10 Capital Journal, Salem, Ore., Tuesday, March 14, 1950
LOCAL ENTHUSIASTS
Salem Public Library's Start
One of Sacrifice, Devotion
How the Salem Public Library had its beginning is a story
of personal sacrifice and devotion to a cultural idea. The story,
given in the Capital Journal today, is told by Mrs. Caroline
t. B. Sigrist of Portland, formerly Mrs. Kelliher of Salem.
' It was requested by Cornelia Marvin Pierce, former Oregon
..... UA
state lioranan, wno w ""-Tarnnn- the first reentered bor-
writer:
; "When I came to Oregon, as
secretary of the library commis
sion, in August. 1905, I met the
most able and devoted library
worker I have ever known
Mrs. Caroline L. B. Kelliher.
She had been the chief leader
. in starting tiie Salem Public
library, and had given gener
ously of money, books and time
until it became firmly estab
lished." Among library enthusiasts of
those years Mrs. Pierce men
tions Mr. and Mrs. Anson Pres
cott. Prescott was Orcgonian
correspondent in Salem, later
secretary to Senator Jonathan
Bourne, and now lives in War
renton, Or. Records of June.
1904, show him and his wife
rowers.
Of the active library workers
of the early years, Mrs. Flo Ir
win, Mrs. Russell Catlin, Mrs.
Clarence Hamilton and Miss
Mattie Beatty still live in Sa
lem. All were members of the
Woman's club in 1904.
Among the first borrowers of
books, and who are still using
the library, were Mrs. Winnie
Pettyjohn and Mrs. Frank H.
Spears.
Histories of the early library
days were written by the late
Mrs. Perry Raymond, an ardent
worker, and others.
Tomorrow the Capital Journal
will tell the story of Mrs Sig-
rist's eventful life. Following
is her story of the beginning of
the Salem Public library:
By CAROLINE L. B. SIGRIST
' It is so long ago, and I have only my memory.
' We moved to Salem in January, 1900. In the spring there
Was a notice In the Salem Statesman that a Woman's club was
to be formed, and the public was invited to meet at the resi
dence of C. P. Bishop at a certain date.
I had been living for three years in Gladstone, Mich., and
had enjoyed the Woman's club
ipr. Also a Mrs. Mason and
I had a book club, so I was in
terested in the notice. But, as
r was not acquainted in saiem
t'went to interview Mr. Bishop.
He urged me to attend tne meci
tag, which I did, and signed as
i charter member
' I was never an officer of the
club, but was always very ac
tive as a member, and when in
1004 the club decided to start a
nublic library I was elected
president of the library board.
As I remember, tne oiner mem
bers were Mrs. F. A. Moore,
wife of a judge of the Oregon
Supreme court; Mrs. Alice B.
Traver, wife of the city super
intendent of schools, and Mrs.
Florence Irwin.
We started from scratch.
We had neither library, libr
arian nor quarters.
We put in a petition to use
the council chamber at the city
hall as a library. The council
met only once a week in the
evening. The mayor, Frank
Waters, was favorable to us,
but we were so green that we
did not know enough to attend
the meeting, and were turned
down. Only one member voted
for the petition.
I went to Claud Oatch at
the Ladd & Bush bank the
next morning and told him
my troubles. With the mayor
favorable, he thought It could
be arranged. They rescinded
their action at the next meet
ing and gave us the room. .
We now had room rent free,
trith heat, light and janitor serv
ice. I made out a list of the
magazines needed, went to the
State House, and asked the of
ficials, from Governor Cham
berlain down, each to subscribe
for one. The Woman's club had
a book social and everyone was
invited to make a contribution
of books for a library. The
club members were to act as
librarians. We were open seven
days a week from 2 to 5 p.m
After some months the Salem
library board suggested a
trained librarian, Miss Florella
Phillips. Tiie board members
were to pay half her salary ev
ery month, and I collected from
club members each month the
other half.
We now were open 7 to 9
o'clock evenings. The Woman's
club gave us a shower for books,
and after a little while the city
council gave us money for a
budget. Later, for several
months, we had a trained libr
arian, Mrs. Ida Kidder, but she
went to Oregon State college as
librarian.
Finally we sent to the Albany,
N. Y., State Library school for a
recent graduate and Miss Essac
M. Culver came to us and was
there when I moved from Salem.
We expected to secure a
building from the Carnegie
Foundation, but we had to have
a site, also support, which our
city council was giving.
Werner Breyman's family had
a site where the Salem Public
library now stands. The price
was $12,000. That would not
seem much to Salem now, but
in 1908 it was different.
Mrs. Eldredge (Breyman)
suggested that she and I can
vass the town. She offered to
solicit the old wealthy fam
ilies and I was to contact the
public. We raised the $12,000
and bought the site.
I moved from Salem in Oc
tober, 1909. I had put about
as much time into the library
as I had on my family, but ev
erything had gone well.'
The public library had the
backing of the Woman's club,
the support of the city council,
the advice of the Oregon library
commission, and especially a
tower of strength in Miss Cor
nelia Marvin, state librarian.
Her help through the years was
invaluable. The late George
M yew candy cSh TODAT
wwn Stout Boston Mints
cranchy, filled centers!
"SWBBT SIXTEEN VAUBTIBS'
Calvert master blenders blend
finer taste into Calvert from an
unequalled library'of over 315
fine whiskies and blending spirits.
ANOTHER. REASON WHY
ITS SMART TO SWITCH TO
CHOICE BLENDED WHISKEY, 86.8 PROOF, 65 GRAIN NEUTRAt SPIRIT!.
CALVERT DISTILLERS CORPORATION, NEW YORK CITY
! ifc $f fit S -
Sewer System
For Oceanlake
Simplified plans have been
accepted for the sewage treat
ment plant and construction of
a sewer system for Oceanlake
with bids to be received on both
projects until April 5. Low bid
on theoriginal plans was $52,874
on the original plans was $52,874
$2900 for a sludge bed.
The plant will be located at
the south end of Oceanlake
about 600 feet east of the Coast
highway and empty in D river.
The city has already cleared the
plant site, blown stumps and is
now putting in an under drain
The Duchess Goes by Air The Duchess of Kemlworth, a
collie, hurdles five boys in training for the obedience com
petition of the Detroit Kennel club's show. The boys from
left, are: John and Dick Collins, Bob Ferrel, John Teeter
and John Goddard, of Royal Ok, Mich.
Wheelbarrow Pusher Feared
Caught in Mountain Blizzard
Cascade. Colo., Mar. 14 (O.R) A blizzard lashed Pike's Peak
Monday and friends feared that Larry Hightower might be in
trouble on his stunt hike to push a wheelbarrow to the moun
tain's top.
The storm cut off telephone communication with the little
mountain settlement of Glen
Cove, Colo., where Hightower
was to have reported on his progress.
It wasn t known this morning
Rodgers, mayor of Salem, was
also cooperative.
Negotiations for the Carnegie
building were undertaken after
I left Salem.
I was at New York City Pub
lic Library school 1911 to 1913
and worked in the New York
City branches 13 months. I
came to the library association
of Portland in July, 1913, as mu
nicipal reference librarian in
the city hall and served for 20
years.
whether he had made it to the
village and Hightower's friends
watched anxiously for the mir
ror signals he had promised to
send daily.
Sub-zero temperatures set in
Sunday night and several inches
of new snow fell to hinder the
one-wheeled junket.
Hightower, 49, is from Ellens
burg, Wash.
Hankering to set "some sort of
a world's record," he decided to
wheel his barrow to the top of
the peak after reading that a
man once pushed a peanut to the
summit with his nose.
He left Colorado Springs Sat
urday on the first leg of his 26
mile trip
Fallon Next
K&F Speaker
"Misadventures of a Latin
American", is the subject of a
talk to be given before the mem
bers of the Salem Knife and Fork
club the night of March 7 at
the Marion hotel, by Carlos Fallon.
Colombian born, I'allon, now
a naturalized citizen of the Unit
ed States, has recently returned
from an intensive economic sur
vey of South America. When
not on a lecture tour he makes
his home here. He speaks English
as fluently as though he had been
born and reared in this country.
Fallon's lecture has to do with
his experiences south of the Pan
ama canal and his talk will be
interspersed with bits of humor
and solid facts.
GBP GED CEO
CD3Q11KQB
Before the grass on your lawn grows any higher, get
on of our new, smilingly low priced, wonderfully
efficient Royale powtr Itwn mowers by Reo. lis ) blade
reel and one-piece steel bottom knife cuts grass smoothly,
and well. ..up to three full acres a day, with a speed snd
efficiency tbst will tare fully 75 of your tim. And
became the Reo Royale is aelf-propelled, there's no
pushing. It starts, stops, speeds up or slows down with
just a single, finger-tip "Magic Touch" control.
ADJUSTABLE HANDLE
For Easier Mewing f osier Storing The lightweight
steel hsndl adjusts to the height that suits you best. It
also stsnds straight up takes less room when stored.
The Roysle is powered by the easy starting, 4 cycle,
IVih. p. engine built by Reo, famous for dependable pro
ducts for 44 years.
"TURN. A JOB INTO A JOY"
Mow wfffi Koo . , . tho Namo You Know
J3
U N. COMMMCIAl f.
to eliminate the problem of a
creek in that area.
The treatment plant will be
6D by 60 feet and require ap
prixamitely 175 cubic yards of
concrete, with reinforcing steel
and equipment. Part of it will be
two stories and provide primary
sedimentation, filteration, final
treatment and chlorination.
The sewer system will serve
the greater part of the populated
area of the city with 13,000 lin
eal feet of concrete sewer line,
most of which will be eight-to-i
ten-inch pipe. There will be two'
lift stations and 105 manholes.
Oceanlake has indicated the
desire to see the project com
pleted this summer with a date
of August 15 anticipated. The
system will also be needed to
serve the new school which will
be constructed this summer.
Sheridan School Budget
Meeting Date Set
Sheridan The annual school
budget meeting for the Sheridan
school district No. 48-14 will be
held March 15 at the Sheridan
high school building. The meet
ing will be at 8 o'clock.
. you lgfl
Seattle Spokane Twin Cities Chicago
Ride it once and you'll name the new Olympian
Hiawatha your favorite train. You'll enjoy its
spaciousness and luxury whether you travel in private-room
sleepers with Skytop Lounge, in thrifty
Touralux sleepers or in reclining chair Luxurest
coaches. You're welcome in the attractive diner
and in the Tip Top Grill car with snack section
and cocktail room.
No delays from fog or storms, no worries about icy
highways when you go on the Olympian Hiawatha.
Ride with us. For full information, ash
Portland Office
121 S. W. Yamhill St., Phone Atwal.r UtT
Goo. V. Valloy, Dlitrlet Pauonaoi Acont
F. A. Swamon, Ooneral Agent
You Don't Have to
Wait 'til Christ
mas . . .
for visions of sugar-luscious,
home - baked CINNAMON
ROLLS to dance in your
head. They're another
EVERY DAY special at
Nohlgren's
e828!8&
Try one this A.M.
with that Nut-Brown
Coffee. And smile-the-while.
EJOt'J ITS
YOUR TU
RJ TO BLOSSOM OUT
Y
Lou've seen it happen with the
family down the street, the friends
across town, the folks you went to
school with.
They started out, as most folks do,
with a car of modest size and still
more modest price.
Maybe they moved themselves up
a bit, step by step, to the top
bracket models in that particular
price range.
Th en they discovered something.
It doesn't cost much more some
times no more to really blossom
out in a Buick.
It's not such a long stretch to take
command of a great-hearted valve-in-head
straight-eight to move
into the room and restfulness and
it r
steady going of a Buick to cloak
yourself in styling that's today's
height of highway fashions.
You can know the good, satisfying
feel of a Buick wheel in your hand
you can have the gentleness of
soft coil springs on all four wheels
you can revel in the handiness of
cars that are big in room and big
in repute, yet traffic-sized and easy
to park and put away.
Maybe who knows till you in
quire? you can manage the magic
silkiness of Dynaflow Drive in all
its 1950 perfection of a certainty
you'll find the model that's twin to
your heart's desire among the
many choices Buick gives you for
19S0.
So why not make this your year
to blossom out in a Buick, as so
many have before you? Why not
Slmdrd ROA DM ASTER, mfUtl r Mrt
MU M SUPER 41 SPECIAL m.d,U.
Jm, I. HENRY 1. 1MLOR, UC Nalwort. m Murfay mull
find out the dollars-and-cents story
of Buick it even includes soma
very happy figures on gas economy
from your own Buick dealer?
See him now, will you and help
yourself to some real fun this
seasonl
i
BUICK ALONE MAS
AND WITS IT GOESi
NIOHIH.COMPSrSSION fir.bol ratv-in-lil
powtr In thft tnginti, five hp ratfngi. (New F-263
ngint In Surfl modtli.) ' NIW-PATTHN
STYLING, with bumpir.guarci grillti, fapir-through
fendtrf, "foubf bubbfo" laillighl WfOf.
ANOU VISIIILITY, efo-up rood vi.w bold for.
word ond boclr JRAfflC-HANOY S'Zf, f
evtr-aff itngfh tor mitr parking end enraging,
ihorf turning rodim IXTDA-WIOI IMri
tradlod bf wn th. aifu JOfT SUKK OI, Inm
all-toil tpringing, SeiolpRldo rlmt, few.projjurs
firti, rUt Hoadflng Mrqua-tvba W1DI ARRAY
OF MOOIU wffh loc oy H,K.
y.
Phuam rear BUICK tfJr tot m domonstnUom Might Mowl
OTTO J. WILSON CO.
388 N. Commercial Salem, Oregon
Whott frefer automobUoM arm built BUICK will build thorn