6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 10, 2016
Not just a
collegiate essay:
Our Brothers in
the Camps
BY STEPHEN WILLIAMSON
For the Sentinel
W. STU HOGG
P
A
courtesy photo
Opal Whiteley, age 17, about the
time she wrote her essay extol-
ling the lumber camps of her
childhood.
his courtesy to all woman, of his kind-
ness in taking care of an old man in the
camp, and of how he was ever ready to
help anyone in need, he understands why
the woman and children, and even some
of the “loggers,” are sobbing.
We are proud of our lumber industry
and we boast of our timberland as one of
our greatest natural resources. But when
we see the great carloads of lumber do
we stop to think of the work it has taken
to place this lumber on the market, or do
we take time to be interested in the lives
of those whose work contributes to the
lumber industry.
Shall we, like this stranger, go on busy
with our own interests until, by chance,
the fact is brought home to us that af-
ter all these lumbermen are human be-
ings? Or will we reach out the hand of
fellowship to our brothers in the camps,
recognizing that these (“lumberjacks”
and “loggers”) need our friendship, and
appreciating that their lives are worth-
while?
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t fi ve o’clock the lights begin to
shine from the windows of the
camp homes. Between six and seven the
men are on their way to work, and as the
seven o’clock whistle blows they start
briskly at the tasks for the day.
It is a little past nine o’clock when
four loud shrill whistles are blown.
Now the ring of the woodsman’s ax is
not heard, the lines along the chute lie
still, no sound comes from the donkey
engines, even the usual whir and buzz
of the mill is stopped for the time being.
A pause has suddenly come in the day’s
work. From out of the woods, from off
the hill, from around the pond, and from
out of the mill men are running; all in
one direction – toward the canyon.
Only a few minutes have passed since
the signal was heard (that signal which
puts fear into the heart of every man,
woman, and child of the camp). Now
the men are in the canyon talking in low
subdued tones around the lifeless form
of a comrade.
A man, who has come from the city to
place a large order for his company, ob-
serves the bringing in of the body, sees
how tenderly they carry the still form,
watches the children as they run from
their play, sees the mothers and wives
gathered in groups. As when “the Boss”
steps aside from the men a moment to
speak to this man he is met with by the
question “Why all this commotion about
a lumberjack?”
“The Boss” looking him square in the
face says “Yes – he is a lumberjack,” and
turns again to the group.
The stranger, while waiting for an op-
portunity to place his order, walks about
the camp. He hears the children sobbing
and when one of them explains to him
that this man was the children’s friend
the stranger begins to think that prob-
ably the lumberjack is somewhat hu-
man. When later in the day he hears of
how this “lumberjack” went cheerily
whistling to his work each morning, of
฀
Did you know?
Commentary on 'Our
Brothers in the Camps'
By Opal Whiteley, age 17
Written in late 1916
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eople who know about Cottage Grove’s
Opal Whiteley tend to fall into two
groups — people who think she is a fake and
people who think she is a heroine. This unpub-
lished story, written for class in 1916 when
Opal was a freshman at the University of Or-
egon, challenges what many of us think we
know about her.
Opal is often seen as a princess of the natu-
ral environment. Yet she was also a child of a
logging and gold mining family, growing up
in lumber camps all along the Row River. She
always wrote positively about the men and
women who worked in the timber industry. In
her childhood diary, it is a logger, the “man
who wears grey neckties” who gives her paper
and pens — as does Sadie McKibben, whose
family owns the “mill by the far woods”.
This little short story was written for a class
assignment in her freshman year in the fall of
1916. Opal asks the reader to understand and
appreciate the hard work of lumberjacks. In
some ways this story, “Our Brothers in the
Camps”, is more like a morality tale than a
short story. It is much like the sort of lectures
and sermons Opal both heard and gave when
she was growing up. It starts as a short story
but soon turns into a ringing defense of work-
ing men and women.
Opal even uses the term “comrade”, a popu-
lar Marxist term of the 1917 Russian Revo-
lution. A “rich stranger from the city” who
comes to buy lumber learns a lesson in human-
ity through his visit to the lumber camp. There
is also a favorable portrait of the local woods
“Boss”. Opal may be more interested in the
urban-rural divide than in management-labor
disputes. She judges people not on their wealth
but on their kindness and work.
What does this paper say about the young
woman who wrote it? Clearly, it’s autobio-
graphical. This is not just a collegiate essay
— it is her own testament. This story may
be her response to perceived prejudices and
judgments from city kids toward a girl from
the country. It may also show how much she
craved acceptance: before, in Cottage Grove,
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Stephen Williamson is a longtime mem-
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and an authority on Opal Whiteley.
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DRAIN:
Gateway Family Fellowship
Church of the Nazarene
337 “C” St. Drain, OR
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship 10:45am
Living Hope Free Lunch
Wed. at 12:30pm
541-836-7051 www.drainnaz.org
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Bible Study: 10:45am
Potluck Lunch: Noon
Worship: 12:45pm
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
Pastor: Aaron Earlywine
Youth & Families Pastor: Seth Bailey
Services: 9am and 10:30am
Christian Education
Nursery for pre-k - 3rd Grade
www.6thandgibbs.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun: 9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd. • 541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Isaac Hovet
www.cg4.tv
Summer Schedule: Sunday Service 10am
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Covered Bridge Nazarene Church
152 S. M St.
541-942-4422
Pastor: Cindy Slaymaker
Sunday School: 9:30am
Worship 10:30am
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711
Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St • 541-942-4479
Pastor: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
www.cgpresbynews.com
Grove Community Church
77820 Mosby Creek Rd.
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
541-942-0123
Pastor: Bryan Parsons
Worship: 10:30 a.m.
Nursery: Infant - Pre-K
Kidʼs Church: K to 5th grade
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd. • 541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Living Faith Assembly
467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612
Pastor Rulon Combs
Sunday School All Ages 9am
Worship & Childrenʼs
Church 10:00 am
Sat Evening Service 6:00pm
Youth 180 Mondays 5:30-8pm
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave * 541-767-0447
Preachers: Tony Martin & Robert Evans
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Pastor: Jim Edwards
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join us in Traditional
Christian Worship
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420 / 541-942-4712
Pastor: Roy L. Antunez, S.J.
Euch. Liturgies; Sat. 5:30pm
Sun. 10:30am
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell:
552 Holbrock Lane • 541-895-8686
Sunday: 8:30am
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 am
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education 9:15am
Sundway Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
Comm. Dinner (Adults $5, Kids Free)
2nd & 3rd Monday 5-6:00pm
cottagegroveumc.org
“VICTORY” Country Church
913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message:
11:00am
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