*
Fur Farming Industry Becoming Important
.
K.
Many Th suae mis of Dollars Invested in New and Growing Enterprise in Co— and
Curry Counties---Furs irctn Here in Great Demand
.... .. .............................................................
1—Harold Fotta. Marshfield, holding a full Silver Fox pup. one-
half grown. 2—A 5-montha’ old pup from A. Barrows farm,
North Bend. Woman Is entire stranger to animal. 3—Alaskan
Blue Fox, owned by Harold Fotta. Marshfield.
4—Gerald and
Donald Fotta*Marshfield, with their Silver Fox pups.
5—Four
pairs of Silver Fox fan from the Hartwell Fox Farm at Riverton,
which topped the market at the Meier A Frank's Silver, Fox
Show, held in Portland in December, 1936. At that show, sev
eral hundred of the finest fox furs from all over the state of Ore-
By Mrs. C. M. Hartwell
,
Fox farming in Coos and Curry Counties is
much in its infancy, when compared with many
other counties in the state.
Despite its “youthful
ness,” however, during the past five years, Silver
fox farming in these two counties has sort of begun
to shed its swaddling clothes, and has grown to the
point where there are now 25 men engaged and in
terested in the breeding of these little animals,
which, together with the equipment necessary ior
operating, represents an investment here of several
hundred thousand dollars. Already quite a husky
juvenile, this new industry promises to continue in
rapid expansion.
Silver fox pelts are the leaders in values
throughout the fur trade, and upon them is largely
gauged the importance of transactions around the
world. What is doing in Silver fox is first in the
minds of traders, dealers and fur farmers. The de
pelts from one Coos County ranch sold considerably
higher than any of the others qf the hundreds of
entries. Buyers are declaring that Silver fox pelts
*rom Coos and Curry counties are uniformly of a
better texture, and rank higher than those from
other sections in Oregon.
The first foxes to be brought into Coos County
for breeding purposes was in 1925, when L. E.
Teters of McKinley and Volney Huntley of Myrtle
Point, each purchased a pair of blue foxes.
The
following year, Mr. Teters purchased a pair of Sil
ver foxes, which were destined to become the
'“Adam arjd Eve” of Coos County’s new industry.
An interesting story is told by Mr. Teters, of
the difficulties involved in Coos County-back in
1921 when endeavoring to register his first crop of
Silver fox pups. At that time Coos County was not
so famous for its good road system. The inspector
, and registrar sent out west that fall by the great
American National Fox Breeders Association of
New York, refused to come on in here from Rose
burg over the muddy roads. So Mr. Teters had to
M«
nnp*
Ma esr and" take them out to
is, indeed, a great contr 1st from the present. Now
fur ___
men ____
from ___
all ____
over the United States flock in
here during November and December, each trying
to be the first to purchase the magnificent fox furs
produced here. One New York buyer last fall char
tered a plane and flew in here, to De the first in the
field.
Six years ago, the local Silver fox breeders or
ganized as a unit of the Oregon State Fox Breeders*
Association, under the caption of “The Coquille
Unit.” Leslie Schroeder of Coquille was the first
president of the new Unit, and Mrs. C. M. Hartwell
of Riverton was its first secretary and treasurer.
She held that office until her resignation a short
time aga Charles G. Hartwell of Riverton is president
of the Unit, and Harold Potts of Marshfield, is
secretary and treasurer. At an Annual meeting in
Salem in January, of the Silver fox breeders from
all over the state of Oregon, Mrs. Hartwell was
elected a director of the O. S. F. B. A. to serve three
years.
List of Fox Breeders in Coos and Curry Coun
ties; L. E. Teters, McKinley, Ore.; Mrs. Laura Hunt-
ley (Mrs. Volney Huntley), Lloyd Huntley, John
Carver, W. B. Dement, W. W. Deyoe, Daniel Dins
more, F. C. Osborne, A. E. Guerin and R. Crawford,
all of Myrtle Point; Clinton Carman, Gaylord;
George McDonald, Bridge; Austin and Riley Clin
ton. A. Barrows, Lyle C. Smith, George A. Steward,
J. W. Ruble, Guy Kelley and Dr. Jas. A. Richmond,
all of Coquille; Geo. W. Guerin, Langlois; Harold
Potts, Vem Pierson and Edw. W. Miller, mgr. Coast
Highway association, Marshfield; Wm. J. Brown,
North Bend; C. M. Hartwell, Riverton.
mand for his skin, and its price, is a barometer of
sales conditions. He leads in exclusive offerings.
No other pelt carries the interest in fur sales, and
none other has ever aprpoached the price record
for the past year.
Moot of the Silver fox farmers in Coos and
Curry Counties are of the outdoor and fresh-air
loving kind, so one can scarcely mention fox farm
ing without making particular reference to our
ideal climatic conditions, which have amply proven
themselves to be exceedingly conducive to the pro
duction of the finest of Silver fox furs.
At the Silver Fox Pelt Show held in Portland
. You, of the eaat, who*have seen the beautiful
this past winter, sponsored by the Oregon State Fox
salmon, packed in ice, can catch one just Ijke it
Breeders association, in cooperation with Meiier &
yourself here in the Coquille Valley.
Franks, at which time hundreds of the finest and
most gorgeous Oregon fox skins were exhibited by
■
more than 50 breeders, furs from Coos and Curry Œ.
The Coquille Valley and its people invite the
Counties rated among the finest at the show. Some
homeseeker
—
Principal Business Streets in Coquille