in other words
The Good Ol ’ Days
2016
By Tobie Finzel
Elmer Everett (Marrinda “Minnie”
Rollo) Nickerson. She and her
husband married in Kansas in 1888 and
Early Life and Commerce
moved to Vernonia in 1889 after an
After a recent museum board
meeting, Ralph Keasey was poring over eight month stay in Cornelius, Oregon.
The move from Cornelius took two
the late 1800s ledgers of his Detrick
relatives who operated lumber and grist days with an overnight stop at the “half
way house.” It took ten hours from
mills in the community of Pittsburg.
there to their new home in Vernonia.
The East Fork of the Nehalem had a
Her daily entries are brief notes about
small dam that provided waterpower
the work she accomplished, attendance
to the equipment. Cash was scarce so
at church and Sunday school, and who
goods were often purchased with farm
had visited or come to work with her.
products or labor.
We have photographs of her in later
Hours of labor, raw timber,
sacks of oats and potatoes, chicken and years when she was a cook at Camp
Benson near Clatskanie.
dozens of eggs seem to have been the
Leisure days were few and
more popular ways for customers to
far between. On Christmas Day
settle their bills for lumber, flour and
1889, there was a dance, presumably
other goods produced at the mills. As
at Zillgitt Hall, that was attended by
we reviewed the entries, we couldn’t
most of the town’s residents and a
help but wonder what the mill owners
Fourth of July picnic in 1890 complete
did with all those eggs. Finished
with a speaker and a dance later in
lumber and more durable products
could be hauled over Pittsburg Road to the evening. Mrs. Nickerson was a
participant in a Christmas entertainment
St. Helens, but there must have been
some local outlet for the eggs and other at Zillgitt Hall in 1890. Summer
perishables - perhaps one of the hotels Sundays often included boating on the
Nehalem, sometimes to visit people
or stores.
along the way. In her early twenties
The Detrick ledgers also
when these diaries were written, Minnie
contain notes about incoming and
noted frequent “sick headaches” and
outgoing shipments and other
being ill fairly often.
information about the business. Like
The most amusing notes were
the Virgil Powell and other pioneer
about a bear cub that her husband
diaries, the glimpses into life in those
brought home in February 1891. Over
times are frustratingly spare. This is
the next several weeks, scores of
further evidenced by another record
transcribed by former Vernonia museum people came daily to see the young
bear that they named Cubs. She noted
curator John Stofiel, the diary of Mrs.
that so many people were coming to
see the bear that she had no time to
do anything. By mid-April, the bear
“raised the Devil” and on April 27, her
husband took the bear back to Mr. Rose.
There seems to be a sense of relief
in that entry. This was good timing,
too, as the diarist gave birth to her first
child on May 5, 1891, with Dr. Newth
delivering and a Mrs. Ward staying with
her for the night.
Because diaries are written as
personal notes, the absence of detail on
last names, relationships and other facts
are often lost to the ages, but reading
them provides an intriguing snapshot
of life in “the good old days” of early
Vernonia.
From Virgil Powell’s Diary
Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long-
time resident whose family had a farm
in the Upper Nehalem Valley between
Natal and Pittsburg. Each year from
1906 until 1955, he kept a regular
diary of his activities. The rains were
heavy and mixed with snow in the early
spring of 1916, but the changeable
March weather also produced some
fine weather, too. Because the family
homestead spanned both sides of the
Nehalem River, he frequently mentions
building fords and repairing and
replacing bridges in his diary entries
over the years.
Wednesday, March 22, 1916:
Went over and got the mail
first thing in morning.
Worked a building a road
up to the little house over
the canyon part of the day.
Where Do You Read the Voice?
Andrea Grant just re-
turned from visiting her
friend Ronda Hill Pratsch
in Austria. Andrea and
Rhonda grew up togeth-
er, catching crawdads
in the creek and having
a good old time here in
Vernonia, and graduated
in 1993. Ronda went on
to work for HP where she
met her Austrian hus-
band and has been living
there for almost 10 years
now. Andrea finally got
the chance to go visit.
This photo is from their
day in the Inner District
of Vienna.
ra
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7
Rained quite a little all day
and river is up yellow.
Thursday, March 23: Built
fence along the river in
forenoon. Also fixed a new
fording place below gravel
bar. Finished making
road up to little house
in afternoon. Snowed
considerable in forenoon but
pretty fair in afternoon.
Friday, March 24: Plowed
most all forenoon. Snowed
and rained pretty hard all
day. Went up to Pittsburg
7 P.M. to see Lovell the
Automobile man.
Sunday, March 26: Worked
at fixing bridge from
washing out. The river is
the highest today that it has
been this winter. Washing
out lots of fence. Rained
considerable all day.
Monday, March 27: Went
up and put some cattle
over on East Fork first thing
in morning. Built fence
balance of the day. Put up
the rail fence that the river
washed down. Pretty fair
day.
Wednesday, March 29: Went
up on St. Helens road about
5 miles and cut the trees out
of the road. Got back about
3:45 P.M. Bright and fine all
day.
The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is
located at E. 511 Bridge Street and is
open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and
Sundays (excluding holidays) all year.
From June through mid-September,
the museum is also open on Fridays
from 1 – 4 pm. There is no charge for
admission but donations are always
welcome. Become a member of the
museum for an annual $5 fee to receive
the periodic newsletter. We now have
a page on the Vernonia Hands on Art
website, www.vernoniahandsonart.org
If you are a Facebook user, check out
the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page.
The museum volunteers are always
pleased to enlist additional volunteers
to help hold the museum open and
assist in other ways. Please stop by and
let one of the volunteers know of your
interest in helping out.
Tracy Morrison took a copy of the Voice to the Vernonia Loggers boys
basketball team’s win at the 2A State Championship on March 5 in Pendleton.
Pictured with Tracy are (clockwise) Torey Tolonen, Susan and Lauren Ely,
husband Jim Morrison, and Derek and Angie Handegard.
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