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