4 A
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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ JULY 15, 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
Florence — ‘City of Progress’
O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED J ULY 13, 1967
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS , V OL . 7, N O . 28
The greatest heritage that Florence can
claim from its pioneer forefathers besides ini-
tiative, perhaps, is that of genuine and open-
hearted friendliness.
First visited by Hudson Bay Company trap-
pers in 1826, Florence was opened for settle-
ment in 1876 when a former Coast Indian
Treaty reservation was declared available to
all for homesteading.
However, a dearth of highways in the early
days made the Siuslaw River and its tributary
streams the only main avenues of travel and
commerce until the 1920s.
The lack of transportation was remedied
with the construction of adequate roadways.
Trade goods coming both into and from the
area were then handled more efficiently with
a minimum of delay and at economical rates.
The City of Florence was originally incor-
porated under the provisions of Oregon State
Laws in 1892, and for a number of years
remained a quiet, sleepy, fishing and lumber-
ing village.
The 1900 Census found 222 residents, and
by 1940, the population reached 458. Since
then, the growth has been considerably more
impressive.
A census conducted by city personnel in
June 1965 showed 1,978 residents, while the
current estimate is 2,100.
A burst of activity in construction of major
improvements occurred between 1948 and
1950 with the installation of the city-wide
sewer system and construction of a new water
supply source, treatment plant storage reser-
voir and distribution system.
Other major and extensive improvement
programs started in 1961
are still continuing, includ-
ing sewer system exten-
sions and street paving.
A total of 107 blocks of
new streets have been
paved in a four-year peri-
od.
The completion of the
1967 Street Program will
see some 90 percent of all
open streets in the city
paved to full standard with
curbs and gutters, storm
sewers and all accessories.
It is not hard to see why, then, it is felt
that few cities in Oregon can boast this per-
centage of fully-developed streets.
The new City Hall-Library building was
completed and occupied near the end of
March of this year. The
attractive and functional
building is an outstanding
example of what can be
accomplished by a City
Administration made up of
dedicated, far-sighted and
progressive people working
in cooperation with a well-
informed and interested
citizenry anxious to
improve their city.
Inasmuch as the greatest
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
majority of cities tend to
hold out their hand for help from other
sources, Florence’s vast accomplishments,
done almost entirely on its own, reflect cred-
itably the resourcefulness and public spirit of
its citizens — people who believe in their
town and its progress.
NEIGHBORS
Background music
B OB J ACKSON
N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT
For the Siuslaw News
ast week, somehow, like a
puff of smoke, this column
disappeared before it could be
sent to the paper. It never appeared
in the deleted area or any place else.
This has never happened before now.
Go figure! I am now attempting to
re-write these thoughts as closely as
possible.
The following rant will undoubt-
edly and indelibly cast me as an iras-
cible, cantankerous Andy Rooney-
type (which is OK with me, as I
have long been a fan of his “straight-
from-the-shoulder” style of writing).
The rapidly invasive proliferation
of obnoxious background music con-
tinues to be a pet peeve of mine, and
I am increasingly bewildered by the
viewing public’s apathetic accept-
ance of this practice.
For example, when the contestants
on the popular TV show “Jeopardy”
are introduced, their names and
occupations are nearly drowned out
by a loud blast of theme show
music. This practice is almost uni-
versal, even on the National
Geographic Channel.
Much of the intrusive background
sounds are not musical; to the con-
trary, they are annoying sounds simi-
lar to the wailing of a banshee or
someone banging on pots and pans,
etc., that make understanding the
spoken words on the shows difficult
and sometimes nearly impossible.
What sort of programmers are
responsible for these travesties?
Remember the old corny “hillbil-
ly” shows? Whenever a model T
L
Ford showed up, the distinctive
sound of this old car was always
blotted out by banjo music. I have
never heard an old car that sounded
anything like a banjo!
John Ford, the much lauded
movie director, shot many films, like
“Stagecoach,” against a beautiful but
vast, harsh and rugged terrain; how-
ever, in these old epics, instead of
hearing only the sound of horse
hooves, the creaking and groaning of
the wagons and the shouts of the
drivers, we were deluged with loud
orchestra music.
In war movies, a four-engine
bomber with radial engine has the
same background sound dubbed in
as a single-engine fighter with an
inline engine. They both sound iden-
tically like a droning model airplane.
This, I suppose, was to allow the
actors in the cockpit and on the
flight deck to talk without shouting
— totally unrealistic!
“Strategic Air Command,” a
movie starring Jimmy Stewart, had
one scene that was very disappoint-
ing for me. A dramatic scene was
shot of a squadron of B36
Peacemaker bombers flying into the
sunset, just above the clouds, with
long contrails streaming behind.
The B36 was the largest mass-
produced piston engine aircraft ever
built. It had a 230-foot wingspan, a
crew of 15 and made a Boeing B29
look like a toy. With six 28-cylinder
engines and four jets, when they
passed over, even at high altitude,
the pulsating, reverberating sound
seemed to shake the ground below.
The unforgettable sound was lost
forever, for it was not caught on the
film. Instead, more annoying and
irrelevant classical music was
dubbed in.
And then, sometimes silence will
grab the emotions and hold them
tight, far better than jarring back-
ground music.
I will never forget a long-ago doc-
umentary; perhaps on the Discovery
Channel. Out on a barren ice floe, an
old solitary Eskimo was filmed.
Holding a harpoon, he was sitting on
a stool while watching a feather
attached to a stick above a seal’s
breathing hole in the ice. The only
sound was the heavy breathing of
this old man, the soughing of the
wind and the rustling of his heavy
clothing as he changed positions,
never taking his eye off the feather.
It was like you were standing
there, close behind him. It was real,
and it was unforgettable!
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.
Emailed letters are preferred.
Handwritten or typed letters must be
signed. All letters should be limited to
about 300 words and must include the
writer’s full name, address and phone
number for verification. Letters are sub-
ject to editing for length, grammar and
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
USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News
John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
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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
541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com.
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
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