in other words
december21
2017
7
The Good Ol ’ Days
By Tobie Finzel
we have no information. The December
2007 water reached higher than the top
of that six foot cellar door.
Stories and pictures in the Ver-
nonia Eagle newspaper are remarkably
similar to those of the more recent floods:
all roads into the area were submerged;
there were landslides on the roads be-
tween Vernonia and Mist, Timber, and
Scappoose; the flats near the confluence
of Rock Creek and the Nehalem flooded
bringing damage to the former schools
and school district office, and the for-
mer restaurant at Bridge and Washing-
ton; and homes on the east side of the
Nehalem along Mist Drive in the area
previously known as Riverview were
flooded.
Last spring the Vernonia Library
hosted a community conversation on the
2007 flood and asked participants to
share the lighter side of this event with
a focus on lessons learned and the good
works of individuals. Our resident poet,
Kala Cota, was unable to attend but sent
a poem she had written entitled “Christ-
mas in Our Neck of the Woods,” based
on “The Night Before Christmas.” With
her permission we share a few stanzas:
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. Although December 2017 has
been very dry, one hundred years ago
the rains were heavy in November and
December.
and fanning mill. Rained
considerable all day.
Flood Memories
Thursday, December 20: Pulled
Ten years ago this month, Ver-
and hauled in turnips all day
nonia experienced its second “500 year
and got most of them in. Very
flood” in eleven years. With the expe-
good day.
rience gained from the flood of 1996,
Friday, December 21: Went
citizens and community leaders rallied
down to Oak Ranch after the
to help save lives and start the long re-
Friday, December 14, 1917:
cattle 7:15 A.M. and returned
covery as soon as the waters receded.
Went around by Pittsburg and
12:30 but did not get them.
Residents who lived here during either
got the mail first thing in the
Rained pretty hard all day.
or both of those events have many per-
morning. Hauled some planks
sonal stories to tell of the courage, dedi-
Saturday, December 22: Went
up the hill and fixed the barn
cation and hard, muddy work that helped
up to Pittsburg and put in a
in afternoon. Rained some
the community recover.
gate in covered bridge. Very
all day. Foot bridge washed
The topography of the Upper
good most of the day.
around.
Nehalem Valley produces an ideal situ-
Saturday, December 15: Went
ation for flooding when sufficient rain or
The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is located
up to Vernonia 9:30 A.M. with
rapidly melting snow suddenly increas-
at 511 E. Bridge Street and is open from
Art in wagon and returned
es the river’s volume. The Nehalem
3:30 P.M. Took beans up and
1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (ex-
rises in the Coast Range east of Timber
thrashed
them.
Fanned.
cluding holidays) all year. From June
and nearly doubles its size as it passes
Rained
considerable
all
day.
through mid-September, the museum
through Vernonia and receives the wa-
is also open on Fridays from 1 – 4 pm.
ters of Rock Creek which also begins in
Sunday, December 16: Went
There is no charge for admission but do-
the same mountains. From its source,
over and up Boales Creek after
nations are always welcome. Become
the river makes a wide circle almost
salmon. Also up to Boales
a member of the museum for an annual
120 miles long before emptying into the
place. Got home 3 P.M. Rained
$5 fee to receive the periodic newsletter.
Pacific at Nehalem Bay. With the hilly
pretty hard all day and the
We now have a page on the Vernonia
terrain through which both streams pass,
river up pretty high.
Hands on Art website, www.vernonia-
there are few places for excess water to
Monday, December 17:
handsonart.org If you are a Facebook
go but up.
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town
Thrashed oats part of
user, check out the Vernonia Pioneer
Floods have af-
Everyone was praying the floodwaters would go down
day. Rained awful hard
Museum page. The museum volunteers
fected this part of the
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
all day. Received my
are always pleased to enlist additional
valley for millennia, but
Thank goodness Santa was coming by air.
check from Lumbermans
volunteers to help hold the museum open
they have only been doc-
Engineering
Co.
$32.50.
and assist in other ways. Please stop by
umented since the area The children were nestled all snug in their beds
and let one of the volunteers know of
was settled in the 1870s. Whiles the news helicopters flew over head
Wednesday, December
your interest in helping out.
And ma in her raincoat and me in my ball cap
19: Went over in the
Pioneer diaries mention
Had just jumped in the dingy to take one more lap.
sled and got the beans
the need to replace foot-
bridges, loss of hay stores Sand bags were flying as they were placed in tight stacks
in outbuildings, stranded Everyone looked like St. Nick carrying his pack.
or drowned farm animals, The sump pumps were in tune, a nice cheery sound
and having boats tied at And though things looked bleak, there was nary a frown.
continued from page 6
the ready to front porch They all worked together, even laughter was heard
Auxier, Dickerson, and Evans already have a vision for how the new position
posts. At the Vernonia They’d been through this before and they had all learned
will be used. Beginning in January, the prosecutor and PO will work together
Museum, we have an up-
Someone will be there in your hour of need,
to identify defendants who truly have the potential to succeed on probation.
right from a doorjamb that The sun will come up and the water will recede.
Then, when the defendants are identified, the sheriff’s deputy will focus his or
was in the basement of
her patrol efforts on these particular offenders to make sure they are following
a house on Grant and A We headed back home in our trusty yellow boat
the rules.
Streets. On it are marked Down past the goal posts and we took note
“This collaboration supports the use of evidence-based probation
the flood heights from The floodwaters may rise, but they can’t dampen our spirits
practices by increasing the effectiveness of supervision, targeting criminogen-
eight previous events: The wind may blow and at time we might fear it.
ic risks through treatment, and providing swift and certain consequences for
February 1949, Decem-
violations. These practices have been found to increase public safety, reduce
But in our little town, when the sun finally comes up
ber 1955, January 1964, We’ll hop in our trucks with a full coffee cup
recidivism and improve offender outcomes,” said Evans.
January 1972 (two floods Go check on our neighbors and see how they did fare
The grant award means that the DA, the Sheriff, and the probation
department have $1,114,337 additional dollars to spend on personnel at no ex-
within two weeks), Janu-
And find that Santa, once again, made it this year.
pense to the Columbia County budget. Since the Criminal Justice Commission
ary 1974, and February
requires that a certain amount of their grant funds go to county victim services
1996. The second 1972 flood was said From Virgil Powell’s Diary
agencies,
the remaining $120,000 will go to the Amani Center and Safe of
to be worse than one in 1937 for which Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long-
Columbia County.
Columbia County Awarded
Grant
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