Middle Fork Willamette FarnellMZDLILE FORK
wz�� Fuv��t
NAV�G�BII,�ITY S�Y
G
Canfluen�ce t�f Mis�dle E'ark. Coa�st Fork, �nd Willame�tte �tivers
By
Ra���ld W. Frost
Engineering Tecl�nician
DIVISI�N C)F 5'�AT'E LF#NDS
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�MN ..w . K�=.. 71 ; � s - .
Jan�ary 1978
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pa es
Title Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
T able of Cantents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
List of I�lustrations {Numerically by page). . . . . . . . . . iii
List of Illustrations (Alphabetica2ly by subject}. ...... iv
Z ntraduct�.on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
G eneral History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The itiver/The Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lo
Steamboat Navigation Histary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �4
R �creatianal Boating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Driftboating . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . • . . . 29
;,og Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
State Land Bvard Past Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Li�igation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
S u�ary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2
Atiddle Fark w�llatiaette River/Log Drive Statistics. ...... 74
Appendix
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Biblioe�raPhY
Boaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 5
lteports - Periodicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Persana3 Intexvie+�s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Ag encies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
ii
LIST OF ILi,USTRATI01�5
(N�aaerica].ly by pa,ge)
Confluence of Middle Fork, Caast Fork, and Willamette Rivers .
Midd�e Fnrk - W�1lamette River Sub-Hasin . . . . . . . . . . .
Middle Fork Suh-Basin - map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
i3.5.G.S. Gaging Stations - map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Middle Fork Willaa�ette River (profi}�e and tx�ibutaries) - map .
L ookout Point Dam - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dexter Reregulating Dam and Reservoir - photo. . . . . . . . .
Middle Fork Willamette Raver Watershed above Lookout Point
D am - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fiills Creek Dam and Reservoir � photo . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Uorrnstream Face of Hills Creek Dam - photo . . . . . . . . , .
Wi.r�,berry Creek Arin and Fall Cxeek Arna - photo. ........
F all Creek Dam - phota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
McKenz�e and Willamette River Flow and Grade by River Mi1e -
map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Log Riding (�iellsgate to Black Canyon) - photo . . . . . . . ,
R�oller Crews - phato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear Ga,ng. Fal� Greek Drive - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Packaxd Creek - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
La rrison Cr�ek - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Log Drive (Willametta River) - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spl.ash Dam {Fa�l Creek) - phato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lag �rive Splash Dam iRoaring Riff],e �reek; � phota. .....
Splash Dam (Fa�l Creek) - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
L og Branc�s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
L og Drive and Boats - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
O�d Tree 5tumgs from Jap Hil�s Logging Operation - photo ,..
HellsgaLe Rapids - phato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B�ack Canyon - photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacoby Rocks (Willamette River) - photo, . . . . . . . . , . .
Cedar Poles (Midd].e Fork, akaove 4akridge} - photo. . « . . . .
Pages
. i
. 8
. 9
. . 1�
. 13
. 15
. 15
. 17
. 18
. 19
. 20
. 21
. 23
. 31
. 34
. 35
. 39
. 40
. 44
. 52
. 52
. 53
. 55
. 61
, 62
, 64
. 65
. 6fi
. 69
iii
LI5T OF ILLFJSTR�ITIONS
(Alphabetically by subjects)
Pages
DAMS
Dexter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �6
Fall Creek . • • • • • . • • • . . 20, 21, 53
Kills Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19
Lookout Point . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 17
Splash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 52, 53
Winberr�r . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2b
LOGGING
Hrands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Drives . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 31, 34, 35, 44,
52, 53, 61, 62,
69
WATERWAYS
Fall Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21, 35, 51
Larrison Creek . . . . . . . . . . . 40
�cKeazie . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Packard Creek . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Roaring Ri�fle Greek . . . . . . . . . 52
Wi�Iamette . . . . . . . . . . � : i �: 9 11, 13.
17, 23, 3}.. 44,
fa4, 65, 66
Winbexry . . . . . . . . . . . . , 20
iv
INTI�DDUCTION
In 1859 the United S�ates Gover�nt transferred ownexsh�p of the beds
of Uregon's nanigab3.e waterways to the State. As of September 1977
aregan does not know �.he full extent of this transfer. As more and
more develop�ent occurs alonq our waterways, the r�eed to know t�he
location of State-private boundaries is of supreme importance. The
1973 Leg�slat�re recoc�nized this and passed ORS 274.029 - 274.034.
This law directed the Division af State Lands to study each o£ the
waterways of Oregon and make public their find�ngs.
Tl�is reporti is tY�e resu3.t of the �ivision's study of the Middle Pnrk
of the Wi2lamette River.
�'he U.S. Government's i859 transfer to the State c3escri.bed the beds
of waterways transf�rred as those Which were navigable In order to
be abie to ascertain �hich riverbeds �►ere transferred, the t7.5. Supreme
Court has defined a naviqable river as:
"2'hose rivers must be reqaXded as Qe�blic navigable rfvers
in 1aw which are navigable a.n fact. And they are navigable
in fact when they are used, or are susceptihle of being
usec�, in their ordinary conditi.on, as highways for cammerce,
over which trade and travel are or inay be conducted zn the
cnstomary mo3es of trade and travel on water."
The Daniel Ball - 10 WaII 557, 563 (�,e�a)
The cottrt has down through the years in varions navigability cases �e-
fined tihe w�ords used in this test and aun�ied the test to various fact
sitna�ions. They have made it very clear that aNLY federal law and
court decisions control �hat waterways �rere trar�sf�rred.
In some early decisions the Oregan Supr�m� Court ruled on the navigabi�-
ity of several of Oregon's streams but did nat utilize the federal
test. The 1973 Oregon Legislature recognixed this a�xsd used the federal
�est as paxt of the Oregon navigability stt�dy la�. Before the effect
of the state court dec�,sions can be measured, th� State must f irst
find out rrhat was transferred �o the State.
1
�ENERAL HIS'1'ORY
The settlernent of the Willaniette Valley began shortly after the
explora�i.on of the Oregon �erzitory. The stories and description of
Willamette co�ntry, re�ated by the �arly day explorers and trave�ers,
painted a p�cture oE a vast, beautiful, and cha3lenging new land to
those in the east. It didn't take long for the thoughts of bu�.lding
a new life �n a new land to enter the minds of the people in the
eastern states, So�e of the most inviting aspects of a n�ove to the
west came from the glowing accaunts of the beauty of the conntrx, t3ye
mi,ldness af the climate, the fertility of the soil and the fact that
one cauld settle an Iands where the hand of a white man ha� not yet
made its ma.xk.
In the earZy 1804's the settlement of the Willamette Vailey was pri-
marily cancentra�ed in the lo�rer xeach of the river. The first to
settle in this area were the French-Canadian trappers released frcxn
the Hudson Bay Company about �829-1830. They lncated and estabZished
far�ns nri the rich prairies above the wiilamette Fails. 5oon thexe-
after came the first A�nerican pianeers. By 1840 t}�ere were a fe�ev
hundred s��tlers.�
As more and more people came ta the valley, it was becom�ng qui.te
apparent that it was the cultivation af the ].and, rather thati the fur
trade, that was the grimary purpose a� the pioneers. Many an ie�.nigraat,
his last do�lar spent to reach the fertile Iand af pro�sise, t�rned to
the soi� for a].3velihooc3.� The distanc� which these hearty individ-
uals traveled is described as follows.
"The migrations that wore deeg rut4 in the oregon Trai� beaan
in 1841. There were 70 in the so-called Bidwell--Bartlesan
party which left �ndependence, Missouri that year. At Soda
5prinqs the party divfded, and about Ita►If came on ta the
4�illamette Valley.
"The road ta Oregon rras not an easy one. Immigrants usually
s�ar�ed their two �housand miie journey from points near
Independence, Missauri in April ar May. With ox teams pul�.-
ing wagons 2oaded high with equipment and provisions, they
crossed th� prairies af Nebraska alanq the Platte River and
Ieacisea Foti iCe$iny. rvi�$ i,ni�ii�.2 �a:.0 Ei3.u 1= �Y`��=.
and Iiali and Boise in I�aho Qrovided points of supply, rest
and repair. The difficuZties of the last gart of the trip,
crossing the barren Snake plains and the Cascades, led to
the deveiopment o€ alternate routes. Samuel Barlow pi.oneer-
ed a road south of Mt. Hood in 1845; the next year, Levi
5cott, Jesse and Lindsay Appiegate, an� others, explored a
route which crossed the upper Nevada desert and en�ered
Dregon south of the present site af Klamath Falls. These
trai�.s Mrere not easy. "�
�
The majority of the eariy pioneers in the Upper Willamette Valiey used
the latter or southeriy ronte described above as their pria,ary passage
into the territory near the mid-1800's.
"In the year 1847 a portion af the emigration from the
Atlantic states ta Oregon took what was then knc�wn as the
"southern 7raute", co�ning by way of the FZc�gtte River an8
Umpqua Valleys. This bei,ng a long and tedious journey,
and the first time that wagons had ever passed over t�ee
route, their arrival in the WiZlame�te Valley was prolonqed
until after the wa.ntex rains had set ia. hTorn anc� wea;ry,
many of them were only tao glad to stop at the embryo
settlement o£ Lane Cous�ty, the first they encountered. Of
these, Zsaac BXa,ggs, Elias Briggs, Prior Blair and Charles
Martin, with their families, stopped and took up claims
near Mr. Bristow, on Pleasant Hill. while Cornelius Hi.11s,
a bachelor, s�ttlec3 appasite, on the north sfde of the
Middle Fork of k.he Wi11a.�►ette. "'�
Like their neighbors to t�te narth, these settlers staked out their
claims for agricultural purpases. Historians who have dociaaented the
developutent and growth of the settlement of Lar�e Connty tell the reader
about the first inhabitants of the area near Eugene.
"At the foqt of t sma21 rounded peak in the upper valley
there settled a.n 1846 a�ianesr named Eugene Skinnex. 7'he
butte soon bore his name and the small settlement that
grew up at its base was cal�ed Skinner's. Nearhy, J. M.
Risdon, later a judge, erected the first dwelling within
the area which, in the early 1850s, became th� corporate
tawn of Eugene.
"Skinner operated a£erry across the Wiilamette. His land
lay so lo�w that the �sew tawn s�n bore th� deragatory epith�t
of "Skxnner's M�dhole." To avozd the continued use of so
unfavorahle a term, the town was rename� Eugene City in
3.853 and made the county seat af Lane County.
"Eugene's early i.n8ustxy centered around milling and agri-
culture.
"The ffrst white settler within the Qresent baundary iines
of Lane county was E].ijah Bristaw, who here cast his lot in
�3une, I846. Fro+m that date until about the year 1650, aIl
^ vi �ii�` i��. W9 di"iu SFi"ui.+i v� a�.iic i,ia��,uclie v� i�a caii'y' 9���3c°
m�nt cZusters around this inc3ividual.
"On arxivi.ng at a pain� between the Caast and Middle For}cs of
the Willamette river, on a Zow rolling ridge, sparsely
covered with oalc, fir and pine timber, evex since known as
Pleasant Hill, l4r. Bristow's eye was attracted towards the
panorama of mountain and vale stretching out before him that
reminded him of a like scene in faraff Virgi�nia, where he
3
was born. He halted and raisinq his hat, allpowinq the cool
breexe, fresh fran the near rolling Pacifxc to play at wall
through his thin grey loaks, he exclaimea: 'This is my
clai�! Here I will live, and when I die, here shail I be
buriedt'"
"A canvenient spring of cool mountain water led Elias �I.
Briggs, in 1849, to l.ocate his c�aim on the site naw occu-
pied by Springfield, thre� miies above Eugene, on the east
ban3c of the river. For rnany years tlte fenced-in porti.an of
his cl�i.m was appropriately kno�+n as "the spring-f ield",
and when �.ater a settlament grew up her� it was given that
natae . "�
The majority af the books that have l�een written about the history of
the tlpper Wi�lam�tte Valley concentrate their attention on the �ugene-
Springfield area. This is Iogical because the initial settlement and
growth occurred here. There were, hoWever, other settlements taking
root above Spring€ield along the Middle Fork of the wi�l.amette. 8a�ne
of the smaller communities which developefl were Dexter, Lost Valiey,
Lowell, Fall Creek, which is on Fall Creek {a major tributary of the
Middle Fork), and Oakridge.
DEXTf?R
"Dexter is the natae of the post-office at S. Hunsakex's store,
which is near the ferry crossing the Middle Fork of the
Wii3amette, and being on the c�irect line of caumnunication,
a considerable quantfty af goods change hands here. Parker's
grist mill is two miZes from the ferry and is a great con-
venience ta the neighborhooc7.
IAS� VA I,I.EY
"This va�.e is situated about seventeen n►iles sou�heast from
�ugene City, and cansmence� wh�r� the Or�qan Central Miyitary
Rnad crosses Lost creek. It received its name fro�► the old
pioneer, E3.ijah Bristaw, but whp it was sa ca3led is uncer-
tain. We have been tald that owing to itis secluded Qasition
and isolated by high moun*_air_ ric�g�s which afneost entirely
encompass it, as it is, it so got the name of Lost valley.
Again, it is asserted, that withirt its confines Mr. Bristow,
r�hzle in chase of some Endians, here �ost the traii and was
campelled to pass the niqht, hence he dubbed it Lost valley.
"The occupied land is rolli�ng and fertile in mosk places,
whil.e it contains one store, a saw mizl and a qrisz miii.
"The first settlement was made it is thouqht in the year
1853 by E. P. Redford, Jonathan Morgan and A. G. McDawell,
the last of whom located on the pZace now owned by J. M.
Parker. That pear, too, came Dar�iel S. Hunsaker, who was
followed in �.854 by 'i'homas $arbre, �. and J. M. Parker,
Thomas I�fatthews, James Parvin, T3��nas Williams ► and John
Fianna .
4
"At its first settlement Lost valley was an uncZaimed wilder-
ness, occupied only by aborigines, who lived by the chase.
It thus remained until the sturdy pioneers mentioned above
laid low the gian� tr�es and con�enced tilling the soil. In
3853 it was, so to speak, the nitima thuZe of civilization,
for there were no settlements higher up the Middle Fork.
LOWELL
"The post--of€ice at thzs point was established in the s�n�ter
o� 1880, with the name of Cannon, but two years Zater 'the
name which it naw bears was ga.ven it, under the regime of
Albert E. McFarland as past-�naster. It is located on tl�e
well-known Hyland ranch at the junction of the Oregon
Central Mili'tary and Springfield roads, about twenty miles
southeast of Eugene City and nearly sixty �iles from the
eastern boundary of the county. The inc�ustries in this
section of th� Ma.ddZe Fork of the Willamette, and alang its
caurse for forty miles are hop--growing and stock-rais�ng.
FALI, CREEK
"This valley, which takes its name from the creek that runs
thraugh it, is situated about fifteen miles, a Yittle north
of east, of Eaqene City, and is occupied by about fifteen
or twenty fam.ilies who are principally engagec� in stock-
raising. Araong the earliest settlers was a Mr. Woodcock,
who located on the land naw owned �y Tt. G. an@ R. M. Ca].lison,
i.n 1853, while in the same year Thomas and Frederick Warner
settled on the clai.ms where they stiil r�side. There Were,
aF course, severa)� other early settlers, but they have dis-
app�ared and their names are unremembered.
"The valley has a post-office, calXed Tay, and store, kept
by Mrs. Smith, both of which came into existence about the
year 1882."a
"The next settlement of any nate was saade an Pa13 Creek, in
T. 18S., R. 2E., but fox same years has been abandoned, the
improvements having a11 grown up with brush and the houses
fa�len down. These claims were evidently taken up for
their tiniber in years past."
7.'he author was very gra�ified to discover the ex�stence o� a book con-
cerning the history of the Uakridge area. Information pertaining tq
the settle.�nent af ti�e lands along the Midc3Ze Fark above Lawell are far
��� ��t �r4�; r�nn�a�ri et»nt = Tn thA �]OAk entitle[3 "Earlv Davs OA t�le
Upper Willamette" by Veryl M. Jensen (now l�trs. Veryl Worth) th$re are
antriguinq staries about the dene�opment of the upper valley. It
appears that it is as authen�fc as any docutt�ent written thus far a.n
describing the history of the area.��
As pointed aut earlies, the migration into Oregon prompted the devel-
opment of other routes into the territory other than the Oregon Trail.
One of these Qassages was over the Cascade Mountain Range.
�
"In 1653 the first great tlor�r df pioneers crosaed the
Willamette Pass from Eastern Oregon follor�ring the midd�e
fork o€ the Willan�ette river to the va.�ley below. Over
this route in the years that �ollawed passed ovex 2Q0 wagons,
more than 1000 persons and numerous herds af cattie.
"Sane of these pioneezs remained n�ar what is now the city
of Oakridge.
"The flow of settlers increased with the buildin4 of t3�e
�rec}on Central Military Road, used as a route for freiqht
wagons. For many years this was the only route over the
Cascades in this p2►rt af the state. The �xegan Central
Military Road was a direct rovte from the Wi�lamette Valley
to Fort Baise in Zd�eho. The road was coinp3.eted befare �870,
and it xs now knarm as the Rigdon road."�Y
�t was over this raute �hat the majority of the early settlers travelled
to reach the upper valley. It soon beca�ne a primary highway for the
early pioneers.
"The Oregon Central Military Road and the man responsible
for itg beirsg built, Bynan J. Pengra, had an impartant
effec� on the developsnent of the Upper Wi.11amette area. He
and his associates m�de the original surveys for the Wagan
road transversing the Cascades wh�ch ran through the
Willamette Pass. This group of inen also made possible the
financing of the road."
"TheXe is only one main road thxongh the reserve, and tha�
follows the north ba►nk of the Midd].e Fork of the Willaaiette
and is the site of the first trail used by the early
settlers when they ca�e to the 1°acific caast fro�t the
Eastern States. It is kept in fair2y ��3 condition, and
during the time that the se�nmit of the Cascades is free
from snow it is a great highway for trains going anci coming
fr� eastern to western Oregon and is aiuch used by excur-
sionists on their fishing and h�n±ing t�ips."�
Hy �.903 the development in the upper Middl.e Fork Va�ley was well under
way.
"7.`he on�y settlement of any size is that on Big Prairie, at the
junct�an of the North Pork and Middle Fork of the Willamette,
and the settlers here re�y principaZly upon cattle ior a Piv-
ing, using the ground mostly for raising hay for their stack,
although a few acres of oats and wheat had been �Slanted and
raised upan the prairie. There is another settlement at
Haxel Dell past-office, and again at the mouth of TYant Creek,
and 2 sniles above it on the main river on Trout Creek there
are tw�o settlers, one of whom makes his living from the hot
springs upon his place���w�hich are g'enerously patroni.zed dur-
ing the summer a►onths.
6
During the next few years sett�elnent occusred in the upper and lower
portions of the Middle Fork Valley. The mid-valley a�ea was not
suitable for ag�ricultura� deveiopment because af the topogXaphy.
Here the river flowed thraugh narrow valleys and steep ridges. Con-
sequentiy, it was more desirable to settle at either end of t�e
valley.
Qakridge, located in the upper val�ey, has developed into the most
prominent, thriving community in that part of the country.
"When wizi.te men first came to the area they called it Big
Praisie and later because the voting preci.nct and the past
office were named Hazeldell, Big prairie became Hazeldell.
In 3.91Z the name was changed ta Oakridge and 3ater yet
Willamette City became a part of Oakridge."
The developmeat of Oa}cridge and the smaller taMms in the lower val3ey
rras accelerated when the Southern Pacific Railraad constructed the9.r
�ines vp the Midd3e Fork in the early Z900's. The co�ninq of the rail-
road brought heuidreds of construction workers, it provided the easiest
mode of transportatian from F:ugene to points up the hti,ddle Fork, it
brought i�a the railsoad Zoggers and subsequently gave the initiative
for the construction of luenber mills. 'Phe lumbering industry �iayed
one ef the largest and enast important rol.es in the region's develop�ent.�
Through the years the Middle Fork Va3.ley has progressed at a Fdoderate
rate. The early pioneers started a trend that has continued. �aday
t3�e popalation r�mains to be almost ecte�al].y divided between the
Oakridge area and the area extending from Lowell to the river's mouth.��
7
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THE RIVER/TiiE BASIN
The Middle Fork willaznette River is one of the Qrimary tributaries
which feed the Willamette River. It originates near the summit of
tha Cascade Mountain Range at Timpanogas Lake. From its source it
flows in a northwesterZy direction 53.5 river miles to join the Coast
Fork at a point approximately three miles above Springfield {WiZlatnette
River Mi1e 187.3).�B At this point the combined f3.ow of the two
streams forms the Wi].l.amette River. With an average annual discharge
of about 4,000 cfs, th� MiddJ,e Fork contributes 34 percent of the
total volume of water in the main Willamette.
Tkse Middie Fozk drains an area af approximate�y 1,350 square miles of,
for the most part, relatively steep ground. The Middie Fork water-
shed is a wedge-shaped area which is the larqest of the four sub-
basins coznQrisinq the Upp�r Willamette Drainage Basin. The sub-basin
lies within I,ane County with the exception of 80 square miles at the
southern extremity which extends into Dougl.as Caun'�y. It contains 35
percent of the basin area.�l
More than 8a pe�rcent of the watershed lies north of the main stem, so
the pri.ncipal tribu�.aries join the main stem on its nor�.hern bank.
The principal tri.butari,es of the Midd}.e Fork wil3.amette fall into �.wo
groups; those having their sources in th� high Cascades and joining
the main stem n�a�' Oak�idge and �hose draining the lower slopes of
the western Cascades and joining the main stem at �oints not far fram
its mouth. 7'h� four tributaries forming the first group -- Hills
Creek, Sa1t Creek, Salmon Creek, and North Fark -- have a combined
8rainage area of 5�4 square znile� wi�.h �.he North Fork makina up 250
square miles of this tatal. Fall Creek and Little Fall. Creek, togeth�r
forming the largest tributary in the second group, have a combined
drainage area of about 250 square miles. Fncluded zn the second group
is Lost Creek, the only tributary of significance lying to the south
of the Middle Fork main stem.
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There is a significant difference in tihe stream's qradient or slope
between the lower and upper portions of the watershed.
For the first 16.8 river miles, from the Mxddle Fork's mouth to Dexter
Dara, the land is rela�ively level. In this reach the river's slope
averages appxaxi.mately 12.0 feet per mxle. This fact has allowed
the river to develop a siow-moving meandering character. The meander-
ing characteristic af the I,ower Middle Fo�k causes it to reshape its
bed constantly, and it often abandons ald, �stab�ished channels for
new chann�ls formed fram a slouqh ar a chute that £ormerly carried
only a small flow. An examination of aerial pho�ography disp�ays
that the river has meandered laterally alI over the valley as the
remnants of numerous abandoned channels scar the landscape,
Above the Lookout Point Dam ERiver Mile 14.9} the Middle Fork takes
on different charactaristics. From its saurce the river flows through
narzow valleys and stee� ridges. This topograp�ic characteristic
does, however, give way to a more gentle ground in the dakridge area.
From Timpanagas Lake to F�ookout Point Dam the river drops at an aver-
age rate of 85 f�e� per mile.
As with the Middle �ark, its principai tributaries in the upper water-
shed are characterized by their s�eep gradients, numerous fa11s, and
rapids. The slope of these primary arteries xange from 90 feet pez
mile {Fail Creek) to 204 feet per mile (Hills Creek).
In common with the rest of the basin, the climate of the sub-basin
is pf the temperate, marise type characterized bp rela�ively wet
winters and dry sinnmers. It is generally free fr�m extremes of heat
and cold and fro�n highly 3estructive storms. There is a substantial
variance in the annual precipitation in parts of the Middle Fork
watershed. �'he average annual rate ranges from the lowest at
dakridqe (40 inches), to the highest near the headwaters of Fall
Creek (8� inches1,
Following a�ong the same lines, the annual amount of snowfall also
varies. At the lower lavel of the watershed, near the �uth of the
Middle Fork, the precipitation falling in the form of snow amounts to
about 7 inches. At the op�osite extreme, in the high Cascades, the
snaw reaches a depth of 90 inches. Above the elevation of 4,000
feet snow tends to acctunulate and usua�ly rea�n�s a maximum depth
and water equiva�ent during th� month of Apri�.
12
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The econamic development a£ the area beqan with thoughts af an agri-
cultural industry. However, it was soon realized that this would be
a topoqraphic impossibility. ApproximateZy 72 percent of the lands
along the Middie Fork consist af h�avily-forested, steep ground.
pnly about 2 percent of the ramaining azea is presently devoted to
agriculture. The balance is primarily alpine and water area with a
small amount in urban uses. It is not dzfficult to conclude why
timber processinq became the most important economic activity.
About 83 percent {715,000 acres) ot the sub-basin area is federa2ly
owned and is administered by the Forest Service or Bureau of Land
hfanagement. Nearly the entire watershed above Lookout Point Dam is
national forest land. Near3y all of the remainder {I52,OQ0 acres)
is under private own.ership. �
7'he ex�ensive forests, numerous lakes, and alpine areas provide an
excellent habitat for all kinds of wildlife. On Forest Service lands
(comprising the �ajor partion of forest land) there is a substantial
populatian af big game such as blacktailed deer, mule deer, elk, and
bear. Smaller furbearing animals such as beaver and muskrat are
also in abundance fn the watershed. The Middle Foxk lands, in addi-
tion, provide a haven for waterfowl and other species of wild €ow1,
The streams, reservo�rs, and mountain lakes �rovided ample areas for
game fish. Hawever, due to the construction of the Hills Creek,
Lookout �oint, and Dexter Dams and the Fall Creek �am (on Fall Creek,
a major tributary of the Middle Fork) the papulation of game fish in
the Middla Fork systiem has been retarded. The installation of the
dams h as adversely affected the game �ish and their harvest. At
one time there were �xcellent re�ns of spring chinook salmpn and
native trou� with a magnitude comparable to and, in the opinion of
some, exceeding rnns of the nearby McKenzie. Today, 215 miles of
stream er�vironment, nearly 80 percez�t of the sub-basin. i.s ciosed to
53�Ak7fi c'�FI� 5i2G'iii�3u a '�2X42� D�.�.. R �`.�'lE�E is�'� ti:.^•Sde.rnr� v^::alricr-
able spawning of anadromous fish below Dex�er.
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The improvements do provide a good habitat for salmonids, but the
Zarg� n�bers of non-game fish precYude the productzan af trout and
salmon xn Dexter and Lookout Point Resexvoirs. Among the non-game
fish common tq the drainage are largescale suckers, sqeiawfish, rec3-
side shiners, and chiselmouth. It is the competition from these �ish
that has reduced the snccess of planting game fish in the resezvoi�s.
In an atitelnQt to reduce the ntmtbex of non-game fish in the Hills
Creek Reservoir the �aater w s chemicaZly treated. The plan was, for
the most part, successful.
Resident cutthroat and rainbo�w trout occur in some areas th3roughaat
the d�ainac}e. There i.s a continual effort by the Oreqon �'ish and
Wildlife Con�ission to imprave the fisheries of the Middle Fark snb-
basin. 7.'his is being accomplzshed by perioclic pianting in the var�,ous
streams and lakes, the operation of fi.sh hatcheries, and the �lanned
improvement foar �ish passage . 38
Since the mid-195b's the four major dams mentioned earlier have been
buil.t in the Middle Fork basin. As their primary function the con-
struction projects were authorized for £lood cantrol purposes.
Prior to the installation of the dams the main Wi�la�nette, as well
as �he Middle Fork watershed, was subject to rather substantial
damag�s f�ra�n aanual flooding. In addit�on to the flood control.
operation, the other functions af these structures incluae domestic
and industrial water supply, ir�igation, power generation, navigatfon,
poi}.ntion abatement, and publi.c use.�
Recreatzon features of the Mi.ddle Fo�k sub-basin include the high
water quality and stability of tt�e river, ].ake, and reservoir systern,
the extensive for�st Iands available for public use, and the broad
range of attracta.ons of the Cascade summit cauntry. Recreation plays
an important role, to some exten�, in the ecanomy of the sub-basin.
It is anticipatec3 that the recreationaZ use of the area wili increase
in th� foil.oaing years as this r�gion has �r�reat Qotential,
The extent of the recreational baating use is described further i.n a
following section.
As a final note a stream camparison is made. The United States
Geodetic Survey HydroZogic Stream Flow Records point out the major
differences in the volume of the primary tributaries of the Upper
Willamette. In comparinq the Middle Fqrk ta the McKenzie River, it
can be plainZy seen that the McKenzie is the more �arger stream. It
not only contributes more £1ow to the Wil.lamette, but it also main-
tains a substantial percentage of its size and volume at a point 57
miles upstream from its mouth. The Micidle Fork, on the other hand,
does not reach its maxi�su�n size or vo].vme until it enters the
Willamette. The czpper river is much srnaller in al2 respects than the
�ower reach.
22
McKENZ/E and W/LLAMETTF R/l/ER FLAW a»d GR�4DL� 6y RNER M/LE
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STEAMBpAT NAViGA�'ION HIS'1'ORY
Wlien asked to define naviqation on a waterway, an individuai might
reply, "It has something to do with boating and/or shzpping on a
river." This would be a reasonable response fxom someone who zs not
familiar with the importance of a precise definition for the de�er-
minatian of puhlic or private ownerships in Oregon's waterways.
Navigation is d�fined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictianary as
follaws:
"Z: the act or practice of navigating 2: the science
of getting ships, aircraft, or spacecraft from place to
place; esp: the methpd of determining positive course,
and distance trave�ed 3: ship traffic or com�rce"
In r�searching the historical data relating ta the navigation on the
MiddZe Fork WilZamette River the accepted definition known as the
":Eederal test" (The Daniel Ball - ZQ Wall 557,563 - 1870) set the
criteria for the informatian gathered.
Near3�y all o� the available data concerning the uses of the river in
the Wi�lamette Va��ey re}.ate ta the main Wil�amette lti.ver. Conse-
quently, this is where the aathor's investiqation began.
Very eaxly in Oregon's history the Federal Gavernment began to dis-
pose of its vast land holdxng by conveying the land to the pioneers
that had miqrated fsom the east. Primarily in weste7rn Oregon these
lands consisted of timberland on the mountain slopes and foothii].s
and lands suitable for agricuiture on the valley floor. Any man
could acquir� 320 acres of farmland (540 acres if married) by merely
hamesteadittg the 5ite. Thus, by the time Oregon became a State,
virtually a11. of the land along t.he Willamette had a�ready passed
into private ownership.
During the early 1800's the Willamette had become the vital �ink in
the valley's transpaztation system, At the time water-barne commerce
was economical, relatively fast, and, in the steam}aaat era, vexy
fashio�able. It was the only continuous highway from the upper
reaches of the valley to Portland anc3 the sea.
Natl�,ral]v_ tha fy�c� �°��ynr�. �....L F„ly � �_ e
j i cia �.vvn iui� a L'ZIi'tayc V� �iLC t1��'�`'5
usefulness by Zocatinq their homesteads and settlements near the
water.
As the settlement of the upper val�ey progressed in the mid-ZS00's,
there was an ever-growirtg need for an efficient methc� of delivering
the agricul�ural products �o the larger �rade centers.
"Farmers and u►erchants between what is naw Corvallis and
Eugene hauled their wheat and bacon, cattle and fruit to
24
its wharf for shipment to Portland an� the sea. Their
wagons hauled home staves, dress goads, wooden and
earthenware, shoes and books -- products of �he industrial
east."
"They, and other merchants were fed up with the slaw,
expensive process of hauling freight in creakirig wagons ta
Corvaliis. Ha1f the year they bogged down in mudholes.
The rest oE the time they sank hub deep in dust. The
only a].�ernative -- cost�� an@ clumsy -- was the use of
�latboats to Corvallis."
'rhere were some adventurous steamboat captains who made bold attempts
to satisfy the demands of the upper valley merchants.
"Yn 1854, White had piloted a steambaat, the "Fenix," as
far as Harrisburg to prove it could be done. Bnt other
steamhoat captains still main�5ined �hat the ri.ver was
too shallow above Corvallis."
As time went by, there rrere more successful attempts in advancing the
upstream navigation of the river. The shi�ping industry was gradua�ly
workinq its way towards Eugene, much to the delight of ttse local
merchants. However, there were those who held out little hope.
"They wou3d have liked bnat sernzce throuqh to Eugene City.
But since suffici.ent river depth was unpzedictable,
depeadent upon the tesnperamental��46nter and spring rises
from meltir�g snows and rains....
Despite all the risks and skepticism of others� steamboats did £inally
ply their way to Eugene. There was a considerable amonnt af dacumen-
tation cor,cerning the arrival of �.he f�rst �oat in the upper valley.
The date af this historical event differs in various recards, but
this is af Iittle consequence.
"Eugene, March 12, 1857 -�oday, abaut 3 p.m. the steam-
boat James Clinton made her appearance at ' 47s point,
near�y tharee days en route fro�n Corvallis.
"Ort March 12, 1856, after a grueZling three-day trip up
the Willamette river from Corvallis, the river steamer
Jaines Clinton, commandec3 by Capt. Cochran, reached
Eugene City, the fi / � r [] st river boat to dock at the pioneer
1I01lG 4V4{i{4�` �iMr � nYv
"On March 10, 1857, a sinall sternwheeler, the "James
Clinton," shoved off from Corvallis and cautiousJ.y nosed
her way into the �ncharted upper Willamette River. 7'hree
days later, after successfully dadging mud f1a49 and
sunken logs, the baat arrived at �ugene City."
25
The success of the �ames Clinton to navigate the river between
Corvallis and Eugene apen�d the door for great expectations. By the
late 1600's shipging a�ong the natural highway was at its peak.
Steamships ascended the river to Salem at all stages of water, to
Corvallis at ordinary stages, and to Euqene at h�gh water stages.
'I'he hiqhest point to which steamboats traveled was Springfield.
In his book "Wi�lamette Landings" Howard McKinley Corning paants a
very vivid picture of the effect and per,ils of the steamboat iadustry
in the upper valley.
"Eugene's early industry centered arounc3 milling and agri-
cul�.ure. The shippinq of these products to tidewater
markets was g�eatly speeded by the coming af the steam-
boats. But Eugene could claim to stand at the hea�l of
navigation only when rains were suffi.cient to �ai.ntain
adequate water-depth, which in the best years was nevsr
for more than five or six months. Some yeazs there wexe
iess than four months of negotiable water, and a� broken
i,ntervals. The E�c}ene "Oregon State Journal" noted on
3anuary 16, 1869: 'A boat was �p to this place on
Wednesday, and returned on �"hursday loadec3 with hogs.'
But on the 30th it stated that 'the river has been so Iow
that we have had no boat at this place for several weeks.'
"The same medium on April 3, 1869, reported: 'The steamer
"Echo" arrived at this place on Sunday eveninq wit� consi-
derabl.e freight, and went i�mediately to Springfield, wher�
it remained ovarnight and rettirned on Monday, leaving this
place with 1�1 �ons of freight, the heaviest load ever
taken t�y a boat from this market. Another boat came up
on Wednesday and aJ.so went to Springfield, zeturning the
sama day. The two boats were not able to take near all
�he �r�ig'::. fr^r� ±?:�s ���C� ar_� Sprinq�����, and as the
river is falling very fast, it is z�ot like�y that they
wi�l be able to reach here again until there is anothex
rain. Rain enough for farmers in Oregon does not answer
the purpose of steamboat men.'
"Springfield's pi4neering epoch xeached its zenith with
the coming of the steamer "Relief", riding the December
flood wate�s of 1851. �'herea£ter, the depth af the river
permitting - which meant when exceptional rain or melting
snows increased the stream's normal flpw - a few boats
reacnea as =ar as Spxing=ieiu."��
The �emory of some of the older residents in the area also provides
inforznation about the extent oz upper lirnit a� the steamboats' river
�navigation. 7.`hey recall that boats were able to reach the Springfield
Hridge on occasi.on. However, it was passible only d�xrinq a period
of extreme high river stages. The feat was not accomplished on a
regular basis.
26
Since shipping was passible to Eugene during the high water stages,
on an annual basis, the A�my Corps of Engineers recognized the Ferry
Street Bridge in Eugene as the head of navigation. Thraugh the years
this location has been qenerally conceded and accepted as the head
of navigation. However, �he question of navigabzlity, in the sense
of state ownership in the meandered riverbed upstiream, has yet to be
adjudicated by court action.
The foregoinq infor�nation has related directly to the main branch of
rhe Willamette River. It was felt necessary to point aut the advance-
ment of the shipping operations and the upper limit to which they
occurred a.n the Willamette system. 7.`hese boats enc3ured enough
difficulty �n just reaching �ugene or on occasion, Springfield. �'he
Wi}.lamette above these points provided i�npossible obstacles to rnavi-
gation. Steamboats were never able ta make their way to the Midd�e
Fnrk, much less navig'ate up tihe waterway.
Two refer2nces are cited stating thoughts af navigation by waterborne
craft on the Mi.ddle Fork.
"Navigation is practically out of the question, th� rivers
for the most part being very rapid and shallow, precludinq
ail possibility of using them as means of trave].."
"Navigation. - Comnsercial naviqa�ion is nonexistent on
Middle Fork Willamette River. It is of importance, how-
ever, on lower and middle Willamette River where natural
flows are inadequate for naviga�i.on during late susrmier
and early fall. This situation is further aggravated by
excessxve pumping from the river tor irriqation."
Since steamboats were unable to navigate zn the Middle Fork, an exhaust-
ive search was made to see if there were any other boat-arelatec3 uses of
*...�:e ri�,•er. An assttm�+t? o*! i� �aa�e fihat rher� m���. hav� been some ferries
along the waterway. A very logical location of a ferry wouZd have
been at a point be�.ween Jasper anc3 Trent. Iiowever, �he author was
unable to locate any references that would documerst 3ts ex�.stence ar
the existence of any others.
The only other uses, from a boatinq and/or shipping standpoint, that
were revealed as a result of this investigatior� wer� recreational
boating, dxift�oating, and wi�dli�e ar £ishinq-related hoating. These
wil]. be discussed �n the next sectian5.
27
RECREATIONAL BOATING
The Middle Fork Sub-basin as a whole pzovides great poten�ial far rec-
reational or pleasure boaters. In addition to the man-made Xeservoirs,
there are approximately 13,340 acres of surtace area in the nasn�d
lakes in the watershed. 5tudies of the xecreational use in the area
show a definite increase through the years.
Alang the main Middle Fork the activity is aresent�y based principally
on Dexter Reservoxr where �sage is heavy and the reser�roir xs often
overcrowded an weekends. The calmer water of the reservoir provides
a haven for pleasure craft of variaus sizes. In 1975 there was a
total af 2,097 i�oatinq days on the waterway. Some of the waterborne
uses included fishing, sa�ling, water skiing. cruising, racing, and
other miscellaneous activxties.�
Original planning o� the Lookout Point Dam call�d for the development
of a reservoir that would become very popular for boating. Subse-
quent to the construction of the dam, it was soon discovered that boat-
ing would not be a strong use o€ the rese�'voir. The high winds coming
down the valiey cause a substantiaZ wave action on the water surface.
A�so, the reservair is subject to a great �eal of drift comzng dov�m-
stream from the upper valley. Attempts have been made to reduce the
drift, but it fs still a problem. The comUination of the two obstac�es
has nearly prohibited boating on the lake. Statis�ics show that 9�
boating days occurred in �.975. This use was primarily by fishermen.
Other �han the foregoa.ng information, the recreational use of the
Middle Fozk is very miniznal. There is, of course, the use by canoers,
ra�ters, and those who use an intertube for outdoor recreation.
28
DRIFmBOATIHG
As a result of the Division's investigation into the sxtent a� navi-
gability of the Middle Fork Willamette River, it was concluded that
dri£tboatinq has been the only commercial use of the stream by a
waterborrie craft. Documentation or information pertaining to any
oth�r activity was not discovered d�ring the course af the author's
research. An interview with Kenny K�ng provided the data for this
portian of the report.
Mr. Kfnq is one nf the few driftboa� river guides in that part of the
coe�ntry. This profession has provided his sale means o� support for
nearly 40 years. Durinq this period of time he has gained an excellent
w�orking knowiedge of the Middle For)t, as well as many other rive�s.
The following is an excerpt fxom an interview condncted with him.
"Frost_ O�C, tonight we are primarily after into�a�iors
on your driftbaatinq experience on the �4iddle
Fork af the Willamette River, but it is our
understanding that you have beea a driftboat
guide on a number of streams in this part af the
sta�e. Is that correct7
King: 7.'hat's correct. T've gufded full time for 3}�
years and part time probabZy 5-6 years befare
that.
Frost: Sn sane time in the 1930's you began?
��:1C : W9�.? ;?�.�� 7Q' a pgrl v 4n' S_
F�ast: Wha� streams have yau been on?
Kinq: Well, in the State of OXegan I've been on the
5iuslaw, Umpqua, North Fork of the Umpcyua and �he
South Fork, the Willamette, the McKenzie, the
Deschutes, Lake Cxeek, 5antiam, Smith River. x've
guided in four states. I quided in Oregon,
Washingtor�, Idaho, and Montana."
r�._� �t_ 1�_r..L__�....... �.� ♦..�...
concentrating OR CllE Miadie 1'�OrlC� We Ilnu L[1aE. UL.LILLV[il.Cl6 i�a'r"c �a.+c,a
advantage of the river for quite some time.
"Frast: How iong has the river �een used, ar how �.ang has
drift baating been goxng on on the Middle Fork?
King: � would guess at Zeast 45 years. I know some
men that guided a number of years before I did,
and I wouid guess at least �5 years."
29
Through the years the driftboat has aided the sportsmen in fishing
the river from well above Oakrzdge to Eugene. An approximate reach
of river trave�ed in a day is as fol�ows:
"King: WeII, a day's run -- we usuakly boat about 6
ta 10 miles of water a day, and like from above
Hills Creek we`d fish down to the North Fork of
the Willamette, and then fro� there down to
Black Canyon was a short day's run. From Black
Canyon to Lowell was a good long day's run.
k'ram I,owell to Jasper was another run. From
3asper to Willamette Park was another run."
Mr. King has been a guid� on the Middle FoXk both before and after the
constrnction of Lookout Point, Dexter, and HiZls Creek Dams. Trauti
was always the primary species sought -- with saZ�nan fishing in the
lower river. It is his api.nion that griar to the construction the
Middle Fork was a far be�ter fishing stream than the MclCenzie River.
It contained larger and more native fish. Today the better share of
the trout in the stream are stocked by the Oregon State Fish and
Wildlife Cammission.
The craft used on the Middle Fork is the McKenzie-type baat. Its
design and proper loading allows it to be manipulated in wha,te water
streams. �ven the traditional trou}�le spats on the Middle Fork --
Salt C�eek �tapids, �el.lsgate Rapids, Blac3t Canyon, and Jacoby Rocks --
can he run with littZe dif�icul�y by an experienced guide.
30
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r�oc DRZVEs
The economy of �he Midd�,e Fork Sub--basin has always been highly depen-
c3ent on the development of its nattira� timbe� resources. Today,
harvested tzmber is transported to waiting mi�ls in W�stfir, Spring-
field, and �ugene by �nodern highways and rail systems. These 3.a�ger
papulation centers owe much of their present size directly to the
lumber indnstry.
In �he initial days of settlement it was the river that provided the
road £or ].ogs to the sawmills. As more and more people staked out
their cZaims in the Upper Wil�amette Valley, there was ar� ever-growing
demand for local industry to take root. The early pioneers needed
facilities to process their agricultural pXOducts and to furnish thein
with needed huildinq materiais. In tk►e early 1850's enterprising
individua].s began construction of mills to accommodate these needs
as poznted aut by the fol].owing quotatians.
"5ome 108 rings have been added to Lane County's old
growth timber since a man named Coats started a tiny,
tsorse-pawered sawmi��. in 1851 � the beginning of the
county's logginq industzy.
FIRST EUGENE MILL
"The year 165Z, which saw the estabiishment ot the first
Lane Co�xnty mills, also saw the buildinq of another within
�ugene's present city 7.imits. This mill was canstructed
hy fii�yard Shaw and Willia� Sinith and was a water-powered
uriit. A mill race dug by the pair earlier the same year
supplied the water.
"Spzing'field, toq, was th� si�e of early lumber mills. In
1852, a power cana� was dug with Elias M. Bri.ggs, �an
Monteith and a Mr. Dr�.ggs cooperating in the nenture. A
year latex, Driggs, �rigqs & Co. had � sawinill �nd a grist
mill under construction.
"These pioneer rni�3.s were crude structnres, producing only
rough �umb�r, but their activity resulted in a change in
the apQearance of Lane County c�ntnunities as frame h�es
and barns began reQlacing the first log structures.
"The Briggses, father and son, ran a ferry across �he
Willamette. Until �853, their home and J. N. Donald's
small trading �aost were the only buildi.ngs on the site.
However, in the previous year work was begun on a canal
intended to bring water from the Middle Fqrk, close by, to
operate a saw and qrist mill already under construction.
�'hereafter a£ew settlers trick�ed into the area that is
32
surrounded on �hree si�es by low mauntain zanges, wooded
with oaks and map2es and ather deciduous growth. So
Sprinqfield grew slowly into a village with a future."
"....Hilyard Shaw, in the early 1850's, deve�aped a
natural slough which ran thXough the no�theast section of
pXesent-day Eugene into a millrace which gave power ta
several manufacturing p�ants, incZuding a sawmili. With
only cottonwood, alder, and poplar growing along the
banks of the WilZamett� near Euqene, Shaw had to go
several miles upriver ta cut 50d good sawlogs which he
floated down into hig millrace."
The last quote noted gives the reader the £irst intro�uction to "The
Drives", which is, in the minds of sane, the most colorful and excit-
ing era in the history of logging. During that period the oldest
mode of transportation known ta man -- water -- was used to carry
logs to the mil�s. This was long before railroads or trucks were put
in use in the upper val�ey.
Driv'ing �ogs on the river to market was a highl.y grueling and exact-
ing profession. It taak a very special, hearty i.ndividua�. to be
invoZved in this activity. In hi5 book "Random Lenqths" H. Gox tells
of this special kind af man and a�so provides an exceilent picture of
the nature of log driving.
"River loggers were of two species, the �ocal Ho�e-guard
boys, and the "River Ra�.s" who migrated from state to
state and from one Iog drive to anothex; a type compar-
able to the present-day itinerant fruit picker, except
that a"River Rat" either had no marital status, or his
wife, axsd children, if any, were not draqged around �he
country with him."
"Freparations for a I,ag Drive were carried out with
pomp and ceremony comparable to an Elks I�odge F`ourth of
July picnic. Tiorses were xeshod with river-calk shoes,
iron harse shoes with shar� �int�d pzeces of ineta7.
projecting downward on the front and rear ends of the
shoe to prevenC slipping on rivez bed-rock or gravei
bottom. Harness was cYsecked, repaired and oiled.
Peavies, stout levers armed with a stout, shar� spike
and a hook n�ar the spike end, were assembled. Chain
dogs an� chain, dogger ma�ls, and tripper }aars were made
..fS
ready. Blanket and Coo3c boats were put in �sa3�ie snape.""�
'rhe professional men involved in a drive soan earned many titles �hich
could only be assoca.ated with this operation. A�ong these were the
River Boss, Teamster, Tripper. Roller, Doggsr, Jammer, Cam� Coak, and
Bull Goo3c or CamQ I.ouse. Cox telYs us of the number af inen that made
�p a typical crew on a�rive.
"The River crew and equipment consisted of one Feed and
B�.anket boat, ane Cook boat, one Cook, ane Cookee (who
33
also served as boata�an}, one Buil Cook (Camp Louse}, ].2
Rollers (mea who ro�led the logs with the tool cal�,ed
"peavy"), 6 to 8 tea�s of horses, with one Driver for each
team, who rode astride one of the horses; the horses furn-
ishing the motive power �o roll tt�Q logs and drag them ta
deep water where the river current would convey them down-
stream. Three Doggers, each with an iron maul, drove the
iron dags into each log; the dogs being a�tached to ane end
of a logging chain, and a horse team hi.tched to the other
end.
"The chain was ac3justed on the log as to cause it td ra11
toward deeper water with the assistance of as many "Rollers"
as necessary to complete the mianeuver. Three "Tzippers",
each of thesn riding an individual log to deep water, releas-
ed the dogs with an iran bar as the horse team swcxng the
�og into the deeper current, then jem�ping from the log
into sometimes armpit-deQp water, wading out and maunting
the n�xt approaching log, reQeating the per£ormance.
. _ __ _ .�. . _ - �
; Ro�ler crews, working with peavies, were responsib�e for maneuverfng
-, : logs back into deep water.
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"Through all th�s, it was up to the River Boss to do the
heavy thinking, especially when it came ta breaking a Iog
jam. He was the one who fiqured where and how the key iog
would reiease the jam, or his was the job to ju�p from log
to loq, carrying �ynamite in an old gunny sack, which he
pZanted at the vitaZ spot, then rapidly retraced his way
over a j�mble of logs, to reach the riv�r bank before �he
explosion released a roaring sea of loqs, tumb�ing end
aver end an their mad rush doran ri.ver. "
Durznq the drives the crew had to endure some rath�r uncomfortabla
worki.ng conditions. The Division's personal interviews with the older
resi.d2nts in the area revea� some of the memories af those times.
"Well, and they had poor accommodati.ons, they had to sleep,
may�e in a tent, I dan't even knaw they had a tent, and
Freezing, with wet c�4thes. They was wet, they was wet
all day �onq, and then to go in and crawl in an old bed,
maybe of a fer,T blankets, maybe a little hay unde� you and
maybe nothing, and then get up in the morning and put on
those wet bri�ches, maybe froze stiff, and have to get
up and put those on, now the loqgers seen tough times
then, in them �ays.... They've seen a tough ti.me. My
dad's told me many times about gettinq uQ and puttinq on
old frozen britches, and gaing aut on those log drive5."�'�
Qther than the fact that it was a job and it was something that had
to b� dpne, why did a man choase this profession? Was it the sheer
challenge and excitiement, or was i.t the man�y7 '�he au�.hor fee�s that
it was both. In speaking of the latter thaught, the 1og driver was
the most highly-paid individual in the logging profession at that
tim�. From the Division's interviews and �acts gathered, the follow-
ing is revealed.
"Coodman: At that time, they got $3 a day, the bays did,
for driving.
Fzost: Can you picture us makinq - I can't picture
myself ma3cing $� a day now.
Goodman= Well, at that time, tho�4h, that was k��g
wages, " fi8
"Hallie: Far river drivers the pav was hiqher, and for
the teamsters it was a�regular scale. The
teamsters were very important - some af
those got $2.50 a day. On the laq drives -
on my father's log drives - the men who
fallowed the drive were paid this extra amount
and recezved their board. They didn't pay
board. That was part of the inducement.
�3•�
Pat: We tend to think of those prices as being
ridiculously 2ow, but when you put it in
terms af a day's pay and then take a look at
today's prices in regards to a day's pay,
they aren`t really that far out,
Hallie: They worked a IO hour day then, which qot to
be a littl� Iong, I think.°b
"In 1908 a tap failer in the woods might have earned from
$2.75 to $3.00 a day but had to pay board. A river driver
earned as much as $3.00 a day p�us free board whi12 on the
drive. McCornack, referring to the fact that river
drivers got more money per day tt�an his counterpart in the
woods, recaZls, '.,..it wasn't more dangerous than the
woods, he got more money because he was wet ali the time
...never got his feet dry until the drive was ended."'
As described earizer, therE was a great deal af �hought and preQara-
tion foz a�oq drive. Near the peak of the log driving era it was a
very exciting event to abserve - as described by Mrs. McBee.
"Oh, our t�acher tu�ned schoai out early, in the evening,
that was at Fall Creek, and let th� r_hildren go dnwn and
watch the log drive. It was something that people didn't
see very often, only about once a year."
Du�ing the course of the Division's investigation into the extent ot
the commerczaz us� of the Middle Fork as far as log drives are con-
cerned, the documented infoz�nation contained in history books, news-
paper articles, magazine articles, and the memory of the older residents
was used. The latter reference snurce has a number of discrepancies
in relating information about the drives. The memory of so�� rauard-
ing certain facts ��ffPic fr�m r�o m��eri� �g y��Q=�. 5�: �i`f2r�nt
indivi,duais try to recall what happened some 70 to 90 years ago, it
is not d�fficult to conclude �hat a person`s memory could be much
diFFerent from that of anather.
Wha.�e the Division's interviews were being conducted, it became a
normaZ practice to hear, "Oh, you should have taZked to so-in-so, he
was there r,r he actu�ily toolc part in some drives, but he died some
years aga." It is our misfortune that a project of this type was not
undertaleen earlier. 'There i.s a great dea� of our histoxy that was
imbedded in the minds of those who have passed on.
The fal�owing is, in chronolagical order, the history of the 3.og drivinq
era on the Middle Fark of the WilZa�nette River,
As pointed out in previ.ous quotes, milling in the Upper Willamette
Va�ley beqart shartly a�ter the settlement in the mid-1800's. There
is very litt3.e documentation af further .logging operations o�her than
the construction of sma11 �nills located throughout thzs portion of
7�ane Coq*►ty, A�ogical assumption could be made that thase mi3.ls
37
received their saw logs by water transportation because there was no
other practical, feasible, ar economica2 mode of travel in delivering
them .
The author was unable to uncover any substantial data reqardi.ng drives
between the 1850 and 1870's. However, ar� article written in I870 does
give a general description of the existing potentiaJ. and terrain of
the three Forks of the Upper willamet�e.
"The MclCenzi� Fork, quite a large tributary of the willamette,
ri.ses in the northeastern part of th�.s country, runs in an
almost westeriy direction till within a few miles of the
Wiliamette, then takes a northwesterZy course, and enters the
�atter river neax the center and nprthern �ine o£ the county.
This stream and its trib�taries waters some as fine farming
land as is to be found in any State. Some small and other
quite extensiv� valleys a2ong a.ts course are a rich, alluvial
deposit of vegetable malds, capable of producing, when proper-
ly cu].tiva�ed, excellent crops of cnrn, tobacco, onions,
tomatoes and peaches, with every variety of roots an8 vegetables;
also wheat, barley, oats, and aZl the different kir�ds of small
grain, together with apples, pears, che�ries, pZums and small
fruits of every variety, and tame and wiid grasses of the
m�st inxuriant growth. T�iis stream has also a numher of
natura� mi11 sites capable of being improved, so as to furnish
sou►e of the best af waterpowers for man�facturing purposes.
T3�ere are also tor�sts of valuable timber located within its
scope.
"The Middle anc3 So�th Forks rise �.n the Calapooia mountains,
within the limits of the cottnty, and running in a north and
r�resterly dir�ctian form their junction a few miles sauth of
Eugens City. What has already }�een said o� the McKenzie can
generally be claimed for these forks of the Willamette river."�Z
x'he first strong documentation pf any I.og driving on the Middie Fork
reveals tYsat the operation was well on its way by the 1870's.
"....b� t�,� �87v's, river driving was a comuton practice on
the McKenzie and Willamette rivers. The Laird bro�.hers were
making bic� drives from Fal� Creek �o �k�P Eugene �'3.ty Mill.
Capt. N. L. Packard (Eugene 5k�nner's widow's husband), Ed
Packaztl and W. Packar8 had contracts in 1.871, I$72 and J.873
to dr�ve "Sugar pine" logs some fifty miles dawn the
Wil�acnette to c� Springfiela mii3.
"About the same period George Larison wa� sending iogs do�rn
the WilZamette to B. �. Pengra's mill at Springfield."
In referring tia the "Sugar pine" drive the general consensus of its
success is that it was far from practzca]. or prafitable.
"Another subj�ct the veterans talked about was log driving, and
of the time a smart-aleck boss �umberman thought he would drive
Sugar pine logs down the MiBdle Fork of pregan's Willamette
River. He wouldn't Iisten to his loggers who told him tYtat
S�gar pine butts wonldn't flaat; but dumpe8 some tive mfllion
38
fe�t vf them inta the W31�amette at Pine ap�nin�s� and �ere
t:hey sunk like �o n�any �teel poL�s. 'i'�e a�kd-taEmers wc�n�ex-
�, ��� stiTl w�onder, if th� farnou� Sugar pine drit►e wi�l�
ever be retrie�re�. "74
This particula� d�ive v�ciginstec� from � cr�eks which are a i�ew mi].es
above O�akridg�. Packard a�d Larri�on Cree�C� w�ere na�d �fter these
gentismen, and ti�ey are currentl,y incl�e�l in tk�e �3ills �re�k 1�esez�v+oir.
Since it t�vk pla,ce in �he ear�y �.87D's, the�e are na liv%ng inc�ivfcivais
�ht� actually witness�ci the oper�tion. Fi�rwever, in sp�a�ing w�th a
n►u�rer of p�eople r�ho hav�; lined in the area, th�y �►11 reme�nbere�i e�ther
seein�g re�ants af t�re cald drive (wagon �he�l s, stumps .�tc .) r�r hear-
ing tneir fan�fl��es t��lkfrtc� abnuL it. Th+e fp��c�ving is fraa� an intervi�r
w�t�i Hallie Hi��s Huntingtvn. It state� h�r opitt�ran and rn�ry of �he
�ri�►e and a��v that of others.
"Qf cou��e, the ane of the Sugar �f.n� �as a qreat fi��co.
T3zat was froat Packard Cre�el�. And incidarata�.ly, Mr. P�ckard
was the �econd hus�sa�nd �� 1�s. Skinner. and �►ag�e Skir�n��r
fr�unded �he to�n here ir� Eugene. He vras a�ea capt�f�r►, arad
I gues� rie thaught anything w+ou�d float. but the Sugaar gi�e
which he cut waa sti12 grcen ar►cc� it riaesn"t flo�t weZl anyway.
"f3e abaridaned the rrhole situation as far as I'�e ever been
able to find. I+,nr� he j�st �f�apiy le#t his� Iagginq, He had
very h�*avy lag9ing equipeent aia+de tfl rrr��ork in th�e w�aods rrit2�
ox tea�s. The wtaee.�s had enQr�a�aua $pokcs and the hubs were
es�eci�lly large. and a �►�ry wisie be�.�rittg rim -- pr�laably at
least an 8-i�ach rim an the w�eels. And th�se rather sma1T
buC sturdy wheels were used ur�der the luw wac�nns that they
dragged this r�aterial tc� �h+� river with.
"f3e just cnuld d,a nv�his�g about xt - ansl atan�r yea�rs l�t€�r
whe.n we moved up trher+� in 191C?, s�xne csf the old l�s were
still w�ged in drifts �:h��. had been cut at that �ime. I
rw�aember seeing tl��a.
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Packard Creek vf tc►day - above Hi11s Creek Dam
39
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�,r►ce �re there is near�y a 20-year c�ap irs irafazanation regarding the
ci�i°��s Mith the ex�eption of �e fc�llcr�ving:
"In 1888 promoter Gearge Mel�in Miller nated:
"....that many stzea�m�s tin Lane Co�xnty) affvrd ex�el�:ent
faci].i�i�s for flc�ting ar raf�fnq...ti.mber to the �nills
flr manufacturers below. In f�ct. mangr million feet are
tl�us raftec3 dowr► annnallp, even t� th� citi�s snany snil.es
]�lor,� as.'"'��
Mi11er was �ne of the most a�tive proaiote�s for ��d devela�ment #.n
Lane Caunty near the te�rn of the century.
A nnrnber o� art3�les have been written alaout th� log�ing inc�ustey and
are contained �v�,thin �he �iles of th� Lane Caunty Pi.ane�r Mt�seum. Th�
mtajcsrity of the �tvrie� writ�en t�iiroragh t'h� years b�sically r�late t.he
sa�e infc�rmatior�. Th�.s p�obably rest�lts frarn the fa�t that the saime
reference sauuc�c�a wera used. T�hey. in ksrief, state that the great
e�ec�at�r�ns c�f a large--sca,�.e ].vm�er industr�* by the ear.�y pion�rs
di� na� mat�ria2ize until 18�34, ]4t that time, tihe l�c�a� lag dra.v+ers
bec�an b�istc��.rrg t.he timb�r riawr� t.he riv�r.
Prior �a 189� the only mills in the iand we�e run ?�p in�iiviclual tspera-
tors whose pr�+ciu�ctic�n w�s highly c�xsorganized to gatisfy the r�eeds for
Iocal cc�nstsnaptiQn. 'i'hese mills w�re suppli�d pri.marily by local
set+�Iers �aho were sim�ply clearinq their elaims far aqricultural pur-
po�es or tsy s�Il outfits �^hv log�ed in �he wc�ds.
In pinp�inti.rtg �nfot�atian aloe�ut any drf�ves on the rin�r be€ore i89Q
a�efinite difficulty ar�ses. A,n �nterview wi�.h i�r. Mark c�ac�an gin!es
us a strong indi�atic�n that log ciri�ing accurred b�efor� that period.
40
Larrison Cr�:ek o� taday - abvve I�iils Cr�ek I�ann
"Frost: Do you know if there was any driving before 19007
Goodman: Oh, yes, yes, there was �ng driv�ng. Well, be�ore
1900, now just a mi�ute here. I wouldn't say that.
That wcsuld be too early €or me. But there �as an
old chute we moved there .in '93 when I�as only 2
years a�d, and ther� was an old chute thexe right
across the river from oux� house. and it was rotted
dowri - so evidently they had loq dr�ves.
Frost: There was a chute ca�ning dor�m 'the hili?
Goodman: Down the hi.�l.
�'rost: �lhere was your place located?
Goodman: On Goociman Creek.
Frost: On Gaodman Creek3
Goodman: Abave Lawell - B miles above Lowell, or 9.
Frost: Sa in 1893 �rhen you movEd there, there was this
chute across the river?
Goodmah: It was there then.
Frost: That's �.nteresting.
Goodn+an: That 3 know nathing about at all. As I greti+ ug, I
remember that chute being there.
P'rost: That liad ta be befare your t�cae thongh?
Goodman: Yeah. And it had rotted and decayed away, v�as rotting.
Frost: We're talking about tnaybe 30 years altogether, mayhe
closer to 2U years on the Middle Fork. We`ve qat say,
191�, 1�11 as being When it quit, and th�n �.n t833
you saw this oJ.d boom up thexe which could possibly
andicate that there was logging before then.
Goodman: That was a► chute that they shot them off of the hi�Z -
three-po].e chute.
Frost: 3'hen down into the river?
Goodman: Well, they shot them dorm to the river.
Frost: Ta the rxver. That's pretty steep ground where the
chute was at?
Goodman: Weii, it was steep enough that they cov�dn`t get
dorm wi,th horses. So they pulled thw�n out ta where
they had ta put them daws� that chute. Anywheres,
41
Goodman: where they used horses, wherever there �as steeQer
cont'd ground t�hat they con3d huild a chute, a t}tree�
pole chnte. Wt�y they'd p�xt fn cross skids and
long pole-like, oh, 50-60 foot long or 80 foot
�onq anc� build a low pole, two side poles, just
lik� a traugh and get a tean� back here and get a
hook in the back log for the hook that will come
loose when the horses stop. Give them all a kick
to get them started out over the bank and then
their momentum wou].d take 'em.°
't'he Goadman homestead was located near what is now Gonc3man Creek.
This is located on the south bank of the river where th� graeu►d is not
as stsep as that on the north bank. The chute which he described was
in near zuir�s in 1893. Mr. Goodman stated that he felt that the chute
must have been used toX placing logs inta the river a].though he never
actually saw it being used. In 1893 it Was decaying, so it is not
difficult to asswne that it was constructed so�etime prior to that date.
This fact i.nd�cates to the atithor that drives, at least to some extent,
did accur prior to 1893. There does not appear to be any other ioqical
explar�ation fox r.he chute's cons�ructian. If thfs is true, there
ar�onld have been logg�ng enough yeazs pxeviaus to 1893 to a13.ow enough
t�.me �ar the chute to decay before the Goodmans moved to their home�
stead.
As tin�e passed, the timber-processing facilities of the area became
nare soph3.sti.cated and productive. A�aong those contractors wi�o sup-
plied the mflls by brinqing timber down the river rrere Charlie Williams.
Pete Tay�or, R. C. Ec�rards, Jasper ",Tap" S. Hi�.ls and his brothers.
Yn the later 1890's larger organizations formed to further advance the
develnpment af the lumbering industxy. The Baoth-Keily �umber Coiapanp
not anly buiZt or purchased sarrmil.ls, but they also conducted their
own drives. Other �ills that met the de�ands for buildina materia�s
were the Westfa.r Lumber Company, Euqene Lumber Compa.np, and A. .t1.
Skeels & Company. The fo3.lo�ving are excerpts fx�om articles wri.�ten
about the i$�a�s
"The drives began around 1890 when Joe Carter, Charlie
WilZiams of Dexter, and J. B. (Jap} Hil.ls, fa�her of Fred
Hi11s, attempted to drive 500,000 board feet of sugar pine
dorm the Ali,ddle Fork a€ tt�e W�.li�mette River.��
"Lumberi.ng as a large-scale business roas not knoam to Lane
/'+ �.. F�i 7 ! l30G Lx.� *L. v�n er na■ mnrl ef yl 7 � l�e�o..
�`�t:;.�x ;z:,..ii i......., ....... ....'��.� '�'l���c. ..�3..Y ���ij .�.
d�70u�S .
"About this time lumberi.ng was rather a simple industry.
S�all individuai operators 3.oggec3 the woods, hat�perec]
through the lack of a suitable waterway. In the '90's the
logs fro�t the coast or the Colwnbia r�re the ones that
reached the widest market.
"That ends the periad o� early developneat of mills in Lane
County, and w�e cose to the period of larqer-scale produc--
tion, beq�.nni.ng in 7.896.
42
"Zn that year there was a di5tinct change from former times
when inciividual mills vrere scattered a�hout. Enterprisers,
an�bitians and with foresiqht and detenaination, started ta
dfp into a natianwide market with the products af this area.
"As a result, more or Zess economic conservz►tion took
place. Such firms as Westfir Lumber, Booth-Kelly and a few
others were tl�e only �arge firms in the territary."
"Booth-Kelly. which grew to he one of Lane Conn�y's �argest
sawia�3.l and timber casapanies, was �one�ed by brothers,
Robert A. and Henry Boath and Gearqe H. and John �. Keliy."
"Much credit is due the Bootl�-KeZ3.y Lt�ber Company for the
deve�apment of the lumber industry in the interior section
of Oregon. Prenious to I900, �urnbering was confined almost
entirely to the coasta2 skreams and to the 3ower �rtian
oE the Columbia River valley; lumber £rom the forests af
th� interinr being held to be decidedly inferiar to the
coast variety."
"�e Hooth-Kel�y Co., getting i�s start at Saginaw in 1896,
made p�ans at this time for large-sca�e expansions. In the
next few y�aXS, the firn� purchased additiansl ti�er hold-
ings and initiat�d tt3e first large-scale rfver driving,
�rhich proved to be the chief �aeasis of transporting logs to
mills during thi� perioc3."
"Log flxivir�g originated locallp in 1890. It declined some
20 years later as tia+beX stands were depleted along nse-
able strezutt� and i.ncreased use wes made of rail trar�sparta-
tion."
The major portion of the written, doce3mented infoxmation about log
drives on the Middle Fork begi.ns near the turn af the century. Beyand
1900 there are a number of doctmtents that pinpoint the statistics of
the drives. Inforraation abaut any uses of the river before i900 is
pr�mari�y Iocked ian the minds oiE those aho re�ember those days.
Descendants o£ Jasper Hii1s reca7.1 tihat he did have at least one sma31-
scale operation before 1900. He had a cot�tract to deliver 1500 card
of �rooc� to an ex�elsior mill in Eugene. The caood was cut froa� their
farm on Fall Creek near fts confluence with the Middle Fork and then
flaated down to the mi2.1. They could not re�ne�ber how large the
tinaber was or ho�r much money he re�eived.
Other individuals in�erviewed say that before the larger drives began
the river was used to de�iver "shingle boits" to the larger settle-
ments. The }.ower Middle Fork had many Cedar trees along its banks
�hich provided the bsst �aterial for the bolts.
43
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The Co�.umbia it�ver and �regon Titnbermatt was a p�blication devoted to
all. aspects of the logging and timber industry. it was pubZished
monthly fro�rt 1899 antil sometime 3n the 1950's. Since log drives
played such ar� �mportant role in the industry, the publicatior� docu-
raenteci u►a.ny of their statistics and preparatary operations. Here are
excerpts from the issues i.n 1900:
"Zach SmitiY► and Jap F€ills, nf Jasper, �r.. have taken a cnn-
tract to fttrnish 4,b00,000 feet of laqs for the Skeels saw-
n�ill at Springfield."
"The Moore & Bunker logging camp has completed its raork on
the �per �fillamette, and will shor�Zy b�qin operation� in
oa3c timber . "
"R. C. Edwards, o� Jasper, is getting ready to star� up his
CdAIP. �8S
"Jap H�lls, the Jaspez logger, tnade a drive O� Z
feet to tt�e H.A. Skeels � Ca. mill at Sprinqfie].d. "
More reference to operations in 1900:
"The titinber cari �e }.ogged to Fall Creek and ita branches,
r�rhich is a very good ldgging s'trea�n during the +winter season.
"Durinq the season of 1900 there were logged into this
stream 3,000,000 fe�t of fir timber, which were driven
through t.tte WiZlamette by mear�s of splash dams bui.lt for the
purpose."
Since ].agging was one of tha pr�ncipal econamic su�ports for �hose in
the Upper Valley, the local newspapers also printed the facta as they
occurr�d. Here is what happened in 190i:
"J. B. �Tills moves to a point fine miles abave Lowell todap
to begin an a ioqging contract far 5,000,000 feet of logs
for H. S. Skiels & Co. at Springfield."
"J. B. Hills is dov� from his logging ca�p. He informs us
that he is cutting some fine new timb�r and expects to have
one of the best dxives that ever came down the Willarnette."
"The c�iv� of R. Edwards wf.11 soon start down. Tt�e dams
on Bia Fa11 Creek and Winberry have been repaired and
floodi.ng will soon be commenced."g
"'Jap Hills' 8rive of or►e milZion feet of logs for H. A.
Skiels & Co. at Springfielci �as started from near Lowell
M�orsday. "
"'Jap Hil�s' logs are passinq Jasper in qreat n�er already
and at the present rate the c3rive wi.l� be gast here before
the week is out."
45
From the Timt�erman:
"R. C. Edwards of Unity will snake a drive of l.ogs to
Harrisburg."g
"A campany :Ls builc3ing a dam on Winberry Creek, a tributary
af the Middle Fork, to drive out logs."g�
"Jasper B. Hills of Unity, Lane County, drove 1,000,000
feet af loqs to the Springfield Lu�aber Co�npany."
"J. B. HiZls is putting in 2,b00,00a feet af logs t�o miles
fxom Lowell, for the Springfiel.d mill."
"The Eugene Luaitser Company received a drive af 1,SD0,000
feet of logs, fraia Lo�11 last month. "i40
i?ugene Register Guard:
"Last Monday J. S. Ai31s started his loq driee, which he is
to de].iver te the Spri.ngfield sawirti3l. It is feared that
there will be a mix-up with the Edwards drive, as the latter's
loge are goi.ng into the r�ver o�t af Fall Creek. This should
not be allowed as it will be a big eapense to separat�
��. M 101
Timberman:
pREGO�i CAMPS
"Jap Hi�.ls is dYiviag 1,700,Oq0 feet of lvgs fro� above
Hykands, ta the Springffeld nil�."
"R. C. Edwards, af Lowell, has a drive of 3 1/2 million feet
of 3ogs far the Harrisburq Lumber Co., cnt on B�g Fall Creek.
The lo�r s�ater in t�he wi�lamette has retard�d driving. Mr.
Edwards has a contract for sa.x milliot� for the Harrisburg
mi�l next year, wlzich will be cut on Big FalZ Gre�k."��
�The Harrisburg iwmber Co�sgany has receined a c�rive of
3,500,Ob0 fe�t of 7.ogs. R. C. Edwards drove fro�rt Fall
Creek."�
Zt shonld be noted that the Division conducted a n�mber of interviews
�rith ir�di.viduals who actuallp had an acti.ve part in the drives or who
had some first-hand knowledae. In ninnina the�n don►n to snecific dates
or 8etails about the drives, their respectine mea�qries differed some-
svhat. Also, �Ytat period was a long time ago. The people we spake with
range in age from 72 to 95. It was very difficult to renEember the pre-
cise dats�. Ha�rever, the preceding and fol�owing quatations and the
memory of the old-ti�►ers, for tt�e most part, support each other in
relating th� staxy af lag driving on the Middle For3c. The me�ries of
peop�e point out the g�n�ral da�es, who did the aperatians, where it
was done, and approxisn�te volume or size of the c3rives. The written
artic3es add ttse more specific data needec� for our purpases. This is
the primary reason why the articles are noted.
46
T't�e Timberman points out that there was a iot of activity in 19Q2.
Along the lines of the quotations aZready nated, the following also
contains snme �erters written by contractors to the editor:
"C. I. wilZiams, of Dexter, has started up his camp. He
e�c�ects to de�iver one anc3 a half millinn to the Eugene
mill by May 1,"
"Lon M�orehonse and Abe 1yat.heny of ,7asper have again com-
menced �agging Qn Renfro's place, on the Winberry. The
camp has been started some tia►e."
"The Booth-Kellp Lumber Co., Eugene, will start �heir drive
of saw logs which are being put in on the Winberry and Big
Fall Creek about April 1. The �ogs wi�.l be delivered to
their Springfield �n�ll. The company are putting in a baam
near the mouth of the creek in order to �o�d �he logs until
the river is in a suitable stage for dr�ving. F�. A.
Carter, one of the Iogginq contractors nn winberry Creek,
caaE� nea�ly getting his leg broken February 28 by a loq�
rol.ling and catching him agai.nst anather loq. He wil]. be
confined to his room for soa�e time."���
"I,awelZ, Oragon The Tintibearmari - Charlea williams has
started h3.s drive of 3ogs consistinq of 1,500,000 f�e't for
the Euqene Lun►ber Company, ahich he �xpects to deli.ver in
at�out �en days . ° � -Qs
'The Hooth-7Cellp 7,ttmiser Caapnny is aZso dri�ing about
4,000,000 feet of logs cut an Winberry and Fall Creeks for
their Springfield m3Z1. Hil� Bros, are cutti.nq logs on
upper Lost Creek for a drive of 4,000,000 feet for the
Coz�rallis sawaiill to be delivered next pear. "�-Qg
"The Eugene �vnnber Con�pan�r wi13 start anather drive �f sar�
logs cansisting of 1,5Q0,000 teet fn about ten days; these
logs are being put in by Guil.ey & Guartin, on the Middle
F'ork of the Wiilamette. Their caa�ps will continue to bank
logs for the fa11 dra.ve. Charles Williaias is also handling
logs far the sawe coompany."
",7, p. Barbex, of Fal� Cre�k, wi�1 de�iver 2500 cords of
balm rrood for the excel.siar xorks of Eugene."��
"R. C. Ldrrards, af FaIJ. Creek, has a contract to ft�rnish
€run �. uGv, 4v� i6 �, uuu. uvv LeeL 6L ivg� fvr `u`ic nvc�tn-
IC,�11y Lumber Co�pany's Springfield mill."�
°Fred Gibson is cutting 4�Od0,p00 feet of lags on Little
Fall Creek for the Booth-Kelly Lumaber Co�pany. J. B. Hill
is operatinq a camp on Lost Creek. He expects to put out
about b,000,000 €eet, which wi1Z go to Cornallis and
Independence.^
47
"Char�es Williaa�, of Dexter, has delivered a drive o£
1,700,000 feet of l.ogs to the Eugene Lurnber C�pany, of
Eugene. The ziver ►�►as low and dri�ring �as necessarily
SIOM."
"Dexter, Or, The Tia�berman - i am doi�ng a�ittle business
this winter. liave a ssea�.l drive of lags in the ri.ver for
the Eugene Lumber Campany whi.ch I will deliver in a few
days. I also have a crew cutting logs for tl�e spring
dr�ne. z expect to de3iver fotxr snfllion feet t.he comi.ng
year to the Eugene Ltaa�ber Cv�tpany. Yours tr�ly, C. L,
Williams.^
4 Lowe11, Or., Dec. 10, 1902, The Titeberrean 'W�llamette
River Camps' - R. C. Edwaards �ill soon have his logging
cot�tract finished on Winberrx Creek. Mosehouse and Drury
have about 1,200,000 feet. Arthnr Hartn�an and Ab Matheney
have each ahaut 500,000 Feet ready for the drine. 3'hese
logs are on the Win�erry Creek a�nc3 are for the Springfield
mill. af the Booth-Kelly L�ber Copapany, of Evgerie. �.'t�is
coa+pany has a camp on Little Fall C�esk, and Fred Gibson
also has a force af inen on the same stream putting in Iogs
for the campany. J. B. Hills has his logging donkey and
a larc�e crew putting in logs fox Caburg and Springfie�.d.
He expects to cut 6,OOQ,OOa feet. Boath-Ke2Iy Lumber
Cangany have moved tw� large donkey engines ta a new
camp on Big Fall Creek, ahich they expect to have in
operation in about a week. The n�rr �i13 at Springfisld
is progressing rapidly."�-i
Traditiona2ly, the drives �►ould begin in the sprinq. Timing was a
very impartant factor in transporting the 1.ogs to the mills. Tl�e
amount af f3o� �n the river would de�ez�rnine t�►e difficulty inv�o�ved
ir� br�ssq�.n� th� lo�� da�mstreaa�. If the drives �vere begun too aaon,
the me�ting of the snow pack in the rnauntains would cause the river to
be too high. The lags woul.d be carried al�ove ar�d beyond the baNcs ta
be stranded in the middle of so�arteone's field. Logs cou�d f3oat �.nto
the numeraua secondary or back-vrater ch�nn�ls sahich wa31d �3d mor�
rrork it� getting the.�a back into the main gtream. If the driv� started
too 1ate, the �.ower f2o�r in the river rrould cause the tinsber to ha3ng
up on the many gravel bars or lower spots in the stream. This could
cause a log jattt. It wou].d i:a)ce sheer brute po�r by the men or
horses �o free the logs. Srnnet�mes the jams would be of snch a
natur� that paa�des aould have to be used to bkaw the key logs loose
to re].ease the stacked timber. Consequen�ly, a good knowledge of the
river was reqnired in jtxdginq rrhen a drive should be started.lx�
Since the river w�s the onZy means of transporting the Zogs ta the
mi�ls aronnd the turn di the century, the mnount of Water in Che
str�am was of extreme itnportance. The foYlowing article appeared in
the Eugene Register Guard on Friday, 3une 19, 1903. It relates the
local cancern of thE water leve3. at that tixne.
48
�
i J
M�LLTONS O!�` T�'EET Ol+' IiOGS IN THE SMALL STREAMS
"Logqers in �ane County are having more ditficulty this sea-
son than usual tryir►g to get logs dawn the mountain streams.
The Spring has been so dry that miilions of �eet of logs that
were cnt on the streams txibutary to rhe McKen,zi.e and the
4ii].latnette dur�ng the winter have hnng up anfl ca�r�not be
driven out �.n the usual way, LTst�ai�x in the mont.h of April
there are rains that rai.se these creeks so that the logs car�
b� driven,out, but t�his year there have been no rains of con-
sequence and the strea�xs have r�ot had since February �ufficiet�t
water to rnn �oqs.
"On Lost Creek, Winberxy, �ig and Little Fal3 Creeks, th�
Hooth-Kellp Campany has millions of feet of logs tihat they
are bad�y in need of at the Springfield Mi11. Fnr weeks t2�ey
kept men ready and had the iags ia the creek, int�nding that
the moinent the water was su£fica.�nt t.�ey rrould start them to
c3e�per �vater. But the rains that were hoped for did r�at ca�e.
"�'inally qining �p hape af runninq logs in the usua3 way, they
began constnacting dams to aid the work by artificial means.
Thousands o£ dollars were expended in building flood daae�s in
these sn�ll streasna. These have been af some assistance, and
the logs are being slowly w�arked tawards the river, but it �s
slov and an expensive process. As yet it has been fmnpossible
to supp�p the big �ill at Sprinqfield with sufficient log� to
keep the saWS at vrork.
"The ].ogging busi.ness is vezy is�ortant in thi� county and
grea�er this year than ever befare. There are at the present
time no less t.han 35,0OO,OflO fee� of logs in the water to
supp�._y the various mi31s irs the county. The Hooth Kelly Co.
aZone has 23,d4p,04U feet afloat, while others have no iess
than �2,fl04,00Q feet. �e �ailZs l�arre a greater difficu3ty
getting logs than they have getting nrders."
Wherever tisuher was available, especially aiong a stream, the Zogger
would find some way ta liarvest it anci d�3.iver it to a n�ill for process-
irig. The tributaxies of the Middle i+'ork were no exception to thi,s
fact. AB+ong the smaller streaxns tha� were logged wera Big and �,ittle
Fall Creeks, Winberry Creek, Lost Creek, Gooc�nan Creek, Roaring Riffle
Creek, and Tixe Creek.lYg
For the �ost Qart, the nonna]. flow in these creeks was insufficient to
float the huge fir Iags dorm ta the main river. 3'o co�pensate for this,
as briefly mentiv�ed in the previ.ous quatation, f�aod pr sp�ash 8ams
rrould be consrxuc�ed across the creek bed. Ttiese dams would be built
abave the point where the logging was done to restric� or hold back
the flo�*. Below the dam the logs would be pil.ed in the nearly-dry
charu�el. When conditions were right far a drive �a bega.n, th� water
would be released �ra�n behi.nd the dam to flaor3 the iogs dawns�reaa�. In
many oases raore than one dam was necessary. In these areas the logs
Were simply flooded from one dant to another unti� the Middl.e Fork rras
reached.
49
The contfnuance of logging ogerations in 1903 is noted as follows:
"R. C. Edwards of Lowel�, Oregan, has deiivered 1,100,00Q
feet of �oqs to the Booth-Kelly Lumber Co�pany's �ill at
Springfield. He is loqging on �Tinberry Creek."
"The Timberman: R. C. Edwards, Lowe11, Oregon, is busy With
a crew of fi�'teen men, put�ing �n logs for the Hooth-K��ly
Lumber Company, o� Eugene. The G017tXdCt cal.ls for
2,040,000 feet of rvhich 1,2U0,000 are in the water. R. N.
Grigfin has a contract ta furnish 1,00O,OOQ feet on
Winberry Creek and is building his camps. The Baoth-Kei1y
F.umber Company are operating with two dankeys an Big Fa3.i
Creek, t�ao on i,ittle Fa11 Creek, two on the Wil�amette
River, and a four horse teara on Little Fall Creek, all
pntting in logs �or their Springfield miZl. They have
aiso installed a large road engine in their Bzg �'all Creefc caa�p
an account of low wa�er. M. S. Baker is making gaod pzo-
gress rvith the m�.31 he is building at Ettgene, which r�ill
have a ca�acity of 30,040 feet daily. Frank Warner has
contracted to furnish this mill v�ith a drive of 2ogs which
he is now getting aut. Charle� 1�1ill�ams is putting a.n
xbout 1,OOO,UO(3 feet ot logs for the Euqene Lumbez
Company, and Ben Guil.y is lagging for the sa�e ffr�e."�Z
"The Booth-K,elly Lun+�er Companp, of Eugene, are buildfng
dams on Fail Creek, which �f11 enabZe them �o dXive logs
at ar�p period of the year. There are 2fl,000,000 �eet of
logs to come ant of this creek this fall. A drive of
4,0t10,000 feet is under way far the Spring�ield �nili, but
arring to low Watcr the pragress is �low."
"The Boo�h-Reily Lwt�ber Con�pany, of Eugene, and C. L.
iiil].imns. each of whom f�ad a loq drive cominq dos�m the
Wil�amette, have combined forces and are naw bringing t.he
Iogs dowsi 3n one drive ot 6,000,040 feet."i
CIiAS. i�. WILLIAI�S MC?VING DRIVr; FOR EC3GENE MILL 12APZDLY
"Df� you ever see loggrers handl ing a].og-drive i.n sha.�3av
rr�tex? If not, y�ou may have had the opportunity far th�s
last day at the head of the EQgene Mil� Race today. 'i'he
veteran Iogger, C. L. Wiiliams, of Dexter, a veteran in log-
qi.ng �rork on t�e �Jillamette Ri.ver, though still in the pri�ne
a� his life, is finishing puttisig a°drive" putting �xp
t.hraa anr# a rrnnrte.r fri 1 1 i nn faat _ fnr Nha F!��crana 1di 1 1_ nvar
—____ _.___ _ �_------ ------- - --• __- ---- �---�---- ---- • _ •--
that long and shallow bar."
�The recent freshet in th� Wt�lamette and its tributaries
bx�augh� do�m a�.at of �ogs out af Fall Creek into the
Wil�amette, belonging to the Booth-Kelly L�ueber Coenpany ar�d
othsrs."i
50
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53
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Zt was not unco�on for the loga delivered to tt►e mil.].s to be aw�ed by
more tYsan one outfit. Sametimea th� larg�r contxactaxs would combine
forces and bring thefr respective Zogs down together. On occasion,
�.ndividu�l farmers w�ould clear tihe�r Iand and pile trees along the
bank. T�en �ahen they saw a�rive comi.ng down, they would just shove
the logs inta the river. Usually the additianal lags w�auld be mini-
mal. Far purchase purposes there was a very gaad methoc'� denised ta
d3.stingnish ttie oomership of the logs. Each log was branded be£oxe-
hand and could easily be identified at the mill.
The TimUerman provides more data about the caynps and dxives on th�
Mic�dle Fork in 1904:
"Ttie Booth-Kelly Lumber Cos�pany, of E�gene, Oreg�an, are
starting up the�r logqing camps for the sea►son. x'kiey �iave
a big drine of logs in the M�ohawk, one in th� �icxenzie for
Coburg, one in the Willamette just coming �nta Springfieli�
and one just starting out of P'all Creek for Springfield."
"A log drive, containi.ng 7,0�0,000 feet was recent�y stast-
ed fran the logging camp of J. B. Hil�s on the Will�ssette
River. It is destined for 5pringfield."
"C. L. Wil�iams af Dexter, has taken a cantract to ge� aut
a million feet of lvuaber for the Eugene Lumber Cot�pttny.
The �.ogs will be cut fx�om near LorAell ."i
"The Booth-Kelly i.u�ber Company, Eugene, recentlp received
their drive of 8,dfl0,000 feet of logs fmm tl�e North Fork
of the Will.aa+ette anc� have t�em stared in their pand at
Springfie�d."I
"A log drive containi�g nearl.y a a�illion feet of ].og� and
IOC� teleghone pales �s l�r�ugh� d�wr� t�� 1���lamette
�tiver tc Eugene recently Charles Wi].lian�s for the
Euc�ene L�tber Coanpar�y. "�
"The Sooth-Kelly �,umber Company's log drive fram Fall
Creek has been cttiven to the W�.11a3oette, en raute ta
Springfield."��Z
°Hills Bros. wha are operating near Jasper, have 2,000,004
teet of 2ogs ready to put into the Willasaette. They hane
closed their horse camps for the i�inter, but wi�ll open
tisrBe camps in �ine apring, vne ea�:i� a� i.l's� i r�ui j:,ri:,, ��..4
Lookout az�d at Grant Hyland's place. They expect to have
8�OOO,Q00 feet o� Zogs ready to drfve dawn to the Boa�h-
IC��ly mill at Springfield, by Jnne 1S."
Up to this point, most of the logging and subseque.n't c'�rives ariginated
fram the Lawell area or belaw. There a�ere annual logging shows in
the Fall Cresk system, but the need for additional lumber was conta,nu-
alip gmWiag. Consequently, the damands for virgin timber �rere met
54
�.,b;:
�.�,� tsm.Rrroa� � i�l1+e� �'ar r�a�urd .1ur�a �1. l�r��.
��� , f�;. t'. l. e �y
c 1.c�ant,.� �:a� � �c�ur�4;,° L��rtr.
�Nt�Y� A11. ��1 �1° T"!A°4�`.�k. �'�:•�='1��'=�: fii�r+L ��te fr�oLn—anl►ll,'{ La:�h�c�r G�r�;�,ar,y a
cruz•�.:�pr+�tia�, c1o[se her��y ��lv�+t t�tt+e t'o1lcr+ein� lo�, �r�nc4a n� �i��rn tsy Lc� �n _
�
ri�xerl d1��r,r�►� L� w1;L.
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� � ?�'� I��g bra�ds usec�
� ~ to +distir�guish
� aMmer�hip of lags
ar�iv�ng at the
' t�i�1s f�ons the
'� �� �" lag driVes
55
� �",lic ,
by t.ha c�ontractors moving upstream .►ith their opera�inn. '1"�z� k�eautf-
i`ul atrind� o� treae in th� upger v�I.ey �r,e�e 0erp invitfng.
T�os.e intervi�rad rec�ll that thsr� tirGre n�ua�ber of campa abova
L,�r�ll. A+.r�gt of the ind3�iduals r�re too yonng to actually partici-
pa�e in the drives, but t�sey r�meteber becanae �ber� ot t.�iei� �aai.t�y
dfd. E�ther thsir asother or oZd�x si�t�ar c�ooked in t..he vaX.ioua camps,
or their father Has a"rfver rat". �t �sas qaite a thrilZ tor a
young'ster to visit the camp�.
xn tha col.Zecticn v� variou� me�+ories certain naaes pop up �requehtlp.
Aa�ong �hes� are Gooc�n Cre�k. Uead Hora�e C�rQ, Ta�re Cr�ek. 3�ij�hn
Point, and the Halland a�estead (or Hyland). These rera ar�as �rheza
logging occnrz� bund anbs�quen�lp rrh�re the loq dr�ver� wars �.nitia�ed.
For the most par thea� camps w�er� on the sos�th sia� of th� x'�vzr
�r�re it was easiex to harvest the ti.xnber, Tha qraund an the opposita
side of the river rrna+ quite ateep and very haxd to �ork in.
All of the caar�p� neesitianed r�*ere abavc I,o�r�ll and b��.or� qakr�dge. Tc
be moxe sp�cific, Goo�sn Creek is at River Hi.�e 33.7, 1?ead Horse
C�p at Rive� M�e 33, 2�re Creek at R,f��r Mile 33,8, ��john Point
at R�ver MiZe 34.5, and th� Hol3and Ho�eatead �ra� at Riqcr �1i.le 38.
� Che be�t recollect3na of thos� sgaken �vith, ar�nual operatf.ans �rare
oond�ct�d at the�� spots beginning in 1904. Art�.c�es in The T�n+ber�an
snppo� t,hei.r a�eary.
Prior to th� drives in the spring rrhen conditfons r,rer� right tha
log�gera ►ronld fa31, buc}c, and draq �ogr� ta thr river's exlg+e. They
r�ould da as �nnch as they cauld to the logs ta pzep�re �]n� for th�fr
�+��xney da�m the r�v�r. Th�y xexe cut i.n leng�ths th�� coral.c� b�► hand-
��d �r� eaaily. The bazk W�s asuallp, at least partial3y. �e3.�d in
�� �ds so that thep �rau3d s3ide easier along tha r�var'a sha�lars
spots and grave3 bars orsce the driva rras started. The ex3d.� of the
�oga �o�eid be "sni.ped" or raunded ta remove tha squara eciqea ��ch
als� �ad� the Zoga easier to handle.
in ttss lo�rer Hiddl� Fork Valley vnera�tfons such a� this tc�3c plac� �he
year around, In the t�pper re�ches th�a activity aronl�i a� tf�� ha�,
G� shut down, moet prabably due to sno�rfal�. �'he ear2y i��t�es of �es
Timbe�saa in 19d5 doc�rent theaa €actas
ifiiLLAT4�T*�," R�VSR
"Loa�►cll. Lana Co., Januaxy 6, 1905
T2�e Tirabermxn: The Baottt-Kellp I,u�rbcr C�.'s ca�apia a�� run-
n�.nq in fu�i blast an the L�ttle Fal� Cr�k. They h�+re two
c�pn, one rrith tw�o c3onka� engine�, on� wfth on� c3on?�sey an�
two three-horse t�."�
"Fred Gibson is rurmizig a s�eall farce on �he Littl.� 1�'+�1].
Creek, r�rith one foux'-�:o�rse tean. " 135
56
„ J. B. Ha.11s and �. S. Hi1�s shut down their horse team
caa�p fo� the winter. The camp arill reswne work in the
Spring; their don#cey ca�p �ril�, run a1Z winter. Tt:is caa�p
is located on the Middle Fork of the Willamette. They have
a contract for 15,QOO.i300 feet."��
"E. A. Tay�or's caa�p� which is located on the WilZam�tt�,
has closed dowr� for the vinter. He ha� a contxact to �og
the timber on two sections."�
"�'he logs on the Winberry, that were put in by several par-
ties last su�ner, caene to the Booth-Kelly boom on the last
raise. They pil.ed against the boam in gaod shape. The
company wiZl hold them for the spring drive."
"R. C. Edwards �.s ruryning a small crew, pntting in logs on
the winberry Creek. Iia will have his contract cZosed in
about f�,ve weeks. All of the above logs are for the Baoth-
IGe�ly Company, ahich �ill be sawed at their Springfield
milZ. The com�any completed t}�e�r drive, consisEing of
about 4,000,000 feeti, about trro weeks ago.
R. C« Edaards"
LOGGING ON THE fiILI,AMETTE
"Dexter, Oreqon, January 26, k9fl5
The Titabern�an: I feel in hop� that loggiaq will �e qooc3
here this su�nmer. I will get nut 3,000.000 feet for the
Eugene Luffier Canipany .
Yours respectu3lp,
C. L. Wfiliams"
The followinq a.ssx�es express the further expectati.ans and the details
of the seil�s�quant drives in�.k905:
"Lowe�i, Ore., 1Kay l. 1905
The Timberman: The logging industry is in fu�� blast on the
upper Willamette River. E. A. Taylor, contractar for t�e
Boa�h-K�liy mill at 5pringfi�ld, is runninq two cam�s, a
donkey caaxp an the W'a.�lamette and a horse team camp on the
Narth Fork. He will have his 5,000,000 feet cont�act fa.1L-
ed by the first of �'une."
"Hil�s Sros., of Jasper, wili finish their contract of
tr�elve m�llion feet about the first of �une, which is to be
deliverea at tiie sootliwxei3y miii ac 5pringii.eid, "� ��
"The Hills Bros. expec� to start their drive about the first
of June ancl they Nill have a totaZ of 20,000,000 fee�."
"Chas. �lilliams will fir�ish a contract of one million feet
for the Eugene Mill Company by the last og May.
Racy IHa�ttsen"
57
"John Kelly, of the Booth-Kelly L�ber Co., Eugene, stated
during his recent visit to th�s city that his company has a
drive af 13,400,000 feet of loqs com�ng do�n the North Fork
of the Willame�te for the Sprinqfield mi].1. The Southern
�acif ic is at rrork with a force of �en 5uilding one �i�e of
track ta connect th� Springfield Natron branch at Sprinq-
field with the Henderson staxi.an an the nyain line. En
making this connection it will be necessary to Construct a
steel br�dge across the iiillaa�ette River at a cost of
5250,004. The buildinq of tY,is brarsch wf�l save a haul o�
90 miles to the railroad in hanclling the lumi�er shipments
which ariginated at Cobnrg, 5pringfield and other po�nts on
the Springfie3d-Katron branch."
"August 26 a log drive contain�ng 8,500,UU0 feet arr�ved at
the Coburq mill of the Booth-Kelly Ltuaber Company, of Eugene,
au�d a clrive of 13,000,000 feet of Yogs and vras the largest
evax bxouqht down the Upper Nillamette. Ths unusually dxy
season has nRade the drive more difficnit than ras expect-
�, ■146
"Jasper Hills �as completed t�e drive af ].ags for the Baath-
Kel].y Campanp, on �hich he has been r�orki,r�g since Jcu�e, and
has turned the last of them in the rmce at Spxingfi.eld.
The drive contained 13,t300,000 feet of logs and Was the
largest ever brought dawn the Upper Killaa�ette. The unusual -
ly dry seasan has made the drfve mare difficult than rvas
expected."
The references made to dr�v�s coming out nf the "riorth gork" are mis-
3eading, They in£er that the stream was used for c�rivtng logs. It �ras
thonght at ane time that �t could be done.
"As regards the transportation af logs to market, the
wiila�eette can be used for soa�e distance for driving logs
by �rater, and within a few miles of the western line is
being used extensively, althongh on account of the numernus
gravel bars there ia no doubt but that railroar�ing will.
�upersede this methnd. The North Fork of the Willamette
can a�.so be driven for a n�nnber of miles, being a gaad log
strea►� with govd banks and free €ram abstructions us�al}�y
encountered, such as j�ms and grave� bars."�
tiowever, in 'r_aixiiig Mi�ii ine iocai iebi�enL� wis`v ivav� iiv�u ii� u�c
Westfir-Oakridge area �+e faund that the 13orth F'ork was not used in the
san+e manner as the Middle Fark. T�ie streane aas used to transport logs
to the Flestfir Mill bu� na� in the sense af drivinq them downstreasa.
The timber was simply flaated ta �he mill betrreen tvro daans that had
been constructed to raise the water level. This wa5 done at any tisie
of the year depending on when the mi.il neec�ed the logs. R't�e stream
canta3�ns tao much bedrock to be used as a driving stream.i
58
When they speak of the drives caning fmm the North Fork, they are
refeXring to the area right at the stream's confluence with t�e Middle
Pork. This was where the HoZland (or Hyland? Homestead was iocated
and Logged for a numbet of years.
Once again, The Timberman reports of the logging 31ong the Middle Fork
i.n 190b :
"Lowell, �re., January 1, i906
The Timberman: J. B. and �. S. Hills started up their camps
on the Middle FoXk sane time aqo with a crew of about 44
men. Tk�e camps consist of twa donkeys in one caiap and three-
horse teams in the other. Th� logs are to be delivered at
the Booth-Ke11y Ltuebsr Compaay's mill at Springfield early
in the susamer. The contrgct consists of 10,Q00,000 feet."�
"Tt�e Booth-K�11y Ltneber Con�pany has on� caa�p on Little Fall
Creek. The camp consists of twn d�onkey engines with a cr�w
of 30 men. The outpat of this ca�tp is abnut 40,Od0 per day.
Thi� company also has a cauap on Big Fall Creek w�th one
donkey engine and a crew of 20 men. �'hey put in about
20,000 fee� per day. There are several stnall contractors an
t�iriberry Creek logging far the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company's
mill at Springfield. '�'tie �ai3.1's capacity in 24 hours is
20,OOfl, and the mill a.s running at its full capacity. The
campany's mill at Wendl�ing started up iast Septe�aber. The
output is 100,000 feet per day. They a3so have � larger
nEi31 at Coburg w�th 1flD,OdO capacity, which is running an
double shift."�SZ
The folior�ing speaks prirearily of the activity in the Fa�l Cxeek sps-
tem�:
LOC'+GIP1G AI20UND LAfirT�LL
"LowEZI, Lane County, Or�., April }.. 1906
,7. S. and ,7. B. Hfl� have mcved one of their donkey engines
fra� the Nillamette to the Winberry Creek, Where they will.
loq extensively for the next year. They have a contract far
15,000,000 to be cut on this stream, They aiso have a horse
team on the willamette caneisting of three-horse teams� alsa
�sing ane dan3cey. "�-
"LOwe11 � Ore .► �7Llly 4 r 1906
To the Tixnber�aan: Chas. Willians is delivering a drive of
,_-- :�s�... x ti.,...� � snn nnn fc�t f��. *1�v hlirTrila
;i,7��`.j� 4"Vl{.`llbl.iliy Vt '��.lti�ua. i�-.�vv�v�v ..�
Fbrk of the Wil3amette to the �ugene Lu�beX Co�any of
Engene."�
"Tha Booth-Kellp Lumber Compa►ny is taking a drive of logs out
of winberry Creek for their Springfieid �ill. They bu#.3� a
flood dam abo�t fo�r miles above the mae�th of the creek for
dr�.vi.ng 3cgs. TlZe proqress a� the drive is s�ow an account
of the stream being sma�.l."
59
"BOOtk!-ICel�y's camp on Big Fall Creek is usi.ng twa donkeps,
and is puttinq in about 30,000 f�et per day. The company
also has one camp an the Little Fal� Creek. They are put-
ting about 40,000 feet dail.y. There are severa]. harse tean�
camps in� section putting in logs for the Boath
Coatpany .
"J'. B. and J. S. Hflls' drive of loqs of 8,000,000 feet is
near Los�ell, which is to be delivered to the Hcoth-Ke�iy
mill at 5pringfield. They are progressing very nicely, as
the river is at a goa� atage �or dr�.ving."
This Iast article nat� refers to a drive by �ap Hi�.3s. This particta-
laz dXive is assumed to be the oae that is imbedded in the memary of
his daugh�er, Hallie Hills Huntington. Even thoagh she was onZy eight
years old �n 1906, she remeuibers it vexy �re�I. Sh� aasisted her older
sister and mother in cooking for the river crew an the entzre drive.
She rode in so�ae of the ec�uipment boats that foZlc�red the logs do�m-
streata. She describe� the�e boate aa:
"The lenqth of the bvats - a3�out 22 feet, 20 tv 22 feet.
They w�ere ditferent than the McKenzie River boats - the
fishinq baats. These were a utility boat, and they vrere
buz�t stronq and sturdy and withou� too cauch rake, fairly
flat-botto�aed."
In the Winter of 1905-1906 ,7ap Hills logged ir� an axea just below
Oakri�g�. �"hen, �.n the spring of 1946 he began the drive which ended
at the mill in Springfield. As far as Mrs. Huntis�gtan could reanembec,
the drive took about six weeks to complete. The crew felt for�una�.e
if they coul� travel a mile a day doWn the river.
Another memory that st�cks put in her mind is that her father's drive
sustained the only fataiity that tte ever had. It happenec� shartiy
a€ter the drive beqan in the reach of river callec3 Hlack Canyan. A
Pellorr was riding a log through the white rrater and appareatly slipped
o�f. Fie was never seen aga�n.
60
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- , .. ��.. ' _ __ � _. .n ._ , _.�
Boats carried everything fram men to fooc� dur�ng a Iog drive-even •
the camp stove. -Lou.is Po1Zey Collection, Lane County Museum � .
�_. _._.. _-_ . ---------•.se�----»---�w ._._._.-�.-.t-..,--:-----�---� ..�'�'",;�?^'°"*�`�..r----,---••-•�-�-P-��!��"�..,�. <.. ,,;.
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few`8:'dC° �� �•` ��--..� �, 'JW" ,R/,���■ �n\_i•� .''4
old tree stumps frasm Jag �3i�.1� Iogging
vpweration ]o+�1aw fkakridyre in 19C�b
Fi2
7'he subseqttent logging oper��iana in 1907 were reported as-
L]�NL CO[�1+1TY 1�fILLS APID CAMPS
"Lawell, Lane County, pr., Janttnry 3, 1907
The 'Fi�eroaan: The Sooth-Kelly L�aber Company's boom on
winber�ry Creek broke late yesterday afternoon, entailing
a l.oss of about sfx million feet of first class logs. The
company wi11 get a good portion of the logs, but it will
be at a considexab�e expense in recovering then�."
"J. B. Hi�ls hag a contract to cut and de�.i�rex in Winber�y
Creek the timber on 544 acres, which will run abont t�venty
millian."Z
"The Baoth-Keily cr�mps which are o�.erated by the co�pany
closed for t�e holidays And haive not resumed o�rations
y�t on account af the rough r►eather. They have one ca�p
on winberry Creek, A. �lcGregqor, foreinan; one on Big Fall
Creek, Nacy Mattes�on, fore�an; one on L�ttle F'a1Z Creek,
Mr. ICemelback, foremar�. TRte cauaap equipment of three
camps coneists af seven donkeys, raith output of about
100,000 per day."
"The Booth-Ke13y Co�pany de�.ivered to their Sprir�qfield
�aill about Nove�nber first a drive of lpgs appraxilnating
19,O�Q,000 feet, which is said to be the largest amount of
logs ever c3elivered to any mill at one ti� in the state."
°I�ugene Ltanber Catnpany is running stead�iy. A drive ot`
4,000,000 feet has been auccessful�y brought out of the
Narth Fork of the Will.amette, a distance of 45 miles,
start�nq on May 20."
"The Engene Linaber Company, of Eugene, has a drive of
4,QOO,OQO �eet of loqs on 1.ts way from the upper river.
It is estimated it will t�)ce fi�ty daps �o delivez the
drive."�5�
Despite the fa►ct that the drines began in the spr�.ng, when the amount
of flow in �he river allawed it, there �re a few spots whexe the dxives
aiways encountered some difficulty. They were Hellsgate Rapids (River
Mile 37.7), where there are several ontcropp�ngs of bedrock in the
rivar r►�annol � R]aYl� f�,`an��n fDi�ns` lfi 7e ?Z� � SI�;�S° �;:E Z�YL!^ ^ .`.2r iM�4L
was very swift, and Jacoby Ricks {�pp�x,��e River Mile 9.5), where
large gravel ba�s ].ie w�thin the riverbed.���
Speaking of the latter obstacle, it acqtiired its name from the Jacaby
�omestead that was direct�y adjacent. Since i� vras located below all
of the rnajor logging shows, the river drivers could expect some trouble
in t,he are�. Zt was not unc�on ta spend tw�o or three extra days ir�
the drive in �assing this po�nt. The shallorr area pravi8ed an excell-
ent spot for a 1oq jam. It w�ouZd take brute manpa�rer or in some ca►ses,
dynam�te, to re�.ease the logs.
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Beyond 1907 thEre is little inforasation regard�ng the Middle Fork loc�-
ging operations ot3ier than that locked in the me�aory of older residents.
°Among many similar entries rec�rded by J. B. Hills' K�fe
in her diary dnring the winter af I907-08, was one for
Decemf�r 21, 1907: 'Jnst rained huge all day and the dam
(on Fiinberry Creek) went ont and just took things before
it...logs filled �oad near Huck's till could not go through
with rig. . . "'��
"Oh, yes. I remember partictilarly well on Wir�erry, the
dam they had there. That was in 1908, and that's when he
finished 2ogging. They had - he had a dam that was about
a m,i,le abov� th� cook house, and t�e used to rfde up there
and qo up and watch them open the flood gates to 2et the
water aut. and it was quite an experience. All the nei h-
bars for mi�es around came to see the flood gate open."�
"Spoth-ICelly Lurnber Company, of Eugene, has collected about
700 of the 2,00� logs which escaped during last winter's
flood."�
"Eugene Lwaber Company. Eugene, has received gart o£ its
2,500,000 feet drive of lags."��
Mark Goadman and Daniel winfrey both re.►n�ber working in logginq camps
on the upper end of the Lookout Point Reservoir between 1909 and 19Z1,
respectively. Mr. Goodman recalls that it was his primary jah to peel
the bark off the trees so that they w�ou�d be easfer to drive dowri the
river. These logs were then cold-decked along the river bank in prep-
aration for the spring drive. Nefther qentleman could recol�ect if
and when drives occurred after these operations. As far as tney know,
�her� we�� none.
What caused the decline arid eventual halt of the Iog drives vn the
Middle �'ork? f�hen asked tt�is question, thase internieraed provided many
different answ�rs. HoWever, twa rep�i.es stand out more frequently than
the othexs. The drives endeci as a result of the canstruction of the
railroad up the val�ey, arxd, also, the Governmeri� put an end to them.
Tl3e major x'ailroad construction up the Middle Fork was between 1909 and
�912. Prior to that t�me rail transportation was avai�ab�e onZy to
N�tron {River Mile 6.7) �rhere tY:e tracks si�aply enc3ed. Ttte coming of
t71� XS].�Z'OdQ tlOt oniy j7rOV1C3�a a C:E7AtiU=tz�[7.'�C "+eiay w`.v iiaTJ�i s
Oakridge (known as Hazeld�l]. be€ore 1912) and Eugene, hut it �lso sup-
plied an economical means of transQorting the harvested titabear to the
mills.
Dnring the log dri.v� era there was substantial oppos�tion from riparian
ownexs alnng th� river. Farmers claimed that the river crews saoved
horses and equipment from bar to bar across prnpearty and were responsi--
ble tor tearing down their fences and tra�mpling their crops. The logs
aoming dovm the river would be slam�sed in the river banks and this
67
would accelerate erosion daieage. it xas getting to a pofnt that these
co�piaints weze sett�ed by court actians. Throngh the years the
objections reached a�oint xhere the Government had to take aetion.
Consequently, 3.aws wrere enacted to restrict the d�rives.
There is one srore very apparent and logical reason why }�og clriving
cam� to an end. As tim� aent on, the inaccessibil��ty of timber near
a driving streaim becaaie an ever-increasi�g fact. 7'he streams �ere
logged to a point that it r�as not feasible to haul the logs ta the
rratex. The railroad xas a adu�ch better �eans nf g�tting t�e ti�er to
;narket. �75
Thns, the riner was used no more as the prftaary means of transparting
logs. Near the end of the first decade the great river log drives
s�oon became nothing atare than a�n�sory.
The anthor fous�d only one other occasion where the Middle Fork a�as
useS to tran�port logs. Tnterviews With Earl Walker and Lar�ence H�.�ls
(aoa of Jasper Hilla) revealed that they each had a s�nall-scale drive
os� the Upper Middle Fork in i920, At that tia�e there ras a�n apparent
need for cedar poles. The men took advantage of this deneand by cut-
ting dorm r..�ie cedar trees that gre�r a�ong the banks six to eight miles
ribove Oaicridge. Walker and Hills then drove the poles drnm to
Ckikridqe M►hereupon they rr�are l.oaded onto railroad cars.
Both men had a drive of their o�rt�. They encountered much of the saa�e
diff�cu3.ties, a�].though on a� smailer scale, as those of the earlier,
larqer river drives.�
68
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b9
ST)1TE I,AND BOARD PAST ACTION
The Stat� Land Board has generally actec� as the proprietor o£ the bed
of the Midale Fork Wfllamette Rivez. Since 1948 the Boazd has
grantec� and issued seven easements to the U.S. Government for a
variety of purposes. These instruments provide legal, acc�ss and
right-of-way for maintenance o� util�ty transmission lines, and
channe� protection, improvement, or rectification projects. mhe
doc�ents include }aoth the pr�s�nt riverbed and that as it existed at
the time of Statehaod.
In return, the State has acc;uired one easesnent fos a scenic right-of
Way trail fra�n a riparian owner.
There have been 11 Bargain and Sale ar Quitclaim Deeds issued by the
Baard to assist riparian ownears in cZearing tit1E in Middle Fork
abandoned channels. �,io of t#�em were granted ta the State vf 4regon,
Depa�ent of Transportatfon, in campliance with a mutual agreement
bet�reen the two aqencies.
In Apxi�. of 1952 the Beard released a formal Disclaimer for lands ly-
ing between the Government meander lines outside the bed of and above
the natural or or�xnary high water line of the �exter flam Reservoir.
�'he 3.��est action taken by the State Land Boazd �ras the issuance of
a Quitclaim Deed to the Wildish Land Company fvr abandoned channe�
lands lying within its ovmership. To recipzocate, Wi�dish gave the
5tate a similar daed ta that portion of the pr�sent riverbed lyzng
}a�low the ordinary high water line adjoining their praperty. Ttzis
exchange ot deeds in �une of 1976 was a result of negotiations far-
maZ3y begun in octaber of ].974.
LITI G�,'!'YOI�i
In 1972 tkxree condemnation sui�s were filed by the State Pasks Hranah
of the State Highway Division in Lane County. These lawsuits were
�nitiated for the acqvisition of land for Dexter flam State Park.
Because of the language of the origina� compla�nts the condeatnation
suits inciuded th� Middle Fork River bed between the low water marks.
Thi.s resuZted in bringing forward a question of rightful awnership of
the river. Was it privately or publiclx owned? This involned the
issue of navigability of the river that had not yet, as of that date,
been adjudicated by conrt action.
70
Because af the invo�vement of the riverbed and the issue of navipabil-
ity the State Attorney Genera�'s of�ice requested the triai cpurt for
leave, efther to amend the State's complaint to exc�ude the rzverbed
between low water inarks or to permit the State Land Board to be added
as a party. The defendants objected Co the State's reques�, and the
trial court advised thzit the State i�d two aptions: I1) either try
the case without asaending the complaint and wiChout adding the Land
Board as a party or, (2) disa�fss the proceedings.
The State Land Board and the Division of Stat� Lands were very concern-
ed about the desirabiiity of sett�ing an important and perhaps diffi-
cult issue of navigability, includ�nq difficult factual issues as to
the location or ardinary high and ordinary los�rr�►ater, in a candemnation
suai.t invoZving compZex issues of property va3ue, particularly where
all those issu�s w�ould be tried by a jury.
The Attorttey General's o£fice concurred witk� the Boarc� and Division
of State Lands and dis�tissed all three cases. The reason for the
dism�ssal was to remove tYte issue af navigability, and hence the i�ssue
of the extent of the S�te's title, from the condernnation litigation
so that issue could be settl.ed in a seQarate psoceeding.
As of this date the nature and extent of navigabiiity of the Middle
Fork rem�,ins to be heard by a court of 1aM.
71
SUA4�ARY
Thi.s investigation was fnitiated under directives of the 1973 4regon
LegigZature. It re�rts the nature and extent af navigatianal uses
of the l�i.ddle Fork of the Wfllamette River. It is the result of an
extensive study and analysis of peXtinent, available data regarding
use of the river since Statehood.
'�he Middle Fork is one of the three ma�ar tributaries of the Wi�lamette
River in th� upper valley. It flows nearly 84 river miZes from its
headwaters high in the Cascades and 3oins the Coast Fork just above
8pringfiel.d to form the upper end of the Wil�amette.
In its northwesterly jonrney to the Willamette the Midc��e Fork assumes
several distinctively diffezent riverbed cnaracteristics. �n the
uppermost reach the river channel is typical of most mountain str�ams.
From its source to the upper end of the Hill.s Creek Reservair, appraxi-
mately 31 miles, the riner flaws in a we�l-defir�ed cYsannel with a
rather steep grad�ent and high velocity and is surrounded by mountain-
ous terrain. Tt then enters the lake �ormed by the Hil�s Creek flam.
Betweea the dam and Lookou� Point Resezvoir (River Mile 45 to Riner
�lile 33) the rfner continues �o flow between ste�p ridges in a
channel of decreasing gradient arid vekoci.ty. For �he next i6 miles
the river is again corttai�ned within the backwater of dams. Below
Dexter Daia the Midd�e For�C takea an the characteristic of an alluvial
meandering stream with a minimal gradient and iazge meander �oops.
HistoricalZy, the accepted head of navigatian for steamboat traffi.c
in the Willa�ette system was Eugene. Durinq pexiods af higher river
cr�g�a a��� �a*_� �ii� makP it �R f�r �a s�?rinq�iel�_ N�w�vPr that
was the uppermost li�nit to which they could navigate. They were not
able to ply their way to the Middle Fark.
Recrea�ional baatinq aiong the Middle Fork, other tha� the canoes,
rafts, or inr�ertubes used in the whitewater sections, is primari�y
concentrated in the calmer waters of the Dexter Dam Reservoir. Here,
the man-made la3ce provides an opportunity for pleas�re �aat� of vary-
ing' s�zes.
The Divisian's investiqation revealed that the only uses of the river
i�i i:ai�ci�:iai yaiiir� wci� c aiiu ivy uiivi,►,y.
Driftboat quides have taken advantage of the Middle Fork's natural
fishery reso�rce for about 45 years. zn the apinion af sasae the stream
pravided ane af the best fiahing habitats in the country. Then, du�
to the canstructi.on of the dams, the number of native ga�ae fish dras-
tical.ly dec3ined. It did not, hrn+ever, bring this profession to a
halt. �`oday the river guides continue to aid the sportsn�en in fishing
from above Oakric�qe to Eugene.
72
In the ear2y days of sett�ement in the Middle Fork Valley the pioneers
had dreams of develaQing a great agricu�tura�ly-oriented industry.
However, it was soan realized that the timber industry con�d also be
a v�ry profitable business. As it turned out, the region's econom�c
developnent grew pri�arily around the processing of the area's natural
timber resources.
Prior to the highways and rail systems there was only on� means of
deZivering hazv�st�d timber ta the mi�ls for processinq -- the river.
This report documents varied accounts that support the fact that the
Middle Fork �as used for �og transpqrtation.
Fra� the information col�ected it appears tha� log drives Were condnct-
ed fro� the early 1870's to 1911. The upQermost �ocatioa that a drive
was atarted, successful or otherwise, was Packard Creek iRiver Mile
49) above Oafcridge. The ear�y drives were primarily conducted fran
the Fall Creek system (Rai.ver I�i1e i1,3) . As tisne went an, the logging
operatzans gradually moved upstream.
The most substantial rrritten material covers the loq drives between
1900 and 1907. Ttsese were the peak years of the log driving era along
the Middle Fork. Ttse memory of alder residents suAQorted by numer�us
articZes, paints our that drives w�ere co�ning from as far as the North
Fork af the Mi.ddle P'ark (Ri.ver Mile 37.5} on an annual basis dur�,ng
that time period.
There are f�any accounts of log shows and subsequent drives from the
sma�ler creeks tributary te the Middle Fork. Amang the lesser streaans
are Lost Creek (River Mile 13.6). Ralli.ng Riffle Creek (River Mile
23.7), Goodman Creek E�iner Mile 25.3), and Tire Creek (River Mile
33.7). For the mast part, thes� streams did not have suffici.ent flow
to float the heavy logs to the river, If this was the case, then the
].ogs w�auld be �loo�.ec� down tha river through t�e use af splash dams.
�nce the harvested t�mber reached tt�e Mi.ddle Fozk. there was always
enough water to carry it downstreatn.
As the available timber along driveabl� s�.z��a�s b�ca�e exhwu��ed and
saiZroad constrnction made i.ts wap up the val�ey, the drives casie to
an end. The onZy drive on the Middl.e Fork beyos�d Z9i1 was in 1920.
At that time twa separate drives af cedar poles came darn the river
fror� six to eight miles above Oakridge. At Oakri.dge they were removed
from the river and shipped out by rail.
The follawit�g table sua�narizes the extent of the Middle Fork lag drives
as documented by the newspaper and n►aga2ine artic�.es obtained and by
the infa�t�tatian derf.ved froa� the Divisi.on's persanal interviews.
73
MIDDLE FO�tIC WIL�AM�E �IV�R
IAG ARYVE STAT�STICS
Date (s)
1870's
�87I-73
Before 2893
Contractor
Laird Brothers
N. L. Packard
Volume
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
50,000 B.F.
I,ocat ion
Fall Creelc System
R. M. Ii.3
Packard Creek
lt. M. 47
Larrison Creek
R. M. 50
Midd�e Fprk
R. M. 26.5
id/A
George Larrisor
I+I/A
1890 J. Carter,
C. Wil�.iams and
,7. B. Hi13.s
Before 1900 �. B. Hills 500 Card Fall Creek
R. M. 11.3
�900 A. Smith and 4,000,004 B.F. N/A
J. B. Hills
1�[oore & Bunker I�/A Upper Wi,llamette
R. C. Edwards N/A N/A
N/A 3,000,000 B.F. Fal� Creek System
�. ri. Ii.'s
1941 J. B. Hills 5,004,000 B,F, Middle For]c
R. M. 23
R. �dwards 3,504,000 B.F'. Fall & Winberry
Creeks
J. Hi11s 1.700,040 B.P', North Fork of MiddJ,e
Fork
R. M. 37.5
1902 C. Williams 1,500.000 B.F'. Fali Creek System
*!�/A natations reflect statistics not given in the material obtained.
74
Date(s) Contractor Volume Location
1902 Booth-Kelly 4,000,000 B.F. Fall Creek System
(F. Gibson and
R. c. Ec2warc�s)
Hi11s Brothers 4,00O,OOU B.F. Upper Lost Creek
R. M. 13.6
J. D. Barber 2,5a0 Cord Fal� Creek
{balm woo�}
1403 R. C. E�wa�ds 1,100,400 B.F. Winberry Creek
Booth-Kelly 4,400,000 B.F. FalZ Creek
R. M. i1.3
1904 Booth-Ke12y �3/A Fa13 Creek
R. M. 21.3
J. g. Hills 7,00�,O�U B.g. MiddZe Fork
C. L. williasns 1,OOQ,OQO B.F. Middle Fark
R. M . 20
Booth-Kel�p 8,000,000 B.�`. North For3c of Midd�,e
Fork
R. !�!. 37.5
C. Williams 100 telephone Middle Foxk
poles
1905 Booth-Ke11y 4,000,004 B.F. wir�berry Creek
(R. C. Edwards)
�. A. Taylor S,Odfl,000 H.F. North Fork of Middle
Fork
R. M. 37.5
Hills Brothers 20,040,040 B.F`. Upper Middle Fork
Hooth-Kelly I3,000,000 B.F. North Fork of Middle
Fork
R, M_ 37,5
1906 C. Wil�iams 2,504,044 B.F. Middle Fork
Booth-Kelly b,000,000 B.F. Fall Creek System
J. B. Hills 6,000,000 B.F. Middle Fork
R. M. 41.5
�907 Booth-Kelly ].9,b00,Q00 S.F. winberry Creek
75
Date{s?
1947
�so�-o8
1949-�1
192Q
Contractor
Eugene I,umber
Cvmpany
J. B. Hills
Booth-KeZly
Eugene Lumber
Coanpany
�+I/A
E. Walker and
L. Hil].s
Volvn�e
4,fl00,000 B.F.
N/A
N/A
2,500,d00 S.F.
N/A
cedar pales
CONCLUSION
r,ocation
Horth Fork of t�4iddle
Fork
R. �+1. 37.5
Winberry Creek
N/A
N/A
Middle Fork
R. M. 25.5
Middle Fork
(above Oakridge)
R. M. 51
Qn the basis of the above facts of commerciaZ use, the State of
Qregon has a clazm to the bed of the Middl� Fork of the Willamette
River to River NliZe 51, nine miles above Oakridge. In addition ��
has a claim ta the beds of the fol].awing tributaries of the Middle
r�ork in �hese :��a.�1r��� :
Fali C��ek 0 - 1�
WinksA�'?y Creek 0 -- 7
Lamson Creek 0 - 1
North Fork 0 - 1
76
NOTES
�Howard McKinley Corning, Wiliamette La ndings , p. 11, 13.
zIbid.
3 0_regon BZue Book, 2967-1958, p. 10. Compiled and Published by Tom
McCa�Z, Secreta�y nf State.
4 A. G. Walling, I�lustrated Histor�r of I,ar�e Coun�y, p, 326. Published
by A. G. WaZling, 1884.
�HoWard McKin�ey Corninq, Wil3amette Landings, p. 118-119.
6 A. G. Wa�ling. Illustrated Histary of Lane CountY, p, 324-325.
�Howard McKinley Corning, Willamette Landings p. 119-120.
8 A. G. Walling, Illustrated History of Lane County, Q. 447-448.
�U.S. Gealogical Survey, Forest Conditfons in the Cascade Ranqe Forest
Reserve, Oregon, Professional Paper No. 9, 1903, p. 149.
lO Divisian of State Lands persona� interview with Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Holt, Nove.m�aer �4, 1976.
Z �Vexyle M. Jensen (Worth), �arly Days on the Upper Wi]�lamette, 1969,
p. 5. -- . . . _,-•-•--
12 Ybid., P. 25.
i3�.S. Geological Survey, Forest Conditions in the Cascade Range Forest
Reserve, Ore�on, p. 149. � .�_.. .
� p. 148.
� M. Jensen (Worth), Earl Da s on the U r Wi3�lamette, 1969,
p. lil.
1 �Division of State Lands personal interview with l�lr, and Mrs. Henry
Holt, November 10, 197fi.
L:���s��;. �f atatc La�,ds ��s�f�a� ii►te��:i�w �:i.t i i�i , i�awi���:� Hiii�,
November 10, 1976. ,
Division of State Lands persona3 interview with �Ir. DanieZ Winfzey,
Hovember 18, 1976.
17 U.S. Geolog�cal Survey, Forest Canditions in the Cascade Range Forest
Reserve, Oregon p. 148--149.
Wfllamette Basin Task Force, Willamette Basin Co�sgrehensive Stud�
1969. T
77
1$ WilZamette Basin Task Force, Wi� lamette Bas�n Comprehensive Study
19b9. Appendix D, p. II38.
�
20 Division of State Lands, "�cKenzie and Willarnette River Flvw and Grade
by River Mile - 1976".
2 �atate Water Resources Board, Upper Willamette River Hasi.n ApxzZ 196J.,
p. 83. ,,._ . . . ,.,
2Z Ihid.
23 ;bid.
24 1bid.
25 Division of State Lands, staff report, "Proposed Land Exchange,
Middle Fork Willamette River, Wildish Land Company, June 1975".
2 �State Water Resourc�s Baaxd, Upper Willamette River Basin, April 1961,
p. 84.
2 �Ibid.
2g Ibid.
Z�Ibid.
30 �b�.d. � P • 85.
3Z Willamette Basin Task Force, Willamette Basin Comprehensive Study,
1969, A,ppendix K, p. A-27.
32 State Water Resottrces Eoard, Upper Willamette River Basin, April 1961,
p. 86.
33 Ibid., p. 98.
3 '��ivis�on of State Lands persanal interv�ex with Mr. Kenny King,
January �3, 1977.
35 Willamette Basin Task Force, Will Basi Com rehensi.ve Stuc� ,
1969. Appendix D. p• I�40. ----_
�bIbid.
37 Ibid.
Division of State Lands intervi.ew with Mr. Kenny 1Cing.
38 Ibid.
Ibid.
78
39 U.S. Army Corps of Enqineers, Rese Regulation Manual for Laakaut
Point Reservoir November 1, 1954, p. 7, 11. ^ T
4fl 5tate Water Resources gosrd, Up�e_r Wiilatnette River Basin, Apri� I961,
p. 97.
Divisian of State L3nds interview with Mr. Kenny iCing.
Willamette Basir� Task T'orce, Willamette Basin Comprehensive 5tudy
1969, p- A28•. ��� � �
41 Division of State Lands, "McRenz�.e and Willamette River Flos,r and Grade
by River Mile - 1976".
� Webster's New Collecriate Di.ctianary, copyright 1973.
`��"The Stern Wtiee�er Stary", Northwest �tatar�r Magaz3,ne, April �5, 1956.
44 n�tern Wheelexs Plied Wil�amette", Eugene Register Guard, July 23,
1950, p. 16E.
��Ibid.
4 �'"The Stern Wheeler Story", �1o7rtl�west Rotary Magazine.
47 Portland Oregonian March I2, 1857.
�$"Fi.rst River Steamer Reaches Euqene City", Eugene Register Guard, Ju1y Z8,
1937, p. 8. �- --
4 g"St�rn Wheelers Plied Willamette", Eugene Register Guard, July 23, 1950,
p . 1.6E .
��Howard McK�nley Cornix►g, Willamette Landin�s, p. �19.
� of State Lands �rsonal interview with Alva McPherson,
January 29. 1975.
Division of State Lands Qersonal interv�.ew with l�Ir. Sid Stires, December
�4 I975,
S2U.S. Geological Survey, Forest Conditions in the Cascade Range Forest
Reserve, Oregon, p. --
53�.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Reservoir Regulation Manual for Lookaut
Point Reservoir p. 76.
$ Water Resources Board, Upper [�TiZ�amette River Basin, Aprfl 196Z,
p. 83.
55 �ivision of State L�nds intervi�w with Mr. Kenny King.
56 Qregon State Marine Board, Pleasure Boating in Oregon - 1975, p. 64-65.
57 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Reservaxr Regulatian Mannal for Laokaut
Point Rese p. 20-21.
79
5 aDivision of State L2es�ds interview with Mr. Kenny King.
� State Marine Boa�d, Pleasure Boating in Oreqon - 1975, p. 64
65. T
60 Division ot Stat� Larids intervi�w with Mr. Kenny K�ng, January 3,
�977.
��"First Mill Got Energy F��m Ha�se", Eugene Register Guard March 1,
1959.
� McKiniey Corn�ng, Willamette Landinr�s, p. 120.
��Glenn Mason, Lane County Hi "River ririving in Lane County",
Vol. XVIII, No. 2, 1973.
64H_ Cox, Rando�n Lenqths, copyright �949, p. 82,
65 Ibid., p• 84.
6 �xbid.. P• 86-87.
67 Division of State Lands personal interview with Mrs. Arenna Mc�ee,
January 9, 1975.
�' of State Lands Qersonal interview �rith Mr. Mark Goodman,
December 15, 1976.
69 Divisi.on of State Lands personal interview with �4rs. Hallie Hills
[�untington, June 11, 1974.
70 Glena Masos�, Lane Count�Historian, "River Dri.ving in Lane Caunty",
p. 3b.
��Division of State Lands int�rview with Mrs. Arenna McBee.
� o� Oregon, No. I7, Lane county", dreqon c:it Weex1
73 Glenn Mason, Lane County Historian, "River Driving in Lane County",
p. 24.
74 Steward H. Holbrook, Hol� OZd Mackinaw, p. 237.
7 �Division of State Lands interview w�th Mrs. HaZ1ie Hills Huntington.
76 Glenn Mason, Lane County fiist orian, "River Drivxng in Lane County",
p. 24. —�
��pivision of State Lands intexview witih Mr. Mark Goodman.
78„�� Driving Was a Coloxful Era in Lane County History", En ene
Register Guard, �7uly 23, I950.
SO
79 "Lane in �850 Typical Forest", Euqene Registex Guard, July 2, i94�.
80 "Early Days af Boatru-Kelly Firm Recalled", Euqene Register Guard
July 26, Z959.
a �"Boath-Kelly Co. Pioneered Vall.ey I,umber Industxy", Eugene Reqister
Guard March 1, 7.959.
S Mill Got Energy From Horse", E�qe�ne Register G� ard, March 1,
1959.
$ �"River Ra.ts Were Hardy Lumberxnan", Eugene Registear Guard lKarch 1,
1959.
� Division of State Lands interviews with �rs. Hallie Sills Huntington
and Mr. Lawrence Hills.
8 �Division of State Lands interviews with Mr. Daniel Winfrey and Mr.
Sid Stires.
86 The Columbia River and Ore Ti.mberman (hereaftex referred to as The
Tidaber�an} , January 1900, Vol. 1, No. 3, p. 1�,. �
87�� �,� ,��e 1900, Vol.. 1, i3o. S, p. 18.
88 The Timberman, October 1900, Vol. 1, No. 12, p. 7.
89 �bid.
Sa U.S. GeologicaZ Survey, Farest Cond�tia in the Cascad� Range Fores�
Reserve, Oregon, p. 1.57. — . . . _ ,_�_
Q� "ni� �c���in �.on�racL", nu ene Re 15L@i' c�uard rebrua
9 �39 9 9 9 , x'y J-y , lytli .
92 Eugene Re�ister Gnard, I�arch 13, J.901.
43F,�gw.,P R�c��arpr r.,,3��; M?Y iF: 14�? : r. 4.2.
g� £ugene Register G�ard Aiay 2Z, 1901.
g$Eugene Register Guard, May 31, i901.
� Ti.�nberman Jnne 1901, Vol. 2, I�o. S, P. 7.
g��bid.
�$Ibid.
9g The T].mber[u�tri August Z901, Vol. 2. No. 10, P. 7.
IOQIbid.
i Register Guard August 22, 1901, p, i.
81
� Timbern�an Segtember 1901, VoI. 2, Na. 1, p. 7.
103 Ibid.
ia Tzmberman October i901, Vol. 2, No. 12, p. 7.
105 T he Timberman March 1902, Vol. 3, No. 5, p. 6.
I
� .
��� Timberman May 1902, Vol.. 3, No. 7, p. 9.
lp
110 The Timberman ,7une 1902, Vol. 3, No. 8, p. 7.
lil Ibid.
112 �`im�erman Auqust 1902, Vo}.. 3, No, i0, p. 6.
113 Ibid.
114 Ibid.
115�e T�,mberman November 1902, Vol. 4, IVo. 1, p. I3.
� �imberman Decemher 1902, VoJ.. 4, No, 2.
1 ��Division of State Lands personai ir�terviews.
1 � 8 "Land Loggers Want Rain", �ugene Register Guard, June 19, 1903.
119 p�vision of State I.ands persona� interviews.
, -, �
i"'I�id.
�21mho Ti 1r�rr�h 7+jA� Vn1 , 4 �c�, 7 �n, �5
122 The Timbern�an July 19Q3, Val. 4, No. 9, p. 328.
] . 23 Tha Timhprman Auaust 1903. Vol. 4. No. 10.
124T Tzmberman Septe�aber 1903, Val. 4, No. 11, p. 328.
125 "Some Rapid Loqging work", �uqene Register Guard, October 2, 1903,
p. 5. �
Z2 �' The Timberman Novembez 1903, Val. 5, No. 1, p. 20.
Z27 The Timberman, May 19Q4, Vol. 5, No. 7., p. 126.
82
� Timberman, July 1904, Vo1. 5, No. 4, P. 22
1 ��The Timberman, August �9Q4, VaI. 5, No. �0, p. 2fi.
i3 �The Tfmberman, September 19�4, Vo].. S, No. 1�, p. 35.
i31 �'3�e '�imbezman� October I909, Vol. 5, No. 12, p. 27.
� Tirnbers�an, November 1904, Vol. 6, Ne. 1, p. 33.
133�e �i�nberman, Decentber �.904, Va�. 6, No. 2, p. 41.
].34�e �����an, �'anuary 1905, Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 24A.
13 ��bid.
�
137 �bzd.
i38 �bid.
�
�� Timber�naz�, Febrexary I9Q5, Vo�.. 6, No. 9, p. 48.
�'� Timher�nan, Map �905, Vol. 6. �lo. 7, p. 40B.
?42
Ibid.
143 ��id,
�
�"���'he Timlaerman, August 1905, Vol. 6, No. ZQ, p. 21.
� fiimberman, September 1905, Vol. 6, No. I�. p, 24B.
�`� Timberman, October 1905, Vol. 6, No. 12, p. 32H,
Z48�aS. �aZogical Survey, gorest Conditions in the Cascade Rang� For�s�
Reserve, Oregon, p. 150
344 n;�.�� ..c ��_�- -�-
"�.+Q�.�+i■ vi a�.exc.� i,anas �=gpIlgl interview wfth Mr. Archie Lai?uk�,
November 17, 1976,
Y5a pivis�on of State Lands personal i�nterviews.
� Tz.mbertnan, January 1905, Vol. 7, No. 3, p. 22.
15 �Ibi.d.
153�� � April 1906, Vol. 7, No. 6.
��
��
� �imberman, JuZy 190�, Vol. 7, Nn. 9, p. 48.
156 rbid.
157 Ibid
�
1 ��Division of State Lands interview with Mrs. Hallie Hi.11s Huntington.
Disposition of Mrs. Ha21#.e Hills Huntington, �ecember 23, 1974.
; �'�The Ti�nberman, �anuary 1907, �YOI. 8, No. 3, p. 42.
1sY r�ia.
162 Ibid .
I63 �bid.
164�he �imberman, �'uly 1907, Vol.. 8, No. 9, p. 33.
165 The Timbezman, I�ay 1907, Vol. 8, No. 7, p. 54.
156 bivisian of 5tate Lands personal interviews.
I67��id
lEB Glenn Mason, Lane Cpunt Historian, "River Arivinq in Lane County",
p. 27.
iwa .
""'Disposi�.ion �� Mrs. Hallie HiJ.ls Iiuntington.
170� ,����n, April 1908, Vol. 9, No. 6, p. 27.
171,�� Tu�.w��aii, Ju�Y 15u3, J��. 10, h�. �.
�'��bivision af State Lanc�s interview with Mr. Mark Goadman.
Divi�ian of State Lands intervie3v with Mr. �aniel Winfrey.
�'��Division of State Lands personal �nterviews.
, -, .
�''"�Glenn Hiasan, Lane County His�arian, "River Driving in Lane Co�nty�', p. 3�.
175 Division of State Lands �sersonal intervi�ws.
�'��Diva,siors of State Lands personal intexview With Mr. �arle Walker,
Nove�nber ].6, 1976.
Division of State Lands interview with i�Ir. Lawrence Hil�s.
84
APPEraarx
BIBLIOGF2APHY
HOOICS
Corning. �Ioward McKinley, Wi1laa�ett� Landings.
Cox, H., Random Lengths.
Holbrook, 5tewaact H., Holy Old Mackinaw.
Jensen (�torth), Veryl M., Earl Da s on the c7 r Willamet�e.
Merriam-Webster, Wel�ster's New Collegiate_Dictionary, 1973.
Oregon Division of State Larsds, Deed Record Books.
Oregon Secretary of State, 4ragon Blue Book, 1967-1968.
Ri.ddle, George W., Early Days_ in Oregon.
Wal.ling, A. G., Illustrated Histo of Lane County.
- , , , . . , .,,, __ ,.,r.Y.,,.___.. —�--
REPORTS - PERIODICALS
Columbia River and Oregan Timberman {magazine); issues from �7une
1900 to July 1909.
Lane County Historian, "River Driving in Lane County", Glenn
Mason, Vol. 18, No. 2, S�muner 1973.
I3orthwes_t �tar�+ Magazine, "7.'he Stern Whe��er 5ta�y Apri� 15,
1956.
Oreqon Ca.tr�Weekly Enterpri,se, "Statistics of Qregan" No. ?7,
Lane �County, Val. 4, [�arch �.2, 1870.
Oreqon Marine Board. Pleasure Baating in 4regon 1975.
Oregon Water Resources Board, Upper Willamette River Basin, Apri1,
1961. _: , _�, , _
T3.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Reservoir Requlat,fon Manual_�or
Lookont Point Reservoir November, 1954.
f3.8. Anay Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior, Forest
Conditions in the Cascade Range Forest Reserve._Or�an
Professional Pa r Na. 9, 1903.
Q.S. Geological Sttrvey, Department af the Interior, Water Resource
Data for Oregon Surface Records, 1973.
B5
REPORTS - PERIODECAY.S
Wil�am�tte Basin Task �'orce, Pacific Northwest River Basins
Commissian, wi3lamette Sas_in_Caaprehensive StudY - Water and
Related Land Resources, 1969, Main Report, Appendices B, D,
E, and R.
NEWSPAPERS
Eugene Reqister 6uax�, Eugene, Orcgon
The Ore anian, Part�and, Oregan
DIVISION OF STATE LANDS - PERSOi3AL INTERVIEWS
i�lark Goochnan (age 85) , December ].5. 1976, by R. Frost
Lawrence Hills {age 75), Nonember 10, 1976, by R. Frost
Henry Holt, i�ovember 10, 1976, by R. Frost
Hallie Hil.�s Huntington. June 11, 1974, by A. Panissidi.
Kenny King, January 33, 3977, by R. Frast
Arc�iie LaDuke, Noveinber 17, 19�6, by R. F'rost
Arer�na McBee (age 90), January 9, �975, by A. Panissidi
Alva McPherson (age 94), 3anuary 29, 1975, by A. Panissi�i
Sid Stires (age 78), Dece��r 14, 1976, by R. Frost
Ear1e Wa2ker (aqe 95), Nove�ber 16, 1976, by R. Frost
F�aniel Winfrey (age 83) ,�lovember 18, 1976, by R. Fzrost
AGF,�L�iC�ES
State of Ore�on
Fish and Wi.idlife, Department of
Forestry, Department of
Marine Board
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon State Library
8b
AGENCIES
5tate of Oregan
Oreqon 5tate University Library
R�evsnue, Department of
Seczetary of State - Archivss
State Lands, Divisian of
Transportation, Department af - Highway Divisian
Uni.versfty of Oregon L�,bra�cy
wa�er Resources, Depart�ent of
Gount
Lane County Assessor's Office
I.ane County Pioneer Museum
Lane County Surveyor's Office
City
The Upper t�il3.ame�te Pioneer Association, Pioneer Muse�,
Oakridge, Oregon
Federal
U=S: Burea� of L�nd Man�gemen�
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. i'vrest Service
U.S. Geolagical Survey
87