S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880
50 C ENTS
●
A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL
V OL . 136, N O . 24
W EDNESDAY , M AY 31, 2017
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
Body of Three Pools
swimmer discovered
ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
The North Santiam River is
running higher than normal this
spring, making boating and
swimming treacherous.
Quest for
cool dip
ends in
tragedies
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
LAUREN HERNANDEZ/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Members of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s dive team search for a swimmer who drowned in Three Pools on May 23.
Kayakers report swimmer’s
remains downstream of area
LAUREN E HERNANDEZ
STATESMAN JOURNAL
The body of the 25-year-old man who
went missing while swimming at Three
Pools on May 22 has been found, accord-
ing to officials.
Kayakers called the Marion County
Sheriff’s Office May 24 to report they
might have found the body of the man
down river from the pools, according to
the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 9 a.m. on May 25, water rescue
teams with the Salem Fire Department
and Jefferson Fire Department recov-
ered the man’s body.
The swimmer’s name will not be re-
leased until his family can be contacted.
Officials know the man was swimming
with two friends in the Three Pools Rec-
reation Area of the Little North Santiam
River and did not resurface around 4 p.m.
Monday.
Members of the Clackamas County
Sheriff’s dove into the upper pools of the
recreation area to search for the man
Tuesday afternoon, but suspended the
search due to high water and dangerous
conditions.
“We will continue talking to friends to
see exactly what happened,” Baldridge
said on May 23. “This is really leaning to-
ward a tragic accident.”
Baldridge said this is not the first time
someone has drowned or been seriously
injured while swimming in Three Pools.
The accident would mark the eighth
fatality at a swimming hole on the Little
North Santiam River since 1999, accord-
ing to Statesman Journal records.
He said swimmers can protect them-
selves by wearing the appropriate life
preserver, understanding their own
swimming abilities and learning about
The combination of hot
weather and frigid rivers run-
ning higher than normal
played a role in multiple
deaths in Oregon and the
Northwest during the past
week.
At least five people lost
their lives — or are presumed
dead — after accidents that
can be blamed in part on swift
and frigid water.
“There’s a perfect storm
with outdoor conditions right
now that have us on high
alert,” said Ashley Massey,
spokeswoman for the Oregon
Marine Board.
One of the wettest and
snowiest winters in recent
history means Oregon’s al-
ready high rivers and creeks
are being flooded with frigid
snowmelt. A person boating a
river or jumping into a swim-
ming hole is likely to find more
treacherous conditions than
normal.
“The water temperature is
frigid — 50 degrees or below
in many areas,” Massey said.
“The current is very strong.
Arms and legs quickly cramp
with exertion in cold water, es-
pecially when the outside tem-
peratures are hot.
“This scenario is how many
people drown.”
Those conditions played a
role in a handful of fatal acci-
See BODY, Page 3A
See TRAGEDIES, Page 3A
Free Fishing Weekend is not just for the kids
HENRY
MILLER
About a
dozen
years ago, I
wrote a col-
umn about
how most
Free Fishing Weekend
events didn’t make a lot of
sense.
During Free Fishing
Weekend, just around the
corner on June 3 and 4, no
license or tags are re-
quired to go fishing, clam-
ming or crabbing in Ore-
gon.
Which is a great oppor-
tunity for residents and
visitors to the Beaver
State to wet a line, grab a
shovel or dunk a crab trap
or ring.
But my thesis in the
aforementioned screed
was that much of the
hoopla was irrelevant be-
cause the fishing clinics,
derbies and other happen-
ings, most of them on the
Saturday of the freebie
weekend, are for kids ...
who don’t need to buy a
fishing license until they
are 12 years old, I wrote
somewhat sarcastically.
I’m never going there
again.
Because I heard from a
couple of people who said
that Free Fishing Week-
end was the only day that
they and their families
went fishing because all
of the gear, bait and ad-
vice were provided at the
events and trout were lib-
erally stocked, so success
was all but guaranteed.
And the adults got to
fish for free with their
kids and yada, yada …
Point taken, message
received. And in the inter-
ests of full disclosure, I’ve
cashed in, big-time, on the
opportunity.
A couple of years ago, a
family reunion at a rental
house in Waldport fell ser-
endipitously on Free Fish-
ing Weekend, with a kick-
butt minus tide to boot.
Chowder-palooza!
I digress.
But wait! There’s
more!
A couple of years ago,
Oregon moved Free Fish-
ing Weekend to the first
weekend in June to coin-
cide with State Parks Day.
That’s when day-use
fees are waived on the
Saturday (and in some
cases, such as the boat
ramp at Mongold on De-
troit Lake, both days) and
“traditional”
camping
(read that tent) is free on
See MILLER, Page 3A
Planners create a vigorous course for
runners facing Silver Falls Challenge
JUSTIN MUCH
STAYTON MAIL
On the first Saturday in
June, the trails at Silver
Falls State Park become a
course.
Hosted by the Silver-
ton Runners Club, the Sil-
ver Falls Challenge be-
gins at 9 a.m. Saturday,
June 3, beginning near the
park’s North Falls park-
ing lot, and it will include a
1,500-meter kids run, a 5k
and a 6-mile run/walk.
The race is expected to
cover a variety of sur-
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
NEWS UPDATES
PHOTOS
» Breaking news
» Get updates from the Silverton area
» Photo galleries
faces, some adjacent to
water, some paved and a
lot of rugged trails.
Organizer Race North-
west describes the chal-
lenge: “This course fol-
lows the Trail of Ten Falls,
taking runners under the
South Falls.
STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Christopher Gonzalez is almost as excited as his mom, Crystal,
after catching his first-ever fish, a trout, at the kids pond
during the 2011 Free Fishing Weekend event at Detroit Lake.
Harcourts NW Oregon Realty Group
This hilly race is a
vigorous run on a com-
bination of grass, grav-
el, pavement and dirt
trails with ruts, rocks
and occasionally wet
and slippery surfaces.”
See RUNNERS, Page 2A
INSIDE
Life..........................................4A
Obituaries.............................2A
Sports......................................1B
©2017
Printed on recycled paper
119 N. Water St. Silverton, OR 97381 • 503.873.8600 • www.nworg.com