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History
a major supplier of holly, with approxi-
mately 1,500 acres of English holly by the
mid-1960s. An acre can have as many as
100-120 trees.
Continued from Page 1A
School, with housing developments en-
croaching.
Holly has been a profitable specialty
crop for the Harteloos and generations
of other Oregon farmers, but only during
the winter when families who celebrate
Christmas traditionally "deck the halls
with boughs of holly."
Oregon and Washington produce
more than 90% of the holly sold in the
United States, which has been the case
for decades. The number of commercial
holly farms has gradually dwindled,
though.
Membership in the Northwest Holly
Growers Association went from a peak
of 78 in 1959 to 50 in 1989 to just seven
today.
"Age has depleted the numbers over
the years," said Ken Bajema, the group’s
secretary/treasurer and a second-gen-
eration holly farmer. "They got old, and
their children have not continued on in
the holly industry. Urban growth has also
taken a lot of holly farms out of operation."
Demand has remained steady at Co-
lumbia Gorge Holly Farms, which Baje-
ma’s family owns and operates. He sells to
wholesalers in the region and florists
across the country.
"I think people are coming back to nat-
ural things again now," Bajema said. "You
don’t see much plastic holly around any-
more."
Made-to-order products from Mill
Creek Holly Farms were in high demand
this season. The Harteloos and their crew
absorbed customers left hanging when a
Portland-area farm halted retail shipping.
"We're one of the only ones who do a lot
of retail wreaths and centerpieces," Sue
Harteloo, Don's wife, said. "A lot of places
just do cut holly."
Holly has sacred and magical
history
Fresh cut holly is a traditional Christ-
mas decoration. The glossy green leaves
with clumps of vibrant red berries are
used to accent wreaths, garlands, swags
and centerpieces.
Its use is tied to Christianity. The spiky
leaves are said to symbolize the crown of
thorns worn by Jesus and the berries His
blood.
But holly's cultural significance dates
long before the first Christmas holiday. It
has been revered through the ages for its
sacred, magical and protective qualities.
Outdoors
Continued from Page 1A
tables ahead of time (you want to hit
Schooner’s Point around low tide) and
prepare to get your feet a little wet!
Big Springs Sno-Park
ski/snowshoe
Explore old-growth forest covered in
snow at this little-visited sno-park just
off Highway 22 near Santiam Junction.
From the parking area, a network of
routes are possible.
The best longer route follows a col-
lection of snowy roads to Lava Lake, a
fairly difficult 6.8-mile round-trip trek
with 500 feet of climb.
A shorter collection of loop trails, run-
ning 2 to 3 miles, also are nice. A Santiam
Pass winter recreation map is ideal.
Cascadia State Park / Soda Creek
Falls
A very quiet and pretty trail leads
from the South Santiam River to a tiny
crystal stream with a thin, 150-foot wa-
terfall. In summer, Soda Creek Falls is lit-
tle more than a dribble, while in winter, it
thunders down the canyon.
The hike begins at Cascadia State
Park, east of Sweet Home, and is 1.4
miles total with a 575-foot elevation
gain, making it an easy but sometimes a
steep trek.
The path begins on the far side of the
parking area and follows the creek up-
stream (there are wooden signs that are
easy to follow).
The farther you hike, the more narrow
the canyon becomes. The forest also be-
comes denser.
Once you reach the waterfall, there
are a few scramble trails worth exploring
through a slit in the rock walls — al-
though this can be fairly dangerous and
slippery.
Columbia Gorge Trails mostly
reopen
The Columbia Gorge is often a little
busy for my liking, but the upside is get-
ting to see many trails that have re-
opened since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.
Eagle Creek Trail itself, where the fire
started, finally reopened after years of
closure. Most of the other main water-
falls, with a few exceptions, are also open
for hiking now.
Check this website for the latest up-
dates:
https://readyset
gorge.com/land-status/.
Crater Lake ski or snowshoe
Winter is king at Oregon’s only na-
|
Holly farmers do own marketing
Jose Manzo puts the finishing touches on
a wreath at Mill Creek Holly Farm, which
does a lot of retail wreaths and
centerpieces on top of the cut holly many
farms do.
BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
In Celtic mythology, it symbolizes
peace and goodwill. Druids believed it
would guard against evil spirits and bad
luck. Harry Potter fans would be quick to
point out his wand is made from the wood
of a holly tree.
Crop thrives in the Northwest
Ilex, or holly, is a genus of evergreen
trees and shrubs containing hundreds of
species, varieties and hybrids.
English holly is the most commonly
grown species in the Northwest.
It thrives in the temperate climate and
rich soils of the Willamette Valley and was
introduced in Oregon in the late 1800s as a
market for holiday décor.
The Stump farm near Monmouth was
one of the first in the Mid-Valley to grow
holly as a commercial Christmas crop,
planting 14 acres of trees in about 1929.
Growing holly is not a get-rich-quick
enterprise. A tree takes several years to be
established for commercial production.
Demand for the greenery grew faster
than the trees.
The Capital Journal reported in mid-
December 1931 an unknown quantity of
trees were stolen from the Stump farm.
But by the late 1930s, the Stump farm
was cutting, packing and shipping thou-
sands of boxes of the seasonal greenery to
every state in the union, plus Alaska, Ha-
waii and England.
Several other farms across Marion and
Polk counties, including two near Silver-
ton, wanted in on the action and planted
holly orchards around this time.
The Willamette Valley quickly became
tional park. Forty-four feet of snowfall
blankets this collapsed volcano, making
it one of the snowiest inhabited places in
North America.
Roads are typically, but not always,
plowed to the Rim Village. The lake is
only visible 50 percent of the time, so
planning is key.
Sadly, the popular ranger-guided
snowshoe trips won’t take place for the
second winter in a row. It’s a bummer,
but you don’t actually need rangers for a
safe and good snowshoeing or skiing ex-
perience. The easiest option is to look for
good weather and drive up to the rim to
snowshoe or cross-country ski the Rim
Road — it’s just a road covered in snow,
except with the best views in the state.
One easy option is snowshoeing west
for 3 miles to the Wizard Island overlook
for a nice 6-mile round-trip trek. You can
also do overnight trips and camp near
the rim, with a view of the lake, by get-
ting a free backcountry permit. It’s 33-36
miles around the entire rim and a chal-
lenging winter adventure.
Winter entry is $20. You can get warm
food and snacks at the Rim Café and Gift
Shop from Thursday to Monday, from 10
am to 3 pm.
More info: https://www.nps.gov/
crla/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Detroit Lake fishing at low water
Fishing gets better the lower the water
goes at Detroit Lake, and winter can be a
great time to land a ton of rainbow trout
and kokanee.
The low water boat ramp at Mongold
is the access point that takes you down
among the stumps of the reservoir that is
lowered as the reservoir drops each rainy
season.
Boats are by far the easiest way to get
to the fish, but you can also bank fish.
The best spot is probably where Tumble
Creek Drops into the reservoir near Piety
Island.
Devil’s Peak Lookout in the snow
Abandoned more than 25 years ago,
the Devil’s Peak Lookout in the Mount
Hood National Forest offers a challeng-
ing hike with rewarding views of the
mountain and surrounding area.
Located near Government Camp, the
lookout is a sheltered location to get out
of the weather, and it is remarkably well-
stocked by volunteers. However, over-
night stays are prohibited, so either plan
to hike in and out on the same day or do
some snow camping at the peak.
In the winter and spring, the trail is
covered in snow, so be prepared and
make sure to bring microspikes or snow-
shoes.
The road to the trailhead can also be
snowy and it is not plowed, according to
Zigzag Ranger Station. However, part of
Ken Bajema was a teenager when his
father first planted holly on the family
farm in 1952.
"He was a schoolteacher in Portland
looking for something for his retirement
and thought it would be a lucrative busi-
ness to get into," Bajema said. "I guess it
was for some time."
Raising holly is much like farming oth-
er crops. Some years are leaner than oth-
ers.
Harvest runs mid-November through
mid-December, in some of the year's
worst weather. Orchard maintenance and
spraying for disease and insects is neces-
sary year-round.
In many cases, the families do the work
themselves.
Bajema left the farm when he went to
college and didn't return until after retir-
ing as a natural resource manager for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1988.
Columbia Gorge Holly Farms, located
about 10 miles east of Washougal, Wash-
ington, has 1,200 or so trees and sells pri-
marily to wholesalers and florists.
He and his wife, Dee, have always done
their own marketing.
They spent vacations visiting small-
town floral shops and attending trade
shows to build up their clientele and still
have many original customers.
Now they rely on reputation and word
of mouth, focusing on shipping the fresh-
est holly. One customer in Montana told
them she has thrown out just one piece in
15 years.
Small-time operation pushed to
limit
The initial harvest at Mill Creek Holly
Farms was in 1996, eight years after Don
Harteloo and his father planted the first
200 trees.
They educated themselves, touring
other holly orchards and seeking advice
from other farmers. A long-time holly
farmer in south Salem was Don's mentor.
One of their employees, Manuel "Jose"
Manzo, has more than three decades of
experience in the local holly industry. He
has been their foreman for more than 20
years.
The farm has sold as many as 2,000 10-
pound cases of holly in a season and em-
ployed as many as 30 people. It has
evolved in recent years from selling holly
the road is maintained by residents. I
recommend calling the ranger station
ahead of time to check conditions or be-
ing prepared to walk along the road a lit-
tle ways to the trail.
Diamond Lake snowmobiling, ice
fishing, recreation
Frosted-white evergreens zip past,
and frozen wind howls against your face
during a snowmobile trip over the moun-
tains or into the forest surrounding Dia-
mond Lake Resort.
The unofficial hub of Southern Cas-
cade snowmobiling is home to 300 miles
of groomed trails, including connections
to routes that run from Bend to Klamath
Falls.
The two most popular trails are the
20-mile route to the north rim of Crater
Lake and the climb up 8,376-foot Mount
Bailey.
Diamond Lake Resort offers snowmo-
bile rentals, along with a guided service
and a recovery service for those who get
their sled stuck off trail.
Diamond Lake also has a lodge where
you can stay, along with skiing, ice fish-
ing, tubing and a variety of other options.
Drift Creek Wilderness
If you’ve ever wanted to disappear
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021
|
3A
cuttings to creating custom holly gifts.
Sue Harteloo estimated they shipped
more than 500 of their signature wreaths
this Christmas. Their holly is dipped in an
expensive hormone solution before being
crafted into elegant decorations and again
after, so it will last longer.
They ship across the country, up and
down the East Coast, and to Canada.
"We're not big-time, either," Don Har-
teloo said. "We're a small-time operation.
A lot of other growers don't want to do re-
tail."
A three-person crew with a combined
40 years with the Harteloos couldn't make
wreaths and centerpieces fast enough
this season, logging 11-hour days, seven
days a week. Another person made bows.
"We wouldn't be what we are without
them," Sue Harteloo said.
'Sticky product' not for everyone
The holly tree that planted the seed is
visible from the workshop at Mill Creek
Holly Farms. They call it the granddaddy,
even though it is a female tree.
Only female holly trees produce ber-
ries, but they need male trees nearby for
pollination. Don Harteloo said they have
about 50 male trees in their orchard.
Extreme weather this year took a toll
on the trees. They lost 30 during the Feb-
ruary ice storm, and historic high temper-
atures in June left the south side of many
scorched.
After all that and picking up the slack
from a farm that ceased retail operations,
the Harteloos were reminded they won't
be able to carry on forever.
"It's a young person's business," Don
Harteloo said. "We enjoy it, but you'll have
a tough time finding many people who do.
It's a sticky product."
He and Sue have two daughters who so
far have shown no interest in taking over
the family business.
Bajema's children already are involved
in the operation at Columbia Gorge Holly
Farms, and they are likely to get more in-
volved.
Many farms haven't been as fortu-
nate, often leading to abandoned or ne-
glected orchards.
"People just gave up," Bajema said.
"They got old, and no one else wanted to
go in the holly business."
Capi Lynn is the Statesman Journal's
news columnist. Her column taps into
the heart of this community — its peo-
ple, history and issues. Contact her at
clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-
399-6710, or follow her on Twitter
@CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiL-
ynnSJ.
into the Oregon rainforest, swallowed in-
side a canyon of moss-wrapped trees
and banana slugs, head southeast of
Newport to Drift Creek Wilderness.
Drenched by 120 inches of annual
rainfall, Drift Creek is home to a carpet of
moss that claims everything without
legs in a celebration of every possible
shade of green. It pretty much always
stays snow-free except during the lowest
elevation snowstorms.
My favorite route is via Horse Creek
Trail, 8 miles round trip with over 1,000
feet of climb. Another one of two path-
ways that access the Drift Creek Wilder-
ness
Harris Ranch Trail is the other path-
way. It’s a bit quicker and easier to reach
off Highway 34.
Both trails drop about 4 miles from a
ridge down to Drift Creek itself, a tribu-
tary of the Alsea River, where you’ll find a
few backcountry camping areas or a spot
to rest during a day-hike.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors re-
porter in Oregon for 13 years and is host of
the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support
his work, subscribe to the Statesman
Journal. Urness is the author of “Best
Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking
Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at
zurness@StatesmanJournal.com
or
(503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at
@ZachsORoutdoors.
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