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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2017)
community february16 2017 3 The Ku Klux Klan and My Grandmother’s House in Vernonia continued from front page electricity, its work buildings cement, houses and a dance hall. isters became deeply involved in the its equipment the best. It pounded out At the same time that O and A new Klan. The message behind the new the timber -- 350,000 board feet for each was transforming this community, the face of the Klan also emphasized social of two eight hour shifts. By 1924, there revival of the Ku Klux Klan was trans- activities and business agendas like re- were 1,500 souls in the town and then, forming Oregon and some of it strongest ferrals and mutual marketing. Accord- by 1928, 2,500. A company town of outposts were communities at the edge ing to Professor Thomas Pegram, who sixty or so structures grew up on what of the great Douglas fi r forests, like Ver- wrote recently of the rise and fall of the people called O and A hill. Management nonia, Tillamook and St. Helens. Klan in the 1920s: lived in a row of craftsman homes while From its founding in 1865 in “Within the restricted spheres smaller worker bungalows tumbled Pulaski, Tennessee by confederate vet- of religious, racial and often gender ex- down the hill toward the town and along erans, the Klan has had several incarna- clusivity, the Klan provided meaningful the east side of the mill pond. tions, the fi rst characterized by its resis- community and sociability for its mem- Oregon American and its owner, tance to reconstruction and the growing bers.” Central Coal and Coke, brought several political power of Blacks in the South. The New York Times, in its re- of their southern workers to Vernonia Increasingly, it became a terrorist orga- view of Professor Pegram’s book, One with them, and many were minorities. nization and extremely violent. By the Hundred Percent American, described The 1930 census had 96 Filipinos liv- time federal troops put down the rebel- the twenties version of the Klan as “sort ing in Vernonia, 55 African Americans, lion, the terror had been successful and of Rotary, for white supremacists.” 51 Japanese, 5 Hindus and one Eskimo. reconstruction overturned along with Part of this sense of belonging Those who worked at the mill and lived the rights of former slaves. Another in- in Oregon came from early political in Vernonia were well below the O and carnation was the civil rights era in the success. The Klan messaging in Ore- A Hill, segregated by race in shacks and 1960s when the Klan became even more gon was working. Few African Ameri- in a hastily put up boarding house. The secretive and violent, though its efforts cans then lived in Oregon and the state census worker called the area “Down were less successful. was more than 90% Protestant, leading River Road” to distinguish to a focus on anti-Catholicism Governor Olcott tried to rally the anti- it from O and A Hill “Up along with vigilantism against River Road.” It was located bootleggers and speakeasies, Klan community in the state: across Rock Creek, close by public drunkenness and marital “The time has come to determine wheth- the high school ball fi eld. infi delity. er our state government shall maintain Those minorities The Klan helped put its orderly way, controlled by the voice that didn’t live on Down together and backed a ballot River Road were scattered measure in 1922 that required of all the people, or whether it shall be in a few locations in the all children within the state to turned over to some secret clique or town, in logging camps attend public schools, shutting clan, to be made the tool of invisible outside of town, or in a big down the parochial schools of boarding house for Japanese the Catholic Church. Governor forces, working in the dark toward aims rail workers on St. Helens Benjamin J. Olcott, a Republi- unknown to others than themselves.” Road. Some worked for the can, was vigorously anti-Klan railroad, some owned laundries, some The Klan’s appearance in 1920s and against the Klan’s Compulsory Ed- cooked, one was a musician in the dance America was different, rising from what ucation Act. hall and another was the proprietor of a would have been called ‘the new media’ Some vigilante episodes in pool hall, but the biggest employer was of its day. The release of D. W. Griffi th’s Medford led the Governor to attack the the mill. fi lm Birth of a Nation portrayed a Klan Klan in the middle of a vicious primary Not all lived on platted streets. struggling against a hostile world order fi ght against a Klan-backed candidate. Gessaro Kuge and his wife Takae ran that favored immigrants, Catholics and Olcott could feel his government slip- a boarding house located by the census Blacks over whites and Protestants, en- ping away in the face of 58 Klaverns taker as ‘by the river across the tracks.’ dangering their women and fl ooding the across the state. Some, like Tillamook, Mr. Kuge was a timber sorter at the country with people who didn’t speak LaGrande, St. Helens, and Medford mill as were most of the eight boarders. English. The Klan in the early twenties were clearly in the thrall of the Klan; They had fi ve children, four boys and was organized much like we would orga- their public offi cials and law enforce- one girl, the eldest 16 and the youngest nize it today -- targeting specifi c groups, ment were Klan members or Klan sup- one month. Takae described her voca- tailoring messages to time and place and porters. The Medford Mail Tribune tion as ‘cook.’ Oregon American paid its offering substantial fi nancial rewards for fought the Klan, but in Tillamook the minority workers the same as the whites. success. paper supported the Klan. About 500 people worked at the mill site Klan membership soared na- Two weeks before the 1922 pri- at its peak and another 200 at its logging tionally to somewhere around 2-3 mil- mary, Olcott tried to rally the anti-Klan camps in the forest. lion members, with about 35,000 in Or- community in the state: In 1928, the town contained egon. “The time has come to deter- nine churches, two theaters, seven ho- The focus on membership was mine whether our state government shall tels, three schools, two auto repair shops, on existing organizations like the Ma- maintain its orderly way, controlled by four pool rooms, fi ve bars and taverns, sons and Elks as well as Protestant the voice of all the people, or whether it four doctors, three dentists, two whore- churches and evangelicals. Many min- shall be turned over to some secret clique Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors Chip Bubl Brent Davies Tobie Finzel Karen Miller Shannon Romtvedt Bob Royer Debbie Taylor Photography Jessika Goodman Scott Laird Donna Webb Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com One year subscriptions (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com or clan, to be made the tool of invisible forces, working in the dark toward aims unknown to others than themselves. The true spirit of Americanism resents bigotry, abhors secret machinations and terrorism and demands that those who speak for or in her cause, speak openly, their faces to the sun.” Olcott barely survived his pri- mary election but went down in the gen- eral after the Klan threw its support to the democrat, Walter M. Pierce, who hailed from another strong KKK com- munity, La Grande. The Compulsory Education Act was approved by the voters and Klansman Kaspar K. Kubli, (No I’m not making this up) was elected Speaker of the Oregon House of Repre- sentatives. The legislature soon passed the Alien Property Act, designed to deny Cedar Side Inn continued on page 5 FULL SPORTS PACKAGE! Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 Karaoke EVENTS Every 2nd & Last Friday Taco Tuesday from opening until 9pm 3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25 Ladies’ Night every Thursday 6pm-close • Free Pool • Free WiFi • Specialty Pizzas iheck our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events 756 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-5841 Sat, Feb. 18 Triple Edge • Specialty hamburgers • 8 Draft beers & mixed drinks • 5 Craft beers on tap • Pool tables & satelite TV • Free Wi-fi • Beer & Kegs to go Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight • 733 Bridge St, Vernonia Sun, March 5 Texas Hold ‘em “BIKER FRIENDLY” Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM • 503-429-9999
