5, 1931 - city telephone service paid -
$3.80
Feb 2, 1931 - Bessie Siemers
January salary - $6.50. WB Lesh drew a salary of $25,
as city recorder.
May 27, 1931 - Special session - approval of
crushed rock, asphalt and oil pavement to be constructed on Pacific Avenue
beginning at a point near Morely’s Barber Shop and
extending to some point beyond the IOOF Hall and pavement to extend 26 feet
from curb at sidewalk; street intersections to be full width.
(GLENDALE’S FIRST PAVED STREET-!)
Aug 3, 1931 - Bessie Siemers’
salary was raised to $10 per month
Sep 14, 1931 - paid to Eldon Hotel - $2.00 -
“meals for transients”
13 men were paid $1.20 each to fight a brush
fire at the city dump
Nov 6, 1931 - General election - Mayor, WL Dobyns; Recorder, WB Lesh;
Treasurer, Bessie Siemers; Ward 1 - Stevenson; Ward 2
- Wm Wunsch; Ward 3 - MA Bates. In this election, a
woman, Gertrude Nebel, was a member of the election
board. (WOMEN ARE ‘COMING UP’ IN THE WORLD!!!)
Mar 11, 1932 - bills included payment of $15 to
the “School Soup Kitchen” for “Charity”
Nov 7, 1932 - motion made, seconded and carried
that the city expend not to exceed the sum of $500 on the extension of Pacific
Ave NW to connect with the proposed Mt. Reuben Road, provided the right of way
is secured, deeds signed and assurance is given by the Federal Government, that
the road will be build.
Nov 14, 1932 - election results WB Lesh, Recorder; Bessie Siemers,
Treasurer; Ward 1 - WN Hazen; Ward 2 - CJ Kafer; Ward
2a - VA Williams; Ward 3 - PJ Miller
Members of this election board included THREE
woman (Luella Cunningham, Pearl Frost and Emma Humphreys) and all election
board members were paid $3 each, for their time.
*****
-2-
After the IOOF Lodge disbanded here, CCHS
Chairman, Lynne Diltz, was given some files from that
lodge, the most interesting of which was the process of building the IOOF Lodge
Hall, which present day, houses a rock shop on the
ground floor and living quarters above. The plan
began in 1929, with a sign-up sheet for pledges of money from valley citizens,
the original, fragile sheet which states:
A PLEDGE TO BUILD ODD FELLOWS’ HALL
I hereby pledge to loan $----- to Glendale Lodge
172, I.O.O.F. for the purpose of building new hall:
To be paid at $---- per month. As soon as full
amount is paid, I am to receive a note
for same with interest of 6%.
The old sheet contains 19 names and amounts from
$50 to $3,000, the latter paid in one lump sum on Nov 2, 1929 by W. H.
Redfield. Others show record of only a few dollars a month - tough to do in
that day and age.
(Also in the files was a receipt for filing and
recording articles of incorporation for the lodge, at a cost of $5.00, dated
November 17, 1911. The lodge was actually started in 1903 but not incorporated
under state laws until 1911. The original hall was built on a lot next to the
telegraph office in 1916 and burned down in the July 1928 fire. They had $1000
of insurance and that amount was used to start the building fund for the new
lodge.)
A reckoning dated Jan 1, 1931 and typed on IOOF,
Glendale, Oregon, stationery, listed itemized costs of everything from labor to
interest paid on notes of those who pledged. That amount totaled $5,643.40.
With all other listings of cash on hand, the building fund totaled $7313.39,
leaving the lodge just a bit short of the $8,623.39 estimated cost of the new
hall. The building itself had been started sometime in the fall of 1929 as
evidenced from a note found and dated November 10, 1929, which stated..”...we
got the building up to where the concrete for the last story will be poured
probably last of week....”. $771.60 had been paid out
for labor and $895.45 paid for the lot ($300) and supplies.
Once the two story building was completed, the
bottom floor was rented to the government and housed the Post Office and a
grocery store, until many years later when the present post office building was
constructed by Harold Cooley. Then the old post office site was rented to
various businesses.
*****
Besides just plain interesting reading, the old
city minutes and the IOOF files have provided many names for the collection of
Name Files which will eventually provide as much information as possible, about
long-ago valley residents. Each “find” is just one more piece of the giant
jigsaw puzzle that is the history of the Cow Creek valley........
*****
And remember, a membership in the Cow Creek
Historical Society, is easy. Just $15 a year for one - or for the whole family.
That fee, or any donation you wish to make, is tax deductible, too. You can
mail a check to CCHS at Post Office Box 309, Glendale, Oregon, 97442. ALL
monies go toward the restoration of the Springer-Martin House.
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COW CREEK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Membership Form
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Just $15 per year, per family. Membership is for
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