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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2020)
in other words july16 2020 13 The Good Ol ’ Days By Tobie Finzel Dewey Pool Revisited Our July 2019 column gave a detailed history of the summer pool created by the placement of a log dam on Rock Creek each year. The raising of the dam this year had to be delayed about three weeks due to the higher than usual flow caused by the heavy June rains. Most years, the pool is ready for play just after school is out in mid-June. We’re repeating some of the facts and figures from last July’s column but with so many welcome new faces in town, some history bears repeating. We also include a poem with permission of our unofficial Poet Laureate, Kala Cota, who recently posted it on Facebook. Perhaps by the time this edition of the Voice comes out, we might be enjoying some warmer summer weather and the pool. The transformation of Rock Creek into a creek-fed swimming hole is one of the most charming small town features in Vernonia. It has been enjoyed by young and old alike for over 80 years. In May 1936, the Vernonia Chamber of Commerce discussed a po- tential swimming hole in Rock Creek initiated by a pe- tition from the students of Vernonia High School. The General Manager of Miller’s Mercantile, L.H. Dewey, championed the project and made the largest cash do- nation ($10) of all who contributed. Two years later, the pool became a reality with the design scaled back from the initial concept and made a seasonal pool just upstream from the Rock Creek Bridge. City taxes were used to complete the project. The May 27, 1938, Vernonia Eagle announced that the pool was now open and named for Mr. Dewey who was also park board chairman. The playgrounds and pool- side area, now known as Hawkins Park, was the lone city park at that time. It also housed the high school football stadium during the years the first high school was located on A Street between State and Washington. A catwalk across the creek was the students’ shortcut to the stadium and the pool from the opposite shore. The Eagle article touted the new pool proudly and noted that more than 350 children and adults used it the day it opened. This year, Robb Wilson made his traditional opening day plunge, but the cooler weather meant that few joined him. The wading pool and other improvements were added in later decades with the original lifeguard tower moved back behind the shallow pool once it was in place. The Vernonia Lions Club has been instrumental over the past several years in enhancing and maintain- ing this valuable community resource. In 2017, they raised the funds to completely reline the wading pool and have made several enhancements to the stairs and seating area. Most recently, a new log replaced the de- caying one in the seasonally placed dam. The pool has been a favorite summer hangout for children and teens since its inception. Old timers recall the daily swims there throughout the warm- er months, and there are a few tales of adults skinny dipping at midnight. Visitors and residents alike are charmed by the quaint swimming hole known as Dew- ey Pool. Thanks, Les Dewey, and the VHS students of the 1930s! And thanks to the Vernonia Lions Club for keeping it for current and future generations. Kala Cota grew up in Vernonia and enjoyed the pool along with her friends and schoolmates. She recently shared this poem in a Vernonia community Facebook post: The Old Swimming Pool The old swimming pool, right in the middle of town! It’s a great place to just hang around. They dam up Rock Creek to make a nice spot For the whole town to relax when it gets hot. How many towns can say that? We like to boast! Our quaint country town, an organic pool hosts! Oh, it’s organic all right! There’s lot of good stuff If you put your head under water, you’ll see enough! Crawdads and periwinkles, algae and rocks, No heated pool, this is the school of hard knocks! So many memories have been made on that river Staying in it until dark, oh, how we’d shiver! We spent afternoons there, a summertime treat! The old swimming pool, that can’t be beat! Out in the country we know how to make do. If you grew up in Vernonia you remember it, too. From Virgil Powell’s Diary Virgil Powell was a long-time resident who 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. Hardworking but still young and single, Virgil took advantage of the good weather and summer fun. We do not know what kind of dam he helped build on the Pringle place but assume it was to retain some Nehalem River flow for watering stock and garden. Notice is hereby given that on November 3, 2020, an election will be held for the purpose of electing board director(s) to the following positions for the Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District: Positions: Zone 2, 4 years; Zone 4, 4 years; Zone 5, 4 years; At Large 1, 4 years Zone boundaries, eligibility requirements, and copies of the required elec- tions forms may be obtained at the SWCD Office located at 35285 Millard Road, St. Helens, OR 97051 503.433.3205 Election forms and information may also be found at: https://oda.direct/Elections Each candidate must file a “Declaration of Candidacy” and a “Petition for Nomination Signature Sheet” with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Division. The filing deadline is 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2020. Tuesday, July 19: Graded road till about 11 A.M. and finished. Then went down to Pringles and worked on the dam the balance of the day. Awful hot all day. Wednesday, July 20: Went down and worked on the dam till noon. Went out on fire patrol in the afternoon. Pretty hot all day. Saturday, July 23: Hauled gravel all day and done quite a bit. Went up to Vernonia after supper. Ed. s. and I drove over on Crooked Creek to a party but only stayed a few minutes. Left Vernonia at 7.45 and got back home at 12.15. Pretty cool most all day. After a day of picking berries it was our reward. Jump off that old bus and that’s what we’d run for. The dust from the day and those berry stains After an hour in that creek, nothing remained. NOTICE OF ELECTION FOR DISTRICT DIRECTORS OF THE COLUMBIA SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Sunday, July 17: Was home till noon. Went up to the ball game at Vernonia in the afternoon between Mist and Vernonia. Score Mist 21 Vernonia 8. Pretty warm day. Took a little drive up above Vernonia after the ball game. Went up about 4 miles. Got home about 7.30. Thursday, July 21: Took Kit and Daisy up and had them shod in the forenoon. Done several little jobs around home in the afternoon. Received a postal from Grady. Cloudy most all day and looks very much like rain. The kiddie pool too! We’d wait for that day When mom said the big pool was finally okay! Stay away from the dam or you’ll get kicked out The lifeguard on duty would be sure to shout! Saturday, July 9, 1910: Raked hay till about 3 P.M. and finished the piece back of field. Willie Pringle helped me shock and we almost finished. Awful hot all day. Started for the party at Hall’s at 8. Got back home at 3.30. Certainly will remember this party. Picking roses for further orders. Sunday, July 10. Did not get up till about 8 A.M. Hitched up about 12.30 and went up and we went for a ride. Came down to Pittsburg and was down on the old picnic grounds about all afternoon. All kinds of fun. Got home about 6.30. Awful hot all day. Sunday, July 24: Was around home all morning. Started down the river in the buggy about 12.15 P.M. Saw Olga and we went down as far as Vesper for a ride. Had a dandy good trip. Warren and May came up to Elliotts. Got back home at 7.30. Pretty warm in the afternoon. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is located at 511 E. Bridge Street and is normally open all year from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (excluding national holidays, Easter and Mothers’ Day.) 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, and if you are a Facebook user, check out the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page and our page on Vernonia Hands on Art website, www.vernoniahandsonart.org. 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. TOO BUSY? 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