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