The Good Ol ’ Days By Tobie Finzel The Pebble Creek Dairy Millie Thacker Graves, VHS Class of 1953, grew up in Vernonia and is historian for her and her husband’s (Selwyn Graves, VHS 1947) family. She recently shared an article she wrote about her father-in- law’s dairy and gave us permission to excerpt it for our column. Oliver Graves and several other family mem- bers came to Vernonia from Sumrall, Mississippi, in the mid-1920s. They all found jobs in the construction of the Oregon-American Lumber Mill, although one brother-in-law, Sidney Ratcliff, soon moved into the printing business and worked for newspapers including the Vernonia Eagle. Because of the housing shortage caused by the rapid increase in population due to the new mill, Oliver converted a chicken house into living quarters near the Nehalem River on what is now Lone Pine Road. He sent for his wife and young daughter, Florieda, to join him. In the late 1920s, he built a house for the family on O-A Hill. The inside of the house burned in the early 1930s so he gutted and rebuilt it. A short time after that, he bought and remodeled the Omar Spencer home which was close to the other house. The com- bined homestead was known as the Spencer Farm. In the early 1930s, Oliver built a large chicken house behind his O-A Hill home and began raising and selling chickens, five thousand at a time. Like many other families, the Graves had a cow for their own milk needs. Oliver reasoned that a few more would not be that much extra work, so he bought five cows and be- gan to sell the surplus milk. He soon built his own pasteurizing plant behind the house. This was the start of the Pebble Creek Dairy, named for the ninety acre farm on Pebble Creek Road he subsequently acquired from Ed Malmsten in 1935. He continued to manage both farms, expanding the dairy herd on the Malmsten place to twenty-four cows. Oliver established a milk route for home deliv- ery using a pickup truck to make deliveries to Vernonia homes and the surrounding area. Customers included the cookhouse and residents at Camp Eight, four miles east of Pittsburg; the Sunset Highway construction camp in Manning; and O-A’s Camp McGregor. The Camp McGregor delivery was a two-part process: Oli- ver took the large milk cans to Keasey where they were put on the speeder, a small motorized rail car, and Dar- rell Devaney took them out to the camp. When the road to Camp McGregor improved, deliveries were made by truck. At first Oliver made all the deliveries himself, but later he used other drivers, especially relatives. Younger family members made bottle deliveries. His son, Selwyn, remembers one hot summer day when he and his uncle, Ernest, were driving a load of five and ten gallon cans to Camp McGregor. Ernest accidental- ly maneuvered the truck into a ditch, spilling the con- tents of the cans inside the truck. The milk swooshed in other words may21 2015 forward, backward and all over the inside of the truck and its occupants. By the time they returned home, the milk had soured and smelled awful. Even though Selwyn continued to milk the dairy’s thirty-two cows, he never drank milk again. Selwyn also recalls the day the panel truck broke down and couldn’t be repaired quickly enough to make deliveries. Oliver spoke with Jewett Bush who ran the town mortuary and arranged to use the hearse as a delivery wagon until the truck was back in service. We don’t know what the customers thought of the un- orthodox milk van, but we presume they were glad to receive their orders on time. The Graves family operated the dairy until 1946 when they sold it to Al and Marie Stager. The Stagers kept the name, Pebble Creek Dairy, despite the fact that they lived on the road to the airport off of Tim- ber Route. From Virgil Powell’s Diary Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long-time resident whose family had a farm in the Upper Nehalem Val- ley between Natal and Pittsburg. Each year from 1906 until 1955, he kept a regular diary of his activities. In May 1910, Virgil, still a single young man, went by steamship from St. Helens to Portland where he bought a new buggy for $78.50. 7 Poured down rain terrible hard till noon. George and I went up and stayed over night with Jack Ray. Had a dandy time. Did not rain very much in the afternoon. Thursday, May 26, 1910: George and I went down to Mist in the buggy. Started down at 10:45 and got to Mist at 12:25. Was around Mist till about 3 P.M. Had a dandy talk with Grady. Got back home at 5:30. Rained pretty hard in the morning but fine in the afternoon. Saturday, May 28, 1910: Was around the house most all day. Started down to Mist after Grady at 4:30. Got to Mist at 6:30, left Mist at 6:40 and got to Vernonia at 9:10. Danced till about 4 A.M. It was a fine dance. Rained a little in the evening. Sunday, May 29, 1910: The dance broke up at 4 A.M. Went over to the hotel and bummed around till about 7 A.M. Then hitched up and started for Mist. Turned the buggy over down by Natal and cer- tainly had a great time. Got to Mist about 10:30. Got back home at 1:15. Went to bed for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. Awful hot in the afternoon. Saturday, May 21, 1910: Bummed around The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is located at E. 511 town all morning. Came down to St. Bridge Street and is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays Helens at 2:30 P.M. on the Iralda. Got to and Sundays (excluding holidays) all year. From June St. H. at 5:15 P.M. Went out to the skating through mid-September, the museum is also open on rink in the evening and certainly had a Fridays from 1 – 4 pm. There is no charge for admis- dandy time. Met several St. H. girls also sion but donations are always welcome. Become a saw Bertha. Went to the dance at Houlton member of the museum for an annual $5 fee to receive after the skating. Got to bed about 2 A.M. the periodic newsletter. We now have a page on the Vernonia Hands on Art website, www.vernoniahandso- Very hot all day. Sunday, May 22, 1910: Left St. H. about 9 nart.org If you are a Facebook user, check out the Ver- A.M. Came over in my new buggy. George nonia Pioneer Museum page. The museum volunteers came over with me. Got over here at 1:30 are always pleased to enlist additional volunteers to P.M. Did not do much of anything in the help hold the museum open and assist in other ways. Please stop by and let one of the volunteers know of afternoon. Very hot all day. Monday, May 23, 1910: Started up Rock your interest in helping out. Creek about 10 A.M. George went up with me. We went up about 6 miles. Came back to continued from front page Vernonia about 2:30 P.M. Fooled around heating and cooling; heating from lo- said Commissioner Hyde. “Our LEED Vernonia all after- cal biomass fuel; local materials and Platinum and Green Globes designa- noon. Took some- labor; and wetland education features. tions means that this building will con- body for a buggy ride Overall, annual energy efficiencies tinue to give back to our kids and the after supper. Went up will result in long-term operational community and the state.” to the second bridge savings for the school district. “We have rebuilt, redesigned above Vernonia. Got “This represents what I have and reinvented our school and our back to Vernonia at always called the rural definition of community over the past eight years,” 12 and home at 1 sustainability–where the local econo- said School Superintendent Miller. A.M. Very hot all day. my, natural resources and communi- “This building and our programs will Tuesday, May 24, ty’s own identity all work together to serve our kids and our community for 1910: Did not get push a community toward its future,” decades to come.” up till pretty late. School Celebrates LEED Platinum Insurance sending you in the wrong direction? Let us send you in the right direction. Terry’s Gym Use your life insurance while you’re alive Many people don’t realize that they may be able to use life insurance to help pay off a mortgage, pay for an education, or be part of a sound retirement plan. Let’s get together to find a policy that fits your needs. Sheryl Teuscher Rainier JOIN THE TEAM! 503-556-0186 sheryl.teuscher@ countryfinancial.com Policy loans and withdrawals decrease the cash value and face amount of the policy. 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