3 --
Me sou'wester
Published Quarterly By
The Pacific County Historical Society
State of Washington
SPRING
1971
Volume VI
Number I
THE SOU'WESTER
A Quarterly Publication of the Pacific County Historical Society, Inc .
A Non-profit Organization
Subscription Rates $2.00 Annually - Payable In Advance
Address : P . 0. Box 384, Raymond, Washington 98577
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office
of Raymond, Washington 98577
Mrs . Harold C. Dixon, Editor
Mini and Earl Murphy, Make-up Advisors
Raymond Herald Print
MEMBERSHIP SOLICITED
"Any person interested in the history of Pacific County may be enrolled as
a member of the Society upon receipt by the secretary of the first payment of
dues ." ($1.00 per calendar year .")
MEMBERS : dues are due if you do not have a 1971 card
SPRING MEETING
Make plans now to attend the Pacific County Historical Society's Spring
Meeting to be held at the South Bend Chamber of Commerce on Sunday, April
18. Dinner will be served at 1 :30 p .m. to those having reservations . Everyone
is invited to attend the program following the dinner, and to visit the Museum
about two blocks distant .
South Bend is beautifully situated on the hillside bordering the serpentine
curves of Willapa River, and it retains much of the "Gay '90's" charm of its
boom days .
The Court House is lovely in April, and one may wish to drive up to
Hangman's Park, the site of South Bend's first one .
OUR MUSEUM
Our Museum site is about seven miles to the South, within Bruceport Park .
About twenty miles to the South is the village of Bay Center, with its quaint
old buildings which reflect the past and new ones which give proof of hopes for
good days to come .
Housed in our temporary quarters in the Lumber Exchange Building at
South Bend, we are constantly expanding our display area to accomodate the
artifacts, antiques, photos and documents which arrive almost daily . We are
open every afternoon from 1 to 5 ; other times, as volunteer hosts are
available, and by appointment . Please visit us-you're welcome as the
flowers
2
The Bay Center Story
Written in 1954 by Hope Wilson Clark
here were other types of events not so pleasant to recall, but the story
would not be complete were they to be omitted . Almost every community
at one time or another has been shocked to learn that a crime has been
committed nearby, and Bay Center was no exception . The earliest and most
horrible of the cases, the Fredriksen murders, occurred in 1890 . Although the
crime was not committed in Bay Center, the bodies of the victims were
brought here for the autopsy which was held in the local boatshop . Afterwards, they were buried in the Bay Center cemetery where they rest today
under a stone bearing on it the inscription "Murdered ." The alleged killers
paid dearly for their crimes, for a group of enraged citizens stormed the jail
in Oysterville and administered retributive justice in their own way .
In August of 1901, the first murder took place in Bay Center . Lum You, a
Chinese laborer, shot and killed a man named Oscar Bloom . Lum was lodged
in the jail in South Bend, tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang . The
execution date was set for January 31, 1902, and Sheriff Thomas Roney had a
number of invitation cards printed, and was about to issue them to persons
who had expressed a desire to witness the hanging when Lum You fled the
confines of his cell and departed for parts unknown . How he engineered his
escape has never been satisfactorily explained, but he was gone and the
manhunt was in full force . All places having telegraph services were notified
to be on the lookout . A posse was busily engaged in searching the woods . The
Commissioners offered a reward of $200 for the capture of the wanted man .
Several days later, Lum was found in the woods south of town and returned to
jail . All this excitement fanned interest in the approaching execution and the
Sheriff was deluged with requests for invitations . An extra supply was
printed, about 500 in all, and anyone having a card today has a real bit of old
Americana in his possesion . The execution took place on the date scheduled
and was held in the court room of the old court house in South Bend, the trap
being placed under the ventilator opening in the ceiling . Thus the extreme
penalty was paid, and Pacific County held its first and only execution .
The second, and we hope the last major crime in our town took place about
1910 . An Indian wedding was held in the native settlement at Goose Point, and
after the ceremony there was a dance and a goodly amount of liquid refreshments . The music for the ball was furnished by a Kanaka (Hawaiian) fiddler
then a resident of Bay Center . As the evening and the imbibing progressed,
tempers began to flare and a free-for-all fight started . When the smoke of
battle cleared away, many figures were stretched out on the floor . These
unfortunates shortly began to shake their heads, feel of their jaws, rise and
stagger away. There was one exception. The fiddler remained prone and
unmoving . When some one decided to rouse him up to play for some more
dancing, it was discovered that he had played his last tune . When the Sheriff
arrived, no one remembered seeing anyone hit old John, or had the least idea .
who had struck the fatal blow . In spite of it being a warm evening, one witty
T
3
native was heard to remark : "We didn't think anyone killed him, we just
thought he froze to death ." An arrest was made but nothing was ever proven
and the case was finally dropped .
iv".1 atc t
Co
the Pacific
coo x
,)~~~ ra y
0'cioci' a
-1 0
t
,
Cot,,
. M.
Invitation used with permission of Nina Sowers Wolfenbarger, Raymond
(Reproduced by Antilla's Studio, Raymond)
For many years one of the most lucrative resources in our vicinity was
overlooked by the villagers who concentrated on raising oysters and fishing
salmon and sturgeon, but ignored the value of all the crabs that were in the
bay . Those crusteceans were so plentiful that at low tide a person could walk
out in front of the town and gather all they could carry from the pools and low
places on the mudflats . Then in about 1905, two enterprising young men of the
town, Roy Moore and Arthur Shipley, hit upon the idea that there should be
some commercial value in this commodity . They wrote to various firms in
Northwestern cities and soon had themselves a market . The first crab fishing
was done in two-man dories which were rowed up and down the channel,
using ring nets to trap the wily creatures . It was not long until the tastiness of
the Bay Center crusteceans was well known in the city markets, and the
demand for them increased . Two men from other cities saw the possibilities,
and Mr . Chase and Mr . Reed came to our port . They bought out the two local
boys' equipment and started up the first official crab company . The industry
grew rapidly and soon other buyers entered the field and an increasing
number of fishermen turned to this new line of work . It was a fortunate step
for all, as when the oysters in the Bay declined, the crabbing industry kept the
commercial life of the town going until the advent of the Japanese, or Pacific,
oyster .
Time and space will permit only a brief mention of some of the interesting
incidents of life in the Bay Center of that period . I remember cold winter
4.
nights when the temperature fell rapidly and from every house along the hill
on Main Street you would see men emerging with pails of water which they
poured on the middle of the street . Married and single, they all fell to and,
after many trips, the hill would have a thick coating of ice . Then the bobsleds
carrying six to twelve passengers would be brought out, the women and
children joined the group and everyone went sliding . The slide started at the
hilltop in front of our gate and ended up as far out on the wharf as the sleds
would travel . There was no danger of going off the deep end, as the wharf
extended a quarter of a mile out to the channel, and the sleds came to a halt
long before they had travelled that far .
Then there were the medicine shows that came to town once or twice a year
and played a week's stand in Tom Olsen's Hall . A different play and
vaudeville skits were presented each evening and during the intermission
between acts, various kinds of elixirs and "cure-alls" were sold . Each purchase entitled the buyer to a number of votes for the girl of his choice as the
Belle of the town . On the closing night the votes were counted and the winner
presented with a "real gold" watch, which usually turned green after a few
weeks of wear . Nevertheless, the honor of winning was earnestly sought for,
and rivalry ran high among the young ladies .
There were baseball games with the Bay Center Braves the unbeaten
champions . Home talent plays (one year we even did MacBeth, our efforts no
doubt disturbing Will Shakespeare's long rest), parties and candy pulls, so
many things that were so much fun and yet to the young folks of today they
would no doubt seem very tame . These happy childhood remembrances are
the precious gems in my jewel box of memories. It was a good way of life and,
as I write, I can see it all so plainly, just as it used to be with the thriving little
business district down at the foot of the hill .
There was the big Bay View Hotel overlooking the water and dominating
the scene . Along side was Clark & Anderson's store, and behind, the
blacksmith shop . Across the street there were two more stores owned by Pete
Tabell and Tom Olsen, and in between them, the tidy little Post Office . Out
from the center of the plank platform that lay between the buildings, ran the
long wharf with the cluster of fish houses at its end . That is the way it looked
in the year 1911 on a hot summer evening in August . Mother and I walked out
on the wharf to cool off in any stray breeze that might be coming in over the
water .
Twilight was falling as we strolled back in and looked at the new paint job
on Olsen's store . It was real painting weather all right, and Mr . Olsen was
taking advantage of it . The town seemed almost deserted as the citizens,
weary from the unaccustomed heat and the day's work, had gone' early to
their beds. By the time darkness fell, the little village was quietly sleeping .
5
Is there anything more terrifying than the sound of a fire bell in the night?
At half past midnight the clamor of the church bell pealing loud and incessantly brought us springing from our beds . We could hear shouts and the
sound of running footsteps. Hurriedly dressing we ran out to our gate from
where we could see the flames shooting from Clark & Anderson's store . Then
the hotel caught, then Tabell's store, and finally the Post Office . The plank
street between the buildings was a seething inferno of flames . The men
worked like demons, greatly hampered by the fact that the tide was out and
no Bay water was available . Their only means of fire fighting was a bucket
brigade, and every well in the area was drawn dry in their vain effort to
quench the flames . All to no avail . It seemed that it couldn't be really happening, but it was . Before our very eyes, the hub of our little town was being
destroyed as the tinder-dry buildings went up in flames, and there was
nothing we could do .
When the fire burned itself out and the smoke cleared away, all that
remained was Olsen's store and the jail . Mr. Olsen had a ton of salt in his
building, and by having a crew pour it on his fresh paint job, a thick insulating
layer was formed and the building was saved . When daylight came, the
combinatination of salt, smoke and water gave the store a white-washed
appearance . No one ever knew how the fire started, but our little village had
received a mortal blow . True, it rose from the ashes, Phoenix-like, but it was
not ever the same again . One store and a hotel were rebuilt, but not of the size
or style of the preceeding ones . A few more years and the story was repeated .
Again, the same store and hotel burned, and this fire was the finish of the little
business district . The next store was built at the top of the hill, where it still
remains, and the new highway was re-routed to enter the town at a different
point .
Bay Center today (1954) is thriving again, with several canneries and
seafood processing plants, a shell grinding mill, and other individual industries . My wish is that it will continue to grow and develop in the years to
come, that its growth will eventually lead to new and better business
organizations, a new Post Office building, and improved educational and
recreational facilities . Yes, that is my wish for the future, and I would not
want it otherwise, but I can't keep from having a few nostalgic yearnings for
that other Bay Center---the one that began with Joel Brown and his dream and
ended with the sound of the fire bell on that summer night long ago .
-oA photograph of the students of the Bay Center School in 1910, along
with their teacher, Mr. White, appears on page 13 of this issue of
the Sou'wester .
6
Invitation To A Hanging
By Ruth Dixon
here were a great many Chinese living in Pacific County at the turn of the
century. They formed work crews to assist with fishing, on oyster beds, in
the canneries, on the cranberry bogs, and on farms where they performed manual labor such as clearing land or ditching .
T
LUM
YOU
One of the best known of all local Orientals was Lum You . He was a
distinctive, unique character, and somewhat of a "dandy ." He carried
himself proudly . His immaculate clothing was of English cut . He wore jade
bracelets, and had a large gold watch and fob, with two ornamental chains
PRESIDED
OVER
HANGING
Sheriff Thomas A .
Roney (May 4, 1854 Feb . 26, 1938), born in
Ontario,
Canada,
arrived at Oysterville in
an Indian canoe in 1879.
On January 31, 1902, as
he gave the last of three
strokes on a gong, the
trap to the scaffold
dropped, and Lum You,
Chinese, was dead .
Roney was later to say
this was his lifes' most
disagreeable duty .
draped across his vest . He had a queue--a very long one, and for dress-up
occasions it was braided with a length of fine China silk, ending in an ornate
tassel.
The account you are reading will be very frankly biased in favor of an
admitted and convicted murderer, for the information was obtained from
those who knew Lum You well and had fond memories of a jolly, sociable
fellow-"quite a guy." Children, too, had their reasons for liking him . Lydia
Wentworth told how he delighted her two older boys with exotic tidbits and
pleasant conversation whenever they chanced to meet .
I
Charles Nelson of Nahcotta remembers him as a resident of "China
House", a barracks-like building at the Chabot cranberry bogs, where Lum
You acted as agent between the workers and employers . Games, such as
"odds and even" and "fan tan" were played, using curious coins having a
hollow square center---he has some souvenirs . Opium was smoked openly
there, and young Charles and his friends enjoyed watching the opium pipes
being loaded . The favorite treat of the beach lads was a fruit which contained
a pit and tasted much like a good plump raisin, and Lum You seemed always
to have a supply .
Previous to the trouble which ended the career of Lum You, he had a
grievance against another Chinaman . He complained to South Bend police
chief Marion Egbert, who told him, rather impatiently, "Don't come to me
with your Chinaman troubles ." When Lum asked his advice, then, on what to
do to protect himself, Egbert told him : "I don't care . Chop off his head if you
want to ." Well, he wanted to, and Ging had the scar to prove it. This incident
amused the white people, and put an abrupt end to Lum's Chinaman trouble .
Later, W .B. Clark and a number of other character witnesses were to testify
that Lum You was peaceable unless pushed beyond endurance .
On August 6, 1901, Oscar Bloom, a large man, bumped into the smaller
fellow when they met on the street ; later he tipped over his chair and knocked
the cards from his hand at a game . According to witnesses, on the night of the
tragedy, Bloom had grabbed the Chinaman about the neck with one large
hand while removing his valuables, including $40 .75 in gold and silver coins,
from his pockets with the other . He also made threats against Lum You's life .
This was not the first time Bloom had become abusive, but Lum knew he must
not complain to Egbert again .
Lum You readily admitted going to his own room, putting one bullet in his
gun, and shooting at Bloom from a distance of thirty feet . There were many
who heard the shot, but no one went to Bloom's aid . When someone did investigate his non-appearance next day, word of the shooting was sent to South
Bend. Police Chief Egbert engaged the steamer FLORA BROWN and, with
Dr. Gruwell and County Attorney Welsh, made a fast trip to Bay Center,
arriving twenty-three hours after the shooting . L.L . Bush, a Notary Public,
and other witnesses, were called to the bedside of Bloom, who made an affidavit which stated, in part :
"Last evening in the neighborhood of 9 o'clock, I was on the street and may
have had some words with Lum You, a Chinaman . As to the matter of words, I
however do not recall ....Lum You ran to his room and I soon came to my
house . . . .The shot struck me in the abdomen ....I got into my bed and was there
all night before anyone came . . . .My recollection is clear to all events of
assault, though not as to what may have occurred in the street before . .. . When
Lum You shot me, he immediately ran away, and I did not see him again . I
9
was not out of my house afterward . I am making this statement . ..fully
believing that I am now dying ."
While the sympathies of most persons seem to have been with Lum You,
employers of Orientals insisted that action be taken against this Chinese man
who had dared to harm a white man . He was charged with murder and a trial
was held in October, 1901 . The gentlemen of the jury were C .E . Williams, A .J.
Baker, John Adams, F .O. Gaither, J .H . Timmen, Richard Stiff, J .W.
Gamage, Andrew Alexander, Robert Johnson, Robert Marshall, William
Germond, and John M . Cooper .
It has been stated (unofficially, of course) that the first ballot was 11 to 1 for
acquittal . One man stubbornly held out and, since his mind could not be
changed, the eleven, weary with arguing, decided to vote for conviction, also,
sincerely believing that the little Chinaman would never hang, but receive a
very light sentence . The decree that he be "hanged by the neck until dead"
was heard with shocked disbelief and dismay.
According to an act of the Legislature, effective as of September 12, 1901,
all executions were to be made at Walla Walla, but since this murder was
committed prior to that date, the responsibility of imposing the extreme
penalty was on the county officials, however distasteful .
Some have related (again unofficially) that the cell door was never locked
at night, and that Lum You was encouraged, even orderd, to flee, but the poor
man feared the disgrace of deportation to China and possible beheading even
more than the hangman's noose, for separation from his sacred queue would
prevent his ability to enter his "heaven ." Once, when he disappeared for a
few days, officials breathed a sigh of relief, even while they were offering a
$200 reward for his return . Hearing of this, the prisoner made his way back,
not wishing to cause trouble or to lose face .
And so, sadly, workmen fashioned a trap over a ventilator opeining in the
floor of the courthouse in "Upper Town ." Four unwilling men were chosen to
manipulate the ropes which were worked into an intricate maze, so that none
knew for sure which was the executioner.
Gathered in the room at the announced time were men with various reasons
for attending . Chris Sowers walked the long miles that winter day, from his
home on Mill Creek to South Bend, to honor his Chinese friend . When he
returned home that evening, footsore and weary, he gathered his children
around him and told a story neither they, nor their grandchildren, can ever
forget.
Ed Wickberg recalled, with a shudder that it was a terifying spectacle for
him, a young boy, to witness . He was one of a group of lads summoned to the
scene by Sheriff Roney, who believed that in this way the horrible experience
of being an eye-witness to a hanging would be remembered for many
decades, and thus serve as a crime deterrent .
When brought to the execution room, Lum You bowed low and said, "Goodbye, everybody, all by friends, women and men . Wish me all good luck . Me
ready to die ." When the hood was in place, he waved in salute, then said, "Me,
10
SCENE OF THE LUM YOU HANGING
This is the first courthouse to be built in South Bend . It was located on a site,
donated by the Northern Land & Development Company, in a district known
as "Upper Town," near the depot . This area was being boomed by the Northern Pacific railroad .
f
no can see . Kill me good ." At fifteen minutes after nine, he was pronounced
dead . This was surely one of the last acts of capital punishment to be carried
out at a county seat in Washington state .
Sheriff Roney had not made arrangments for the burial, but his kindly
deputy, Z .B . Brown, provided a grave site on his own property, close to the
county road where friends could conveniently visit . His son, retired Post
Office employee Zack B . Brown Sr ., tells boyhood reminiscences of the
Chinese coming regularly to purchase live chickens which his mother raised .
These were taken to a secluded place in a grove where a ceremonial feast
must have been prepared according to ancient custom . The Brown children
were not allowed to intrude on these gatherings, but later they would find a
serving of food at the grave . A stroll through the grove was a pleasant
pastime, and many South Bend residents still remember the Oriental offerings respectfully placed within the wrought-iron enclosure by Lum You's
sorrowing countrymen.
The grave has few visitors now, but thoughts of that black day of January
31, 1902 return when the site of the first Court House in South Bend, with its
large maple trees, is referred to as Hangman's Park .
11
Pacific County Census 1870
Free Inhabitants in Pacific County, Washington Territory
Enumerated Beginning July 5, 1,870
By A . N . Sayre, Assistant Marshall
Post Office : Chenook
House
No. Name
148 .
Age
Sex
Occupation
Durce, Julius
" George
McGunnigal, J.
Edwards, John
35 M
2 M
17 M
18, M
149 .
Sutton, A . P. B.
48
M
150 .
Hodge, Wm . S .
27
M
Fisherman
Mass
151 .
McHenry, Job
Hanna
" Andrew
" Adam
57
56
22
26
M
F
M
M
Fisherman
Fisherman
Fisherman
Ohio
Ohio
Oregon
Missouri
152 .
Allen, Thomas
70
M
Day Laborer
England
153 .
Kelly, J . C .
" Mary
Preble, Frank
Ducheney, Sophia
" Charlotte
Kelly, Alex
51
42
5
13
10
9 12
M
F
M
F
F
M
Fisherman
Ireland
Oregon
W.T .
W.T .
W.T .
W.T .
154.
Stevens, Harry K.
"Anna
"Lulu
"Mark
46
26
4
3
M
F
F
M
Fisherman
Maine
Missouri
W.T .
Oregon
155 .
McGowan, P . J.
"Jane M .
"James
"John
"Charles
"Henry
52
41
15
8
6
4
M
F
M
M
M
M
Fisherman
Ireland
New York
W .T.
W .T.
Oregon
W .T.
156 .
Pellard, A .
"Ellen
"Adeline
"Alex
30
36
4
2
M
F
F
M
Fisherman
Canada
Oregon
W .T.
W .T.
12
Fisherman
Born
Day Laborer
Day Laborer
Fisherman
W .T.
W .T.
W .T.
W .T.
New York
41
M
M
M
M
M
M
Fisherman
Day Laborer
Day Laborer
Day Laborer
Day Laborer
Day Laborer
Ellis, D .W.
36
M
Fisherman
159 .
Kimball, Byron
31
M
160 .
Monroe, John
"Anna
Francis, H . B.
Chambers, J . S .
Jewett, Thomas
Granbois, T.
Joseph John
26
17
18
30
M
F
M
M
M
157 .
St . Andre, Peter
Luciens, Js .
Cleaver, George
Majors, James
Martine,
Winser, Wm
56
51
21
158 .
40
51
19
22
57
M
M
Fisherman
Canada
Canada
Oregon
Ireland
Minn .
Minn
Kentucky
Indiana
Canada
Louisiana
Day Laborer Dist . Columbia
Journeyman
Maryland
Day Laborer
Oregon
Laborer
Canada
Fisherman
Austria
Day Laborer
BAY CENTER SCHOOL circa 1910
Posts courtesy Hole Wilson Clark
Front row : John Richard Pickernell, Aubrey Charawell, "Kitty"
Rhoades, Hope Wilson, Lewis Hawkes, Lyle Bush and Mr . White, Teacher .
Second row : Lawrence Brown, Deane Stevens, Alma Pickernell, Florence
Pickernell, Lizzie Charley, Edna Compton, Alice Skanown and Mabel Axford . Third row : Alice Wilson, Charles Brown, Helen Rhoades, Cora Walters
and Stanley Charley . Back row : Louise Louderback, Mildren Brown
Marguerite Goodpasture, and
(daughter of Frank Brown), Jane Rockey- Marguerite
Mildred Brown (daughter of George Brown) .
13
Moore
By Myrtle L . Aldridge, Chula Vista, California
ne June day in 1886, a large parcel of yardage arrived for Grandma
Amanda Moore at her home on the Sandridge Road, one mile east of Long
Beach. The package, sent by her mother, Clarissa Browning Brown of
Brownsville, Oregon, was addressed to the nearest post office at the time,
Ilwaco, Washington Territory . In an accompanying letter were precise
sewing instructions for the yardage, and Grandma, knowing her mother was
an expert seamstress, undoubtedly followed them to a stitch .
O
Amanda Brown Moore with her son Curtis R . Moore and his wife Harriet
Notwithstanding Grandma Moore had been sewing for her seven children
for many years, in fine script, she even was told how to make a straight apron
thus : "The two and one-half yards of white cross-bar is for yourself an apron,
and the edging is to trim it with . Make the apron straight with a ruffle on the
bottom and the edging on the ruffle ."
Grandma's mother, Clarissa Brown, was the daughter of James Browning
of Knox County, Tennessee . She married Hugh Leeper Brown, also of Knox
County, Tennessee, in 1829 . Both were born in 1810 .
14
In the spring of 1846, the Browns crossed the plains from Missouri by oxen
team and wagon . Five children accompanied them at the start, but a sixth, a
girl, was born enroute . Two more children were to be born later in Oregon,
after they followed the Barlow Road to the Willamette Valley, a six month
journey in all .
When, from Oregon City, Hugh Brown set out to find a home site, he staked
his claim on the Calapooya River near the foothills of the Cascade Range .
Later, he founded the town of Brownsville, Oregon, where he served through
the years in many public capacities building up the community .
As owner of the first Brownsville store and one of the founders of the woolen
mills, Hugh Brown became known as a businessman of honor and integrity .
He was a three time member of the Oregon Legislature, serving both before
and after statehood, and a member of the Board of Commissioners for Linn
County.
It was in Brownsville Amanda was born, on March 9, 1848, and where Hugh
and Clarissa Brown lived the remainder of their distinctive lives .
(A biographical sketch on Hugh Leeper Brown may be found in the History
of the Pacific Northwest - Oregon and Washington, Volume II, page 227 .
Published by the North Pacific History Company, Portland, Oregon 1889)
Grandpa Augustus Clayton Haywood Moore, the son of Richard D . Moore,
was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1837 . He moved to California in 1855, accompanied by two brothers . In his zeal to explore, he moved on to Oregon
Territory, and when he moved back to California in 1869, it was after his
marriage to Grandmother .
Grandma Amanda was a bereaved young widow with a small daughter,
Natalie (Nettie), Mrs. Clarence Hutton of Portland, Oregon, deceased, when
she met and married A . C. H . Moore . They lived in Smartville, California for
fourteen years, where five of the Moore children were born : Sarah E . (Mrs .
Orson Smith of Carson, Washington, born January 1, 1870) ; Orpha A. (Mrs .
Charles Atherton of Long Beach ., Washington, deceased, born February 28,
1873) ; Clayton R . Moore of La Mirada, California, deceased, born January 6,
1876) ; Louise L . (Mrs . Rholley L . Jennings of Long Beach, Washington, born
March 31, 1879), Curtis R . Moore, of Long Beach, Washington, deceased, born
January 5,1882 ; and Clara 0. (Mrs . Charles Heitkemper, deceased, was born
at Long Beach, Washington on May 17, 1885) .
When the Moores moved with their family from Smartville, California
(Yuba County) to Long Beach in 1883, they, too, traveled by covered wagon .
Furniture, farm equipment, camping and food supplies accompanied them in
their large horse-drawn wagon . Tied to the tailgate was "Electric", a baycolored stallion with a black mane and tail . Later, a special barn was built for
"Electric", who reputedly could be ridden "like sitting in a cradle ."
A crated rooster of fighting stock also accompanied the family, as well as a
blue game hen that laid an egg every day of the trip .
15
Their daughter, Sarah, (Mrs . Orson Smith of Carson, Washington, who
celebrated her 100th birthday on New Year's Day 1970) rode her horse
enroute. Orpha, another daughter, also rode part of the way on her pony,
"Fortune", who attained the distinction of supplying the twirling power
behind the first Merry-go-round at Long Beach . The Moore girls received, in
addition to the rental fee, a bonus of free rides on the carousel!
When, upon their arrival at Long Beach, Grandpa Moore indicated he
rather had a hankering to move on to a previously-visited region near North
River, Grandma firmly set herfoot down . "Here we stay," she said, "I'm not
crossing another river ."
Around 250 acres of land and a log house were purchased from Amos
Embree, who had come to the Peninsula after the Civil War with a relative,
one of the Markhams, who settled in Ilwaco . When the log home was
destroyed by fire, it was replaced by a two-story frame dwelling with a wide
porch encircling it . This became Moore's Ranch, located near the crossroads
leading from Oysterville, Ilwaco and Long Beach . Moore's Ranch became
well known as a social place for many community gatherings.
Under cultivation were berry fields and an orchard, a large garden with all
indigenous vegetable crops grown, as well as peanuts and sweet potatoes,
experimental farming by Granpa, as known in his native Georgia . Produce
and milk from the ranch were delivered to summer visitors in a large Mitchell wagon . This wagon, one of their first purchases upon arrival, was part of
salvaged cargo from the bark, Harvest Home, wrecked January 18,1 2 . The
ranch with its poultry, pigs, horses, and cows was quite lively . And rhythmic
as the tides was the humming activity in the airy separator room, with its
endless stream of dairy products to be processed .
Grandma's hands were never idle . She did everything, and had no use for
people without "gumption ." Her larder held an abundance for the family, as
well as friends who frequently stopped over from outlying farms . Supplementing fresh and smoked meats and dairy products, were jars of produce
from garden, orchard, berry fields and the woods . Along with larded
sausages and head cheese were some foods found on gourmet shelves today .
Black Bear Ragout, Canned Pheasant, and Calf's Foot Jelly . And occasionally Grandma made wines of dandelions, blackberries, and rhubarb .
She planted the trees fronting the roadside ranch, mostly tall stands of
popular, and numerous other flowering growth . A sloping side lawn displayed
a golden-chain tree, hung with lustrous clusters, and a large purple lilac .
In an evergreen grove, across the road from the home, Grandpa operated a
small store . Remembered from early childhood as a candy store, it came as a
surprise recently to learn it was designated a liquor store . Here Grandpa, all
aromatic of camphor, his favorite remedy, often played host to a stray
grandchild by demonstrating a little jig, or predicting a dire end for the
16
whistling girl or crowing hen . His own children were his delight, too, and
whenever the smaller ones would ask their Dad the meaning of his frequently
used initials, A . C . H ., he would eye them playfully before giving his stock
reply : "After him ; Catch him ; and Hold him!"
Augustus C . H . Moore
Rides with Grandpa in a small one-seated rig, when he exercised his horses,
were a treat . In Long Beach the roads and beach were used, whereas in
Smartville there had been a round race-track on a hilltop above the house, to
exercise his fine trotters .
17
His brother, Philip, also was a well known Long Beach resident for many
years . Granduncle Philip, a bachelor, was known as "Pancake" Moore, for
his initials, P . C ., and his culinary specialty . A former miner turned farmer,
he also provided fiddle music for local dances .
Augustus C . H . Moore died in Yakima, Washington on March 28,1913, at the
age of 76 . He was ill upon his arrival in Yakima to visit his daughter Louise,
and her family . Although he wrote before his impending visit he was
"tolerable," he contracted pneumonia while enroute on the train ; he was
interred at Tacoma .
Amanda Moore, the last survivor of her pioneer family, died at the home of
her daughter, Clara, at Oswego, Oregon on November 6, 1936, at the age of 88,
the same age at which her mother, Clarissa Brown, had died. She had made
her home on the Sandridge for over thirty years prior to moving to Portland
and Oswego, and continued to return as a frequent visitor until her passing .
Looking through Grandma's old scrap book there are pasted clippings on
"proper conduct for young ladies and brides" sandwhiched in between
sentimental laments in poems and ballads ; household and beauty hints, many
herb remedies, and others . For sore throat : bind the throat before going to
bed with a slice of fat bacon, generously sprinkled with cayenne pepper . For
sprains and bruises : an infallible relief--for beasts as well as humans-a
poultice of hot molasses and salt . A sure cure for asthma : one pint of crushed
sunflower seeds to a quart of good whiskey ; suggested dosage, one tablespoon
three times a day .
Grandma gave the writer her first sewing machine, a single-threaded,
chainstitch machine, first patented by J .G. Folsom in 1863 . Because the
"Globe" resembles a toy, it is difficult to believe anyone ever used it seriously
for family sewing . But knowing Grandma Amanda Moore, I know she did .
LOYALTY DAY AT LONG BEACH
The Grand Parade is the highlight of Long Beach's annual Loyalty Day
Celebration . This year, just after noon on Sunday, May 2nd, wondrous entries
from all over the Pacific Northwest are expected to appear on the streets,
including marching bands, floats, clowns---everything from the sublime to
the ridiculous, but all will conform to the theme of patriotism .
Long Beach was founded by Henry Harrison Tinker, born in Maine in 1839,
who came west in 1858 on horseback as a guard with a wagon train headed for
the California gold fields . Then, after gradually working his way north, Mr .
Tinker bought a square mile of land on November 1, 1880, midway on the
"longest beach in the world" and soon built the first Long Beach hotel,
complete with tower and gables . He became the postmaster on January 25,
1887 and his town is one of the four incorporated cities in Pacific County .
18
Pacific County Historical Society
and
Museum Foundation, Inc .
1971 Officers
Our Purpose : To discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge about the history of our
county ; to construct, staff and maintain a
museum ; to aid in the preservation of the
ecology and historic environment ;
to erect
monuments ; to mark sites and trails .
Don J . Gillies
Vice-President
I . W . Pouttu
President
Ness Lucile R. Smith Judge J . J . Langenbach
Treasurer-Counsel
Secretary
Directors
Mrs . Beulah Alexander, Willapa, One Year
Rees B . Williams, Ilwaco, Two Years
Mrs . Lewis Hawkes, Bay Center, Three Years
I . W . Pouttu, South Bend, Four Years
Mrs . Harold C . Dixon, Raymond, Five Years, Chairman
Museum Standing Committee
Mrs . Nina Wolfenbarger, Raymond, Chairman
Charles Nelson, Nahcotta
Mrs . Addie Shay, Willapa
Carlton E. Appelo, Deep River
Mrs. John Heintz, Raymond
Frans Johnson, Chinook
Mrs . Beulah Alexander, Willapa
Verna Jacobson, South Bend
Mrs. Ed Buell, Lacey
19
Bay Center
This airview shows Bay
Center as it was in 1954, the
date of our story, by Hope
Wilson Clark, which
concludes with its third
part, this issue .
A few changes will be
readily noticeable . The
oyster shell plant is no
longer in existence, but the
port facilities, to the right
of the bridge over Fry
Slough, have been greatly
expanded. The little old
church has lost its steeple,
and now serves as a youth
center, but a new community house of worship
occupies the former school
site . The school house is
now located just off the
Rhoadesia Beach road.
The pioneer cemetery is
located in the wooded area
to the left of the bridge,
and above the float house .
Indian families and their
white brothers share space
here, and one monument
bears the inscription :
"murdered ."
Bush Pioneer Park is the
cleared space in the grove
of evergreens which, with
the sandy beaches, constitute historic Goose
Point .
Bay Center photograph, courtesy of Merrill Bochau