Port Orford Deep Water Harbor — The KEY to the Development of the Vast Natural Wealth of the Mid-Pacific Coast Empire
PORT ORFORD NEW£
VOL.
Port Orford Cedar Has
Varied Use; Good Market
(E ditor’s Note—The follow ing
article, appearing in the January, January Weather
1929, issue of The Timberman, is
At Port Orford
reprinted by special permission of
W eather statistics, as kept by
D ant & R ussell, Incorporated, of
A cting Cooperative Observer A. P.
Portland, Oregon; copyright 1929;
Johnston, at Port Orford—latitude
unauthorized reproduction prohib­
42:44, longitude 124:30—for the
ited.)
month o f January, 1929, show 13
clear days, 5 partly clear days, and
(Continued)
13 cloudy days, with a total pre­
Historic Foundations Support
cipitation of 10.25 inches for the
N ew Mill,
month. The daily range of tem-
No account of the lasting quali perature was
ties of Port Orford cedar piling is
Jan. Max Min
Jan. Max Min
com plete w ithout a brief history of
1
53
49
16
50
34
the foundation under the old South­
2
52
48
17
52
31
ern Oregon company's saw m ill 3
54
39
18
52
42
built at Empire, Oregon, in 1884, ' 4
52
32
19
30
47
w hich discontinued operations in 5
57
32
20
49
26
1890 and remained idle until 1928,
6
57
38
21
51
30
when it w as taken over by the
7
52
32
22
51
39
Simpson Lumber company, and re­ 8
56
37
23
50
30
modeled for present day opera­ 9
60
34
24
47
39
tions. The original foundations 10
55
32
25
49
36
consisted of Port Orford cedar pil­
11
55
35
26
40
53
ing from fire ki.'Scd timber. Thir­
12
61
40
27
49
37
teen piles supported each cap cf
13
58
43
28
50
36
14x16 inch x 72-foot, hewn green 14
55
37
29
47
38
cedar. This foundation after 44
15
53
41
30
45
29
years of alternate w etting and dry­
31
50
42
ing from tidal action w as found
—
—
perfectly sound and capable of sus­
Average 52
37
taining the remodelled saw m ill I
Port Orford, Oregon, Tuesday, February 5, 1929.
Seattle Stork
D O RA D E A N M cCTTCH EON
Eons of tim e I’ve stood.
On this surf-beaten shore—
W atching the sea in storm;
I’ve seen the clouds aflam e—
Heard the thunders crash,
Safely anchored In Port from harm.
Walter Sutton, Pioneer, Dies;
Rem arkable Life Closes
I’ve dream ed c o u n tle ss dream s.
Of a City to Be . . . .
Rising on the Shore-L and here;
Of ships to be sheltered.
Of a Port of Call . . . .
Our w ealth spreading far and near!
Oregon Second in
Platinum Production
W alter Sutton, one of the best
known of Curry county’s pioneers,
l died Saturday morning at the
fam ily resident on Oregon street,
By Dr E. T. Hodge
at the age of 79 years, one month
Professor of Econom ic Geology,
and 12 days.
Funeral services
Our Port is a refuge—
U niversity of Oregon.
Then . . . came . . . the Highway—
were held Sunday afternoon at the
From the Sea God's shock,
Bringing count less throngs—
Platinum has been found under
Port Orford cem etery In charge
They can only pound at its Gate;
three different conditions In Ore­
Caravans— from the World's great Marts!
of Port Orford lodge No 170, A F.
Safe in this Harbor—
gon; In rock in place, in oxidized
Then—Roosevelt—On H is Steed . . . . !
A A. M., Rev. W hitsett officiating.
or altered outcrops, and in placers.
Sheltered by "The H eads,”
Symbolic of San Juan . . . .
Flrends and relatives from all
It
is
the
platinum
found
in
placers
Never fearing the stars, or Fate.
To honor me—and the Nine Great Hearts.
parts of southwestern Oregon at­
that
has
placed
Oregon
second
\
tended the last sad rites, and the
This Gate-Way is open . . . .
among the producing states In the
I'm part of the Sen . . . .
beautiful and Impressive ritual of
For the Voyagers o f Peace—
union and third In North America.
And part of the Shoreland—
the Masonic order was observed.
This article will discuss the pros­
None other can enter therein;
—A standing symbol between;
W alter Sutton was born In Case
pecting
for
platinum
In
placer
We stand here as Hosts—
county, III,, December 20. 1849, and
With Roosevelt and his Steed,
ground.
In our Harbor so fair . . . , !
crossed the plains in 1854 on his
On m y top-m ost Crest—
A placer is a mass of sand or
To w elcom e you from the storm 's din.
way to Oregon with his parents,
Midst the Trees of Evergreen . . . . !
gravel occurlng on a side hill in
the fam ily settling In Polk coun-
a bench along a stream.
In the i ty. In
»_ 1860
.nan the
.u fam
• ily moved
Billions of white caps.
The w aiting of the years—
to
t o lam h
H 7
7
7 °,n 7 “ Ja<'k<""1 roun,y where Mr Sutton
Have played on my Reef,
Have paved Golden Paths,
Inside
bend
of
a
stream
),
in
the
sprvpd
Then passed to crystaline beds;
a two-year apprenticeship
To a Memorial for the "Nine;”
bed of a stream, or along beaches
on the Oregon Sentinel newspaper,
Millions of sunsets.
They lead across the seas
in the neighborhood of ancient or and later on, after an interval of
Have shined across the sea—
And cut through the Clouds—
present stream s entering the ocean.
time during which he worked on
Crowning with Beauty "The Heads."
That H earts of the Brave May Entwine!
A placer is a deposit that has been i t' bp Oregonian In
Portland, he
formed by the erosion of solid rock servP<1 ag forem an „„ thp 3e
For ages I’ve basked
A thousand years will pass . . . .
and the transportation of the chem- npI for two year,
Dur)ng
In the sun's warm rays,
And still we will stand—
Ically or m echanically decomposed and ,„ 70 hp w„ „ compogltor on
L ist’ning to whisp’rings of spring;
A tribute—true—to those of yore;
material to a favored place of dep- the Oregonian, and came to Cur-
I’ve seen the land-bird's nest—
My dream s through the ages—
os on. In the process of transpor- ry county
8eptpmber 1870. gpt.
Heard the seagull's cry—
tatlon the m aterials of value in t!lng
Oo!d Beach Beglnn,
Have all come true . . . .
which is now in operation.
And the m ighty eagles on wing.
a placer have been sorted and con- 187fl bp gprvpd gix yparg „ CO(J
Worlds move through our Open Door!
L. J. Simpson, president of the | Local Ball Tossers
centrated so that they occur In clprlc of tbp county and repreaent.
For years I’ve felt Life . . . .
Sim pson Lumber company, under I
White ships of pleasure—
some particular portion of the pd Cooa and Curry countJe, at the
Win Double Header
date of October 13, 1928, made the '
Saw a com ing Change . . . .
Little sk iffs a-sall . . . .
P n |Pr
.
regular and extra sessions of the
follow ing com m ents upon the his- ! Friday night the high school
And sensed the growing of my Trees;
Placer »round may be mined by gtalc ,Pgl„laturp ln 1885 an„
Gladden . . , the vision . . . today . , . !
basketball
team
s-
both
girls’
and
toric structure: “Before purchas­
panning by hand, or by more elab- gPrved ag county trpagurer fo,.
I’ve seen land-marks go—
Big Ships of Commerce . . . .
ing the mill we made a very care­ boys’—journeyed to Gold Beach
orate operations Involving digging ypnr„ Hp wag onp
th„
pr
Have felt an onward press—
Are anchored in Port—
and
trimmed
the
county
-
seat
ful exam ination of the foundation
and re-working w ith special de­ newspaper m m of the county pub­
And heard strange voices on the breeze!
team
s—girls’
and
boys’—to
the
Loading
for
Ports
far
away.
and found it after all these years
vices so that there is further con­ lishing the Gold Beach Gazette
to be in a perfect state of preserva­ tune of 24 to 13 for the girls, and
centration of the materials, or by and later the Port Orford Tribune,
I’ve
held
the
boats
of
men—
At my feet play children—
tion.
There was not the least 47 to 13 for the boys. This made
hydraulicking, or by means of me­
which he founded, his newspaper
F elt their moving forms.
L ivers track the sands,
sign of rot anywhere, and the tim ­ the tw elfth straight victory for
chanically operated dredges.
I career within the county extending
the
boys.
A
fair
sized
audience
Heard
wild
yells—and
cannon's
roar!
Did men stop—salute and pass on;
ber and piling in the foundation
In placers the crude platinum , over a period of 25 years, His en­
I’ve seen life-blood flow—
Travelers walk the Beach—
were as bright as the day they was In attendance, although Port
forms small rounded grains, and tire public and private life v a s
Have felt its red'ning stains—
were put in place. The remarkable Orford w as well reprerented. The
Air Ships soar o'er head—
occasionally nuggets up to 20 marked with distinction and his
gym
nasium
floor
had
recently
been
And sa w dark form s cra w lin g on sh ore!
preservation of this foundation is
pounds In weight. Its color may passing Is mourned by the public
Old things and old grudges are Gone!
a source of wonder to ail who see waxed, m aking it quite slippery
be very dark or, if cleaned, show a gene-ally
and
slow
ing
down
the
gam
es
to
I’ve seen the fighting cease—
it. and we never lose an opportun­
B
ehold
th
is
vision
fa
ir—
silvery
luster. In the latter case
Sutton w r„ n, ar„lcd
,
a great degree.
W atched m en sw im th e bay—
ity to point it out to visitors to
A City—spreading far—
’ r Cher ln bo,h Pla ,,n um and lensburg. Oregon, now Gold B et h.
E
fforts
are
being
made
to
ar­
the p la n t”
S eek in g sh elter from Indian hands;
Iridium. The largest nuggets of on p , brunry M, , R77 to IxJUlsa
W hite turrets, tow ers and d om es . . . !
A sim ilar case of putting to mod­ range a gam e w ith Brookings to
Have seen them return . . . .
platinum of which there Is a n y , Anna
R ev. John Man>.
A
haven
for
the
sick
.
.
.
.
ern use timbers that have served be played nt Gold Beach next Fri­
record came from the Ural moun flpld perform lng , hp ceremony
Have watched them build their homes.
Healings for the sad—
day
night,
but
at
this
w
Itlng
the
since 1875 w as recently brought to
tains in Russia and weighed 252
And Port Orford rise by their hands.
negotiations have not basil con­
Cathedrals—Schools and Homes . . . . !
light near Marshfield, Oregon.
ounces. As a rule pieces may be
summated.
Leading from tidewater to historic
considered nuggets if they have a
On February 22. the Pori Orford
Libby, a coal m ining settlem ent of
..
,
, «Ire of about four m illim eters In
team
s
m
eet
the
Myrtle
Point
team
s
Coal
Mine
to
Reopen
Another
Gold
Strike
Dean-Tichenor VV cdding j diameter. Hence they are rarely
prominence half a century ago, a
at that p lice and a cattle royal
Riverton bids fair to again be-
Gold quartz that is too valuable
railroad w as built by early coal
Saturday night at 8:30 at the [ ,e#n unless the material has b e e n 1
mining promoters. Along the banks is being anl.-ipated bv the local come an im portant coal mining to be milled Is being exhibited In church manse the wedding of R ay | especially concentrated. The sur-
fans.
district, according to Abe Flew ell- Grants Pass by K. Dean Butler N. Dean, son of Mr. and Mrs N et I face of the nugget usually Is pitted
of Coal Bank slough a P ort Or­
Ing, owner of the R iverton coal o f the Robertson Mining company Dean, and Miss Thelma Tlchenor, w lth round cavities In which may
ford cedar trestle bore the w eight
Prospective Oregonians mine, who was In Bandon yester- Mr. Butler brought some sam ples daughter of Mr. and Mrs. (irover bp found chromite and som etim es
of chugging little steam locomo­
tives with their burdens of coal
Eph Honeyman, 354-50th avenue, day. Some tim e ago he bought o f the new strike to the city, the Tichenor, was solemnized, Rev. J. a little m agnetite or the minerals
destined for San Francisco and W est Allis, Wis., is contem plating the mine formerly operated by the ore sam ples being from a third to C. W hitsett officiating. The par­ of the basic rocks from which they
Portland, via Coos Bay, in the m aking a trip to w estern Oregon Alpine Interests and he now has a half solid gold and the chunks ents of the bride and groom were have been derived.
It is Interesting to note that
flourishing coastw ise sailing vessel in June or July and w ants about a crew o f five men employed In of ore were as big as a man's fist the only guests. A fter the w ed­
trade.
five acres of improved land suit- opening up a new vein which prom- Thev may be seen at the First ding ceremony the bride and groom I many small nuggets of platinum
ires
to
bring
that
property
back
N
ational
bank
Late in 1927 this trestle was torn able for fruit. D oes not w ant to
were entertained at the Tlchenor I are so encrusted with chromite
to production
substantial
Mr. Butler states that he will I home where numerous friends had ' ,b at *be uninitiated might readily
down, the original timbers remov- be too far from the coast.
scale.
ed and sold to a neighboring coal
rend some of the ore to Tiffany's, ! gathered. Mrs. Dean is one o f Port mistake them for small pieces of
Edward Gard, route No. 1, Good-
Within a year Mr Flew elling ex­ New York, to see If they desire j Orford’s most popular young la - , pure chromite or magnetite. Such
mine at Englewood for use as land, Kansas, is Interested In the
Beside the widow, seven children,
pects
to
add
between
30
and
40
to get it for Jewelry purposes Ore I iter. and Mr. Dean is a _ popular
' fragm ents If Immersed in a dilute Mrs. Jesse Turner of Gold Beach,
cribbing The timbers were found n irthesstern and western part of
.
to be in first class condition and Oregon and w ants about 320 acres fam ilies to the Riverton popula­ as beautiful as that brought
from member of the younger s e t They ' nitric acid solution for a
short Mrs George Guerin of Langlois,
tion. and If the developm ent pro­ the Robertson mine
is seldom
will make their home In Bandon, j tim e suffer the solution of their George W Sutton, Jesse T Sut-
thoroughly capable of resisting the of improved land suitable for fruit ■
attacks of dampness and the stress and general farm ing Coming a f-I
e* pectAtion9 seen, according to local mining Thursday night Mrs. Frank R. chromite coat and present a little ton. Mrs David Crowley and Mrs.
of supporting the tunnels In their ter harvest this year.
I ,herf>
be » y g e r payroll than men who viewed the specimens.
Tlchenor entertained for the bride kernel of platinum. Platinum It- Warren Jamieson of Port Orford
new position.
i Gurth Repp. Pioneer, Ohio, plans !
b~ O1* “5
P “ C*
The ore came from a point 165 with a linen shower and Sunday aplf Is a white metal with a gray- 27 grandchildren and 11 great
The Moore Mill & Lumber com- to m ake a trip to Oregon thi« sum- H 1 **. F ,ew tl,ln < came
thi> 8ec’ feet down on the vein.
At this noon Mr and Mrs. N at Dean e n - , *"h ’Inge and takes a high polish grandchildren mourn the loss of
tion last summer from Centralia. point the vein is 16 Inches wide
pany at Bandon, Oregon, is also mer and w ants from 40 to 80 acres I
tertained at dinner for the bride , but one leM brilliant than silver, this remarkable pioneer
The ore, of which there is of and groom.
built on Port Orford cedar piling o f improved land suitable for poui- '
It la m alleable and ductile and can ; Mr and Mrs Sutton celebrated
liar enterprises
He Is an experi­ course only com paratively small
driven in 1906 and 1907 In 1929 try and fruit raising
be beaten with a hammer Into oth- their fiftieth wedding anniversary
enced operator and sees favorable amount, will run between $75,000
not a pile had been replaced and P- J- Arndt, 1335 E. 92nd street,
er shapes or rolled Into thin sheets ' February 14. 1927, at their home In
Chamber to Meet
possibilities for this district. It is and $100,000 per ton. Even at that
an exam ination showed It to be in Cleveland, Ohio, will make a trip
or drawn Into fine wire The pur-1 Port Orford, 72 people being pres-
The Port Orford Chamber of
his Intention to utilize water trans­ price for the gold, Mr Butler be­
excellent condition.
to Oregon this A ugust or Septem-
Ity of platinum varies greatly and ' ent, Including seven children of the
portation via the local harbor In lieves It will bring more for Jew­ Commerce
F e b n J will
r v 1^*1929 a t 'V s o "‘"K’’" fr"m 7"° tO
part* P’“r COUpIe’ 25 grandchildren, 10 great
In 1915, the Halifax Tonopah her and w ants about 200 acres of
shipping and believe« that a satis­ elry purposes and will In addition night,
’ 929, at 7 30 thousand in fineness.
¡ grandcl
Mining company at Tonopah, Nev., bo’h improved and unimproved
grandchildren, and 12 old-time pio-
p.
m.
in
factory market can be established bring a lot of attention to the
n the office of the Inman
In addltlon to nuggpt(1 or tln ' pr „
used 15,000 feet for shaft work l®nd suitable for dairying, poultry
nuggets or tiny ( neer friends whom Mr. and Mrs
for his product In San Francisco. southern Oregon gold mines. — Lumtier A Developm ent company
w ith perfect success. In the Hal- raising and fruit raising
If he
grains platinum may occur a« Sutton had known for upwards of
for the purpose of electing a board
—W estern World.
Grants P ass Courier.
"flour," which Is platinum dust In 50 years
Ifax shaft, which w as 1700 feet *» satisfied he will bring three i
_________
of directors and officers to serve
such a fine state of division that
-
deep, with three com partments, other fam ilies with him.
~
during the ensuing year.
| It 1« difficult to concentrate by
Port Orford cedar was used for
O. A. Frieburg. general delivery, : * ® Investigate
John
Gillings
Improving
Trapper Dies
»
, ,
p“ b ,c '• oordlally Invited to the usual methods and undoubted-
the bottom 1000 feet. "When this Menlo Park, Calif., is com ing to j
, ,
Bootleg Fish The last report from Crescent , attend this m eeting and Join in i„ n,in. e . i- » . . . v
Medford, Or., Feb. 1.—The body
shaft was closed down In 1926. the Oregon this summer and w ants I
City Is to the effect that John the good work being done by t h e 1 |ar„p quantities o f
***
this precious of Jam es Conover, a trapper, was
timber was in first class condl- from 40 to 80 acres of Improved j Word has been received that Art Gillings, who has been very sert- I chamber.
Fish
assistant
state
game
war
metal because the flour platinum found late yesterday In a cabin
tion,” , reports
D. Duoeiman,
Budelman, •—
,and « ■
In
Oregon suiiam
suitable e , .
r r ,n a , H ,
¿y
■■ western
" m ic iu «jregon
,,, .
_
] , l v i l l fnr O',
„„„
1._ I
GEO W SORAN8ON,
general manager of the company, for dairying and general farm ing I den'
b'
c »rry county
¿ h'
w" k’
at the foot of Mount Pitt, In the
floated away
, .
__
. _ 1 n _’ week
investigate
honfie«
ei.i,. f ,n
City hospital,
Secretary
o b to
e Close
to t o w n
« „ h ! week
to the
In v e Crescent
r tia te bootleg
fish- I ln was
tbe Crescent City hospital, was
Butte Fails section.
The
platinum
In
a
placer
Is
Inti­
who concludes: "We regard Port Prefers t to
be close to town and
-----------------,
...
abIp to be movpd to h „ homp
Ing to determ ine a basis on which
Deputy Coroner Walker and
mately aasoctated in the “pay
Orford cedar as very satisfactory church.
the state fish comm ission can take Thursday and Is now on the road
I streak” with other minerals, the Deputy Sheriff Jennings, assisted
C,
W.
Gray
Visits
for shaft work and recommend it
to recovery. Mr Gillings former­
i legal action
very highly for this purpose ”
C. W. Gray, Oregonian represent­ i recognition of which is important by a guide, brought out the body.
Girls
l/ose.
Boys
Win
ly was In business In Port Orford
The w ife of the man brought
Sim ilarly a shipm ent of Port Or­
ative for southwestern
Oregon, In order to tell a deposit when
The Gold Beach high school girls
and has many friends here
ford cedar was made to the Mel­ basketball team cleaned up on the
with headquarters at Marshfield, flr«t found. The o«mIridium and ‘ the n tw ® 10 Butte F a ,,i making
Larjje Bounties Paid
perilou« journey on in ow iho^i
ones Mining company at Martel), Port Orford high school girls Fri­
visited in Port Orford Monday for platinum are commonly aaaociated
e ff Conover, father of the trap­
Calif O fficials of this mine, now day night at Gold Beach with a
f»f « « Week End a few hours Late In October Mr with grains of m agnetite, chrom­ J per.
left yeeterday for the cabin.
W P. Reed and
Mrs
Lloyd Gray went off the grade In Gold ite and sm all fragm ents of cinna­
known as the Carson Hill Mining score of 24 to 12.
mission paid bounties of $25 each
D etails of the death had not been
company, with headquarter, in
The boys' team from Port Orford on 254 cougars that were killed in Knapp of Reedsport and little Beach, sustaining serious Injuries. bar. or mercury ore, especially ln
Gold, of learned here.
San Francisco, state that the tlm- high school however saved the day Oregon
This exceeded by 95 the daughter. Marjorie, spent the week This is the first trip In Curry j southwestern Oregon.
j
course,
Is
usually
present
ln these
end
as
guests
of
Mr.
and
Mrs
county since the accident.
bers are as sound as when placed by defeating the countyseatera by number killed during the previous
sands, and It la the rule, rather
Ministers Watrh Booze
in the mine.
the sm ashing score of 47 to IS
year. Authorities on predatory a n ­ Louis Knapp Sr
Return«
Naval
,han
« e e p tlo n , that the placers
Coquille. Feb 1.—About 25 min
Port Orford C«dar in Battery
Roth gam es were slowed down im als estim ate that a cougar will
F r e d ^ n t t o g , son of
“r* W° rkad ,or the
, 'rters. W C T U. m em ber, ant
Conatnietton.
considerably by reason o f the floor kill one deer a week throughout
Attend Games
oh’rtned
a 1 court house em ploye, watched the
In the m anufacture of storage having been recently waxed, m ak­ the year, thus the destruction of
J Spoerl, N at Perkins, Mrs Mr. C C Ponting, left Friday on :
•1 A
I a Sai
I I ew A
aa « the a f V* O.S as * _ <
product
In the early days of i big
big prohibition
prohibition party
party staged
staged here
hers
battery separators Port Orford ce­ ing it very slippery
his
return
to
The attend­ 254 of the "big cats" means a sav­ Mabel Gillings. Miss Ruth Clark
bl“ k "coatad this afternoon by the sh e r iffs force
dar finds one o f Its largest and ance w as not large, although Port ing of m any hundred deer A total and Mrs Mary Rice motored to naval training school at Ran D iego f,,r*n°n rnln,n*
most exacting markets It is com- ! Orford was very well represented of 91 cougar were killed In Doug­ Gold Beach Friday night to attend after having spent a a few d a ^ ' p,,U num w" mistaken for grain , and state and federal prohibition
I of magnetite, chromite, or black agents who started at I p m to
monly reputed to be the best b a t-' The Gold Beach game makes the las county where deer are plenti­ the basketball gam es
visiting with his
parents and I ,
i spinel with the result that It was pour out all the confiscated liquor
ful.
tery separator wood known, re- tw elfth straight game won by the
friends
thrown aw ay with the "black which has accumulated during the
elating the action of acid and g iv ­ Port Orford boys
On February
Dinner Guests
•and*.'’ The large nuggets, when past few years.
ing an extrem ely long life to the rs the team s are to play at Myrtle Knapp Subject of Cartoon
Mr and Mrs. David McKenzie
Week End Guests
) recognised, were not saved, as the
battery The manufaeture of bat­ i rin t and thl« rarr.e !» touted to he
rep resen ta tiv e Louie Knapp w m and Donna Joy were guests of Mr
Mr
and Sirs R oy Gray of Maieh- ' Price was too low, frequently being
Mrs. John Fromm of Sixes was
tery separators has been highly the big event o f the season for the t h e subject of a recent cartoon In
and Mrs Geo W Scranton Sunday field were week-end gu ests ot Mr lees than $1 or $2 an ounce,
In town this morning to attend the
(C aatiniied oa page I).
Port Orford teama.
' the leading dally paper of Salem. evening at seven o'clock dinner
and Mr« Orris Knapp
|
(C aatlnsed m page »)
high school board toasting.
J? Guc” s