Image provided by: North Santiam Historic Society; Gates, OR
About The Mill City enterprise. (Mill City, Or.) 1949-1998 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1949)
Looking Up and Down the Canyon w By CHARLES WOLVERTON A few weeks ago we moved into a new (or practically new) home. A rather startling fact has faced us in the process—we’re unable to buy a lot of items that are essential for our new place right here at home. There have been about 100 new I houses built in Mill City and vicinity in the past nine months. And I got to thinking—the owners of these new homes must have been in the same fix as we were when it came to es sentials. For instance, one can’t buy drapery School buildings in the Noith San materials anywhere in the Canyon. tiam Canyon bulged with children— Curtains and drapes for 100 homes must have amounted to quite a fig with increases as much as 100 per ure—to Salem or Portland merchants cent over last year’s enrollment. Gates was the biggest gainer, as —for these 100 homes. children from the many tiailer parks The same is true of items like rugs, in the area were added to an already insulating materials, special decora large enrollment. tions. shrubs, etc. Mill City grade school passed the It would be, I believe, a conserva 300 maik, an increase of 90 and the tive estimate that *150 worth of such high school was up about 25, to a to- item«, not locally carried, went into tai of 92. the bundled homes. In other words, Detroit’s grade school was not much $15,000 in local spending went out smaller, with 240 enrolled and more side. expected. True, there is always a percentage High school there showe 1 338 ear of trade that goes to the bigger cit ly in the week. ies. There always will be. The local Lyons enrollment went up to 200. merchant can point out to you that E'oitunately, every community has it wouldn’t pay to carry such items anticipated the increase with new or as I have mentioned. Yet, it could be enlarged buildings. But in many cases pointed out to him that at times he teachers will have classes rather too can’t affoid not to carry them. large until irore peisonnel can be Mill City has a great future as a I t i red. trading center. A large recreation area around the lake foimed by the Gates schools opened Monday with Detroit Dan will draw thousands as a 100 per cent increase in registra- summertime residents on its shores. tion. The improved road into Elkhotn, now Monday—with enrollment still in- being built, will draw into this Can complete—the total was 168, with 55 yon the trade of a hundred resort ’of that number in the junior ami sen households. That trade will be ours Ì ior high schools. if competitively we can match the Principal of the high school again maits of more distant cities. this yea is T. R. Burton, and the I’m not implying any criticism of our local merchants when I mention things they don’t keep in stock. They have had their hands full just keep ing apace with local growth, of build ing new buildings, of making all var iety of adjustments to changed con Gates businessmen, whose commu ditions. Yet the future seems bright nity, according to school registration for a ieal trading center here—and this week, has expe ienced the most well stocked places of business are rapid growth of any in the Canyon, the key to such a program. are organizing a commercial group. • • « First meeting was held at the Gates Rapid growth of population and furniture sto:e Thursday evening and additional building in the west and again Monday night. southwest parts of town has created A board of directors was elected, a real problem of*access stieets for including Glen Hearing, George Clise, these newer district«. Within the city Joe Jun, Floyd Völkel and Dick Park limits, vacant lots are filling up with er. Geoige Clise was chosen to serve new homes. And just outside are two as chairman and Dick Parker as sec additions waiting to come into the retary-treasurer. city. P e-ent at the first meeting, be Yet, for those who are settling to sides the directors, were Norman Gar- the west,, the.e’s but one way into r: on, J. Adams, John LaHaie, Gil- town the highway. For the 40 or 50 b< rt Weathers, Jer: y Lyons, Frank school children, walking along that Saunders. Harold Heath, Ned Rich i heavily traveled route is a serious ards, William Hutcheson, Wilson hazard. Park and Bob Jackson. To the southwest, the problem is £ little different. All tiaflfic must go SNOWBALL BI SH BLOOMS via Kingwood Kt. (the county road) A sncwball bush in the Frank Bla and First Ave. To school, this means eight or ten block.- for the child that zek must have thought the recent ain was a spring Shower, for several lives but a few blocks from it. The Ogden addition, when devel blooms appeared on its top this week oped. will provide access streets to —out of season by half a year. The bush stands about 15 feet high both areas—the Swift addition and west along the highway and in the and Mrs. Addie Wells, who lives in old Paradise addition. Both streets a second story apartment nearby, will lead into Evergreen, which Bob first observed the blossoms, not no- Veness, councilman, believes will be ticeable from the ground. Only the top branches 'had bloom.«. a main thoroughfa:e. Two years ago west from the school. Evergreen wa~ « two-lane highway—there wore two WILSONS BUY PROPERTY Mr. and Mrs. Russell Wilson, of deep ruts. • * e Mehama, who operate a hatchery in A few weeks ago. the usually fair- tEat vicinity, have purchased proper minded foimer Governor Charles ty in Foui Corners, containing sev Sprague in The Statesm« n was sharp eral large and small buildings. The ly critical of the Army Engineers for tract with two large duplex build locating Mongold. Detroit Dam con ings and tw cottages, all rental pro struction camp, below the eventual perty, was purchased from F. A water level of the reservoir. The gov Boyington. ernor w>as doubtless influenced by a mild case of dispepsia plus a reac ' scape. tionary article in the Readers Digest At Mongold, rents of over $125 a of which I will refrain from polite day are being collected from the bar- remarks at this time. - racks alone. The apartments are pay Fact is. Mongold was a logical step ing and more than paying their way. in the vast undertaking of building The governor was also irked over the dam, and it was the most econ- the fact that the other installations •> rival means of providing housing such as st rets, a water and sewage for 48 families and over 500 single system, would be lost when the area is flooded. «o ken. Facts are that only the cheapest Mongold was built with material «alvaged from old army bases, as was pipe went into the ground, and it i- the Detroit school. The apartments expected to just about last out the were built out of housing that had dam building period. i As for the been temporary—set up originally to the foundations, streets, , etc . that last out a five-year war period. That were installed—one has only to loor de it is serving another five years is all at Camp Adair today to wish to the good. Tse ba-rack« were of the b is, old foundation«, stirk r irne; MKM junk lurher. and tfeir con- an-i worthless streets were we 1 und -truction cots were iessened because many feet of water. In the Mongold area, much they were delivered on the Mongold «:te partly fabricated. So w»ie the work was done bv the Anrv eeis themselves after contractor-1 Ea apartments. AH the buildings are of auch tem- bid too high over estimates. In ver porary construction that it is a reilef case, projects were complete-; at tr be assured that—ugly as they are cost than the lowest bid but beL w t i t ey will not mar the future land- estimates. T he MILL CITY ENTERPRISE NUMBER 37 Population Rise Jams Schools in Canyon Gates Organizes Business Group teaching staff includes Mr. and Mrs. William Hall and Mrs. Bowling. Grade school teachers are Mrs. Ri ley Champ, Mrs. Olive Barnhalt and Mrs. Gwen Schaer. A number of students from the old Blowout Camp have been included in the Detroit district this year and will attend theie, thus avoiding a long and hazardous trip for the school bus. MILL CITY. OREGON. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. 1949 Sent ng LYONS, MEHAMA ELKHORN. MILL CITY GATES, MONGOLO DETROIT, IDANHA 12.00 A YEAR. 5 ( ENTS A COPY Key Recreation Area Seen for N. Santiam Detroit Vote To Incorporine Detroit Dam Engineer Sure It Will Lead in Oregon The North Santiam Canyon was en- . the amount one foot deep on an acre) visioned today as becoming the great- [of which 40,000 acre-feet is reserved est lecreational area in Oregon by ' for power production, 160,000 "dead Lt. Col. Jack Miles, resident army storage” and the remaining amount engineer of the Detroit Dam. flo<xi control storage. The long-cherished hope that De- ‘‘I'm getting to be a one-man cham Water for Irrigation. Col. Miles estimated that a total | troit, a town marked for extinction ber of commerce about it,” he told The city council Wednesday eve Mill City Chamber of Commerce of 135,000 acres of land could be ir because it lies below the eventual ning heard Boy Scout representatives members at a noonday luncheon rigated with water from the reser and their plans for a scout cabin in water line of the Detroit Dam reser Of all the projects in the Willam voir, if used. He stated that 200,000 voir, might find a way to continue the city 'park. Clyde Golden, local ette Valley Project, the Detroit Dam acre feet could be used for that pur on. was nearing reality today. committee chairman, and Louis Ver- offers in the reservoir area the long pose. The irrigation possibilities of A bigger and more important De beck, committeeman, presented plans est season for recieational uses, he the dam were figured in the econom for a large cabin an scout headquar- troit is in the making. ics of (hv planning, the engineer de This week the Mai ion County court ters in the southest corner of the “I further predict that the view clared, pointing out that he had had set a date of Oct. 13 for holding an park. across the reservoir fiom the high to correct certain misconceptions in The council has referred the plans election to incorporate an area six way near Piety Knob, with Mt. Jeff the Valley by farmers who thought miles along the Canyon — including to the city planning commission. irrigation would be forced upon them. The incorporation erson in the distance, will become as Col. Miles explained that irrigation The council was informed that the Idanha as well. familiar to the nation and the world horseshoe shaped street in the CBI lines proposed, all in Marion County, as the view of Mt. Hood across Lost proceeds only after the farmers of addition ha- been named Parkside are bounded on the west by the new Lake,” he adde. ’an area set up an iirigation distict. school house aiea eastward a quarter Drive. 1 “I was surprised to find out that a He said that Piety Knob would be Work began Monday on cutting to a half mile in width to Marcy - lot of folks in the Canyon don’t know an island in the reservoir and would down the grade of First Ave, and the Creek, a mile above Idanha. what Big Cliff Dam is for,” he said. add further to the new lake's pos Pae incorporation area follows the abiupt rise there already has disap “One man told me he thought it was sibilities for recreation. same general lines as the Breitenbush peared. for catching salmon.” And since not far away there are Discussed as urgent business was fire district. Here is how power production will If the election favois incorpora centers of winter sports, the Can work at Detroit and Big Cliff dams: the need for a city charter election yon ’ s possibilities are not limited to as soon as possible. The council is tion, the town of Idanha will cease Detroit Dam will generate 100,000 a few months of the year, he said. planning to call for it soon, after cer to exist by that name. kw in two 50,000 kw generators dur But, the colonel advised, those po Petitions asking for the election tain legal details are woiked out. tentialities will come sooner if the ing the periods of peak use in the Lack of a city charter has prevent were signed by 100 upper Canyon res Canyon’s people see them and do Northwest, about five or six houis a ed the city from proceeding with spe idents, or substantially above the 20 something about them. If they don’t, I day. Because production of that vol cial assessment programs for paving, per cent required by law. There are he said, others from the outside will ume of power lets loose a veritable etc., and seveial additions waiting to 391 voters in the area. flood of water, some means had to do them later. County officials expidited the elec come into the city limits cannot l.e be devised to level off the ebb apd The resident eng r er ’ s talk covei- tion procedure rapidly. Edison Vick- voted in till the charter is set up. flow. Hence, Big Cliff Darn, which ed a wLia scope of facts about power eis, justice of the Breitenbush justice will hold back these peroidia rushes i court, presented the petition to the production, irrigation, water capacity of water and i elease them in regular and river flow statistics. county court Monday. By Tuesday volume. morning County Attorney Stadter Importance of Dam Stressed. At the same time Big Cliff will be A family of eight was homeless Speaking of the dam, Col. Miles Wednesday when their house in the validated the petitions, and by noon explained its functions as part of the generating a constant 18,000 kw. Power from Detroit Dam will be hill country south of Mill City was the same «lay the County Court had Willamette Valley Project and term set the election date. sent over the Cascades into the NW totally destroyed by fire. The new Detroit, which Mr. Vick- ed a “very important link” in that power pool. Big Cliff’s power will go Al! peisonal belongings, including vast undertaking which ultimately is new clothing purchased for school, eis said would be the “longest little intended completely to harness the to the valley. i city in the country,” has great hopes Present schedule calls for the com was lost in the flames. river and its tributaries. He said the in the future of becoming a trading pletion of Detroit Dam tn June, 1953, Fire was spotted by the lookout seven dams now under construction. station on Monument Peak, and By center for a large recreation aiea ex 'T ««nit In file lower Willamette will I but production of 'power ther wilt ac-’ ron Bates, county warden, investiga pected to develop around Detroit successfully control floods, and other I tually precede the windup of the job; t'd and found the Donald Philpott res Dam I<ake. This lake, about ten nittcs installations ultimately will maintain . the first generator is to be cut over idence a smoldering ruin. He radioed long, will have a shoreline of about the rivet at a fluctuation ot f"'abou't , I *n November, 1902. Blir Cliff Dam must be he ready railJv by he back tn Monument Peak and the look 45 miles, and federal plans aie for a three feet. ' • “Big road encircling it, with shore front- Outflow on the North Santiam is 'the tin,e th* flpst generator starts out phoned to Mill City. I age leased to summer home owners. on an average of 1,475,000 acre-feet ’ Ploduc,n« power," Pie lake will be the nearest such WHO GOT STING? annually, the major part In the win body of water to a million or more Mis. Leo Wagner v* of ..■-,,■,,,0 Mehama this . . ter and spring. The Detroit Dam, as RESCUE IR ROUGH GOING week reported the theft of a hive of Per‘P e w,t 10 miles, designed^ will retain two-thirds of the FOR INJURED LOGGER bees. maximum recorded flow of the river. A hand-over-band rescue in the rug BIRTHDAYS IDENTICAL The North Santiam, he said, fluc ged McCully Mountain legion Friday NOTICE Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wiltse, Mill tuates between a recorded maximum succeeded in bringing out a Mehama Contributions of clothing for a City, are the parents of a boy born, flow of 61 300 cubic feet per second, logger to safetly and on his way to family of eight, bedding and other Sept. 6, the sa/ne birthday as that of and in low water stage drops to a a Salem hospital. household necessities are being re He was Harry Monroe, employee a previous youngster. Statistically, knc«wn minimum of but 320 cu. ft. ceived by the Firemen's Auxiliary of Erci 1W1 oslinLogging Co., whose it’s a 156 to 1 chance for parents to per second. in an emergency collection for the have two children with the same birth The reservoir will stort 455,000 hip was fractured when a rock was Phillpott family, whose home was date. acre feet of water (an acre-foot is dislodged on a steep hillside and hit destroyed by fire. Ix*a\e contribu -him in the back. tions with Mrs. Frank Blazek or logging area was i The ............. - — too — rough .—u for Mrs. George Ditter. stretcher-bearing. The Injuied man was lifted from the canyon hand over hand up the main line, aided and sup- STRAIGHTEiiER-yr ported by Ollie Adams and Jim Toome, fellow workers. i ----------------- TWO LOSE FINGERS Two local men lost fingers in con- AUMSVU’LLE Farmers from Bob Schmidt, agricultural chair- i struction work last week. many points in the Pacific Northwest •1 an of the Oregon State Grange, Joe Podrabsky lost part of his left are expected to come here Saturday and general chairman of the farm foiefinger in a plaster mix machine to see the first farm face-lifting ev face lifting show, makes it clear the while working on the Lyons school ent in the Willamette Valley. A coips field day is not merely a series of Cast Thursday. He of farmer volunteers, equipment com goo-l land use demonstrations. Erank Rada, who is building cab pany representatives and state and said: ins, lost parts of two fingers on a "Each soil conservation practice cutoff saw. will attempt to complete a soil and put on Bartels’ farm is needed. It water conservation program on the solves a particular land problem. The SURPLUS STORE TO OPEN Irvin Bartels farm, one mile North field day isn’t a testing ground for ( Bui nett Cole, of Detroit, will open of Shaw, in a single day. go«>d land use steps, or a mid-way a war surplus store in the Mill City ,__ l> Willamette Valiev Conservation of better farming methods. All of Furniture Co. quarters Friday. F r •»- Day is being cosponsored by the the conseivation work applied during The store, called the Santiam Wa Oregon State G ange and the San- the day Is part and parcel of Bartels’ Surplus, will have the same name as tiam «ail conservation district, with farm conservation plan. the one he opened in Detroit about "The way sloping, eroding lands a year ago. The establishment will many civic groups co-operating. By It’s »11 in a day’s work (or a Navy the end of the day, the committee are t eater! and wet fields drained, carry clothing, shoes and many other »•'leiarket. 4 crew member from expects to have completed the proper and the 20 or more things that will it ma. . .-e r.f the units of the Sixth Task land use ami erosion control p’SC- lie done in the revamping of Bartels’ I,-, t lends a little support to the f.eantn: Tower of Pisa in the t ce« needed o nthe Bartels farm. All farm, should be an eye-opener to DONT MISS IT! of the Fleet's visit to th«- conservation work carried out by hundreds of Willamette Valley farm- f An event of greatest importance of northern Italy. Florem e Bartels and the staff of equipment eta.’* to everyone interested in agricnl- Pisa and other Italian cities were "n th<> ,tgM«rein< agenda »• the opei atora and soil technicians meets Scho idt explained that while the lure in the "field day” on soil ron- . k F< rce brought the Naval ver- the capability requirements of his prar-tices sheduled to be applied to aervation at l*v Bartels farm near -•>n of tmerira ta Mediterranean land. (Continued on Back Page) Shaw Saturday. Don’t miaa it! »•rOO. O*clal U S PiMtsg-ayb) Scouts Seek Cabin Sight Set Eor Oct. 19 Family Burned Out Complete Face - Lifting to Be Given Farm in Single Day