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About North Douglas herald. (Drain Or) 2023-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2023)
December 2023 Vol #1 Issue #4 Spotlight on the Winchester Dam History of Winchester Dam The history of the Winchester Dam begins with the settlers traversing the Umpqua river way. It was the summer of 1850, the height of the California Gold Rush, when members of the chartered Umpqua Exploring Expedition sailed out of San Francisco Bay bound for the Oregon Territory. After being repelled from landing at the mouth of the Rogue River, by the local Tututni tribe, the expedition Editorial........3 City Desk......5 Community....6 Veterans ......10 Rural..........10 Business.......11 Crossword.....12 Weather..........12 School News..13 Travel.........14 Entertainment..14 Vital Statistics..14 Classifieds......15 by Rusty Savage sailed north. Eventually entering the mouth of the Umpqua River, they founded a settlement at site of present day Winchester Bay. The Expedition continued upriver to present day Scottsburg. At this point they had to proceeded in small boats to arrive at Fort Umpqua, a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post near the confluence of the Umpqua River and Elk Creek. The Continued on Page 6 Christmas Tree Tradition is Big in the City of Drain Thanks to Ivy Bonnie Pyles Continued on Page 5 Photo Courtesy Adam Miller A Highest Hazard Dam July 31, 2023, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife closes all fishing on the North Umpqua until December 2023. It’s the second 120-day fishing ban in three years. ODFW requires a prediction of a season total of 1,200 wild summer steelhead. In 2021, when only 450 were counted, the river was closed to fishing. There are so few fish in the North Umpqua this year, Greg Huchko, ODFW’s Umpqua District Senior Biologist, won’t even reveal the fish count total. “Really low,” is all he’ll say. The cause, the Winchester Dam. The 450- foot-wide wood and steel dam is five miles north Christmas Parade Nostalgia Yay, the Christmas Parade is coming! It used to be a holiday favorite in every small and large town, but it seems less so today. It’s not quite the national tradition as Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, but it was a good look at a towns overall Christmas spirit, because it takes a lot of dedicated people to pull it off. Not that there’s anything lacking in that department these days but maybe times have turned a little. The Pandemic knocked the socks off of gathering for parades and social celebrations and spawned the light parades that we still see in some towns. Maybe they’ll come back in a few years I don’t know. Here is a list of communities with Parades planned if you ! want to catch one for Christmas sake Drain, Christmas Parade December 9th 10am Reedsport Light Parade December 16th 6pm Yoncalla, Light Parade December 16th 6pm Sutherlin, Light Parade December 16th 7pm of Roseburg, Oregon. The 133-year-old dam is privately owned by the Winchester Water Control District whose 99 members are wealthy residents of Douglas County. The reservoir behind the dam on the North Umpqua River is their private mile-and-a-half long water ski lake, at the exclusion of the public. The Winchester Dam should have probably been removed when the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) condemned it back in 1976. OWRD gave Winchester Dam the highest danger rating, “high hazard,” meaning: “the department Continued on Page 8 This is What’s Cookin in Drain On the very eastern most side of the city of Drain Oregon on Hwy 38, you’ll find the Country Cabin Coffee & Laundry. Country Cabin Coffee being a fabulous walk up or drive through quick food bistro. Laundry being a.... Laundrymat. Not a “fast food”, mass cooked conveyer-belt food, but indi- vidually prepared food that you can take with you. From fresh breakfast burrittos and sand- wiches to the best homemade biscuits & gravy. And then there are the bakery items. Oh yea, Sandy Malchow is known far and wide for her cakes, pastries, pies and oh, the cookies. The selection of regular and special baked items that Sandy bakes every night is incredible. And of course there are coffees, teas, chai, chocolate milk or bever- ages & milkshakes for every thirst. Continued on Page 11
