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The INDEPENDENT, July 3, 2003
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INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice
monthly, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, by
Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia,
OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni An
dersen. Editor, Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410,
e-mail: noni@vernonia.com Display Advertising, Clark Mc-
Gaugh, 503-429-9410, e-mail: clark@vernonia.com
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Independence Day came
with patriots’ courage
(Ed. note: The following has been appearing on the internet and I have
not verified any part of it. Nevertheless, it is sufficiently interesting to
serve as a reminder that patriotism is not about making money, or being
self-righteously smug. It is about courage.)
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tor
tured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; an
other had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of
the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plan
tation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed
the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the
penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw
his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his
home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he
was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in
the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.
His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his re
ward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Cly
mer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the
British General, Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home
for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Wash
ington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died
bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The
enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dy
ing. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist
mill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his chil
dren vanished.
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we
shouldn’t.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holi
day and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for
the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many
people as you can, please. It’s time we get the word out that
patriotism is NOT a sin and the Fourth of July has more to it
than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
By Dale Webb, Member
Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League
Summer is officially
here: As I write this article,
the sun is shining bright
and turning my lawn
brown. I seem to have a
hard time keeping that
darn grass green. I have a
sprinkler system, but there
always seems to be a
valve or head that doesn’t
want to work right. Speaking of watering, it looks
like we are headed for another dry summer. The
river level at this time is less than half of normal.
This is not a good omen for the young fish in our
rivers, since low flows will lead to additional mor
tality. We had a very strong run of Coho salmon
this last winter, it would be nice if their offspring
survived to give the run a boost. If the dry spell
continues, please be aware of your watering
practices.
With the rivers drying up I have to venture fur
ther to find kayaking water. I recently took a trip
down the Clackamas River from the Three Lynx
power station to Bob's hole. This is Class III and
IV water and was quite interesting. The rapids all
have names and are quite descriptive. Hole in
the Wall is a large indentation in the mountain
side that forms a powerful eddy. People have
drowned in this eddy. A set of wroughtiron loops
have been placed on the rock wall of Hole in the
Wall to provide an escape from this trap. Other
interesting rapids are Armstrong, Carters, Sling
Shot, Rock and Roll and my favorite of all, Toilet
Bowl. After running Toilet Bowl, I really did feel
like I had been flushed! The lower part of this run
is called the Carnage Run by the local paddlers
— I can see why. I never swam and had to roll
only once, but the river really did show me who
was boss. The Clackamas is nearly too low,
now, so the kayaking trips will have to extend to
glacier-fed streams, such as the White Salmon
in Washington State. White Salmon is a very
pretty river and has high rafting and kayaking us
age. If you are ever up in that part of the woods,
drive up to the wide spot in the road named
Husum, there you will find kayakers flinging
themselves over Husum falls or seal launching
off of eight foot high rock ledges.
I've had reports that the trout fishery in the lo
cal Nehalem was very good again this year, with
near 80 fish per pole being caught on opening
day. The Nehalem River continues to be a catch
and release only stream for Cutthroat Trout. I
think the river is probably still good for people us
ing float tubes, but they should be aware that
there will be a lot of walking due to low stream
flows.
While this last winter was mild, it has not
seemed to have made much difference in the
deer population. It is still low. I have seen only
one pair of fawns, so far, and I have observed
several does without fawns. It is a little early yet,
so the fawns may have been hidden. The one
thing that is standing out among hunters who are
doing some field scouting, is that they are not
seeing many deer at all. Elk are far more numer
ous and it should be the other way around.
ODF&W has issued another 800 Doe tags for
this fall in the Saddle Mountain unit, that ought to
make the situation a lot better! Biologists in oth-
Please see page 3