Oregon H i s t o r i c a l S o c ie ty
255 SW M àrkct S t • ’ ■ ’
P o r tla n d , Oregon 97201
Dernon i a Eagle
VOLUME 42, NUMBER 53
VERNONIA, OREGON
Water, Sewer Rate Charges in
Riverview Set by Ordinances
The Vernonia city council, at its
meeting held Monday of last week,
December 21, heard the final read­
ing on two ordinances which were
then passed. Both relate to the Riv­
erview annexation area and one pro­
vides for adding one dollar to the
basic water rate for that area and
the other establishes a $1.50 sewer
use charge to provide for extension
of the sewer system to that area.
Tie votes on the part of Council-
men L. E. Atkins, L. E. Stiff, C. E.
Miller and H. C. Hertel seemed to
be the order of the evening and May-
T. M. Hobart was called on twice to
cast the vote to break the tie.
The first tie vote was on the ap­
plication of Lillian J. McCarthy for
recommendation to the state liquor
control commission for a retail malt
beverage class A license which
Rites for Child
Held Wednesday
Albert Edward Stevenson, six-year-
old son of Chief and Mrs. Claude E.
Stevenson, died in Lucrino, Italy
December 19. He fell while playing
with other children and did not stir
and was taken to the Navy hospital
but was pronounced dead on arrival
in the emergency room.
Services were held Wednesday, De­
cember 30 at 2 p.m. in the Fuiten-
Friesen Mortuary Chapel in Hills­
boro. S. William Jensen, pastor of
the Hillsboro Seventh-day Adventist
church officiated with Mrs. James
Ogren as soloist and Clifford Walt­
ers as organist. Concluding rites
and interment were at the Firlawn
cemetery in Hillsboro with Darrell
Rhamy, Wally Grosche, Albert Wool­
sey, Kenneth Keam, Allen Van Dom-
elen, and Marvin Van Domelen as
casketbearers.
Albert Edward Stevenson was born
December 30, 1957 in Las Vegas, Ne­
vada the son of Claude and Stella
Stevenson.
He was widely traveled and had
lived in many places in his short
life as his father is in the Navy and
the family has moved wherever he
was sent. Places of residence includ­
ed Adak, Alaska; Bainbridge, Mary­
land; Long Beach, California, and
Molalla, Oregon prior to Lucrino, It­
aly which is near Naples.
He had just begun his education
in the service school in Italy in Sep­
tember of this year, and December
30 would have been his seventh birth­
day.
Surviving in addition to his par­
ents, Claude and Stella Stevenson,
who will be making their home in
Vernonia, are a brother, Bobby Keith
Stevenson and a sister, Starlene Ma­
rie Stevenson; his grandmother, Mrs.
Hazel Woolsey, Vernonia, and his
grandfather, Charles Edward Steven­
son, Warren.
Court Sets
Building
Hearing
would enable her to open and oper­
ate Dick’s Tavern, which has betn
The Columbia county court has call­
closed since the former operator,
Violet Asanovich, went to Portland. ed for a public meeting on construc­
Some opposition was voiced to the tion of a new courthouse.
approval of the application on the
A legal advertisement published in
grounds that enough such businesses a St. Helens newspaper gives notice
were in operation and the tie vote of the hearing date as February 3,
resulted. Mayor Hobart broke the 1965. Time of the meeting is 7 p.m.
tie with an affirmative vote.
in the county courtroom at the court­
The second tie resulted after a dis­ house.
cussion of the needs for curbs on
At that time, there will be a de­
solicitors such as purported disabled tailed presentation and consideration
veterans selling small flags and of an order made by the county
similar tokens for alleged benefits. court authorizing construction of a
It was moved by Atkins and sec­ new Columbia county courthouse.
onded by Stiff that all solicitations
Lots 8 through 14, block 122, and
for funds within the city, person to
lots 10 through 13, block 129 are giv­
person or house to house be auth­ en as the site chosen for the new
orized by written permission from county facility. The area is now com­
the city council. Miller and Hertel
monly called the “Flatiron” comer,
apposed the motion and the mayor
formed by Columbia boulevard and
cast a nay vote to break the tie
St. Helens street.
and dispose of the motion.
The approximate cost of the site is
Marshal Lolley reported that Cliff
Fetherston would try out for extra $60,000, and the propsed courthouse
police duty and the council author­ would cost about $850,000. No tax
ized Lolley to hire Fetherston at his levy is proposed, according to the no­
discretion when extra police assis­ tice which states that construction
funds will come from the courthouse
tance is found necessary.
Other business authorized a new annex fund of approximately $400,000
sink for the fire hall at a cost of $30. and O&C revenue of approximately
It has been installed along with new $510,000.
Members of the county court who
formica counter top for which ma­
terial was furnished by the fire de­ signed the order, include County
partment and John Wylde who uses Judge John W. Whipple, Commis­
the hall for the serving of Lions Club sioners Louis Wasser, and O. E.
"Orie” Clark.
dinners.
Purchases of chimney tile for the
Petitions may be submitted to the
house at Anderson park was author­ county court at the February 3 hear­
ized.
ing, relative to relocating the court­
City Attorney Robert Vagt advised house, or asking for a vote of the
the council that condemnation pr- people on the matter.
ceedings for the building at lot 2,
The present courthouse will be used
block 7, Rose addition will need to until the new building is occupied.
be re-commenced.
After that, the court proposes that
Payment of bills concluded the “it will be preserved and utilized as
business and the council adjourned at a county public building for such
9:30 p.m.
functions as will be in the best in­
Next Monday evening, January 4, terests of the citizens of the county”.
Mrs. Launee Cousins will take her
seat on the council, replacing L. E.
Stiff.
Schmidlin Adds
Registered Cow
County Funds
At High Level
“Columbia county is finishing the
calendar year of 1964 in the best
Leonard Schmidlin, Vernonia, re­ financial condition of any year since
cently made an initial purchase of its existence,” according to John W.
a registered Ayrshire cow from Mr. Whipple, retiring county judge.
As of December 28, 1964 it had a
and Mrs. Clarence Van Dyke & Sons
of Forest Grove, according to the total unexpended balance in the gen­
Ayrshire Breeders' association sec­ eral and general road fund of $588,-
retary, David Gibson, Jr., of Bran­ 360.92 and in addition to that, some
$392,056.17 in the courthouse annex
don, Vermont.
The transaction was recorded in fund, with approximately $13,400.00
the national office of the association due shortly as interest on money
where complete registry records on loaned to banks, according to the
all purebred Ayrshire dairy cattle county treasurer’s records.
Of the above funds, approximately
in the United States have been main­
tained since 1875. Because of their $702,096.19 will be available for use
thriftiness and ability to produce an for courthouse or other purposes if
abundance of four percent milk econ­ approved by the county budget com­
omically, Ayrshires continue to be­ mittee in the form of a supplemental
budget. Also, there is an additional
come increasingly popular.
sum of $457,610.00 due the county
from its underpayment of O&C funds,
a sizeable amount of which will be
paid this coming year, according to
Whipple.
“Our excellent financial condition
has been due to the fact that all de­
partments of county government have
lived within their respective budgets
as well as the fact that underexpendi­
tures have reverted to the general
fund to be rebudgeted at the end of
each fiscal year,” according to the
judge.
Graveside Rites
Set for R. East
William Reed Hoffman, boatswain’s
His citation commends him for
mate, first class, United States Coast diving, with another crewman, under
Guard, was given a presidential cita­ the capsized boat and locating the
woman and assisting In getting her
tion recently for heroism in connec­ out. Mouth - to - mouth resuscitation
tion with the rescue September 7, was necessary.
1963 of a woman who was trapped in
The citation, signed by Douglas Dil­
the hull of an overturned cabin cruis­ lon, secretary of the treasury, con­
er near Humboldt Bay, California. cludes: “His unselfish actions, cour­
His mother. Mrs. Ralph Markham of age, and unwavering devotion to duty
Vernonia, was present for the presen­ reflect the highest credit upon him­
tation when it was made last month self and the United States Coast
Guard.”
at Eureka, California.
Graveside services will be held at
the Vernonia Memorial cemetery to­
day, Thursday, at 11 a.m., for Ray
East, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest
East, who passed away sudden­
ly this past Monday evening at
his home at Eastside. near Coos Bay.
He had been hospitalized recently
for a heart condition but was at
home when he apparently was strick­
en with another attack.
Mr. and Mrs. Owen East, brother
and sister-in-law of the deceased
man, went to Eastside immediately
after receiving the message ,then
returned here Tuesday to take Mr.
and Mrs. Ernest East to Coos Bay
for the services at the Campbell-
Watkins chapel Wednesday.
Another brother, Thurman East, al­
so lives at Eastside. Also surviving
is his wife and several step-children.
THURSDAY, DEC. 31, 1964
Flood Peak
Passes; Snow
Depth Rises
Weather is that thing which every­
one talks about but noone does any­
thing about, according to an oft re­
peated saying. For the past two
weeks there certainly has been no
lack of a topic of conversation and
many people find themselves doing
things other than the regular routine
because of it.
Last week, floodwaters crested
throughout the area Tuesday, Wed­
nesday and Thursday. In Vernonia
itself, the peak was passed by early
Wednesday morning. However, fur­
ther down the Nehalem river in the
Mist and Birkenfeld areas, the crest
was not passed until Thursday.
Surprisingly, Christmas day was
not too bad and people were able
to have guests and make visits which
for a time seemed doubtful.
Saturday night, new snow flurries
came and Sunday night brought sev­
eral inches of the white stuff to cov­
er the landscape with beauty. Mon­
day, it alternately snowed and then
thawed, but not much depth was
reached. However, Tuesday, the snow
took on a more determined aspect
and by evening was several inches
deep. It continued to fall Tuesday
night, and Wednesday morning 12
inches was measured on the lower
levels and about 18 inches on Corey
hill. Flurries continued Wednesday.
The total snowfall measured on
gauges at the Dudley Spofford home
from Wednesday, December 23 to
December 30 was 22 inches.
West Oregon Electric Cooperative
employees are harried with the
many outages and Wednesday morn­
ing, many people encountered slow
clocks due to outages. Telephone
lines also are feeling the brunt of
the storm and linemen are having
dnficutyl maintaining service. This
was evident Wednesday morning
when people with slow clocks were
trying to get time signals or to make
long distance calls.
In the past week, December 23 to
30, the minimum temperature re­
corded on the instruments at the
Spoford home on Corey hill was 28
degrees December 28 and the max­
imum was 39 degrees on Christmas
day.
Auxiliary to
Sponsor Dance
The American Legion Auxiliary
has announced plans for their an­
nual New Years Eve carnival dance
which will be held Thursday night
at the Legion hall with the Gus
Anderson orchestra from Clatskanie
furnishing the music. Dancing will
be from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Hats and noise makers will be pro­
vided and refreshments will be sold
by auxiliary members.
Dental Office
Closed Here
Dr. Oloff L. Hansen, who for the
past two years has maintained a
dental office in the Vernonia Clinic
building, moved last week to Hazel
Dell, Washington near Vancouver
where he has opened offices. They
completed the move from their home
on the banks of Rock Creek, the
former Dr. R. D. Eby home, just
prior to the flooding of that area
Tuesday night of last week.
THUS freak of nature is on display at the Vernonia post office and is the
to pout of a 15 foot tree which was brought in by Wayne Kyser of Mist
who found it on Fern Hill road. One theory as to what might have caused
it is that the top may have been twisted by animals such as deer or elk
when it was small, causing scaring which resulted in the unusual growth.
Blood Unit
Due Soon
Plans are being made for a visit
of the Red Cross Bloodmobile here
January 18 and all persons who pos­
sibly can be donors are asked to er-
serve that date for that purpose. De­
tails as to hours the unit will be in
operation and where it will be sta­
tioned will be given later.
Valpiani Rites
At St. Helens
Requiem Mass for Pasquino Valpi­
ani of St.Helens was offered Tues­
day, December 22, at 10 a.m.,at St.
Frederick’s church. Private services
were held later in the day at Mt.
Calvary cemetery, Portland.
A resident of St. Helens since 1907,
the deceased had been employed by
the Clark and Wilson Lumber compa­
ny as cnstruction foreman, retiring
when the company liquidated. For a
number of years he operated a cook­
house at Pittsburg for about 60 Clark
and Wilson employees.
Survivors include the widow, El;
ena; a brother and two sisters in Ita­
ly; a son, Dominic and a daughter,
Mary Terry, in St. Helens; three bro­
thers, Mike of St.Helens, Ralph oi
Vernonia and Pete of Portland; and
seven grandchildren.
Census Count
Higher by 66
Figures compiled for school district
47J show the 1964 census figures up
66 students over the 1962 count. Cen­
sus figures plus late additions on
the 1962 census totalled 787 persons
between the ages of four and 20. The
1964 figures plus additions bring the
total to 853 between the ages of foui
and 20.
Examination of the figures show
the increase to be in the four, five
and six year age brackets which is
a healthy indication of prospective
school district growth, according to
J. W. Acaiturri, district superinten­
dent.
Basis for the above figures is the
recent school census taken by mem­
bers of the Vernonia Parent Teach­
ers association.
Grange Plans
Auction to
Aid Fire Loss
Natal Grange has announced plans
for a meeting Saturday, January 9
at 8 p.m. at their hall at Natal at
which assistance will be given two
of their members, Mr. and Mrs. Jim
Powell, who recently lost their home
and contents by fire.
Mr. and Mrs. Powell moved here
last year from California and had
purchased the former Bliss place
between Natal and .Mist. Information
Is that the house, somewhat of a
land mark in that area, was built by
the parents of Clyde Johnson.
The Sunday before Christmas, the
Powells had gone to call on neigh­
bors and thehouse burned to the
ground while they were away. By
cdd coincidence they were calling
on Mr. and Mrs. Bud Hemeon who
had a similar experience several
years ago.
Henry Anderegg, master of Natal
Grange, stated that persons who wish
to assist may bring to the party it­
ems for auction, gifts of household
items, kitchen utensils, linens, bed­
ding, clothing, etc., or cash contribu­
tions, if they like. All interested per­
sons are invited to join with the
Grange in this project.
There will be dancing and card
games and refreshments will be
served.
Schools Plan
Start Monday
Schools will reopen following va­
cation next Monday, January 4, bar­
ring unforseen conditions which
make it impossible. Tuesday evening,
January 5, Coach Dale Andrich will
take his Logger basketball team to
Rainier to play the Columbians.
There will be a basketball game
here in the Vernonia high school
gym next Friday, January 8 with
Warrenton.
Census Estimates Show County Population Gain
Oregon’s population has increased
7.8 percent in the 1960-64 period, ac­
cording to figures released by the
Oregon State Board of Census last
week. In 1960, Oregon’s total popula­
tion was given as 1,768,687 and as of
July 1, 1964, it was tabulated as
1,906,000.
By counties, Multnomah still holds
the number one position as the most
populous county with a total of 541,-
386. Of this total, 380,300 is within the
city of Portland.
Lane county is second with 190,072;
Marion is third with 139,301; Clacka­
mas, fourth, 126,044 and Washington,
fifth with 112,246.
Columbia county is eighteenth in
the list of Oregon’s counties with a
total population count of 24,213. This
was an increase of 8.2 percent over
were Barbara Schall, Rev. George gain of 7.8 percent, there were 14
1960 when Columbia county’s count counties which showed losses of popu­
lation in the four year period. Wheel­
was 22,379.
St. Helens is the largest of Colum­ er county showed the greatest de­
bia county’s cities with a tolal of crease of 27.9 percent. Decreases
5,234, and Vernonia is second with there were noted in each of the towns
1,557. Vernonia showed a growth of and in the unincorporated rural
43 percent which was largely due to areas. Other counties that showed
the annexation of two large areas, losses were Baker, Clatsop, Coos,
Crook, Curry, Grant, Lake, Lincoln,
the Riverside and Riverview areas.
Other Columbia county communi­ Morrow, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union
ties listed were as follows: Rainier, and Wallowa.
The county showing the greatest in­
1,152; Scappoose, 970; Clatskanie,
850; Columbia City, 435 and Prescott, crease was Sherman where the count
139 All Columbia county cities show­ in 1960 was 2,446 and in 1964, 3,600,
ed gains in population except Rainier an increase of 47.2 percent. The town
of Wasco increased 65.8 percent. Part
which was the same as in 1960.
For Scappoose, the gain was 5.1 of the explanation of the large growth
[»ercent from 923 in 1960 to the 970 in this area could be construction
work which has brought many people
listed this year
In spite of the overall statewide in.