Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Page 9
Michael Yanase
Jeweler and owner of
Yanase Jewelers
Age: 50
Lived in Illinois Valley:
23 years
Secretary of the Kerby
Belt #18 Masonic Lodge
How did you get into
working with jewelry?
I broke my back and neck
in a car accident and I was
laid up. A friend’s father
owned a jewelry supply
store and wanted to know
if I wanted to shoot waxes, which is the grunt work of the
jewelry industry. It just started from there and I have devel-
oped a passion for it.
Did you jump right into jewelry making?
Yeah. It was a long apprenticeship. Back then you didn’t go
to school and get a ‘sheepskin’ for it. You worked under a
master, or two or three.
What is the most outrageous jewelry you’ve made?
I did the signet jewelry for the DeLorean Motor Company.
I’ve done lots of things from very elegant and petite to ‘Oh
my God, I can’t believe they’re wearing that!’ It’s kind of a
personal thing. What’s ugly to me may not be ugly to some-
body else.
What are some of your hobbies?
I like to travel and my wife and I have a passion to try and see
as much as we can see around here. If there is a road and it
has two ends we will eventually have driven on it. I also raise
exotic dogs and I like music.
How did you get into raising dogs?
I bought a dog and I got a male and they had puppies and I
realized that’s a way you can make money. I raise poodles
and Yorkshire Terriers and Chihuahuas.
What is something you have seen driving in the valley that
surprised you?
Everything around here blows my mind. We live in a great
place. We’re an 90 minutes from anything you want to see.
From the ocean to the mountains to the snow, this is beautiful
country. I wish the economy was better here because it cer-
tainly has everything else.
What else do you like about living in Illinois Valley?
There are some awfully decent people that live here and if
you really have a problem they come out of the woodwork to
help you. That small town attitude doesn't exist very many
other places. You have the small town politics and the rumor
mill but that is a small price to pay for the beauty and warmth
of the people.
What other types of work have you done here?
When I first moved up here there was no money to be made
doing what I do. I became a paramedic and spent 13 years
here running up and down the road trying to save the world.
In 1994 the climate had changed and we decided to try and
open this store. We’re not getting rich but we’re able to live
where we want to live.
What is your favorite metal to work with as a jeweler?
I like gold. Yellow and white gold are my favorite metals. I
do work in silver but I rarely work in platinum because I per-
sonally don’t care for it.
If you weren’t a jeweler and business man what would
you be doing?
I probably would have gone into the medical field, human or
animal.
What is your favorite ice cream?
I’m on the Dr. Atkin’s Diet, so none. I guess if I get a craving
for chocolate I could probably harp down half a dozen choco-
late bars at once, but that doesn’t happen very often. I’ve just
never had much of a sweet tooth.
— Interview by Steve Fairchild
Last week’s article discussed spotted knapweed, star
thistle and Russian knapweed. The BLM has a booklet that
explains noxious weeds of Oregon. Copies are available at
the I.V. Visitor Center and at the Kerbyville Museum. The
U.S. Forest Service will also have herbarium specimens of
these weeds which can be studied at the Kerbyville Mu-
seum.
Speaking of the museum, I have recently become reac-
quainted with the amazing numbers of nifty objects that are
on display there. One in particular that caught my eye was
a buckskin suit that probably belonged to Ezra Meeker. For
students of the Oregon Trail, the name Ezra Meeker has
special significance. But let me tell a bit about the first suit.
In 1943 there was a Hill Ranch out on Holland Loop,
east of where the Holland Store is located. The ranch area
is now called Three Creeks Winery. Bob Hill, who owned
the ranch in 1943, was later killed in a car accident.
The Hill Ranch had a large old house that was not be-
ing used at the time. Jack Heald, a high school senior, had
some spare time and with a friend, explored around inside
the vacant house. In an upstairs closet they found the buck-
skin suit. Inside a pocket of the suit was a picture postcard
of Meeker wearing the suit, or one very similar to it. The
suit was used at least once in a local parade and was later
donated to the museum.
Meeker probably did not live in Illinois Valley. But he
may have visited the area, or at least his suit was brought
to Holland Loop where it stayed until 1943. Meeker, and
his suit, had become well known along the Oregon Trail
and as far east as Washington, D.C. and New York City
from 1906 until his death in 1928.
Meeker was born in 1830 in Ohio and moved with his
family to Indiana in 1837. His father was a miller and part-
time farmer and meeker, spending little time in school,
worked on his father’s farm.
He married Eliza Sumner in 1851 and that same year
the young couple headed west to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The
next spring the Meekers and their newborn child were on
their way to Oregon with an ox team and covered wagon.
Instead of Oregon, Meeker and his family, along with
his brother, went north and settled at the south end of
Puget Sound. He helped to start the town of Puyallup,
Wash. And became the first mayor. This is near today’s
Tacoma and there is a nearby town named Sumner, possi-
bly named for his wife’s relatives.
Meeker eventually became a hop farmer and by 1885
he was known as “Hop King of the World.” The Meekers
also became very wealthy until 1891 when the “hop louse”
destroyed their crops.
He then tried other crops, gold mining in Alaska and
perhaps Illinois Valley, and wrote some books. In 1906, at
age 76, he decided to publicize the Oregon Trail. He ob-
tained and wagon and two oxen, ‘Dandy’ and ‘Dave,’ and
headed east along the path he had followed in 1852.
Along the way he wrote articles for newspapers, made
speeches to local groups and encouraged area citizens and
towns to set up monuments and markers to commemorate
the trail.
In the East, he met with President Teddy Roosevelt
and called on Congress to mark the trail across the country.
He repeated this trek in 1910 by ox team but with more
publicity. He traveled the Oregon Trail later by automobile
and airplane to repeat his efforts.
His time and troubles eventually were successful and
in 1930 a nationwide celebration concerning the Oregon
Trail took place. However, Meeker made his last trip in
1928 and became ill. He spent time in a Detroit hospital
and then returned to Seattle where he died on Dec. 3, 1928
at age 98. His efforts to bring recognition to the importance
of the Oregon Trail throughout the USA were a great con-
tribution to an understanding or our history.
One of the important services provided by the Illinois
Valley Community Response Team is the Community
Grant program, which makes available $500 grants to area
organizations or groups undertaking a worthwhile activity
that will benefit the valley.
The grant application is a simple two-page form and
turnaround can be quite short. After review by the appro-
priate CRT committee, a recommendation is presented to
the board at the next business meeting for a vote.
This is the third year for this program. The board de-
cided last September in adopting the annual budget to in-
crease the amount available from $5,000 to $7,500.
Sixteen grants were awarded since last October, in-
cluding two from last year, totaling $7,655. The remaining
$835 is still available.
A variety of different projects were assisted by the pro-
gram: The first award of the year was to the Rough and
Ready Buyout Association to use as a match for a state
grant to assist in feasibility studies and developing a busi-
ness plan for a possible Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
Lorna Byrne Middle School received two awards; the first
was for the Wise Guys After-School Program and the sec-
ond to support the library enhancement project to update
books for the accelerated reading program, research refer-
ence and classics. The other award for education was to
Dome School for the Hope Mountain Barter Faire to raise
funds.
Two awards were made to support youth sports teams.
I.V. Little League received funds to help with the purchase
of a banner to be displayed in Downtown Cave Junction to
increase community involvement in and awareness of their
activities. With cutbacks in school sports because of the
state budget crisis, the IVHS Booster Club received a do-
nation to its campaign to restore the junior varsity and
Lorna Byrne football programs.
Tourism got a boost through several grants. Funds
went to the city of Cave Junction to help fund the welcome
sign and fountain at the South end of town. Wildland Tiger
Trax received support in its effort to form a nonprofit or-
ganization, making it eligible for grants and tax deductible
donations. Two festivals received financial assistance to
help with their events. Funds to the Wild Blackberry Festi-
val were used to help with procuring bands to provide mu-
sic during the weekend to increase the drawing power.
Shining Stars which is in the process of forming a 501 c3,
promoted its second music and craft festival this summer.
Proceeds from all its fund-raising events will go to sup-
porting programs for all valley young people. The Art
Walk received a grant to help cover costs for its third sea-
son of bringing music to the valley and highlighting valley
(Continued on page 14)
at
Out ‘N About
Treehouses
Saturday,
Aug. 30
8 p.m. to midnight
Adults - $7.50
Students - $5
Children - FREE