Vernonia eagle., July 28, 1966, Page 75, Image 75

Vernonia Eagle, July 28, 1966
67
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IN 1963, the Columbia County Historical Society Museum was established
here in the former Oregon American Mill office. The building had been
given to the City of Vernonia after the mill operations concluded here and
the city made it available to the Historical Society for the museum. In
the remaining seven months of 1963, 959 persons visited the museum. In
1964, 2515 signed the register. This increased to 2844 in 1965 and for the
first half of 1966, it has approached the 1500 mark. Ernest Hislop was
the first curator and he was succeeded in 1965 by Mrs. Grace Miller, the
present curator.
JOSEPH VAN BLARICOM whose homestead later became the town site
of Vernonia, is pictured here with one of his great-nephews, Aubry Cham­
berlain. He was one of the 13 children of the John Van Blaricoms. When
John Van Blaricom came to the Nehalem Valley in 1874, Joseph was
one of the seven who also came here. He never married. Other brothers
who settled here were Henry, Phillip, John Jr. and Hiram. Two daughters
who settled here were Drusilla Van Blaricom Baker and Sarah Ann Van
Blaricom Sheeley. Many descendants of these settlers still reside here.
Much of Area Logged by Clark and Wilson
The Clark and Wilson Logging
Company played an important part
in the development of the Nehalem
Valley and for many years contri­
buted much to the economy of the
area.
In 1928, Clark and Wilson pur­
chased the entire holdings of the
Nehalem Logging Company. Pre­
vious to that, they had logged
from Goble to the old camp at Wil-
ark, and the purchase of the other
company extended their field of
action into the Nehalem Valley pro­
per.
It was the Clark and Wilson com­
pany that constructed the railroad
to transport timber to market on
the Columbia river and remains of
that line can still be seen by those
who travel between Vernonia and
Scappoose.
Some of the names associated
with the activities of the Clark and
Wilson company were Frank Baker,
logging superintendent; Glen Haw­
kins, logging engineer; P. Valpiani,
construction superintendent and J.
J. Troy, bookkeeper. Hawkins re­
calls that at the peak of their log­
ging operations, there were many
days where a million feet of tim­
ber was logged .
In 1945, the Clark and Wilson
holdings in this area were sold to
the Crown Zellerbach Corporation
which is covering the scars of that
intensive logging operation with
tree farm plantings for sustained
yield for the future.
WISHING
VERNONIA
CONTINUED
PROSPERITY IN
YEARS TO COME
Ben's Barber Shop
Ben Brickel
LET US HELP YOU
GROW WITH
VERNONIA
BUILD TO
VERNONIA’S
FUTURE WITH—
PERRY’S Sports Camp, one and a half miles north of
Vernonia on Rock Creek, is an 18 acre recreation land
for boys which was built here in 1964. It is in operation
from the last week in June to the last part of August
and has a capacity for 100 boys each week during that
time. It offers intensive basketball training as well
as swimming, baseball, golf, football, fishing, track
and wrestling.
Vernonia Federal
Credit Union