The INDEPENDENT, June 6, 2012
50 Years Ago This Month
The June 28, 1962, issue of
the Vernonia Eagle included
the following news story on the
front page:
In an effort to preserve some of
the historical data about former
post offices which served areas of
the Nehalem valley, Lester Shee-
ley has started ferreting out facts
and preparing items for the paper
concerning them. Many of the
small post offices which existed
previously, some only for short pe-
riods of time, have never been
heard of by the people now living
here.
The first in the series appears
here.
A post office was established a
Anoka, Columbia county, Oregon,
on August 2, 1902 and discontin-
ued on April 30, 1907. Lou Anna
Rogers was the only post-mistress
during its operation and was the
mother of Lee Rogers, present
mail carrier.
The location of Anoka was on
the Ralph and Lou Anna Rogers
homestead on upper Pebble Creek
near the present Rogers park. Alex
and Minnie Sword, the parents of
Bob and Christine Sword carried
the mail from Vernonia by star
route up Pebble Creek to Anoka
on horseback three times a week.
Families served included the J.
A. McDonalds, the Otto Siedel-
mans, George Engelke, the
Schoonovers, Kirkwoods, Hotch-
kisses, Henry Glahn and George
Johnson.
Wauna can now serve members
in Pacific County, Washington
The National Credit Union
Administration (NCUA) has ap-
proved an application submit-
ted by Wauna Federal Credit
Union to offer membership to
the residents of Pacific County,
Washington. The Credit Union
current primary field of mem-
bership includes Clatsop and
Columbia Counties in Oregon.
“We are very pleased to ex-
tend the benefits and services
of Wauna Federal Credit Union
to the residents of Pacific
County,” reported CEO & Pres-
ident Robert Blumberg, during
a recent address to the mem-
bership. “While our regular field
of membership has been limit-
ed to Clatsop and Columbia
Counties (Oregon), a large and
growing number of Pacific
County residents make the
short drive to Astoria and near-
by communities to work, shop,
and enjoy entertainment. Our
three local branches and elec-
tronic services offer tremen-
dous convenience to them and
their families.”
Gaining approval from the
NCUA to expand a credit
union’s field of membership is
no simple process. The Credit
Union had to first demonstrate
its financial soundness and
ability to serve an additional
geographic territory, plus pres-
ent a written, detailed plan to
outline the resources that
would be used to effectively
serve Pacific County. “These
included an advertising strate-
gy, public relations and com-
munity outreach, and targeting
specific segments of the popu-
lation who may not be served
by other financial institutions,”
says Blumberg. “Our manage-
ment team and the board of di-
rectors conducted significant
research and analysis to pre-
pare our plan.”
One of the first objectives of
the Pacific County plan is to
provide low-cost loans to resi-
dents, business owners, and
legal entities, including auto,
home, credit card, and com-
mercial loans. “Providing af-
fordable loans to our members
is one of our primary objec-
tives, especially during the con-
tinuing sluggish economy and
high unemployment period,”
states Blumberg. “We know
many families and businesses
on both sides of the River could
benefit from this needed finan-
cial support.”
Blumberg said there are no
current plans to build a branch
in Pacific County. “Just like any
other region of our geographic
field of membership, we will
monitor member growth and
activity before discussing
branch plans. We do feel our
three local branches in Astoria
and Warrenton, plus our elec-
tronic services, can be just as
convenient as a physical
branch for most members.”
Wauna Federal Credit Union
currently serves nearly three
hundred residents in Pacific
County, Washington. Now, all
residents, those employed, at-
tending school or worshiping,
or a business or legal entity, in
Pacific County, are eligible to
become members of Wauna
Federal Credit Union.
Page 9
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
A soggy Good Morn-
ing to all of you. What
has happened to our
summer? If I’m adding
right, we’ve had about 26
days of our summer so
far. That is counting
March, April and a few
days in May, but I can’t
figure out how you can
go from 83 to 45 degrees and think that is nor-
mal??
How was your Mother’s Day? Mine was qui-
et, but son fixed me (and him) a meal on the
Barbie. Steak and lobster, corn on the cob, gar-
lic bread and, of course, clarified butter. There
was no room for salad nor dessert, but had there
been, I’d have had Maple Nut ice cream. Satis-
fied up to the eyeballs we watched Nanny
McFee #2. It was a very restful day. Since then
life has been sort of humdrum. Later now, I’ve
been to another Blue Grass outing, ahhhhh.
(That is something good to miss sleep over.)
Are you finding life sort of dull or blah? Well,
I’ve an idea for a way to fix it – If you have a day
to spend on yourself and family and friends. Put
on comfy clothes and shoes (maybe carry a
jacket and a bumbershoot). Visit the Portland
Zoo, the Rose Gardens or try Oak’s Park and
then a drive into the country. Even if you are on
three and four lane roads, the way to Estacada
is a trip through open farm land in spots. You
can actually smell fresh air (even if it is full of
pollen from trees and wildflowers and weeds, ho
ho). Where are you to stop? The Safari Club.
Never heard of it? I hadn’t either, BUT it is awe-
some. A mind blowing experience. It is a muse-
um of life-size jungle animals. Lions, tigers and
bears, OH MY! I was not expecting to be greet-
ed at the door by a life size Grizzly bear, and his
counter-part, the Brown bear. You have to see
them to realize the impact that it puts on your
ability to grasp the idea, DO I FREEZE OR RUN
TO GET AWAY FROM THE SPOT I’M IN? See-
ing them in a zoo setting is a lot different but I
can’t explain it to you. They are all trophy-size
animals. ALL of the food had jungle type names
and you had to study what it might be, but it is
well worth the trip. Any kid, no matter your age,
should get to see them once in your life. If you
see it, you won’t forget it – believe me.
Ta, ta for now.
Attorney General warns of texting scam
Oregon Attorney General
John Kroger warns Oregonians
not to open unsolicited text
messages. Similar to “Phish-
ing” email scams, many of
these electronic messages
contain malware and viruses
designed to infect your phone
and steal personal information.
Common examples include
messages claiming you have
“won” a gift card for Wal-Mart,
Best Buy, Apple and other na-
tional retailers.
Example of a common text
message scam:
Dear Walmart shopper,
Congratulations you have just
won a $1000 Walmart Gift
Card. Click here to claim your
gift. www.shopcard2012.com
(cancel: STOP) .
Protect yourself from text
message scams by heeding
the following advice:
• Do not click on links con-
tained in unsolicited text mes-
sages.
• Do not reply to unsolicited
texts. Regardless if the text
suggests you can end receipt
by sending a “STOP” message,
doing so only confirms the
message was sent to a live
phone and may result in unau-
thorized third party charges to
your wireless statement. Learn
more about third-party billing.
• Contact your cell carrier.
Most providers have specific
instructions to report SMS
(text) SPAM, block numbers
and in some cases websites.
• Register all your phones,
including wireless with the Do
Not Call List. Text messages
sent to phones on the Do Not
Call list are in violation of the
law and can be reported to ei-
ther the Federal Trade Com-
mission or Federal Communi-
cations Commission.
• Discuss text scams with all
members of your family who
have cell phones.
• Be wary of any messages,
emails, texts, voice mails, etc.
that claim you’ve won a prize
Made in Vernonia
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805 Bridge Street 503-429-0111
Open Tue., Thu. & Sat.
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
out of the blue. Learn more
about sweepstakes and prize
offers.
• Never give your credit
card, Social Security or bank
account numbers to claim
“prizes,” sign up for free trials
or cover related shipping costs.
• Check your bank, credit
card AND wireless phone
statements on a regular basis
to detect suspicious charges.
The Oregon Department of
Justice is committed to protect-
ing the marketplace from fraud
and scams. If you or someone
you know has concerns about
an internet retailer or purchase,
call the Attorney General's
Consumer Hotline for help at 1-
877-877-9392 or file a com-
plaint online.