Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2000)
Page 16 The INDEPENDENT, December 6, 2000 Remembering.. . By Robb Wilson In my last column, I wrote about the telephone service that was established here in Vernonia at the turn of the cen tury. One of my readers, Charles Comstock, who loves to share historical stuff, wrote to me soon after that article ap peared, with the following. Comstock lived with his fam ily at Keasey, where his father managed the power house, and he remembers that his family had the convenience of a telephone in their house from 1931 to 1941. Many homes in and around Vernonia did not have telephones. Most of the phones were at business loca tions and their use was for commercial purposes, not so cial or talking to friends. The phone line for the power plant was shared with phones at Camp McGregor, the railroad depot at Keasey and, of course, was connected to “Central” at the office in Ver nonia. This line was estab lished originally as a telegraph line and was used to secure track clearance for the log trains and speeders using the railroad. According to Com stock, the phone service was the ultimate party line, reaching one’s party by turning the crank on the side of the phone. Their signal was a long and a short ring; camp McGregor was two long rings; the Depot, three rings; the operator in Vernonia, -who could connect them to the outside world-was reached with one long ring. How times have changed. Comstock also wonders if the old Vernonia phone prefix "Hazel 9” might have been in stituted for Hazel Malmsted, the daughter of Franklin and Bessie Malmsten. Franklin was the gentleman who brought the first telephone service (Swede line) to Vernonia. Another topic I want to touch on is a few members of the community who have recently passed away. The first I’d like to mention is one of Vernonia’s “Oldtimers,” Tom Graves. He first came to Vernonia as a lad riding on a bicycle. His family was living in Monmouth, where his mother was attending Nor mal School. His father came to Vernonia in 1922 and secured a job at the new mill. It was a summer day when Tom and his brother decided to visit their “Pop,” so they left early in the morning and made their way north from Monmouth on most ly dirt roads. There was no pavement then. Some roads were gravel, but most threw up clouds of dust. By night fall, they had reached the settle ment of Glenwood, on the Wil son River south of the railroad town of Timber, where the weary bike riders bought some eats at the store and slept soundly. They continued the next morning and arrived in Vernonia to the whistles and hustle and bustle of this busy and exciting new place. The only road to Vernonia then, from the south, was the road Tom loved old time equip from Forest Grove to Timber ment. He was partial to steam and on to Vernonia town. Tom’s mother, Mabie, soon powered machinery and boats came to Vernonia to join the and was involved in establish ing the park where the Shay family and teach school. Many folks in the area remember her engine rests. He and many oth as their teacher. Tom lived and er old timers created that park grew up here and spent time in the early 1960s as a memo during the summers doing var rial for Vernonia and its past. ious odd jobs at the mill. He He was not comfortable with graduated from Vernonia High the way the city had recently School in 1929, then went to removed the small engines, work, full time, at the mill, oper tractors, mill stones, wood ating one of the monorail cars wagon, Indian canoe and other that moved lumber from site to items on display that he and site in the mill yard. He left Ver other Vernonians had placed nonia during World War II to there for future generations to work in Portland at the Kaiser see, learn from and enjoy. Another fellow I had the shipyards. After that, he worked on the Columbia River pleasure of knowing was John for Willamette Tug & Barge as Ricker, who was a historian in a captain on a dredge barge for his own right. John was an avid collector and had a museum of 35 years. Graves came back to Ver his own, with a collection of nonia to live in the late 1990s, chainsaws that is unsurpassed. as he was always fond of his He was an importer and dealer of Swedish chain saws and re childhood town. I got to know Tom and ally knew their history and how gleaned much historical infor they developed. Dick Hunteman was a col mation from him about life in Vernonia during the 1920s and lector of early radios and elec 30s. He had a good memory of tronics, as well as clocks and the “old days.” He used to tell anything else he could get his me on every visit that, when he hands on. I got to know him in was growing up, Vernonia only the 1970s when CB radios had one cop and only needed were the craze. His knowledge one cop! One person at City of early electronics and love of Hall was all that was needed to things old was really some do the paper work, send out thing. He was very interesting the water bills and record the to visit with and his home was minutes at the courts and City like a museum with many dif ferent things to learn about. Council meetings. CD n cv H ««mm a . .C .c c Q> I Qj £ O K. Qj vn O CD C Cl o kJ Q j I -c X u. <2 SPECIAL!! Laser Paper Last, but not least, is my fa ther, who recently passed on to a better place. Wilbur, known to most as “Bill” came to Vernonia after serving in World War II. He was raised in small rural communities in Texas and was one of the last from the horse and wagon and steam train days. He thought Vernonia was a very modern place with elec tricity, indoor plumbing and such. He told many stories about growing up in rural Texas, where horses and wagons out numbered Model T’s and the railroad was the lifeblood...and only link to the outside world. But the most notable thing he talked about was how hot Texas was. During the summer in Vernonia he would sit out side every evening and, when he got cool, would heave a big sigh and say, “This is wonder ful. I need to go in now. It’s get ting cool. This sure isn’t like Texas, where if it’s 99 degrees during the day, it’s still 99 de grees at night.” How he loved Vernonia and its mild climate. He never had a desire to go back to Texas at all, but was still a Texan, through and through. Dad was involved in many civic activities and was one of founders of the annual Friendship Jamboree. He an nounced many of the parades, identifying participants to the crowd and judges through the 1960s. He came to Vernonia in 1947 as assistant bank manag er for the newly established bank. Vernonia had been with out a bank since the depres sion! Bill then went to work for West Oregon Electric Co-op as office manager in 1953 and worked there until his retire ment in 1986. Most people re member him as Mr. Informa tion, as that is where the Visi tors Information Center for our town was for many years. He was also projectionist for the Joy Theatre from 1965 to 1986, something he had done as a teenager in Texas. th e All these fellows had much to contribute to history and keeping memories of the past alive. They all will surely be missed. You can have The INDEPENDENT delivered to you by mail for $12 per year. Subscribe today! Call 429-9410 for info. Run with Extra Confidence with Chevron DELO 400™ PLUS MOTOR OIL $400 per ream White only 8-1/2” x 11” Need just a few sheets? Come on in, we sell paper by the sheet. Colored paper,too Pastels • Brights • Neons The INDEPENDENT 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone/Fax (503) 429-9410 LOW COST CAR LOANS Vernonia Federal Credit Union • 5 0 3 4 2 9 -8 0 3 1 OAK RANCH HEATING OIL ANTIFREEZE QUARRY OPEN DAILY Crushed Rock l ”, 2 ”, 3 ” Pit Run DELIVERY AVAILABLE lall Teevin Bros, for Information 5 0 3 -4 5 8 -6 6 7 1 Cheurón Call Jgck (503) 429-6606 WILCOX & FLEGEL 720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia
