The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current, October 05, 2011, Page Page 9, Image 9

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    The INDEPENDENT, October 5, 2011
Page 9
Life & Times in Vernonia
Long-time Vernonian, Eleanor Thompson, shares recollections
by Jeri Cropp
Part I
Eleanor Alice Thompson
was born January 30, 1917, in
Delamere, North Dakota, six
mile from Milnor, to Berton
John and Kati Gertrude Cost-
ain. She has four brothers and
three sisters. Eleanor married
Robert (Bob) Thompson in
1933 and has three children;
DeDe Webb, Joyce Weller, and
Jan Bernardi, all of Vernonia.
Eleanor has seven grandchil-
dren, 15 great-grandchildren
and 11 great-great-grandchil-
dren.
In Eleanor’s hometown of
Delamere, she recalls their
artesian well, riding in a horse
and buggy, and a horse-drawn
sleigh. She said that her family
went to the Methodist church in
a Model T Ford in the 1920s.
She cannot remember how all
ten of them fit into that Model T.
Her family raised milk cows,
chickens, and sheep, and took
cream and eggs to market on
Saturday nights. They farmed
the land for hay and vegetables
and endured hot summers,
cold winters and tornadoes.
Eleanor drove a team of horses
to cultivate their farmland and
rake hay for the animals. She
also decided farm life was not
in her future.
In 1939, Bob and Eleanor
decided to move to Vernonia
where Bob’s sister was living,
because there were more job
opportunities. He quickly se-
cured a job with the Chevrolet
dealer (currently Meyer’s Auto
Body) for $75 a month, and a
rental home (without bath or
covered flooring) for $10 a
month, behind what is now
True Value. His former job at a
gas station in North Dakota
paid $45 a month so this was a
great improvement. The first
airplane crossed the Atlantic in
1939 and the helicopter was in-
vented that year.
Eleanor was not too excited
At the meeting of the Vernonia
city council held Monday evening
of this week, Charles E. Miller
was elected as president of the
council to succeed Robert L.
Spencer who resigned recently.
By vote of the council, pro-
ceedings were initiated to vacate a
portion of the alley in block 13,
second addition to the city of Ver-
nonia abutting lots three through
ten. In accordance with legal pro-
cedure necessary to carry out such
action, a legal notice concerning it
appears elsewhere in this issue and
announces a public hearing on the
matter which will be held at the
city hall November 6.
Robert C. Lindsay was again
present relative to the replatting of
portions of second addition, but
Cemetery, where they were the
caretakers. Bob earned $10 to
dig and refill graves, and $30 a
month to mow, water and main-
tain the grass and headstones.
There was no charge for rent or
phone at the caretaker’s
house, which allowed Eleanor
to start saving for new business
prospects.
During this prosperous time
in Vernonia, Eleanor remem-
bers seven gas stations – one
across from the grade school,
one on Mist Drive at the end of
the green bridge, one at Tre-
harne, one at the Chevy deal-
ership, one at NAPA, the re-
cently closed 76 station, one at
Vernonia Hardware, and the
Union station at the former
MacLean’s Garden and Flower
Shop. Bob and Eleanor bought
Please see page 14
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
Eleanor Thompson seated at the Vernonia Senior Center.
Photo by Jeri Cropp.
50 Years Ago This Month
The October 5, 1961, issue
of the Vernonia Eagle included
the following news story on the
front page:
about the bare wooden floors,
the outhouse, the table made
of 2x4s or the tin heating stove,
but she looked forward to bet-
ter times ahead. She bought
beds at the local secondhand
store. The electricity and water
were very affordable, with the
electricity supplied by a dam on
Rock Creek at Keasey.
At the time, the roads in Ver-
nonia were blacktop and the
sidewalks were wood. Highway
47 went from Vernonia to Sta-
ley’s Junction on to Banks and
Forest Grove. That was the
only route to Portland; the Sun-
set Highway had not yet been
built.
It wasn’t long before Bob
and Eleanor moved to a house
with indoor plumbing in both
kitchen and bath. From there
they moved up to the Vernonia
the city attorney was not present
so the matter was again delayed to
another meeting. Lindsay pointed
out the need for a city zoning ordi-
nance and city building code. The
advisability of such as code was
discussed at length.
A report was received from the
reecnt ( sic ) inspection by state and
county authorities of the local
garbage dump which rated it sec-
ond in the county. Rated first was
Clatskanie which was scored 20
per cent ( sic ) of a possible 100 per
cent ( sic ) according to state stan-
dards. In view of this, Vernonia
may rate second of the four in the
county, but has a very low rating
in the eyes of the state. Vernonia
was scored 15, Rainier 10 and St.
Helens only 5 per cent ( sic ).
An order of the county court
concerning garbage dumps and the
matter of prescribing rules and
regulations for operation of them
was read in full. It set forth county
proposals to require licensing and
requirements for conduct of such
sites. Members of the city council
and the Vernonia Sanitary Service
were to attend a public hearing at
the court house in St. Helens at
2:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 4,
reports from which have not yet
been reecived ( sic ).
The offer of R. L. Simmons of
Seattle of $700 for O.A. house
29 1/2 was rejected as being too low.
The house had formerly been sold
to Ted Stout whose contract was
defaulted October 1.
Suggestions were received
from the John Deere company that
an angle blade for the city’s back-
hoe could be obtained for $180
and would be of considerable use
to the city. Consensus of opinion
was that it would be a good invest-
ment.
After approval of the bills, the
council adjourned at 9:35.
O.K., so Fall is here. Rain, sun, wind
and then hit the repeat buttons, but when it
hits cool, it’s nice.
What’s cookin’ with me? My broken
wrist is having fits. Thumb and index finger
are almost useless so, I may be hunting
and pecking on my good old-fashioned
Royal typewriter. Hope I can recall how it
works.
I don’t have much to say this week, but
it took me two months to realize the paper is out on Wednesdays
instead of Thursdays. Also, someone just told me Sentry was be-
coming a Hi in the sky store. Guess I’ll have to get off Main Street
the next time I come to town.
When the Mexican restaurant opens I’ll have to miss lunch at
the Senior Center to try it out.
My mind has become a total blank so I’ll sign off for this week.
Maybe by then I’ll have had a brilliant thought. (I said it, you
maybe just thought it.)
Bye now.
Foot note: Went to the Doctor. He is sending me to a hand
specialist, but, while waiting for him to see me, I got to visit with
the hanging bones on the hook in the corner. Saw my two flat feet
bones, spine, #3 & 4, left knee, missing left rib, left rotator cuff,
right rotator cuff and my right deltoid muscle that is screwed to my
right shoulder. Couldn’t find my hiatal hernia.
Gee whiz. More later. Oh yes, and all 10 of my funny toes.
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com