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The INDEPENDENT, October 21,1998
By Patricia Olson
By Robb Wilson, Curator
Columbia County Historical Society Museum
This past summer, I noticed a sight so common a few decades
ago that it was rarely noticed, but is rarely seen today. I think that
a few old souls resting in their graves had smiles and were tick
led to no end to think that this was taking place. What I observed
was that the son of a late shingle weaver replaced the roof on his
family home, not with the all-too-popular and convenient tar
paper type roofs seen everywhere today, but replaced it with
REAL CEDAR SHAKES! I’ll bet it was the only roof replaced this
year with cedar. How nice to see it!
There were some repairs on shingle and shake roofs in the
area, but many other roofs that were replaced this past season
were fitted with metal or the composition roofing. I would guess
that many factors prevent folks from replacing with cedar—cost,
insurance and availability.
Availability is not what it once was. This area was once thick
with old growth Western Red Cedar, and shakes and shingles
were made everywhere. Homesteaders made all of their own
roofing, splitting cedar shakes for their own needs and oftentimes
selling extras as one of the first cash products shipped from the
Nehalem Valley to the cities. With the railroad passing through
the thriving hamlet of Timber, just a dozen miles to the south,
wagons would be loaded up and then relieved of their loads at
the train docks, providing an income for the locals. It was the
area’s first broad-based export industry!
Many shingle and shake mills were in operation after the turn
of the century and operated up into the fifties. During the 1960s
and 70s a couple of mills operated; through the ‘80s and into
today there is only one long-established mill still operating local
ly. Cedar mills that once dotted the landscape, with smoke con
stantly curling skyward, are now things of the past.
“It’s hard to find the right kind of cedar to make good shingles
or shakes these days,” said an old timer, as he sat on a stool with
a bolt of cedar in front of him. With a wooden mallet he had fash
ioned from a chunk of vinemaple, he hit a froe and sliced a thin
flat shake off, turned the bolt upside down and did another slice,
turning the bolt with each slice to make a tapered shake.
“These are only 12 inch shakes, not much good. In the old
days we would make ‘Barn’ shakes up to 36 inches long. But then
good cedar was everywhere!” He told me, too, how there were a
lot of little mills producing shingles and shakes all around the
woods here.
“Why, the roof on my house has been there since the late for
ties. I did replace the porch roof a few years back and have had
to patch a few spots here and there,” he said. The shingles used
on his place were hand split, not cut or sawn. There was a mill
near here that steamed the cedar bolts and, when they were soft
as butter, used a blade to cut them perfectly thin, he added. That
is the only operation of this sort I've heard about, as all of the
shingle mills I’ve known made “sawn shingles” to get that even
thickness.
Last month I was talking about old barns and how they were
made entirely from cedar. I’ve seen more examples, lately, of
some big barns and small buildings too, made from cedar, with
the posts all being split and the siding made like shakes, only with
six foot pieces.
In fact, at an estate sale out Keasey Route last month, a whole
homestead cabin that was built over a hundred years ago and
carefully taken apart 30 years ago was sold to someone from
Washington state. It was made entirely from split cedar and had
three foot shakes for the roof and siding. Too bad it is now gone!
When the first settler, Clark Parker, came to the area, he and
another man from down the valley, named Tucker, built a split
cedar cabin so Parker could bring his family to live here in the
Riverview area. Cedar was important to the survival of early set
tlers as it is a versatile wood and burns readily, too. When the
folks were clearing land for fields to farm, they slashed and
burned the old growth fir trees to get rid of them, but the cedars
were always used. Easily split, they were used for zig zag fenc
ing, buildings and whatever came to mind.
The Indians were dependent upon cedar for their needs too,
lodges, canoes, long boats, totems, baskets, bowls, tools, etc.,
were fashioned from this light and aromatic wood.
Today you cannot find an old growth cedar tree in the area, but
there are thousands of young cedars growing everywhere!
We had to to it, didn’t we?
We just HAD to complain of no
rain. OK. Now we have it and
are we happy? Well, a little. It
was pretty dry out there.
The ol’ flu bug continues to
make its rounds but doesn’t
stay long. Jac Ramsay is re
covering well from her recent
foot surgery and will have the
other one done as soon as the
first one is sufficiently healed.
We welcome our new librar
ian, Ferris Sylvester. He brings
with him many years experi
ence in the field, as assistant in
the Vernonia Public Library, a
position he still holds.
The Senior Picnic was en
joyed by many on September
26th. The band, Golden Oldie,
entertained the entire day.
Good friends and good fellow
ship were enjoyed by all.
October birthdays being cel
ebrated are: Pam Cook and
Richard Baker, 10th; Nellie An
derson,
12th;
Mercedes
Proehl, 18th; Barbara Sturde-
vant, 24th; Dori Halvorson,
28th. Happy Birthday to all.
On October 30th we will
come to the Center in costume,
at least that is the plan. Come
on, you cowards! We encour
age our guests to do the same.
It’ll be fun!
We hope to have several ac
tivities cooking during the win
ter season. Perhaps a dance,
some speakers, a winter pic
nic? Send us a few sugges
tions.
The food has taken on a
new, heartier trend with the
colder weather. Stews, beans
and ham...whatever your fa
vorite winter fare may be, we
probably have it.
Beat the winter blues with a
good book, a few hands of
cards, a friendly chat with
friends or sewing on a quilt. We
have it all. One of our guests
recently told us that the Center
is the IT place in town now.
Holiday-related items will be
appearing in the Flea Market
as the various holidays ap
proach. Try us first and save
$$$$.
Have a safe Hallowe’en and
watch out for all the little ghosts
and goblins. Try meeting them
at the door with a smile and a
camera. They don’t stay little
for very long.
Fall Fair festivities at
Christian Church
Vernonia’s annual Fall Fair
Carnival will be celebrated Sat
urday, October 31,7-8:30 p.m.
at the Vernonia Christian
Church.
The fun is all free, and will
feature a cup cake walk, dart
toss, fish pond, ring toss, dice
toss, and many more.
Annual meeting for
Friends of B-V Trail
The Friends of the Banks/
Vernonia Linear Trail will hold
their annual meeting Oct. 22, at
the Brown Derby Restaurant in
Banks. A no-host dinner will be
gin at 6:00 p.m., with the meet
ing to follow.
Brett A Elliott
Brett Anthony Elliott was
born Oct. 8, 1998, at St. Vin
cent Hospital in Portland. He
weighed seven lbs., six oz. and
was 20 inches long. Brett is the
first child of Jolene and Craig
Elliott of Vernonia.
Grandparents are Steve and
Lynn Stegmann of Vernonia
and Janet and Dan Bowman of
Dundee.
Great-grandparents
are
Walter and Bernadine Steg
mann, and Gertrude Lucius, all
of Solon Springs, Wisconsin,
Robert and Gertrude Norton of
Salem, and Nelma Peterson of
Louis, Texas.
Gavin J. Ceballos
Gavin Jack Ceballos was
born Oct. 10, 1998, at Meridian
Park Hospital in Tualatin, to
Jeffrey and Shannon Ceballos
of Beaverton. He weighed sev
en lbs., fouroz. and was 19-3/4
inches long.
Grandparents are Mary
Anne Odam of McMinnville,
Michael and Brenda Anderson
of Olympia, Wash., and Tony
and Maret May of McMinnville.
Great grandparents are
Jack Odam and Larry and Lor
raine Borst, all of Vernonia,
Perna Heintz of Dallas, Walter
and Sally May of Salem, and
Donna Sanders of Falls City.
The audience is asked to re
main seated until the end of
the recession.
Elaine Hopson
for State Representative, Dist. 2
A lifetime of achievement
Superintendent, Tillamook School District A Chair, Health Department Advisory Board
Small Business Owner A Chamber of Commerce A Teacher A Personnel Director
Commission on Children and Families A American Association of University Women
Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, School Funding Coalition A Rotary
A vision for the future
E D U C A T IO N
• Secure adequate and stable funding
• Demand high levels of student
achievement
C R IM E
• Increase penalties for crimes against
seniors
• Make juvenile offenders pay restitution
to their victims
TR ANSPO RTA TIO N
• Improve roads to attract commerce and
tourism
You’ll always score with an
INDEPENDENT
V ’ ;
z .
BUSINESS D E V E LO P M E N T
• Attract diverse industries that provide
family-wage jobs
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