As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 28, 2022
"Pool Halls are raided" is the big headline on the front page of the Feb. 14, 1924, Western World. The story more closely relates to something you would find today in True Detective.
"Secret agents representing the sheriff's office and the office of the state prohibition director made a raid on the Arcade (first picture) and the Idle Hour pool halls Thursday afternoon and as a result five arrests were made, all pleading guilty to selling intoxicating liquor. A sixth arrest was made on the same day for selling moonshine on the streets.
Arcade
"At the Arcade several gallons of liquor were taken. It was found in a back room on the second floor. Three arrests were made in the place. J.C. Page and Orvil Counts, proprietors, and V.C. Gartin, employee. At the Idle Hour a partially filled bottle of liquor and six or seven small whiskey glasses were taken. The two employees of the place, Ed Austin and R.E. Fox, were placed under arrest. The two places have apparently been under one ownership. Jim Wilson was arrested on the street after a secret service man had bought a bottle from him.
"Deputy Sheriff Malehorn had charge of the raid and swore to the complaints. Hearing was held late that afternoon before Justice of the Peace L.J. Hadley and the following fines and sentences were given:
"Page, Counts and Wilson were fined $500 each and sentenced to 30 days in the county jail. Austin, Fox and Gartin were each fined $400. The fines of the latter three have been paid while the other three are now serving their sentences. The total of the fines is $2700.
"The raid followed carefully laid plans. Two young fellows posing as loggers became on intimate terms with the offenders and even went so far as to borrow money from them at times. They used marked money in making their purchases and therefore had much evidence before the raid was made."
The arrest of such prominent citizens as Page, Counts and Gartin indicates just how seriously law enforcement viewed prohibition.
I've used the second photo of the steamer Elizabeth leaving the Bandon harbor, with a load of lumber, to illustrate another story I found in a January 1924 issue of Western World headlined "Big Wealth Behind Port."
Steamer Elizabeth
The subhead says: "Natural Resources Greater Than Most Harbors on Atlantic Coast."
"The natural resources in the district of the Port of Bandon are sufficient to warrant harbor improvements. There are ports on the Atlantic coast on which large sums have been expended which did not originally have a fraction of the natural advantages which surround this harbor. These seaports were improved and big industries and development followed.
"The lumbering, the coal, and the dairying make up three great industries of the Port of Bandon district which will constantly grow and which are sufficient to guarantee an enormous commerce in the future.
"Bandon as a city has reached a point where it is now destined to be one of the important points on the Oregon Coast. The opening of the resources behind it will make it grow. With a railroad or without one it is the outlet for a great rich territory and water shipment is necessary.
"Probably few of the harbors on the Atlantic coast which were developed to their highest possible point had back of them the natural wealth and future assurance of commerce as is found in the Bandon section. The products which the Port of Bandon has to offer and which the country and the world needs as commodities make up a sufficient reason for the fullest harbor development possible."
I found a neat story about long-time football coach Dick Sutherland (third photo) in the Oct. 24, 1957, Western World, and it's good enough to share with you. I know it was written by either my grandfather, L.D. Felsheim, or my uncle, Lou Felsheim. Years later I had similar praise for the Coach.
Football coach Dick Sutherland
"The alumni of Bandon High and many other sports-minded football fans were pleased at Friday night's victory when the Tigers, for the first time in more than 20 years, won a game from the Red Devils. It was a great victory and cause for rejoicing," said the writer, referring to the Coquille team.
"Incidentally, however, local fans should realize that Tiger football has been built up during several years past, and that the present team, good as it is, is a build-up of football strategy and physical experience that goes back to the first year that Coach Dick Sutherland arrived on the scene. He and his assistants deserve the credit.
"We've heard some criticism about how tough Sutherland is with his boys, but we've noticed that in all the tough games this season the Bandon lads came out unscathed while some of their opponents were carried off the field. The Tigers have learned to hit hard and how to take it. When they make the team under Sutherland, they've got to be good."
* * *
No matter how much good weather we have in the first couple of weeks in December, it never fails that the big storm ... this year it was an ice storm in the valley .... will derail or make harder more people's travel plans as they head for all parts of the country to join their families for the Christmas holiday.
Sunday's Register-Guard detailed the number of wrecks that had occurred in the Eugene area between Thursday night and Saturday noon. My youngest sister and her daughter and two-year-old granddaughter, who live in Vancouver, Wash., spent the week in Bandon, but had to return home Saturday, and managed to escape the ice, arriving home about 3:30 that afternoon to icicles hanging from their deck.
Other family members were driving down from Portland Tuesday (Dec. 27) but by that time it was expected to warm up. We are used to high winds and lots of rain, but black ice is another matter, and we are fortunate seldom to experience that here in our area.
The people I felt sorry for were those spending their time in airport terminals as so many flights were cancelled across the country. I guess it's a tossup .... get stuck in an airport or try to maneuver on ice-slickened highways. Hopefully most people made it to their destination by Christmas Day.
* * *
I was sorry to learn that Scott Briggs, 69, who worked many years at Southern Coos Hospital as a respiratory therapist, had died. He and his wife Karen are long-time residents of Bandon and have many friends in the area.
I also saw a Facebook post by Tracee Nagel-Eggert, who said that her sister, the former Norene Schellong, had died. She was a member of the Bandon High School Class of 1958.
* * *
Randy Texley texted me last week to call my attention to the fact that Bandon High School graduate Anthony Levrets, 48, was one of the announcers for the Pac12 basketball game that was playing on another channel.
The Tigers went to state in 1991 and 1992, Anthony's junior and senior years, during which he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Far West League.
Others who played during those years were Ron Riley, Troy Lafayette, Justin Shammot, Mark Peters, Ron Hunt, Alfred Linke, Dave Craft and Brian Freitag.
The son of Larry Levrets, he served as head coach for the University of Utah Women's basketball team for five years, and was a Utah assistant for four years. Prior to that he coached men's college basketball for 10 years at Southern Oregon, Willamette and Lane Community College.
He also served as the girls basketball coach at Wilson High School in Portland, having been hired in 2018.
* * *
Speaking of sports, University of Oregon grad Justin Herbert, now the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers, became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 13,000 yards in his first three seasons.
I hadn't really watched that much professional football until Justin went pro, and it is great to watch his accomplishments. I also follow the San Francisco 49ers, as one of their top players, Christian McCaffery, was a star at Stanford during his college career.
* * *
As I was scrolling through old issues of the Western World, I found the story about J. F. "Jack" Kronenberg, who built Bandon's salt water swimming pool, known as the Natatorium, in the area we now know as Coquille Point. The building burned in the Fire of 1936.
It's just too bad that Bandon does not have benefactors like Mr. Kronenberg, who would be willing to step up and build a pool today. Crazy thinking, I know, but anyone can dream ....
* * *
I received an update from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge is under new leadership and asked me to share their information with the community. Their new Project Leader is Harry McQuillen; the Deputy Project Leader is Kate Iaquinto; and the Marsh Refuge Manager is Alex Cook. People are welcome to reach out to the complex at 541-867-4550 or by email to oregoncoast@fws.gov.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 21, 2022
Things that we take for granted today were mere dreams for people who lived in Bandon over a hundreds years ago. An editorial, in the July 25, 1911, Bandon Recorder (on the front page) is titled "Automobile Road to Beach."
"Bandon people are getting automobiles at a rapid rate; so fast, in fact, that it is almost impossible to keep track of the large number of new cars that are constantly arriving. This is a good thing as it speaks well for the prosperity of Bandonians, but along with the automobiles, there should be better roads throughout this section of the country, not for the automobiles alone, but for the general good of the public, that farmers might be able to get to town more easily with their produce and thus build up a great farming section here, as this country is capable of doing.
"But what we started out to say was that there should be an automobile road to the beach, and not only an automobile road, but one for general travel. Bandon has the finest beach on the Pacific coast, and, in fact, has the only picturesque one along this section of the coast. This is an asset, the value of which cannot be calculated; all it needs is development, and the way to develop it is to begin a little at a time, and the first thing to be done is to make it easily accessible for the people.
"We have a sidewalk for foot passengers (first photo of the early-day sidewalk in the jetty area), and all are agreed that this is the best thing that has ever been done for the improvement of the town and benefit of the people, and that the people appreciate it is evidenced by the hundreds, yes, thousands, who are constantly using it. This is especially noticeable on Sundays and holidays, where there is a constant stream of people between the city and the beach (note people walking toward the jetty).
Early-day sidewalk in the jetty area
"Now with the sidewalk completed the next thing we need is a good road for automobiles and other vehicles to the beach. What could be nicer than a spin along the beach in an auto, or a nice carriage drawn by prancing steeds?
"There are two routes of easy access, either of which could be put into excellent condition for one hundred dollars or less. One of these is down by the old Bennett place (second picture taken of the Bennett Cottages on the north side of 11th Street at what is now Beach Loop), and the other near the Queen Anne cottage (third photo, south of Bennetts).
Bennett Cottages
Queen Anne cottage
"In addition to our own autos and rigs, there are many people from Coos Bay and the up river towns, here in their autos every Sunday, and what an advertisement for Bandon it would be if there was just a road by which they could get down on the beach. Let's get busy and ACT. Who will take the initiative?"
* * *
Bandon lost one of its most popular senior citizens Saturday with the death of 98-year-old Patricia Seidler, mother of City Council President Madeline Seymour.
Patricia moved here in May 2014 after retiring at age 90 from Calaveras Title in San Andreas, Calif. She didn't waste any time getting involved in her new home town, by volunteering at the visitor center, the Bandon History Museum, at the hospital gift shop, Holiday Meals, the VFW Auxiliary, EAT when Alison needed her, and at the Port of Bandon updating their scrapbook. She also spent many days at the Farmers Market administering Oregon's SNAP program, and worked at the Hospital Foundation's annual golf tournament. It was not uncommon for it to get pretty cold in the marketplace building, but Patricia never let it bother her. She always had a smile on her face and a willingness to help people learn about the program.
I got to know and love Patricia, spending several Thanksgivings with Madeline and her (during the shut down of the holiday meals during Covid) and often she joined Madeline and I at dinner at Edgewaters, often along with our good friends Rae Seeley and Geri Procetto.
Patricia will be missed. We had so hoped that she would make the century mark, but congestive heart failure had other ideas, in spite of maintaining her sharp wit right up to the end.
* * *
Becker's Hospital Review, which each hospital board member receives pretty much daily, had an interesting article recently about adult mental health in each state.
Oregon is 47th in the nation for the highest prevalence of mental health (problems) and one of the lowest rates of access to care for adults. The only states with worse records than Oregon when it comes to taking care of the mentally ill are Arizona, Wyoming and Kansas.
Couple that with Oregon being the first state to decriminalize user grade amounts of heroin, meth and cocaine, and the legalization of marijuana, and you have a potential disaster in the making.
* * *
A lot of you probably did not even know who our state senator was, but I learned this week that Republican Dallas Heard of Roseburg has resigned the position, effective Jan. 1. He represented District 1, which includes all of Curry County, southern Coos County, southern Douglas County, western Josephine and the northwesternmost part of Jackson County. In the House, we are represented by David Brock Smith, a Port Orford Republican.
This is not the first time that Heard had stepped down from a political position. In March he resigned as chair of the Oregon Republican Party, with a message, saying that his "physical and spiritual health can no longer survive exposure to the toxicity that can be found in this community.
"Communist psychological warfare tactics are being used daily within the party. These tactics are being used to destroy anyone of true character who would oppose the man who introduced them into our community for the last 20 years. The endless slander, gossip, conspiracies, sabotage, lies, hatred, pointless criticism, blocking of ideas, and mutiny brought against my administration has done what I once never thought possible. They have broken my spirit. I can face the Democrats with courage and conviction, but I can't fight my own people, too," said Heard, in his lengthy resignation statement.
He was appointed to the Senate in 2018, after Senator Jeff Kruse, a Roseburg Republican, resigned following sexual harassment allegations. Heard's Senate replacement will be named by county commissioners from District 1.
* * *
It wasn't bad enough that I had a two-week bout with Covid back in April, but for a week and a half, I have been pretty much homebound with a miserable head cold. I was able to attend the December meeting of the hospital board via Zoom, but decided not to expose my fellow board members and hospital employees by attending the hospital Christmas party Saturday night, so I stayed home. I hear it was a great event and I am sorry I missed it, but this is not a "gift" I would want to share at Christmastime. This is the first really bad cold I have had in the last several years, and I am pretty sure that can be attributed to the fact that I seldom was in public without a mask for two years. But that, thank heavens, is pretty much a thing of the past. But bad colds aren't .....
* * *
Southern Coos Hospital and Health Center has announced that Dr. Paul Preslar, DO, has joined the clinic staff and is now taking new patients in his family medicine practice. People can call the clinic at 541-329-0154 to make an appointment.
Dr. Preslar and his wife have moved here from Oklahoma and are building a home in Bandon.
* * *
Brenda Meade, Coquille Tribal Council chair, told the Bandon City Council recently that there had been "an amazing return of fall Chinook salmon on the Coquille River this year." She said over 150 pair of salmon were collected for broodstock in the Ferry Creek system, breaking the record for the past 20 years.
Meade said the high number of returns brought renewed hope for Bandon, the river, and the Coquille Indian Tribe. In 2020, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) only collected three pair of returning salmon and there was a talk of possible extinction of the fall Chinook salmon on the Coquille River.
The Tribe reached out to city councilors and county and port commissioners for support and worked to find ways to get the community involved in working toward solutions.
To accommodate more salmon on the River, the problem of invasive species needed to be addressed. In 2021, the Tribe was given a crash course in the use of electric shock boats by ODFW. In 2022, the Tribe, ODFW, the Port of Bandon and others were able to take a large number of invasive fish off the river. The Tribe purchased two boats for this purpose. She said the Port of Coquille River also made a major contribution to the removal of invasive species when it hosted a small mouth bass derby.
She told of efforts that were taken in 2021, which fell short of reaching the goal of 75 pair of broodstock, with only 24 pair collected that year.
This year, working with ODFW and the community partners, aided by a grant from the Port of Bandon, the Tribe built a new metal trap system for Ferry Creek that really worked. The number of salmon collected meant that the Tribe and the state could start spawning at the Bandon Hatchery. As a result, she said that the hatchery had more eggs than it ever had .... over a half-million.
The goal, said Meade, is acclimating and setting free approximately 350,000 eggs into the lower basin of the Coquille River and 150,000 smolt into the upper rivers -- the North and South forks.
"It's about restoring our fisheries for everyone, and to have a robust wild and hatchery run on the Coquille River again," she said, thanking the council for recognizing the importance of the salmon to the Coquille Indian Tribe and the Bandon community. "The story really is going to be about how our community really stepped up and made a change," she said.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 14, 2022
The first picture I am sharing is illustrated by a photo of the Bandon beach, which I took several years ago. Since the rock formations have not changed over the years, I did not need to look for an "old" photo of the beach.
Bandon Beach
An article on the front page of the Nov. 23, 1922, Western World is headlined "Lauds Scenery."
Here is what the article said: "Bandon has the most picturesque and one of the finest beaches on the Pacific Coast, according to Frederick Greenwood, manager of the US. Federal Reserve Bank at Portland, who was here the forepart of the week calling on the local member bank, The First National. He was surprised at the splendid scenery and at the fact that he had not heard of Bandon beach before.
"In his opinion, all we need now is lots of advertising and we will get more tourists than we have ever dreamed of. It was his first trip to Bandon but he plans to return for an outing. Mr. Greenwood says that business conditions in his territory are steadily improving.
"While in Bandon he was a guest of Cashier Roy B. Corson of The First National who took him around to view Bandon's industries and attraction."
Unfortunately, that wasn't the last time that Roy Corson made the news.
Less than a year later, the Sept. 20, 1923, paper carried an article about Corson pleading guilty to making false entries at the bank, totalling close to $18,000. He entered a plea of guilty and was placed under $10,000 bonds to appear before the federal grand jury in Portland at a later date.
"The defaults extended over a period of about six years and the money was used largely in meeting living expenses that were in excess of the salary received," says the article, written by my grandfather.
Putting up the money for Corson's ten thousand dollar bond were J.F. Kronenberg (Jean's father), W.H. Donald, W.J. Sweet (John's grandfather), S.L. Shumate, L.D. Felsheim (my grandfather) and G.R. "Ray" McNair, long-time owner of McNair Hardware.
The article ended by saying that Mr. Corson "has secured employment at the Inman mines on Sixes river where he will remain until his case comes up for hearing."
A headline in the Western World of November 1922 told of plans by the Hartman family to build a new theater that would be "fireproof and thoroughly modern," at the corner of Cleveland avenue and First street (near where the Port's marketplace building sits today). This was eight years after the fire that burned several blocks of Bandon's business district in 1914 and 14 years before the fire that pretty much leveled the town in 1936.
The plans, which were drawn by a McMinnville architect, "call for one of the finest small community theaters in the state, if not on the Pacific coast. It will be 125 feet long and 52 1/2 feet wide and the entire building will be used as a theater with the exception of two small store rooms in front and a suite of three office rooms on the second floor."
The second picture features the theater several years after it opened on First Street, near the west end of town. Showing that weekend were Captain Blood and The Enemy Sex, both of which were released in 1924.
Hartman Theatre
The third photo shows what was left after the Fire of 1936, in spite of the "fireproof" construction.
Hartman Theatre, after the Fire of 1936
The theatre was to have a confectionery and cigar stand on one side and a small business of some kind on the other.
"The lower floor will have 500 upholstered seats. A distance of three feet will be allowed between chairs, which will give ample room to enter a row without disturbing those already seated. The balcony will seat 250. The front of the balcony will contain upholstered loges. The balcony will also contain a ladies rest room with lavatory, a men's smoking room with lavatory and a business office for the theater in the center.
"The lamp room will be on the first floor and this floor will also have a convenient room, glassed in, for mothers with disturbing babies. The mother can sit and watch the pictures through the glass while the crying of the child does not disturb others in the house.
"The main room of the building will have a high ceiling, constructed as to give fine acoustics. The walls will be paneled with probably fresco paintings of local scenes. A splendid system of lighting is provided. This will be made just as elaborate as rates will permit.
"Nothing has been over looked in planning this building and it will certainly be a credit to the community."
* * *
People have noticed a lot of police and fire activity in town lately, and have been curious as to what is going on.
Last week, a house in the Beach Junction area caught fire and suffered extensive fire damage. Fire Chief Lanny Boston said they are not sure what caused the fire, but the woman who rented the house apparently felt that a rat may have chewed on the wiring.
Boston said once the call was put out, fire trucks were dispatched from Coquille, Myrtle Point and Green Acres fire departments, as well as the units that came from Bandon.
The name of the renter was not available.
* * *
Speaking of fires, Bandon's Rural Fire Department has one of the best-equipped departments in the area, but they are shorthanded, and could really use some more firefighters.
Chief Lanny Boston said not only should people be physically fit, but he said they must pass a drug test, which, like police officer screenings, includes marijuana.
If you're interested in learning more about being a Bandon firefighter, call 541-347-3560 and speak with Boston.
* * *
One man died at the scene of a head-on collision on the Bullards Bridge north of Bandon around 1 p.m. on Thursday.
Reports indicated that the victim, who was alone in a minivan, was headed south, when he appeared to have crossed into the other lane and struck a Curry County pickup, which was headed north. The van spun around and slid down the road. Two men in the pickup were reportedly not injured.
The man who died was Michael Bevington, 46, of Coos Bay, who lived in Bandon for a time with his family before moving to Coos Bay. He and his wife, Baylie have two children under the age of 5.
Several other incidents occurred at the accident scene. One involved a woman who was charged with DUII and impersonating a federal police officer, after she told the officer she was a federal marshal. She was taken to the Coos County Jail.
An Oregon State Police officer, who was at the scene, reportedly cited a person who illegally drove through the accident scene, which resulted in the suspect attempting to resist arrest.
* * *
I usually don't start writing my column until Sunday evening, but with the forecast of the possibility of 70 to 90 mile an hour winds along the coastal headlands for Friday night and Saturday, I decided to begin writing Friday night. Who knew if we would even have power by Sunday. I was praying that it would not be as bad as forecast, which resulted in a lot of people being notified through Everbridge, a system that people can sign up for to be notified in case of a serious storm. I have heard some people say that they have received numerous notifications, probably at least one from the City of Bandon and the others from the sheriff's department.
But, I, for one, would rather be notified several times than not at all. It is a good service and people need to sign up for it.
I could hear the wind roaring outside, but the lights only flickered once, which was a good sign. Update: There were quite a few power outages, but the city crew was busy restoring power, and I believe at least one wind gauge on Beach Loop recorded a wind speed of 72 miles an hour.
* * *
The Bandon Historical Society museum board, of which I serve as vice president, was shocked and elated to earn that long-time resident and a good friend of mine, Don Lynam, has willed his estate to the museum.
The funds are to be dedicated to construction of a space to hold programs and events. The space will be named after Don and Joan Lynam. Don had been to many of the museum's events in the past and must have noticed we were lacking room.
"What a wonderful generous gift," said Gayle Hankwitz, executive director. "To say we were thrilled is a huge understatement. A lot of steps need to be taken before building begins, but we are on our way. To have an event space has been a dream. Thanks to Don, this dream will become a reality."
* * *
I received an email from a Bandon woman recently wanting to let the people of Bandon know how grateful she was to the organizers of the Community Meals group who provided Thanksgiving meals for the community.
"As an aging housebound person, the deliver of a delicious meal was especially appreciated. It was tastefully presented and good to eat. The delivery volunteers were happy and cheerful and brightened the day. Colleen Wiesel and her group of hard workers are to be commended for reviving this tradition, their hard work made lots of elderly people definitely thankful and grateful. It takes a village and makes one appreciate our friendly supportive Bandon community," said Katie Heap. I understand they served more than 300 meals on Thanksgiving Day. We owe the whole crew a debt of gratitude.
They did want to let people know that there won't be a community dinner on Christmas Day, to give them a chance to spend the holiday with family.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 07, 2022
"Moore Mill -- part of Bandon's history" was the headline of a great article in the June 15, 1983, Western World, which told the story of what was Bandon's leading employer for many, many years.
"Two things stand out to the person touring Bandon's Moore Mill and Lumber Company plant -- the expertise of the workers and the quality of the lumber they turn out.
"Moore Mill's mill, established in Bandon in 1909 and owned by the Miller family since 1948, is living history. It's one of the few large log, old-growth timber mills around.
"While many of the modern mills are aided by computers and have retooled to smaller, second-growth timber, Moore Mill uses the skills of men and tackles the big guys.
"It takes only three massive Douglas firs to fill the log trucks (first picture) headed for Moore Mill.
Inside, a 10-foot head rig allows the mill to turn out 24x24-inch beams, 40 feet long." (This picture was taken in 1950 as Moore Mill hauled big logs out of the woods).
"With the saws adjustable, the mill can produce whatever lengths 40-foot and under the customer orders, and everything from 1x2s to construction beams.
"Men manning each phase of the milling turn the logs for the best cut. They channel some back for resaw, minimizing the knots, the weak spots, sorting and sawing for the strongest, highest quality product without waste."
" 'A lot of the guys have 20-30 years experience,' David Miller, nephew of mill company president Walt Miller, said. 'You can't just walk in off the streets and become a sawyer. You have to work your way up the machines (second photo of long-time sawyer Bill Linn the day he retired) and become effective at getting the most out of the logs.'
Sawyer Bill Linn
"Both Walt and David Miller agree that Moore Mill is known for quality lumber.
" 'We have the Cadillac of logs,' David said. 'We have a very good reputation with our customers; they know us for quality.'
"Their customers span the world. Lumber with the Moore Mill stamp is shipped internationally from Coos Bay. Barges pull into Bandon and load up with three million board feet, taking it south to California for domestic distribution (third photo of loaded barge at Moore Mill dock).
Loaded barge at Moore Mill dock
The previous year, the article explains that because of market conditions, the mill closed in May and did not open until January 1983.
"Miller said they hope to keep the mill running throughout the year, but he would make no promises.
"Moore Mill got its start around the turn of the century, begun by L.J. Cody and George Moore, former logging partners in Michigan.
"About 1912, Cody's interest was purchased by Moore, who formed the George W. Moore Lumber Co."
Times were tough those first couple of years, and prices were described as "ruinously low" and a truly profitable operation was virtually impossible. "Then, with the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, the market livened."
"Moore bought a tract of land composed largely of Sitka spruce.
"The spruce operation proved profitable and the company did well until the great depression struck in 1932, according to Moore. A major step taken by the management to cope with the situation was the abandonment of the company's logging operation and the employment of contract loggers.
"Though the mill survived the Bandon fire of 1936, it felt the devastating blow.
"A fortuitous circumstance occurred to bring in the needed help in weathering the fire disaster, according to Moore. The company recruited David Miller, Sr., an operator of high reputation and proven skill from Glendale, and the coming of Mr. Miller opened a new era in the company's operation.
"They are one of the big Douglas fir operations remaining today," concluded the 1983 article.
Sadly, it was only a few years before Moore Mill and Lumber Co. closed the mill, and in the process of being dismantled, the mill burned in 1987.
* * *
A 70-year resident of Bandon, Bert Cox, died Nov. 24 in Bandon at the age of 96.
After retiring from Moore Mill, Bert worked in the local cranberry bogs. He served in the U.S. Army, and earned the Pacific Defense and the Victory medals.
He is survived by one son, Calvin Cox of Bandon, and a daughter, Linda Denzel of Tampa, Fla. Another daughter, Kathy Moredock of Salem, died several years ago.
There will be no service.
* * *
People are reminded to get their vehicles decorated with festive Christmas lights for the annual lighted vehicle parade, set for Saturday, Dec. 10, at 5:30 p.m. in Old Town. The event is sponsored by the Greater Bandon Association, and those planning to enter are asked to start lining up around 4:30 near the gravel lot west of town.
* * *
As I was writing my column Sunday evening someone contacted me about 6:45 p.m. to say that at least five fire trucks and several police cars had gone south out of Bandon.
One poster on Facebook said they believed it was a house fire in the Bradley Lake area. But I have no details.
* * *
Long-time Bandon residents, Doug and Iva Kistner, celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary Nov. 28th, according to a Facebook post by their daughter Linda Kistner Clausen. Other siblings include Melissa, Carolyn, Teresa, Rocky and Christiaan. Congratulations to a neat couple!
* * *
If you notice a lot of activity in Old Town in the former Dave's TV building, on the corner of Second and Baltimore, it's the new owner, Tom Stadelman, busy renovating the building.
Tom has a lot of plans for the building, which has been vacant for several years. It was one of the first buildings to be constructed in the months after the Bandon Fire by Haga and Church, who operated a grocery store in the front and lived in the back. Later it was purchased by Jim Croxall and Sid Perry and operated by Jim as Croxall & Perry Grocery. Dave Elliott owned it for five decades, operating Dave's Radio & TV.
I am so glad to see Tom breathing new life into that corner of the street!
* * *
I do not know the name of the buyer, but I understand an LLC has paid $2,050,000 for the Bandon Marina Inn, overlooking the waterfront on First Street, near the intersection of Delaware Avenue. The sale was said to have gone into escrow on Monday, Nov. 28th. It was owned by Lisa Schilling, who also owns the Laurel building on Highway 101, and recently sold the new parking lot property on the corner of First and Fillmore to the City of Bandon.
* * *
My "rain man" reported 9.66 inches of rain for November, compared to 7.33 inches for the same month last year. Rainfall for November 2020 was 9.43 inches; 3.05 inches for 2019; 7.01 inches for 2018, and 12.71 inches for 2017.
* * *
The City received the latest preliminary 2022 population estimates from Portland State University from July 1, which showed a population of 3,541 for Bandon. The revised population estimate for July 1, 2021, was 3,472, and the certified census figure for April 1, 2020, was 3,321. That's a two-year increase of 220 people.
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Bandon was well represented on the Valley Coast Conference All-Star football team. Dylan Kamph was named to first team offense and first team defense as a lineman; Connor Devine was named first team linebacker and second team offense; Will Panagakis was named first team defensive back and received honorable mention as a quarterback; and Stealth Franklin was named to the second team as a linebacker. Receiving honorable mention were Ben Brown, Colton Siewell, Eli Freitag, Brandon Wilson and Logan Knapp.
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All I could think of when I read about a move to change the name of Lane County to "Kalapuya County" was: what next? It seems that General Joseph Lane, after whom Lane County was named, was said to have supported slavery during the Civil War. (Oops probably not allowed to say that, either). And now there is a group of people who want the name changed. But there's a catch: in accordance with the county charter, a name change has to be approved by Lane County voters. However, the Board of Commissioners do have the option of renouncing Joseph Lane and selecting a different Lane or no person at all to honor.
This isn't the first time the issue of renaming has come up in Lane County.
"Racist roots have prompted the renaming of buildings, streets and more across the country in recent years, including at the University of Oregon," according to an article in the Register-Guard.
It's hard for me to wrap my mind around this continued cancel culture, which seems to have evolved in the last couple of years. Let's say another Lane is chosen for Lane County .... and a few years from now, another group decides he or she is not fit to honor. Where does it end? As for me, I watched the "civil war" game between Oregon and Oregon State and never once thought about the Civil War. I "woke" up and enjoyed the game ....
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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