Records of Early Days Give Information on Development of Present High School. Graduates of First Classes
As a background for those who 1876-77, the first school was taught
are not familiar with the history there by Ozias Cherrington.” (The
of the Nehalem valley, the follow­ second term was taught by Jud­
ing is quoted from a speech given son, Weed, father of Oscar Weed.
by Oscar G. Weed at the dedica­ Cherrington and Weed had both
tion of the present high school homesteaded on the Nehalem riv­
building in 1953.
er south of Vernonia in 1876 and
“In 1875 the year following the and had come to Oregon from
coming to this part of the Nehalem Ohio.)
valley of the first settlers, there
From that time on, as more set­
was a need of a school. To accom­ tlers came to the valley, other
plish that. John Parker and Henry schools were organized at close
Van Blaricom made a trip to see enough intervals for pupils to walk
the county school superintendent. to them. There were the Keasey
They walked to Portland over the and Pettijohn schools up Rock
Pebble creek trail, went from creek, the McDonald and Braur.
Portland to Rainier by boat, then schools, for the Pebble and Bea­
walked five miles below Rainier ver creek areas, the school that
to what is now known as Hudson was probably the second one built
where they contacted John E. which was near the present in­
Gilbreath, Columbia county school tersection of Stoney Point and
superintendent.
Rock Creek roads, the Pleasant
“As a result of this trip, on Hill and Kist schools south of
October 27, 1875, school district Vernonia, and others which have
number 12 was organized and a long since been forgotten by most
log school house was constructed people.
by volunteer labor on land donat­
With the growth of the valley
ed by Clark Parker located at and the organization of other
what is now known as the corner school districts, the need for a
of Tenth street and the highway high school became more and
in Riverview. In the winter of more evident. In some of the
grade schools, all of which had
all eight grades in one room,
teachers who were qualified
taught the subjects of the ninth
4
THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 1962 and tenth grades also. Some pupils
Oernonia Eagle
RE-ELECT
SPENCER L. YOUNCE
For Columbia County
SHERIFF
"ONE
GOOD
TER M
DESERVES
A NO THER"
VOTE 122X
November 6, General Election
were sent elsewhere to live with
relatives or board out so as to at­
tend high school, but many were
not getting that education because
it was not available here.
In 1916, through the efforts of
James Claybaugh, a teacher who
first came here to teach at Pleas­
ant Hill, then came into Vernon­
ia, a high school district was or­
ganized with the Vernonia, Pleas­
ant Hill, Kist, Keasey and Petti­
john districts entering into the
first union high school district in
Columbia county, known as Un­
ion high school district No. 1.
The first classes were held in
the fall of 1916 with James Clay­
baugh as principal and the only
teacher. Classes were held in some
rooms of the old grade school
building which stood where the
Washington school is now.
Mrs. Vera Aldridge of Timber
route recalls that she was a mem­
ber of that first freshman class.
Her name was then Vera Wood
and she was the daughter of Wil­
liam Wood, one of the earliest
homesteaders in the Stoney Point
area.
Other students who had ob­
tained ninth and tenth grade sub­
jects in the local schools, and some
who had gone elsewhere made up
the sophomore and junior classes.
The second year, another teach­
er was added, a Miss Moomaw.
On May 17, 1918, the first com­
mencement was held by Vernonia
high school. The search for infor­
mation brought to light a pro­
gram from that commencement.
It had been printed by the Clats­
kanie Chief since there was no
printing shop here at that time.
The program did not list the
graduates but it has been deter­
mined that there were eight, four
Pd. Adv. by Spencer Younce, Warren, Ore.
16 Students
On Honor Roll
DON'T MISS THIS . . .
Friday, November 2
"THE REWARD OF THE
RIGHTEOUS"
Will life le real? Will we know each other?
Saturday, November 3
«
tuc
ru n n r
tu f
THE END OF THE WORLD
The Bible tells how the world will end.
99
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH
2nd and Nehalem
7:30 P.M.
FREE
FREE
The first honor roll for this year
was released by Vernonia high
school last week at the close of the
first six-weeks period and shows
16 students on the coveted list­
ing. Of these, five are seniors; four
are shown for each of the junior
and sophomore classes and only
three freshmen were able to
achieve mention.
While the ratio of boys to girls
in the entire school is approxi­
mately two to one, it is noted that
out of the 16 names on the honor
roll, 14 are girls and only two boys.
This reverses a trend noted last
year by some classes where boys
took the major share of scholastic
honors.
The complete roll is as follows:
Freshmen: Christine Bender,
Sheryl Ford, Kathleen McMinn.
Sophomores: Ella Gaylean, Lau­
ra Floeter, Linda Jensen, Vicki
Pollock.
Juniors: Betty Armstrong, Char-
laine Haskins, Ruth Hugley, Jim
Lindsay.
Seniors: Sue Alexander, Gary
Johnston, Cathy DuPuis, Marian
Mathews, Mary Steen.
ELECT
ROY NELSON
girls who were present to receive
their diplomas and each of whom
had a part on the program, and
four boys who had heard the call
to service in World War I and who
were granted their diplomas in
absentia in appreciation of their
service to their country.
The class roll was as follows:
Christina Sword, Elizabeth Counts,
Pearl Counts, Maudie Gessell,
Russell Stanton, Omar Sheeley,
Glen Sheeley and Everett Tucker.
Of these, three are now deceased:
Maudie Gessell Duncan, Russell
Stanton and Everett Tucker. Omar
Sheeley is the only one still liv­
ing here.
In 1919, two girls were graduat­
ed: Pearl Rogers (now deceased)
and Gertrude Brown.
In 1920, the class roll included
Theodore Keasey, Sarah Baker
(now deceased), Iris Baker and
Gladys Malmsten.
In 1921, class members were
Hazel Malmsten, Lola Brown, El­
len Enstrom, Earl Condit and Gale
Stanton.
In 1922, diplomas were present­
ed to Thelma Pettijohn, Lucy
Stanton, Eula John, Hilda Tuck­
er, Lesta Weed and Alvin Parker.
This was the last class to grad­
uate from the three rooms in the
upstairs part of the old grade
school building for in that year,
the railroad was being built into
Vernonia, the mill site was being
cleared and an influx of new resi­
dents was beginning.
In 1922-23, the rooms in the el­
ementary building were needed
for expanded elementary classes
and the union high school district
built its first building, the one
facing A street where the Cul­
bertson home now is. While it
was being built, classes were held
in the old grange hall, now the
union hall, until November when
the new building was ready for
use. T e a c h e r s during that
trying year were William Kelty
and Miss Marjorie Holaday.
Oscar Weed who served on the
board of the union high school dis­
trict for more than 30 years re­
called that the cost of that build­
ing was $25,000. It was used until
1953 when the present building
was erected at a cost many times
greater and with facilities that
match those of any district this
size and of which this community
is and should be justly proud.
The classes of 1923, 24 and 25
were still small and were as fol­
lows:
1923: Ruth Heverling, Margaret
Shubert, Bessie McDonald, Isabel
Condit, Florian Mills, Harry Keas­
ey and LeRoy Malmsten.
1924: Ernest Narver, Edwin
Condit, Benita Parker, Helen
Brown, Margaret Tousley, John
Wharton, Blanche Bergerson and
Weston Sheeley.
1925: Emerald John, Doris Ack-
erstadt, Ruth Peterson, Lillian
Condit, Ray Mills, Robert Hoff­
COLUMBIA COUNTY
CLERK
"Youthful. Energetic and Thoroughly
Qualified for the Job"
R O Y A L T R IT O N
WORLD'S FINEST MOTOR OIL
Your car deserves no less than the best—Royal Triton.
Bob’s Union Service provides it for you.
BOB'S
U N IO N S E R V IC E
*
BORN AND RAISED IN ST. HELENS AREA
A GRADUATE OF OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
*
OFFICER IN U.S. AIR FORCE FOR 4 YEARS
S e r v in g 3 4
Y e a r s in W o r k S im i la r to th e C o u n ty C le r k ’s Jo b.
For Your Assurance of Sound Efficient Management of the
Columbia County CLERK'S OFFICE . . . Support and Vote for
ROY NELSON in the General Election November 6
Pd. Pol Adv by Roy Nelson, Rt 1, Box 822. Warren, Oregon
H
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| Get the most out of your
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blown down.
♦
v { ♦
a
>7.
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i
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Call
NORTHWEST PILING CO. $ |
Phone 543-2548
Scappoose, Ore. |
|
Evenings: St. Helens 1096
’♦
-J
♦
Jay Ahlborn
ï
Î
X
Ä
Oregon AFL-CIO Convention RECOMMENDS
U. S. Senator— WAYNE MORSE
Congress—
1st District— R. BLAINE WHIPPLE
3rd District— EDITH GREEN
2nd District— AL ULLMAN
4th District— ROBERT B. DUNCAN
Governor— no recommendation
Labor Commissioner— NORMAN O. NILSEN
STATE LEGISLATURE
Gilliom-Morrow-Sherman-Umotilla-
Wheeler Counties
Baker-Grant Countiei
Representative—
Clinton P. Haight
Representative—
jack L Smith
Benton County
R epresentative-
no recommendation
Harney-Malheur Counties
Representative—
no recommendation
Benton-Lone Counties
Representative—
no recommendation
Hood River-Wosco Counties
Representative—
Katherine Musa
Benton-Polk Counties
S e n a to r-
no recommendation
Jackson County
Senator—
Tom Monaghan
Representative—
Beulah 1. Hand. Elmer McClure,
Michael Patrick McKernan,
Juanita Orr
Clatsop County
Representative—
W H (B ill) Holmstrom
Clatsop-Columbia Counties
S e n a to r-
Daniel A Thiel
Columbia County
Representative—
Carl Back
Crook-Deschwtes-JeWersoa Counties
Representative—
Ben Evick
Representative—
Carroll W. Dewey
Klomoth County
R epresentative-
Waiter H. Turner
Representative—
Richard (Dick) Eymann, Glenn
Hammaker, Richard L Kennedy,
J. Michael McCloskey.
Veola Peterson Wilmot
Lincoln County
Dougioi County
Representative—
Sidney la ik tn , W 0. (Bun) Kelsey
Morion County
Senator—
Mary E. Eyre, Clifford W. Ferguson
Representative—
Morris K. Crothers,
Cornelius C. Bateson, L 8 Day,
Mrs. Tom (Marguerite) Wright
Tillamook County
Josephine County
S e n a to r-
Edward N. Fadeley,
Kenneth A Pool«, Glen M Stadler
Coos-Curry Counties
Representative—
William F. Gwinn, Nancy Kirkpatrick
Polk County
Lane County
Coos County
Senator—
no recommendation
Representative—
Alva N. (AI) Bradford,
Charles W. Crary, James A Redden
Representative—
no recommendation
Representative—
Wayne Turner
Linn County
Senator—
Henry F. Padgham, Jr,
Klomoth-Lake Countier
Representative—
Clarence Barton
ROY NELSONS CIVIC AFFILIATIONS
Member of Warren Grange. St. Helena AF&AM No. 32
And Secretary of the St. Helena Jayceea
.
TIMBER
I I O W N E R S —
Clackamas County
Roy Nelson Has The Background
And Experience Needed . . .
the historical data concerning the
progress toward the Vernonia high
school of today. It has been deter­
mined that Francis Nordstrom
graduated at Birkenfeld in 1929,
and Howard Jones and E. T.
(Boone) Johnston in 1935. Per­
haps they can furnish some infor­
mation concerning the history of
that school and when it ceased op­
eration.
A vote of appreciation is ex­
tended to these new teachers, Miss
Antles and Mr. Jackson, for a new
approach to homecoming that has
stirred memories and made form­
er students take a look back,
through the years to their own
school days and also to take a
look at the school of today with
pride because it offers the best
in education to the citizens of to­
morrow.
VOTE! General ELECTION Nov. 6
-----------------* ----------------
Democratic Candidate For
man, Elbert Kelley, Burford Wil­
kerson, Harold Smith and Loel
Hieber.
In 1926, the second year after
the start of the Oregon American
mill, the class was graduated
which went into the new (1923)
building as freshmen. That class
numbered 28.
Leading up to the time of the
building of the first high school
building, other districts had joined
the union high school district.
Time has not permitted a seek­
ing out of all the facts to deter­
mine just which ones they were
or when they became a part of it.
Also, definite information has not
been available about the former
Birkenfeld high school, when it
was established or how long it
operated. It is hoped those facts
can be brought to light to add to
J
Representative—
Thos. R. McClellan
Representative—
Leslie V. Bahr
Representative—
Edward F. Ridderbusch
Umatilla County
Representative—
no recommendation
Union-Wallowa Counties
Representative—
no recommendation
Washington County
Representative—
Robert E. Jones. G. W. Kurtz,
G. Johnny Parks
Washington-Yamhill Counties
Senator—
W. C. (Bill) Schwenn
Yamhill County
Representative^
Russell S. Lehman
STATE BALLOT MEASURES
Nos, 1 through 7, vote YES.
Not. 9 and 10, vote NO.
These a rt RECOMMENDATIONS only Each voter must eserdst his own judgment The AFL-CIO is satisfied to present the
issues and the candidates on the record. Each of tha candidates we have recommended has a record in office — if he has
held public office — that in our opinion served the best interests of the state and the nation. If the recommended candidate
has net held public office we have judged him upon his views concerning a wide variety of issues.
(Paid for by Ore. AFL-CIO, 506 Libor Tempi*. Portland 1. Oregon, J .T . Marr, Exec. Sec.)
1