How'd Christmas Trees Get
Their Start? Credit Bunyan
Arrested Israel Jacobson
(above), director of the Amer
ican joint distributing com
mittee in Hungary, has been
arrested by Hungarian police
It was learned. Hungarian of
ficials confirmed his arrest,
but refused to specify charges.
Jacobson's wife and two
daughters live in Chicago. (AP
Wirephoto)
(Editor's Note: Where did Christmas trees get their
start? The author of the following dispatch believes it
,)11 started with Paul Bunyan, Author James Stevens has
written many books on the legendary logger and in the
following story tells how Bunyan got the first Christmas
tree to cheer up Peewee Purdy, who broke his leg three
feet below the knee.)
By JAMES STEVENS
(Written tor the United Press)
Seattle, Wash., Dec. 20 (U.R) Got your tree up yet?
If you haven't, you'd better be thinking about getting one.
But then if you have one that's fine. Paul would be happy.
Maybe you wondered as you placed the lights just so and
hung the tinsel not too much and not too little just where
the Christmas tree custom got
its start.
Why, with Paul, of course
Paul Bunvan, that is.
During the past few weeks,
farmers and lumbermen in the
Douglas fir region of western
Washington and Oregon have
been harvesting and shipping
Christmas trees not because
there's money in it ah, no! But
because Paul Bunyan started it
all and the farmers and lumber
men don't know how to quit.
v
Now Paul was the first log
ger, of course. He started the
lumber industry, but first of all
he invented Christmas trees.
The idea came to him when
Peewee Purdee broke his leg.
Peewee was the runt of Paul
Bunyan's logging crew the
littlest logger of them all. Early
in November, the runt broke
his leg three feet below the
knee.
Well, Paul hoped to cheer
Peewee up for Christmas as Pee
wee had a sad Thanksgiving. He
thought about it, worried over
it even thumped his head
about it. And the noise was so
loud that part of the western
mountains shivered to dust and
made the deserts.
But it helped. He came up
with the Christmas tree idea.
At that time, there was no
standing timber in America yet.
It was all traveling timber. Paul
Bunyan's loggers had to ride
out after the trees and shoot
them or rope them to make
them into logs.
Paul Bunyan saw he'd have
to work out his Christmas idea
with the little trees. He couldn't
hope to teach the old trees such
new tricks as standing still in
stead of running on their roots.
Doq-Sledder to Be Lonely
Christmas Without Wife
White Horse, Y. T., Dec. 20 (U.R) Cecil Moore sent season's
greetings to all from the far north country today as he rested
here on his cross-continent trek by dog-sled from Fairbanks,
Alaska, to his home in Lewiston. Me.
The young engineer has covered 600 miles of the long, lonely
He arrived here sun
Council Greets
New Members
Mt. Angel State officers and
members of the Knights of Co
lumbus from all- parts of the
valley, in great numbers were
present for the initiation of 32
new members, six for Albany
council, and 26 for Mt. Angel
council, in the auditorium, Mt.
Angel, Sunday afternoon, with
Edward Bell, Stayton, past state
deputy, and Francis Coughlin
of Eugene conferring the major
degrees. Mt. Angel Council
members conferring the two
first degrees were Fred J.
Schwab, grand knight; John
Gaffke, deputy grand knight;
Joseph Brockhaus, chancellor;
W. D. Harris, secretary, and
Eichard Foltz, warden.
New members for Mt. Angel
Council include Eugene Brink-
T T T U
man, ijeruy uacgci, uuscpit iim,
Edward Kahut, Paul Dieker,
Alex Erwert, Edward Schledler
Walter Poepping, Leo Smisek,
Lawrence Traeger, Peter Ruef
Maurice Hammer, Joseph C.
Wagner, Thomas Whited, George
Sherman, Paul Buchheit, Milton
Buchheit. Justin Bradley, Sam
uel Fennlmore, Elmer Esch,
Franols Spies, Richard Grass-
man, Adam Wert, W. A. Ver
boort, Ernest Walker, Ralph
Bauer. Those Initiated for Al
bany Council were Cletus Op-
brook, Forest M. Pool, Morris
Cochanour, Julian Carrizales,
Ralph Chamber! and James No-
lack.
The Initiation banquet was
held at 6 o'clock in the St.
Mary'i dining hall, with over
J00 ooveri placed for the
Knights and their ladies, when
mora place aettings were made.
W. Douglas Harris was the
toaitmaster for the program
which followed. The welcome
address was given by the grand
knight of Mt. Angel council,
Andrew gchmldt (Andy) Rev
erend Damian Jentges, pastor of
St. Mary's parish, asked the
blessing. Sylvester J. Smith of
St. Paul state deputy gave
"Measage to New Members"; Al
Dieker of Mt. Angel, district
deputy, apoke on membership
activities; Edward J. Bell intro
duced distinguished visitors, and
the Rev. James Koessler, gener-
. al manager of the Benedictine
Press, gave the principal ad
dress.
Solo selections were given by
Miss Lucy VanCleef with her
listers. Miss Ann VanCleef as
accompanist, and Ambrose
8mlth of Woodburn, with Miss
Helen Keber playing the accom
panies, also for "God Bless
America," sung by the audience.
Members of Court Marion,
Catholic Daughters of America,
prepared and served the ban
quet with Val Eberle, Carl
Mucken and Joseph Schmidt as
sisting
Sub-Normal No this isn't a submarine rising out of San
Francisco bay. It's the purse seiner King Philip being towed
to an Oakland, Calif., dry dock after she went aground off
Monterey, Calif. She was partially refloated with empty
barrels in her hold. (Acme Telephoto)
Keizer
School Notes
Now, there was a bunch of
young trees that had just been
weaned around Paul Bunyan's
camp. First he - made friends
with them.
Then Paul Bunyan took his
loggers from their work of rid
ing after wild trees with ropes
and guns, and he put them to
cutting out bright paper bells
and stars and little silver rain
drops.
It took a lot of argument to
convince the loggers that cutting
out paper bells, and stars and
little silver raindrops was what
they wanted to do. But Paul was
the most powerful argufier in
the woods, and eventually he
succeeded.
In the week before Christmas
the loggers decorated all the
little trees that were willing to
stand still. On Christmas eve
more newly-weaned trees than
you could shake a stick at glit
tered in beauty as the sun sank
low and crystals of evening frost
sparkled in the snow.
A windless twilight fell. It
was just right for the men of the
woods to light candles on all
the young tamed trees.
And so there they shone
the first Christmas trees of Am
erica. The wild trees came from
all around and stood and watch
ed, envying the Christmas trees.
It was wonderful. Many of them
decided to turn into standing
timber then in the hope of be
ing picked for Christmas trees
some fine winter day next year.
.
Now, in the great forest state
of Washington, about two mil
lion Christmas trees are har
vested every winter for Ameri
ca. The are mainly a farm crop.
They grow best on poor land, for
they need to grow slowly, with
branches close together.
Lumbermen cut Christmas
trees from young forests on their
tree farms. They select spots
tourney,
day, dirty, tired, cold and hun
gry.
He said the hardest part oi
the trip was almost over. "The
dogs had to be put in condition
and they are now in fine shape.
"I sure do miss my wife and
son," he said. "It's going to be
a lonely Christmas on the trail
without her. I'd like to wish
everyone a merry Christmas and
a happy New Year from way up
here in this fairyland of ice
and snow."
Moore hopes to make Daw
son Creek, Y. T., 900 miles from
here, by January 15. I ll make
much better time from now on."
To date, Moore said, he has
seen wolves, mountain sheep,
coyotes, foxes, game birds,
moose and caribou.
"I shot a willow grouse out
of a tree but the dogs and sled
got there before me, so no
grouse for lunch.
"The dogs had a merry time
of it and sure got tangled up
in the harness. They fought
over the bird until only the
feathers were left.
"We had a long hard pull
over Boutelloer Summit (3280
feet), which is the highest point
between Fairbanks and White
Horse that we've had to climb.
"Terrific winds on Kluane
lake made it almost impossible
for the dogs to stay on their
feet."
The temperature was 43 de
grees below zero when Moore
arrived here.
"The nights are long and ter
ribly cold. Daylight lasts from
9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Some
valleys won't see the sun up
here now for about six or eight
weeks.
'The sun just gets over the
horizon a little ways now."
Moore said once his dogs
started to chase a coyote and
he had to turn the sled on its
side to stop them. "If I had
let them go they would have
wrecked the sled.
"The most friendly people I
have ever met in my life are
the residents of the north coun
try. I've stayed overnight with
some old trappers and always
was sure to get a meal of cari
bou or moose."
"I want my wife to know I'm
having a wonderful trip through
this artist's paradise. There's
a breath-taking scene at every
turn hidden lakes, lonely
mountain peaks."
Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 194913
By DARLENE AUSTIN
The Christmas program will
be given in the auditorium Wed
nesday, December 21, and
Thursday, December 22. The
primary grades are singing
songs and having a rhythm
band. The intermediate grades
are having a play called "Christ
mas in Many Lands. The upper
grades' program will be "A Sav
ior Is Born.
Each room has a tree and is
planning a party on Friday, De
cember 23. There will be an ex
change of gifts.
At noon basketball games are
being played between different
rooms.
The fourth, fifth and sixth 4-H
club girls had a party in the
school auditorium on Friday.
There were eight clubs partici
pating.
Civil Defense in
Counties Urged
Portland, Doc, 20 (ff) Slate
Civil Defense Director Louis E.
Starr told city and county offi
cials here last night to start or
ganizing their units of the state
defense administration.
Starr said Oregon was ahead
of other states in planning but
lacks organization. He said "the
responsibility of civil defense in
its organized forms rests on the
community."
He outlined the departments
authorized by the 1949 legisla
ture under the program. The
atom bomb was mentioned.
Starr said "we must consider the
possibility that we may receive
an atom bomb on Portland.
The first submarine for the
U.S. navy was built by John
Philip Holland nearly 50 years
ago.
HOUSING NEEDS OUTLINED
More Rental Units Planned
For 'Forgotten Man' Group
Washington. Dec. 20 (&) A broad program to step up con
struction of homes costing $8500 to $10,000 was reported today
to have clinched a high place on President Truman's legislative
list for congress next session.
An official of the Federal Housing administration said the
nation's middle-income famil-
ies are now among those most in
need of housing.
"We'd like to see more rental
units for this same 'forgotten
man group," he told a reporter.
He noted that home-building
has proceeded at a record pace
this year,- with the result that
the demand for dwellings which
cost more than $12,000 has
largely been met.
But Americans in the middle-
income brackets especially
non-veterans have not yet
been adequately provided for,
he said.
The purpose of any new leg
islation would be to make more
liberal the present federal
guarantees on home-building
loans with the emphasis placed
on private construction.
The new program would thus
Blue Lake Packers Output
Oyer $5,000,000 for Year
Fruits and vegetables valued at more than $5,000,000 were
packed during the current year by Blue Lake Packers of West
Salem, O. E. Snider, general manager, reported at the annual
meeting of the cooperative at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall
Monday.
Over 200 growers and their
wives were present for the all
day meeting, and the turkey
dinner served at noon.
R. L. Hardman of Sunset
Farms, Independence, was elect
ed to the board. Chester Mulkey
of McMinnville was reelected.
Following the meeting, board
members re-elected A m m o n
Grice of route 8, Salem, presi
dent, and Mulkey vice president.
John Bollinger of Salem, new
ly elected manager of the Farm
ers Union Co-op, led the singing
and Joyce Bollinger furnished
several musical numbers.
The outstanding feature of the
past year's operation, Snider told
the members, were the abnor
mal yields in tons per acre of
taoth beans and corn. Average
bean yield jumped from 6 i tons
to 814 tons, and average corn
yield from 2 tons to 4 tons
Blue Lake beans are still being
sold on eastern seaboard mar
kets, despite several increases
in the freight rate. They are
able to compete with eastern
beans because of their high qua!
ity. Snider said.
Final returns on 1949 pools
will not be made until the close
of the fiscal year, March 31
next.
Illustrating his talk with
blackboard charts, Junior Eck
ley, the co-op's chief accountant.
told how the total number of
cases packed had grown from
888.778 in 1946 to 1,373,166 in
1949. The pack of frozen foods
has nearly doubled. The plant
now has a net value, after de
preciation, of $1,595,000.
Plans for 1950 include con
struction of an additional ware-
house, replacement of a boiler
at a cost of $22,500; and recon
struction of facilities for hand
ling beets and beans. The beet
pack during the past season
passed the 2000 ton mark.
Representatives from a num
ber of northwest co-ops were in
troduced. Walter Bailey of Co
lumbia Fruit Growers, and Allan
Phillips of The Dalles Cherry
Growers were there; and Art
Ketchum headed a group from
the Lewis-Clark Co-op of Lewis
ton, Idaho.
Ammon Grice acted as chair
man of the meeting.
New Christmas 'Look
Portland, Ore., Dec. 20 U.R)
Portland's new Equitable build
ing put on a Christmas "look"
last night when lights were left
in certain windows to form
two huge white crosses.
From coast-to-coast,
From border to border,
Here's the brand
The switchers order.
Better-tasting Calveit
CALVERT RESERVE Blended WhlakeJ
-86.8 Proof-fl5 Grain Neutral Spirit,
Calvert Distillers Corp., New York OltJ
Saddle Mountain 4-H
Club Has Election
Willamina Members of the
Spirit Mountain 4-H Sad
dle club met recently for
the first time in their new
club year. New officers no
minated were Sharon Mc
Grew, president; Jim Glass, vice
president; Cecil Schukar, secre
tary and Evonne Huwe, club
reporter. This year's members
include Patricia McGrew, Cecil
Schukar, Jim Glass, Dick Galli
gher, Wayne Huwe, Carol Schu
kar, Sharon McGrew, Douglas
Littlejohn, Dorla Huwe, Michael
Niccolson, Lewis Littlejohn, Bob
Galligher and Evonne Huwe.
where the stands are too thick,
and Christmas trees are cut as
thinnings improving the lum
bermen's young treefarm for
ests. You can be sure that most
Christmas trees on the market
are good good for happy home
life in the season of cheer
and good for the forests.
The Christmas tree Is a magic
wand that makes productive
large areas of land which once
were thought to be total waste,
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"Onr reputation
is
your security"
conform closely to legislation in.
troduced during the last session
of congress by Senator Spark
man (D-Ala).
Sparkman recently advised
the administration to go slow in
extending its civil rights pro
gram to the housing field if it
wants to get home-building
measures through congress.
He referred to a new regula
tion denying FHA and veterans
administration loan guarantees
in cases where restrictive cov
enants are filed in court after
February IS. Such covenants are
intended to block the sale of
homes to members of minority
groups.
Sparkman indicated that new
housing legislation needs the
votes of many southern law
makers opposed to the presl
dent's civil rights program.
Verdict Favors Hayes
Albany Members of Linn
county circuit court jury award
ed a $1235 judgment in favor
of the plaintiff in the case of L.
E. Hayes vs. H. L. Maloney, et
al, doing business as Maloney &
Chambers. Hayes had brought
suit charging breach of a log'
ging contract
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Give a LIVING Gift 1
This Christmas
Oregon Camellias Banned
Mississippi won't let Oregon
camellias be shipped into that
state unless the plants are free
from soil and are accompanied
by a certificate from the Oregon
department of agriculture.
The Oregon agriculture de
partment said Mississippi adopt
ed the ban on Oregon and Cali
fornia camellias because of ca
mellia flower blight.
Everyone Knows Only
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More than ever, a Kodak
Camera is the "wanted"
gift . . . it's a gift that
will afford picture-taking
fun on Christmas day and
oil year round. All Kodak
and Brownie Cameras will
take full-color pictures as
well as black-and-white
snapshots, and most mod
els will take "flash" shots
using an accessory Flash
older. Let us help you se
lect the right Camera for
the snapshot fan on your
Christmas list.
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