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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ JUNE 17, 2015
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
1 2 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y F L A S H B A C K
1890 ❙
T
T HE W EST
F LORENCE T IMES
T HE S IUSLAW O AR
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS
S IUSLAW N EWS
❙ 2015
his year marks Siuslaw News’ quasquicentennial, our 125th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any business in a small
community like Florence. To commemorate this milestone, throughout the year we’ll feature some of the town’s history as origi-
nally published in the newspaper, including historic articles and photos from more than a century ago. —Editor
Putting Florence on the map
O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED J UNE 8, 1956
T HE S IUSLAW O AR , V OL . 29, N O . 2
A magazine puts Florence on the map this
month with resident Henry Lee speaking in
the June 9 issue of the Saturday Evening
Post.
“Only a map — a new map — will picture
for you the breath-taking population-industri-
al boom of our Northwest,” Lee related.
His observation is made in an article enti-
tled, “The Job They’ll Never Finish,” in
which he tells the story of the cartographers
whose job of mapping the earth is complicated
by constant changes.
He said that cartographers begin revising a
map of any of the 48 states almost as soon as
they complete it.
In other news, Florence’s order for over
200 street signs is expected to arrive within
two weeks.
Arrangements for placing the signs are
being made with Florence junior chamber of
commerce.
Also on hand are house numbers.
Florence Ordinance No. 280 renumbered
buildings and renamed streets in town.
It was passed December 1955 and provides
alphabetically arranged tree names for north-
south streets, numerical designations for east-
west streets and houses and buildings to be
numbered with uniform figures.
House and building numbers will be decid-
ed by the city recorder.
Numbers run up from west to east and
from south to north. They will be even on
your right, odd on your left as you travel
north or east.
Along with area streets, local businesses are
expanding and moving to prime locations.
Highway 101 north of Florence promises
to be a solid business district, north to Heceta
Beach junction, before too long.
This week, another business opened there
with OK Rubber Welders’ move from its
south highway location to the former food
and vegetable market.
Ole and Harold Fosback are still in the
throes of moving operations, but are proud of
their new larger location for their fast-
expanding business.
Arasmith Motor company will move from
Front Street into a garage constructed for the
Vannie Arasmiths by Truitt Woodworth.
It is the most attractive and modern garage
building in western Lane County.
Last week, Williams Photo Service opened
on 22nd Street with plans to expand as the
business warrants.
Mr. Williams does the photo work at night,
while Mrs. Williams is in charge of the serv-
ice during the day.
It should not be too many years before all
this area should again be included in the city
limits as originally platted.
Lastly, Florence is to have cable TV within
the next six months, according to terms of an
ordinance passed st the city council meeting
Monday, June 4.
The evening meeting granted Kessel Radio
and TV Service the franchise.
Joe Kessel said for the present, only
Channel 13 from Eugene and Channel 6 from
Portland will be available, but he hopes to add
two more channels from Portland within a
short time. He hoped these channels will sup-
ply three major networks and an independent
station for reception in the Florence area.
Installation will be on the high cliff oppo-
site Cushman store, property belonging to
William Rose.
A 65-foot pole will carry the four antenna
and Rose’s TV will be used as a test center or
control.
NEIGHBORS
Health care in Florence
B OB J ACKSON
N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT
For the Siuslaw News
I
t hasn’t ever been easy, it didn’t
happen overnight, but it did hap-
pen, and it is still happening —
right here in “river city.”
Just recently, this news item
appeared locally: $5 million has been
raised in donations and pledges to
expand the 25-year-old emergency
room at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor
Medical Center in Florence to 4,700
square feet. It will more than double
the size of the existing ER, plus pro-
vide additional capabilities and nine
private treatment rooms. Target date
for completion is September 2016.
$5 million — in contrast, flash
back to 1989 when publicly owned
Western Lane Hospital launched a
fundraising effort that was aiming at
$500,000 to build a new hospital that
would be managed by Eugene-based
PeaceHealth. Through the generosity
of local “deep pocket” leaders, busi-
nesses and the general public, an
astounding $1.2 million was raised to
build the new 25-room facility that
replaced the old hospital, which also
had 25 beds, plus a 25-bed nursing
home at the far end. Go figure!
Much of this report is cursory and
undefendable. It is barely a peek into
the past, for the elapsed period of
time has eroded memories of early
medical treatment except for the few
souls still existing who lived through
it, and can still recall the early days as
if time itself were standing still.
I am indebted to both Dr. Fred
Bower’s wife Julie and Dr. Richard
Ulman’s wife Arlis for freshening my
memories of doctor visits and emer-
gency treatment in Florence, as
recent as nearing the World War II
years and shortly afterwards.
Julie Bower, a graduate of Ohio
State with a degree in dental hygien-
ics, had at one time worked at a vet-
erans center. From 1984 to 1992, she
worked in Dr. Bower’s office while
devoting much time to fundraising
projects. Her and Arlis Ulman’s expe-
riences in the rudimentary health care
in Florence could furnish material for
a very big book.
Arlis Ulman, a RN in her hus-
band’s office, vividly recalls the days
of medical care spent in close prox-
imity to Dr. Navarre J. Dunn and Dr.
Brower’s offices above the Western
Auto store and Dick Carroll’s “pills
for ills, more pills for ills” drug store.
Pete Peterson also had a nearby phar-
macy. All this was on the east side of
Highway 101, close to where the
Rhododendron Drive traffic lights
now exist.
Arlis remembers how patients had
to be transported either to a hospital
in North Bend or Eugene. She said
driving to Eugene over the old high-
way through Swisshome and Triangle
Lake, was a two-and-a-half-hour
nightmare. I remember that Dr.
Dunn’s wife Marie, also a nurse, had
at one time been a concert pianist.
She drove the ambulance that I
believe was a 1937 straight eight
Buick. In those days, outlying areas
had to be reached on gravel roads. In
Florence, most streets were gravel,
including Rhododendron.
It was a different world. Doctors
still made house calls and sometimes
wrote off the care of indigent patients
who had fallen on hard times.
Over the interim years, so many
devoted individuals have expanded
the health care in Florence. Names
come to mind, like my good friend
PT Smith who worked with the “sis-
ters” of Sacred Heart in developing
the new hospital, and then upon los-
ing his wife Ester, worked tirelessly
at financing the Friends of Florence
cancer van to Eugene.
Now, we who live here continue to
be blessed because of the vision of
earlier citizens. Somewhere I read
this news item: PeaceHealth has been
named as one of the nation’s “health
strong” hospitals by iVantage Health
Analytics. Sounds pretty impressive!
L ETTERS TO
THE E DITOR
P OLICY
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters
to the editor concerning issues affect-
ing the Florence area and Lane
County.
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clarity.
Publication of any letter is not guar-
anteed and depends on space avail-
able and the volume of letters received.
Libelous and anonymous letters as
well as poetry will not be published.
All submissions become the proper-
ty of Siuslaw News and will not be
returned.
Write to:
Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com
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WHERE TO WRITE
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National
Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore.
Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax
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Gov. Kate Brown
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www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
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State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us