Page 14
The INDEPENDENT, October 5, 2011
Extension office moves to new location in Washington County
From page 13
Agricultural College, traveled
the state from the city of Cor-
vallis by horse, and later by
train, to organize farmers’ insti-
tutes and deliver lectures to far-
Wetland is taking shape in Vernonia
From page 1
stages” were complete, wet-
lands consultants (who are bi-
ologists) did conceptual draw-
ings before civil engineers
(KPFF Engineering for this
project) and landscape engi-
neers (Lango Hansen) were
chosen. KPFF Engineering
then determined what shape to
carve the landscape into for
best drainage, what to remove,
and how to prepare the site.
Because of clay soil on the site,
topsoil had to be saved and re-
placed to a pre-determined
depth to be able to support the
plant life. Lango Hansen se-
lected the plants, trees, config-
uration of plants, placement
and number of plants to be
used.
After USACE and DSL ap-
proved all these plans and final
drawings, they issued the per-
mit so work could begin. Nutter
Corporation was chosen by the
school district for the construc-
tion and began work this past
August. Nutter Corp. cleared
the existing vegetation, includ-
ing lots of the invasive Scotch
broom, moved existing con-
crete, then cut and excavated
to the designed grades. The
concrete has been crushed into
about 3-inch sized pieces and
will be used, along with gravel,
to add to California Ave. along
the site and add a gravel park-
ing area near the wetland.
That work will all be finished
next week and the slopes of
the wetland will be seeded with
annual grass, and erosion con-
trol added, so the sides of the
wetland don’t collapse during
this year’s rainy season. It’s too
late in the year to establish
most of the permanent plants
that will go in starting next
June. Teufel Landscaping will
put in the final planting and
there will be a temporary sprin-
kling system in place for the
summer to assure the plants
get off to a good start. In the
meantime, site visits will occur
weekly until June to monitor for
erosion and fix any that occurs,
if the site is dry enough to work
on.
After the final plantings go in
next year, USACE and DSL will
make yearly site visits for sev-
en years to make sure the site
is behaving as a PEM. At the
end of those visits, the site will
be left alone to be a great place
for native amphibians, turtles
and songbirds to live. There will
eventually be a packed bark-
dust or woodchip trail that cir-
cles the wetlands and connects
to the existing informal trail sys-
tem that runs throughout the
old mill site.
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flung communities. Their topics
aimed to improve rural life,
from food safety and family nu-
trition to animal husbandry and
pest management.
OSU Extension continues
with this mission today by pro-
viding educational services and
programs for rural, suburban
and urban communities. Facul-
ty and staff offer research-
based knowledge and educa-
tion focusing on strengthening
communities and economies,
sustaining natural resources
and promoting healthy families
and individuals. The work of
OSU Extension involves and
supports business people,
growers, foresters, youth and
community leaders statewide.
In addition to providing
these services, OSU Extension
has a unique agreement with
Washington County govern-
ment to operate the county’s
citizen involvement program. In
combination with citizen advi-
sory
committees,
citizen
boards and other venues for
engagement, the citizen partic-
ipation program staffed by
OSU Extension offers citizens
throughout the county a means
for communicating with and
learning about their county
government.
More information about
OSU Extension Service for
Washington County can be
found at: http://extension.ore-
gonstate.edu/washington/ .
Life & Times in Vernonia
From page 9
the Union Station in 1952 and
operated it for many years.
Back then, stations competed
for business and they gave full
service – air in tires, cleaned
windshields, checked the oil
and pumped gas with a smile
and gave change. Gas was
about $0.29 a gallon and peo-
ple could afford to drive.
Kerosene for heat and lanterns
was $0.10 a gallon.
Eleanor remembers there
were three auto dealerships in
Vernonia. The Ford dealership
was in the building that is now
Sentry Market, Chevrolet was
in the building that is now Mey-
er’s Auto Body, and Plymouth
was in the building that is now
Muffy’s. The train depot was lo-
cated where Vernonia City Hall
and Library now stand. Where
WOEC built their new building
was Bush’s Feed Store and
Creamery.
She remembers Lew’s
Place, the Japanese Laundry
on the corner of Jefferson and
Bridge Street, five taverns, two
barber shops, the Squeeze In,
a second-hand store where
True Value now stands, Crea-
tures was a tavern, Agalis was
a paint store, Café 47 was the
hardware store. There were
two doctors and a dentist. An
ice cream shop called Palshop
and the Post Office were where
Vernonia Pharmacy now oper-
ates. Sam’s Food Store was
across from where Blue House
is, and the Mini Mart was a car
lot with a hotel behind it. There
was another hotel called Mc-
Donalds Hotel where the Prov-
idence Clinic is located.
The police station and jail
were behind US Bank. There
was only one policeman, Ace
Lolley, that she can recall.
When WWII ended in 1945,
there was celebration in the
streets of Vernonia, with bells
ringing and horns at the O-A
Mill blowing. The Japanese
Laundry abruptly closed when
the war ended and they left
town.
Over the years, Bob and
Eleanor tried several different
businesses. Bob drove log
truck from Vernonia to Scap-
poose for a logging outfit that
used horses to log. This enter-
prise did not prove to be prof-
itable, so they saved enough
money to purchase a school
bus, and Eleanor drove the
Stoney Point route. Soon they
had two buses and added the
Pebble Creek route.
School buses were hard to
come by in Oregon at that time,
so they were purchased in Min-
nesota and driven back to Ore-
gon. One new bus was bought
in Ohio and driven to Vernonia.
Most of the used school buses
in Oregon were bought by the
strawberry field owners to haul
berry pickers. Eleanor recalls
that Bob was driving the Peb-
ble Creek route when the
Columbus Day storm arrived at
4:20 p.m. Eleanor also deliv-
ered the U.S. Mail between
Vernonia, Mist and Timber,
while Bob operated the gas
station.
To be continued in
next issue