As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Jun 24, 2020
The first picture I am sharing shows downtown Bandon in December of 1966.
Downtown Bandon, 1966
I love that you can see Moore Mill, the truck shop, Bandon Seafood (on the waterfront) and the Port of Bandon's office, which is now Tony's Crab Shack. The Arcade Tavern has yet to be built, and it's interesting to see the back of Panter's Feed Store (which today is The Big Wheel), where trucks seem to be loading from the rear of the store. The big white building in the left middle portion of the picture is the old Stephan Hotel and bakery, now the home of Cranberry Sweets. Across Chicago is what is today The Wheelhouse, and directly behind that you can see the old Leep Memorial Hospital.
I looked back at the Western Worlds for that month and found that Western Bank had just announced a merger with the Bank of Illinois Valley in Cave Junction. A.W. Sweet was president of the bank.
Bandon Theater owners Jack and Shirley Ward were joining with the Bandon Lions Club to invite all area youngsters to a free show at the theater, followed by a visit from Santa under the marquee. Cap'n Shipwreck was also to be a guest that year. Christmas was a big event for the children of Bandon.
Prizes were announced in the beautification essay contest for the winners, Bill Smith, Sherida Judy and Walt Dodrill. They joined Beautification chairman Warren Strycker and Principal Jerry Judy in planting a tree behind the district office.
Surveying was underway as the first step to widening Highway 101 between the two business districts (uptown and downtown) to four lanes.
As for the second photo, I still remember the discussion by the city fathers back in 1957 (the year I graduated from BHS) about the possibility of turning the old reservoir east of Bandon off Highway 42 into a community swimming pool.
Old reservoir east of Bandon off Highway 42, 1957
At its May 18 meeting, the council agreed to look into the cost of developing the old reservoir into a swimming and picnic area.
Total cost estimates were to include items such as bath-houses, toilet facilities, picnic tables, clearing of underbrush and provision of a swimming area with water of graduated depths for various age groups, according to Raleigh Greene, chairman of the swimming pool committee. Raleigh and his wife, Karama, owned the Bandon Theater.
One of the most advantageous features of the location was the growth and underbrush which would provide shelter from Bandon's summer wind. The photo was taken in June as work began on grading and shaping the area into a functional swimming area. Not sure who the man in the foreground is but behind him is public works employee Bob Hiley and looking down out of the bed of the truck is summer employee Vic Backlund.
I am not sure what happened, but this grand plan never came to fruition; my guess is that liability issues, or possibly cost, put a stop to it, but this was probably the closest Bandon has come to actually having a city-sanctioned swimming area.
After that it was back to swimming at places like Bradley Lake, Jim and Tess Olson's cranberry pond, Floras Creek, or Sixes and Elk river.
After reading something on Facebook and seeing a neat story about Jim Curran on the front page of last week's Coquille Sentinel, I decided to share my own picture of him, along with his address.
Jim Curran
After spending some time in a Eugene hospital, Jim is back at his home in Coquille, which he shared with his wife of more than 70 years, Flo, who passed away last year. His daughter-in-law, Patti Curran, posted on Facebook how much Jim would love to hear from his Bandon friends, and I immediately sent him a card, which included this photograph as well as several others taken when he was coaching golf. Jim, who is 95 years old, taught science at Harbor Lights Middle School for many years, as well as having taught and coached in Coquille. He grew up in Marshfield and at the time of the Bandon Fire in 1936, he was a lad of about 12 delivering newspapers .... a story he loves to share with us each year at the Bandon Museum's Bandon Fire program.
I know he would love to hear from his former students as isolation has been hard for him. His address is 1295 W. 10th Street, Coquille, OR 97423.
* * *
I was sad to hear of the death June 15th of Eric Aasen, a long-time Bandon resident who operated a shop in Old Town with Brian Vick, but had moved to Apache Junction, Az., a year ago to be with his long-time friend and companion, Karen Pullen. Eric, who was in his 70s, had been battling cancer for several years, but was determined to enjoy his life to the fullest.
In addition to Karen, he leaves one son, Darrin Aasen. His parents, the late Ed and Bobbie Aasen, were cranberry growers, with a farm south of Bandon.
* * *
I was surprised to learn, from a Facebook post, that Ed and Beth Wood would be closing their long-time and very popular business Bandon Mercantile (formerly Country Merchant).
The Woods say it is time to "exit the retail world," adding, "We have enjoyed serving you and this community over the last three and a half decades and will continue to do our best in the weeks ahead."
Their sale started June 19, and they will be open daily from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., with the sale to go on until everything is gone.
There have been so many positive comments on Facebook, which was refreshing in itself.
Over the years, Ed and Beth have operated a very classy business, which is a favorite of many as evidenced by the posts on Facebook.
It will be sad to see the store close after so many years ....
* * *
I received word from Ron and Bill Hunt, about the death of their mother, ChuMe, who lived in Vancouver, Wash., and was a former Bandon resident, having moved here with her late husband, Ron Hunt. She was born in a culturally Korean part of northeastern China on Feb. 18, 1943. Within six months of her birth, her family had to flee that area on foot and retreat back to her father's ancestral home in the Pyongyang area of Korea.
In her mid 20s, she was working at an orphanage in the country and attended a celebration to thank the U.S. Army for paving the road to the orphanage, where she met Ron Hunt, a career Army engineer who worked on the project.
Both of ChuMe and Ron's sons were born in Korea before the family moved to Greenfield, Calif., in 1977 where Ron finished his career in the Army. Following his retirement the family moved to Bandon where Ron had graduated from high school and where his mother, Harriet Lightle, worked as a teacher. Within a year, Ron passed away from a massive heart attack leaving his two young sons, ages 6 and 9, and ChuMe alone. Later, after gaining full citizenship and attending college courses at SWOCC, ChuMe started her own business, ChuMe Foods, a Korean sauce company, in the mid 1990s. Her Bulgogie sauce quickly became a local and regional favorite.
ChuMe began to experience increasing health issues in the early 2000s and in 2008 she moved to Vancouver, Wash., to be close to her sons. She died at the age of 78 and is survived by her two sons and six grandchildren.
* * *
I have recently been copying old photos for a local man, who had 8 or 9 small, and some pretty faded, prints that he wanted 5x7 copies of so he could send them to his relatives. What started out as a small project quickly turned into a big job, but the outcome was fabulous. Not only did I scan in each of the prints, but I enhanced those that needed it, removed blemishes on the digitized copy and printed from there. Several of them he wanted combined on one 5x7 sheet, which I was able to do.
So, if you know of anyone that would like to preserve his or her old family photos or needs to get copies for loved ones, let me know. I charge $3 a print for a 5x7, with no charge for the scanning and enhancement as long as you are ordering more than one copy. If not, it would be $4 for a single print.
The guy said he would be happy to tell anyone who asks how pleased he is with the finished product. So if you're interested in this, just email me at marys@coosnet.com or call me at 541-404-7291. And if I know you and you're local, I will even pick up and deliver your prints.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Jun 17, 2020
The headline in the Dec. 16, 1915, Western World said it best: "Four Hundredth Trip for the Good Ship Elizabeth."
"When the steamer Elizabeth leaves San Francisco on the next voyage her four-hundredth round trip between that city and the Coquille River will have begun," read the article.
"Twelve years ago last February the late Captain C.F. Jensen brought the Elizabeth into Bandon harbor for the first time and she made but one other trip, when to accommodate local trade she took a cargo of canned salmon to Astoria. Eureka saw the boat once when she put in there for coal before she was converted into an 'oil' burner.
"Previous to the first trip of the 'Lizzie' as she is proudly known in Bandon, numerous boats were tried on the run but without success. When this condition was brought to the attention of E. and E.T. Kruse, prominent San Francisco capitalists, they declared they would build a vessel to meet the requirements. The Elizabeth was built in San Francisco and left on the first trip to Bandon in February of 1903.
"As a factor in the development of this section of the country this boat has been more successful than in a financial way, for at times during her first few years the returns did not meet the expense of fuel.
"The average of 30 trips a year for 12 years leaves nothing to be said regarding the service that has been maintained." according to the article.
"The Elizabeth was built for the Bandon-San Francisco run and on that run she will stay, is the declaration of her owners. Should the unlikely time ever come when no other boats enter the Coquille River, this faithful craft will still cross in and out over the bar or be wrecked in the attempt."
The Elizabeth was 142 feet in length, had a 35.8 foot beam and 9.9 foot depth of hold. Nineteen men and officers made up the crew, while she accommodated 29 passengers in all. The upper staterooms were equipped with hot and cold running water and ranked with those of any vessel operating along the coast.
J.E. Walstrom (grandfather of the late Barbara Norton McMahon) was the local agent for the boat. The cost of the eight-day service between Bandon and San Francisco was $7.50 for first-class passengers and $3 for freight.
Steamer Elizabeth
If you look closely you can see a number of well-dressed men who have either just gotten off the steamer or are waiting to board. In the background is the bustling Moore Mill & Lumber Co.
Much of the activity in the first picture was going on behind this row of businesses in the second photo, which were on the north side of First Street before the Fire.
North side of First Street before the Fire
A friend asked me last week if I had ever head of the Bandon Shooting Gallery, and although it took a while to research, I found this picture in my collection, which clearly shows the Bandon Shooting Gallery sign (when the picture was blown up)... on the building nearest to the camera on the left.
Jodie Davidson, who works for Kris Burgett, is in possession of a silver coin, about the size of a dime, which reads "Bandon Shooting Gallery Newman and Hansen." On the other side it says "Good for 5 cents in trade." The cover that it's in says the token was used prior to the Bandon fire of September 1936.
The building was located on the east side of Cleveland Avenue (sometimes called short street), which runs north and south off First Street, alongside the house where John and Peggy Towne live and very near the Old Town marketplace building.
I found an old map of the area shortly after the first Fire of 1914, which shows that the Agate Confectionary and Cafe was also in the same building with the Bandon Shooting Gallery. On the sign, I can read the words "tobacco' and "soft drinks."
Across First Street a short distance to the east was the Golden Rule, which after the Fire rebuilt on Second Street where it remained for many years as a popular department store operated by Bob and Margaret Norton (parents of Barbara and Janice).
Not long ago my pal Diane Blake Lewis sent me her family's old photo albums, and I have found some real treasures, including this small photo of the four oldest children of Elmer and Grace Gant, Gloria Gant Haga, Glenda Gant Hawkins, Tom Gant and Jim Gant. The picture was probably taken sometime in the mid to late '40s.
Four oldest children of Elmer and Grace Gant
I will be sharing some of the other photos in coming weeks.
* * *
The news last month that a patient at Bay Area Hospital had tested positive for Covid-19, in spite of the fact that the patient felt she (I believe it was a woman) had not been exposed nor did she have symptoms except for a fever, generated some concern in our area.
Doctors questioned the accuracy of the first test, and ordered another test, both of which were evaluated using the hospital's newly acquired rapid testing machine. After a total of three tests, they were convinced that the patient did not have the Coronavirus.
As it now stands, most, if not all, of the cases attributed to Coos County came from the Shutter Creek Correctional facility. The latest information from Coos Health and Wellness shows 30 positive and two presumptive cases for Coos County. There have been 2,100 negative tests.
* * *
Bandon's planning director Dennis Lewis has resigned/retired, and the city has hired a new planning manager. Dana Nichols, who previously worked in the planning department, will assume the position on July 1. In the meantime, planning assistant Megan Lawrence continues to handle the work of the planning department.
* * *
Having received some negative feedback (as well as some positive) about my column last week, I feel the need to apologize for those I may have offended. That certainly was not my intent.
What I find sad is that so many of us only want to watch or read a position that strengthens what we already believe about a given situation, without realizing there could be another viewpoint, which there often is .... whether or not we agree with it.
I personally subscribe digitally to The Wall Street Journal, The Oregonian, The Salem Statesman Journal, The World, The LA Times, The Boston Globe, and each day I receive a print copy of the New York Times (except Sunday) and the Register-Guard and weekly, the Brookings paper and the Western World (at a cost of more than $275 a month). It is often interesting to read each publication and see how an issue is portrayed. And, of course, we all know the difference between, for example, Fox News and CNN.
The New York Times fired one of their long-time editors this week because he allowed an editorial comment by a Republican senator, Tom Cotton, to be printed in the NY Times which "did not meet their standards." OMG. That means that from now on, readers will know that there are many points of view which the NYT has decided they will not share with their readers. That is scary and a good reason I also read the Wall Street Journal.
I have pledged to try and keep my column to history and local issues, in the hope that I not offend my readers.
* * *
I received a call from Ron Hunt last week telling me that his mother, Chume Hunt, a former Bandon resident, died at her home in Vancouver, Wash., at the age of 77. Ron was supposed to get with his brother, Bill, and send me an obituary, but so far I have not received it. I will share more information as soon as I hear from her sons.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Jun 10, 2020
I saw this first picture years ago, but had not been able to add it to my collection until I saw it for sale on the Historic Images website.
Bank of Bandon, 1936
And it's not just a postcard, like most of my old pictures; it's the actual print that was on the front page of The Oregonian (or it could have been the Journal) Oct. 1, 1936. And the weathered caption is still taped to the back of the photograph: "This striking action photograph -- and one of the first ever published of the actual blowing up of a bank -- shows the first step in demolition of the tottering walls of the Bank of Bandon as the fire-swept city starts cleaning up as a preliminary to reconstruction. The bank had been active since 1904."
The statement is mostly true as the bank had been active since 1904, but not in that once beautiful building. According to Dow Beckham's book about the Fire, he points out that in 1911 the Bank of Bandon built a triangular building at the foot of Oregon Avenue where Wall Street meets First Street. After the fire the bank moved to the building formerly housing (and built by) First National Bank where it remained until Dec. 11, 1954, when it opened its new office in the building at 10th and Alabama.
It later moved a bit south to the building that now houses Banner Bank. This old bank, of course, was at the foot of Oregon Avenue, which leads up the hill from First Street, to the Catholic Church. It was at the intersection of Wall Street, which ran along the embankment below the hill, but has now been vacated and is no longer used.
J.L. Kronenberg was the first president of Bank of Bandon, followed by T.P. Hanly from 1917 to 1936, C.Y. Lowe from 1937 to 1938, W.J. Sweet from 1938 to 1960, A.W. Sweet until 1975 and Charlie Tresidder from 1975-78. A.W. and Charlie later changed the name to Western Bank and opened more branches.
Behind the bank in the distance you can see the remains of the First National Bank (now the Masonic building), which did survive the Fire, although the interior was heavily damaged.
The annual March of Dimes campaign used to be a big fund-raising effort across the country, and Bandon was no exception. In the second photo, two members of the Lions Auxiliary, Virginia Kaping Hendrickson, left, and Norma (Mrs. Howard) Tucker, get ready to kick off the MOD campaign for Bandon in January of 1972.
March of Dimes campaign, 1972
The third picture is just another example of the efficiency of Bandon's volunteer fire department through the years. In February of 1972, Windermere motel caught fire and had it not been for the fact that the owner, Lura Morgan, was there and called the fire department, it could have been a real disaster. Windermere is one of Bandon's oldest and most loved motel complexes, which is on the beach across from the Best Western Inn, and in those days, across from the Westmost Golf Course.
Fire at Windermere motel, 1972
Damage was confined to the southernmost building of the motel, which served as a utility and storage room.
Miss Morgan said she was in the office when all of a sudden she heard two or three loud explosions, and flames were already shooting through the doorway. She just happened to be on site instead of at her home, which was north of the motel, which averted further damage.
* * *
If you thought we had a lot of rain in May, you were right. Last month turned out to be the wettest May in 15 years, with 6.04 inches recorded, compared to the previous May of 3.03 and two years ago, when less than a fourth of an inch (0.20) fell. The last time we had that much rain in May was 2005, when 8.45 inches were recorded.
* * *
I learned this week that Bandon High School graduate Jeremiah Dodrill has been hired as the new Chief Financial Officer for the Southern Coos Health District. His parents, Sue and Walt Dodrill, still live in Bandon. Sue taught school at Ocean Crest Elementary for many years and Walt was an officer with Western Bank.
Board member Carol Acklin is especially pleased to see the new hire as he was a fifth grader in her class some 30 years ago.
He joins the new interim CEO Eugene Suksi, who has plenty of experience in hospital administration and seems to be a good fit for the district.
In other hospital news, Brent Bishoff, the general manager of Coos-Curry Electric Co-op, has been appointed to fill out the unexpired term of board member Tom Bedell, and will be sworn in at the June 25 meeting of the board.
* * *
I have been in communication with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, which apparently received several ethics complaints against Southern Coos board members, David Allen, Esther Williams and Edie Jorgensen, concerning their firing of former CEO Amy Fine.
The investigator for the Ethics Commission responded to me by saying: "Matters pending before the OGEC are deemed confidential, pursuant to ORS 244.260 and I am unable to discuss any such matters with you at this time. That code section provides that the Preliminary Review Phase is confidential and that commission staff may not 'make any public comment to publicly disclose any materials relating to a case during the Preliminary Review Phase.' "
I learned of the complaint over a month ago because the investigator contacted a friend of mine, who is no longer on the hospital board.
* * *
I saw a headline on a letter to the editor in the Register-Guard Sunday which asked something that I have been hearing a lot this week: "Is the quarantine over now?"
The writer says: "A week ago our authoritarian leaders were having business owners arrested for trying to make a living because everyone needed to stay home and social distance. This week those same authoritarians .... are allowing groups of protesters to loot and burn down businesses. Does this mean the Covid-19 quarantine is over?"
Don't forget these are the words of a Cottage Grove man, but the question still remains unanswered.
And it is not just the violence. If it is OK for thousands of people to stand shoulder to shoulder in a protest, even a peaceful one, why can sporting venues not open or other gatherings with more than 100 people?
I heard the Governor say that Oregon would not move into Phase 3 until there is a vaccine.
And still the protests are allowed to go on? Because of those large gatherings, if the virus surges, it could well mean that we will be back in lockdown again.
Now that I am already out on the proverbial limb, I would urge you to link to a website which features a young black woman who talks about the history of George Floyd's criminal life.
She absolutely decries the "knee on the neck" unconscionable police procedures but urges people not to make a hero out of a career criminal. It is fairly long but worth listening to. Go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtPfoEvNJ74.
There may well be two sides to this issue, which has pretty much replaced the 24/7 Covid-19 news for nearly two weeks. I urge you to hear her out.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Jun 03, 2020
There were few businesses in Bandon that survived as long as Fuhrman & Shindler, long-time druggists. A headline in a March 1925 issue of Western World reads: "The Rexall Store is One of the Pioneers."
In October of 1926, the headline reads: "Drug Stores Consolidate," and explains that "two of Bandon's oldest business institutions are soon to be combined, as a result of which one of these will be eliminated.
"Fuhrman & Shindler Inc., owners and operators of The Rexall Store, which was formerly the C.Y. Lowe Pharmacy, have purchased the Orange Pharmacy from Mickel & McDiarmid and are now in possession. As soon as remodeling can be effected .... the Rexall store will move into the Ellingson building," which is the first picture I am sharing.
The Ellingson building, 1926
This building was located on the corner of First and Alabama, about where the Arcade Tavern is today. The Orange Pharmacy is on the west end of the building, next to Boyle Jewelry Co.
Otto Shindler was to operate the business, which he continued to do long after the Fire. I remember him well.
Their business was wiped out in the fire of Sept. 26, 1936, but within virtually days (October 8, 1936), Fuhrman & Shindler had erected the Bandon Medical Building on Second Street (now the home of Winter River Books), as a temporary structure to house their Rexall drug store, and the offices of Dr. E.F. Lucas, Dr. Arthur Gale, Dr. F.W. Gould and Dr. Floyd Dodds, The latter two were dentists and Dr. Dodds' son, Bill, comes to Bandon often to attend the Bandon Fire programs at the museum.
Tragically, less than two months later (Dec. 28, 1936) Dr. Gale died at the age of 58.
"Dr. Gale was among Bandon citizens who fought the fire ...giving aid to the ill and injured while his home and office were consumed by the flames. It is believed that the inhalation of smoke and heat weakened his lungs and contributed to his demise."
His is just one of the deaths that occurred soon after the Fire and did not figure into the death toll, which ranged from nine to 11 people, depending on which report you were reading.
The second photo was taken in August of 1965 during a Junior Legion game at the baseball park, which at that time was located on the south side of Ninth Street, across from the high school. It boasted one of the best set of bleachers in the league.
Junior Legion game, 1965
The next week the team, comprised of mostly Bandon boys but with a couple from Myrtle Point and Powers, came home with top honors at the State B tournament in Klamath Falls.
Members of the team were Tom Howard, Jack Chappell, Bob Sherertz, Bill Burgher, Bill Smith, Newt Kiefer, Chris Ray, Dewey Kiefer, Bob Sutherland, Jesse Laub, all of Bandon; Pat McCurdy, Marty Stallard and Tom Rauch, from the Myrtle Point-Powers area. The team was coached by Dick Sutherland, assisted by his son, Ron, with Scott Sutherland serving as bat boy and Steve Neal as statistician.
Jack Chappell's two-run homer gave the team the runs they needed to defeat Prineville 6-5 after trailing 5-4 going into the seventh inning of the championship game in the single-elimination tournament.
The third picture features Alex Linke, the day he became the Port of Bandon's new harbormaster in February of 1979.
Harbormaster Alex Linke, 1979
Alex, a native of Germany, had been working for the Port of Coos Bay when he was hired to replace Bob Belcher, who had resigned to become the harbormaster at Crescent City.
Alex served as port manager for many years before retiring and turning the job over to long-time port employee Gina Dearth. When Gina retired several years ago, the commission hired the current manager, Jeff Griffin, in the summer of 2017.
* * *
Just as I was writing my column Sunday night, I saw a post on Facebook from former St. John's Episcopal priest Beth Hoffman that Audrey Wells had died earlier that afternoon. Audrey and Howard lived in Bandon before moving several years ago. Audrey had suffered from Congestive Heart Failure for many years. You couldn't find a nicer, more dedicated couple than Howard and Audrey. She will be missed.
I also learned that Bandon native Carole Van Leuven Vedder died last week. She was the daughter of Raymond and Velma Van Leuven, was a Cranberry princess in 1953 and graduated from Bandon High in 1955. She and her late husband, Leonard Vedder Jr., had two sons, Rusty and Jerry. Also surviving is one brother, Terry Van Leuven.
* * *
I was sitting outside in the sun one day last week when a couple of little boys (maybe 9 or 10 years old) stopped in the street and one of them said, "My friend says you're the mayor." And I said, yes that is true. The other said, "Really?" So I ran into the house and got two of my cards and gave it to them.
About an hour later, there was a knock on my front door and there stood the two boys and a friend, holding stems of rhododendrons. They said, in unison, "thank you for being our mayor," and handed me the flowers.
Needless to say, that pretty much made my day .... and my week.
* * *
Anyone who watched the video of the Minneapolis police officer with his knee on George Floyd's throat, until he stopped breathing, was horrified, sickened and appalled.
I understand peaceful protests, but what happened in both Eugene and Portland Friday night was not a peaceful protect. It was violent destruction of other people's property.
I read the article in Sunday's Register-Guard about what happened in Eugene, but the article did not in any way impart what had actually happened like watching it both Friday and Saturday nights live on TV.
For the police chief to infer that they were not prepared was mind boggling since the TV reporter was on scene at 10:30 Friday night as rioters began to burn everything they could lay their hands on in the intersection. It was plain to anyone watching this, even from my living room, that this was going to get ugly, and it did.
My heart goes out to the innocent business owners who saw their livelihoods destroyed and looted by people who had long since forgotten what the protest was about or possibly did not know or care. They saw on social media that a riot was occurring and then flocked downtown to take part.
The chief is quoted as saying, "even though the protest was beginning to turn unruly, officers on site still stayed back in order to maintain order."
Eugene police showed up for the first time around 11:15 p.m. .... well away from the protest... for a short time before leaving. The article adds that they did not make their presence known at the scene again until about 12:40 a.m. Saturday when people started to damage and break into local businesses.
No one was arrested.
I've come to expect this kind of lawlessness in Portland .... but Eugene??
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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