A While Ago...

by Jane Cramer; Port Orford News; 2/17/99

"A while ago someone asked where the quarry had been located at Blacklock Point. I didn't know, but decided to do some research since I have always been interested in the history of the site. John Blacklock came to the United States from New Zealand in 1872. A few years later he and others formed the Blacklock Sandstone Mining Company and acquired 1500 acres of land that became known as Blacklock Point. According to an article from the August 25, 1886 issue of the Coos Bay News, the operation was extensiive and the wharf and railroad consituted "an achievement of very vast magnitude". The sandstone was stripeed from the face of the bluff, which was 120 feet high and faced the ocean. The rough stone was conveyed in chutes down the face of the bluff and onto iron platform cars capable of carrying 10 tons each. The cars took them via railroad track to the wharf to be swung aboard waiting vessels by a huge crane. The wharf consisted of a landing platform connected to the shore by a double track trestle about 300 feet long and 18 feet wide which was securely fastened to rocks or cylinder foundations. The complex included a blacksmith shop and a magazine, which was built in the rock for safe storage of explosives. No story about the Blacklock Point Sandstone Company would be complete without telling of the wreck of the schooner "Anna Hormine" on October 22, 1886. An article in the Coos Bay News on November 3, 1886 referred to the "Anna Hormine" as an old scow schooner which eight years earlier had been pronounced unsafe for hauling lumber. Captain Jorgensen evidently proposed to sail early in the morning; so the afternoon of October 321 the ship was loaded with a cargo of choice sandstone and left unmanned for the night some distance from the wharf. When she was boarded in the morning the ship was found to be filling with water because her frame and hull were not able to support the cargo of stone. The sailors stripped the ship of her canvas, lines and tackle and then loosened the moorings so she could drift to the wharf for removal of the cargo. Even though the sea was quiet the ship collided with the wharf and damaged it before she sandk. A visit to Blacklock Point at low tide will provide an opportunity to see some rails from the tracks lying among boulders at the base of the rocks. In places it is possible to see iron fasteners still attached to large rocks. Sometimes you can still find chunks of the concrete that was poured into four foot diameter cylinders for foundations. A hike to Blacklock Point can be rewarding on many counts. you might enjoy the beauty of the scenery, listen to noisy sea lions or spy a pair of eagles flying overhead. Or you could explore for remnants of a thriving business of "a while ago"."

Silver Spray Gardens: Dance Hall Days Nostalgia

by Neonta Hall; Port Orford News; 2/17/99

[NOTE: Even though the dance hall mentioned in this article is actually in Coos County, it was an important place of entertainment for those in northern Curry County as well and since Curry County families are mentioned within, it deserves a spot in our scrapbook] "Silver Spray Gardens, the largest dance hall in the state of Oregon, was built in the early 1920s at bandon. Always had a large dance band which played, some of whom are still well remembered. George and Rex Topping, Herb Mancent, Adolph Johnson, Lawrence Stitt, Bob and Stewart Norton, Sol Driscol, Charlie Paige, Bum Gartin, Reta Gartin, Babe and Vade and Vane Gartin, Vivian Gartin, and many others. There was a very large electric ball of colored lights in the center, which rotated around, giving the place a most festive appearance and a delight for all dancers, soon as entering the building. A jitney dance was held each time, so the dance floor was roped off with dancers paying ten cents a dance or three dances for a quarter. College students when home for a few days were welcome to come and play wiht the band. Piercy Sweet, a student at Willamette University, played his horn with this band, also he was a member of the University band and would often march through Salem streets playing for special occasions. Neonta Hall with a large group of Christian Endeavor members from Marshfield, was in Salem at the right time to see Piercy Sweet in his gold uniform marching with this band. When home he often played with the popular Silver Spray Orchestra and at one of the dances met his wife, Muriel! That has been over 61 years ago at this time. The Silver Spray Gardens burned down in the devastating Bandon Fire of 1936." 

A While Ago...

by Jane Cramer; Port Orford News; 3/3/1999

"A while ago I wondered when and shere Port Orford had its first library. I found out Port Orford's library was housed in several different locations and had a lot of ups and downs. At one time there were two rival libraires. Port Orford had a traveling library in 1921. The libraria, Mrs. Mabel Gillings, traveled to Salem to pick up and return about 100 books at a time. This traveling library was still active in 1925. Mabel Gillings was still librarian in 1927 and there were 315 volumes in the library. At that time the library was sponsored by the Civic Improvement Club and housed in the club room. In 1929 the library shared the Leneve Building with Leneve's Drug Store. Volunteer librarians included Mrs. Grover Tichenor, Edith Tichenor and Rose Ponting. By 1930 there wre more than 1200 books in the library. In 1940 the State Librarian visited Port Orford to help merge two rival libraries into one quality operation. She helped to sort the library's collection of books and determined that many needed to be discarded because they were too old to be interesting. Others were in need of repairs so she recommended moving to a location where there would be enough room for repairs and mending. The State Librarian arranged for a WPA sponsored librarian, Mrs. Fannie Eddie and a new library opened November 11, 1940. Curry County Bank donated a small building to house the library and Gilbert Gable arranged for Nick Marsh to move it to City Hall. It boasted fluorescent lights to avoid eyestrain, but was heated with an oil heater, which didn't always work. Over 200 cards had been issued by January. The operating budget for 1941 was $50 for heat, lights, and maintenance. After WPA funds were no longer available, unpaid volunteers operated the library until 1956 when Carl B. Smith became the first paid librarian. The City Hall burned in 1958 after being recently rennovated. Although the books were water damaged, they wre saved and moved to City hall's temporary location in the old post office building. A new City Hall was approved in 1961 and the library was allottted a room in the Police Department offices. In 1973 library moved to its present location. This would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers as money ran out after the shell was finished. Volunteers painted, put up the ceiling, built tables and installed furnace ducts and designed and constructed the myrtlewood panels at the end of each bookshelf. When I go into the library now and see computers, copy machines and other wonderful electronic aids I am amazed at how far we have traveled since the library Port Orford had 'a while ago' ". 

A While Ago...

by Jane Cramer; Port Orford News; 3/31/1999

"A while ago Ina Lefter mentioned that part of the old stage road went through her property and I remembered that Tim Flake had part of the stage road at his place. The Nygren Hotel on Tenth and Jackson was built in 1888 and operated as a stage stop. Coastal stages were not the stage coaches seen in western movies, but usually were spring wagons with a couple of seats fastened to the bed. There were no sides or tops on the wagons but if the passengers were lucky, there were lap robes they could use for warmth. Beaches were often used as roads, but when the beach ended at a rocky headland, the road left the beach and moved inland, sometimes for long distances. At first travel was along Indian trails and crossing the many streams was often difficult. A story in a 1901 issue of the Port Orford Tribune relates the perils of traveling Curry County roads during the winter. A watchmaker from Bandon and a Post Office Inspector were traveling north by stage from Gold Beach to Port Orford. They came to mussel Creek and the driver whipped the horses to make them rush up the steep bank on the north side of the creek. As the horses surged forward the back seat came unfastened and seat, men and lap robes were all dumped behind the wagon. The men landed on their backs with their heads in the creek and their feet in the air all tangled up in the lap robes. When they finally got untangled, they found the stage driver wasn't aware of the problem and was still heading north. They finally attracted his attention and after he recovered from the shock of the narrow escape of loss of a good wagon seat and a $3.00 fare, he retunred and recovered his porperty and passengers. he lashed down the seat and they reached Port Orford without further incident. The roads weren't much better when mortorized vehicles became common in Curry County. China Mountain Road was a county road used to avoid Rocky Point. It started near Hubbard Creek and ended in Humbug Canyon near the present State Park entrance. Although the road avoided the difficult crossing at Rocky Point, it was steep and dangerous. Some of the canyons below the road are over two hundred feet deep. When the Roosevelt Coastal Highway was built in 1923-24, it was a great improvement although there were still 128 curves in the stretch from Gold Beach to Port Orford. It was a great adventure for students and parents alike to travel to high school basketball games in Gold Beach and Brookings. Today's more modern highway still has many curves, but travel to Gold Beach takes less than an hour instead of all day as it did on the old roads a while ago." 

A While Ago...

by Jane Cramer; Port Orford News; 8/4/99

"A while ago I was browsing through some 1892 issues of the Port Orford Tribune and paused to read some of the advertisements on the front pages. There was one for the Steamer Arcata advising of her weekly trips between San Francisco, Port Orford, and Coos Bay, one for the Knapp Hotel and another for P. J. Masterson, dealer in General Merchandise. But the ad that caught my eye simply stated P. J. Lindberg, Carpenter and Builder and Undertaker. I knew Mr. Lindberg was a builder of fine houses, but I hadn't realized he had also been an undertaker. When I learned more about this talented gentleman, I found that he was a man of many skills. Mr. Lindberg was born in Stockholm Sweden in 1851. He became a sailor at the age of 14 and sailed to many of the world's ports. After spending long periods of time in Chile and other foreign ports, he finally arrived in San Francisco, where he eventually gave up the life of a sailor in order to learn the carpentry, bridge building and plumbing trades. It was while he was working at these trades in California in 1881 that he met and married Mrs. Lane, a widow with five children. They had two children of their own after their 1882 move to Port Orford where he engaged in the contracting and building business. The home he built for his own family at Ninth and Washington, which is over 100 years old and many of his other fine houses are still standing today. They include the historic Patrick Hughes House at Cape Blanco and the James Hughes house on the North side of the Sixes River (now the Sweet Ranch). The Masterson house at Jackson and Sixth Streets (also called the Painted Lady), the Long house on Eighth and Jefferson Streets and Leon White's home on Fifth and Washington Streets are among the better known Lindberg houses in Port Orford. Few people realize that he built one of the early bridges over the Sixes River and helped to repair and rebuild an early storm-damaged dock in Port Orford. His 1901 advertising offered his services to build creameries, erect windmills and tanks and raise and move houses. His undertaking ads appeared in the Port Orford Tribune for many years and advised that he carried a complete line of caskets, coffins and trimmings and that he would take orders for tombstones and cemetery railings. Even with all the business he was engaged in, he still found time to serve as a Curry County Commissioner, County Road Supervisor, City Constable and member of the Board of Education. Anyone who longs for the 'good old days' when things weren't so hectic would do well to stop and reflect on the prodigious amount of work and civic activities Mr. Lindberg engaged in a while ago." 

Hughes Descendants Make Pilgrimage to Historic House

by Jean Kilburn; Port Orford News; 9/29/99

When fourth-generation member of the Hughes family Kathleen Shumate (maiden name) began suggesting to her two daughters to visit the family home, both had small children and felt it was a difficult time for them. However, when sisters Marie Hauck and Susan Askew (fifth generation of the Hughes family) both discovered they were expecting their second child each in early 2000, their mother's wishes inspired them to make the pilgrimage. Even though it was going to be difficult to travel alone with their young children, they packed all of the necessary items for the trip and headed to Port Orford and the Hughes House. Marie Hauck and her daughter Kathleen Ann came from Santa Cruz, California and Susan Askew with her son Kaleb Len came from Hollister, California. Their husbands were unable to make the trip at this time. Marie and Susan spent a few days in the area becoming familiar with the surroundings that were frequented by their mother in her youth. Both sisters were most excited to visit the homestead where their mother used to visit her grandmother and play on the Hughes grounds. Marie and Susan visited the Hughes House on September 18th and 19th, taking pictures for themselves and their mother and becoming acquainted with both the house and its history. Both Marie and Susan were both surprised and delighted to learn how well the homestead has been maintained and cared for, and that it has become a major attraction in the area. [Picture with this caption accompanies the story: "Fifth and sixth generation Hughes descendants from left: Marie Hauck and daughter Kathleen Ann and Susan Askew with son Kaleb Len pose in front of the fireplace in the Hughes House parlor."]

New Sign at Battle Rock City Park

; Port Orford News; 9/1/99

[Picture of Battle Rock City Park sign with this caption: "From the left: Rick Cook, John Mayea, and Brice Wagner pose next to the newly installed 'old sign' in Battle Rock Park. The three have worked for the last year to restore the sign to the park." ] The text of the sign reads: "Battle Rock City Park has been dedicated in memory of the ancient people (Dene Tsut Dah) and the pioneer founders of this townsite. In 1850, the U. S. Congress passed the Oregon Donation Land Act. This act allowed white settlers to file claims on Indian land in western Oregon although no Indian nation had signed a single treaty. Capt. William Tichenor of the steamship "Sea Gull" landed nine men on July 9, 1851, for the purpose of establishing a white settlement. For two weeks the nine were besieged on the island now called Battle Rock. Under cover of darkness, the party escaped north to Umpqua City. In July, Capt. Tichenor again arrived with a well-armed party of seventy men and established the settlement now called Port Orford. Later, Tichenor became a permanent resident after his retirement from the sea." 

Bess's Celebrate 50th Anniversary

; Port Orford News; 9/1/99

"A 50th Wedding Anniversary open house reception honoring Fern and Earl Bess will be held Saturday, September 11th from 2-4 PM at the Langlois Lions Club for all family and friends. the event is being hosted by the couple's children and their spouses: Ken and Carol Bess, Halsey; Linda and Jim Carr, North Bend; Terry and Carolyn Bess, Glendale; Janet and Ken Rowling, Stayton; Mary and Bruce Tucker, Veneta; and Juana and Dean Redding, Leaburg. The couple request that your presence and your friendship be your only gift." [Picture with this caption accompanies the story: "At right: Fern and Earl Bess fifty years ago. Photo contributed by daughter Linda."]

50th Anniversary

; Port Orford News; 9/8/99

"A 50th wedding anniversary dinner was held for Blaine and Gurlah Marsh at the Marsh home during the weekend. Present were Bruce, Tracey, Charely and Carson Capps of Sacramento; Gibson, Susan, Olive and Ally Hein of Canby; Karyl Kell, Wilbur and Judy Jensen, John and Dolores Mayea, Chris and Cher, Patrick and Ryan Marsh and Nick and Inge Marsh."

Hofsess Family Reunion Held over Labor Day Weekend

; Port Orford News; 9/15/99

"The annual Hofsess family reunion campout and picnic was held over Labor Day weekend at the home of Martha Crew Zwetz on the Sixes River. The weekend was filled with good weather, friends, family and food. Some came fro the camping; others just for Saturday or Sunday. Those attending were: Barbara Hamilton, Kent, WA; Bill and Rhonda Montross, Shanna Montross, Oak Harbor, WA; Randy and Karen Sabin, Burney, CA; Danea Swartout, Pam and Jenni Robison, Jeff, Dorothy and Jalen Robison of Springfield; Linda, Derek, Kristen, Kerri, and Keelin McDaniel, Troutdale; Curtis and Judy Sabin, Lebanon; Betty Magelitz, Albany; Sharon Strain Montgomery, Jamie Montgomery, Steve Hofsess and Linda Haley of Bandon. Ron and Kayleen Hofsess and Jackie Hofsess, Powers; Dale and Juanita Crew, Hal and Patti Strain, Coquille; Tony, Jenny, Jake and Billy Lee Strain of Myrtle Point; Walt and June Sabin and Dick Hofsess, Langlois; Kenneth Thompson and Jeannette Brown, Myrtle Creek. Martha Zwetz, Charlie and Velma Crew, Doug, Kim, Dusty, and Hunter Trimble of Sizes; Vern and Beth Magneson, Jerry and Betty Hansen of Port Orford. Vicki and Brearin Halcumb, Ed Holly and Rain Halcumb with Aaron Smith, Bob and Donna Halcumb, Helen Simeone, Frank and Rosalie Strain, Ken, Deb, Tim and Travis Smith, all of Gold Beach." 

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