Yamhill River Farnell�., • �. .
�� : �'.
By
Stephen Aa Nioser
Project Manager, Navigability Programs
and
James E� Farnell, Ph.Dm
Research Analyst 3
DIVISION UF STATE LANDS
March 1981
IPITRJDliCTION
t?„nPr_ th2 ��u�l �'ooting clause of the Oregon A�an�.ssions Act, the Un? ted
Stated Governr�ent transferreci ownersnip �f the beds of all nGvigable wat�s�rays
tc the State of Or�gon in 1859. At the time of fihis repozt, ths full ext�nt
of Oreq�n's awnership is unknown. The present develo�ment trends alang our
wa�erways make it apparent that the location of �he State/private boi:nd.aries
are er e:�treme importanceo The I973 Legislature recogniz�d this and passec;
pI�S 274_p2g-p;4. This 'aw da.rects the Division of State L�s:ds to make a stucty
of all Oreqon's wat�7ways and maJ�e public their findings< This repc�rt is the
�ivision s study of tne Yazahiil Ftivere
'I"r.e Yamhill P.iver is an interesting river in that, for its size tcomparable
to the �'ualatin and Si.letz) it has had a history of vessel navigation almes�. as
extersive as �he SJillartette.
The rese�rchers would like to t��ank Gecrge Abdill r Director of �Yae L��zglas
- t.:,� .�+-.�n�iq�o rnll�r'¢?C)Tl C�2D1C�.2P_LT
CpUI]t�' j°tUSC'llIT�r fOY T�ZOV1C1I1CJ �I7CJLC7yZa�I1S it`viTt ii.i.a ^cn�.c�,.- ,,•.�_._..------ ,. =
r?vea-boats of this statea The staff of �1 E`lying M Ranch also pe�nit�ed the
researcher �.c, ��liotograph the site of the Petcr. dam.
Thar.ks are due to the
fo llowing i.ns ti tutions :
Yar,ihill County Coitrthouse
Uz�egor. State Archives
Oreg��n Srate Librar.y
Oregon Histcrica� SacieLy
U. S. Army Cor�s of Engineers, Partland
Oreqon �epartm�nt cf �'ish & Wildlife
7'he divis�on of 3�;or _n i�tiis report is r.��a�;nly as fol�.c�ws, �tephen Moser
develop��1 th� materia°ls on vessel r,avig�tion �a; D�e Farr.el?_ �aid most of the
work on iog r��ives and �arote t��e final reportm
YAMHILL RgVER �ASIN
�he Yamhiii kiver Basi� �i����e� wi��ir, �he Coast �az�e subh��ir uP
- �he middle Willamette River basin, drains an a�ea of approximately 770 square
mileso The Yamhill and its tributaries drain an expansi�e and fertile area
of oak°clustered floodplains and red clay £oothillsm Both se�imentary and
ianeous rocks underlie the drainage basin. The underlyinq_ rocks are marine
sedimenCs, probably of the Eocene age with occasional flows of intrusive
bodies and basic igneous rocks.
Zf you wer� to make a cross section of the main ri�er valley, you would
discover a series of unusual terraces risina at intervals awap fram the s�ream-
bedm The first terrace, or flooclplain, is appr�ximately 20 feet above the
river and abaut three miies wide, The second terrace elevates approximately
60 feet and will vary in width from three to eiqht miles.
�ost of the river°s floodplain is d�voted to a_qriculture such as cere�l
grains, _qrass s�ed, raising livestock and poultryo The hiqher mountainaus
areas are devoted to forest industry activi�ies.
Trce main u��an dev�l�pmen�s �lon� th� Yamhill River are nayton, 7.a�ayette,
Carlton, Sheridan, Will�mina, and Mc�innville< �f these, McMinnville is the
larqest and is the county seat for Yamhill County (Fiq. 1)m
° The name Yamhill comes from the Yamhill (Yamhelas) Indians who formerly
lived in the reqion. The river itself is actu�lly three individual se�ments:
the North Yamhill, �he South Yamhill, and the Yamhill (main) R.iversa
Both the �orth and the South Rivers beqin at the east side ravines of the
Coast Range. The ?torth makes its way down steep ravines, traverses throuqh
rugged, timbered terrain while the South--oriqinatinq in the Gr�nd P.onde Valley--
meanders over Iow valley land where both rivers finaliy converge near R4c�innville
0
. �
�o become the Ya�hill ?iver, 11 miles above i*s confluence with the h'illamette
F.ive�' . �
mv. _ n �.. e. M
0� ��l� L�ic� t �ii€3 �I�^,.r.th Y'c�F^?111Z 1c eF!i i i�3 ��iY�! • iatc �tiu�la
�ranch is 62 miles in l�nqth, which is almos� double the lenc�th of the north�rn
fork. Zf we seament the 33 miles of the North forkP we fgnd that 3 miles flow
throur�h a�ount�inaus ter�ain with an ave�age c�raclierat of 530 fse�/mile � 11 miles
�ass through foothills with an averacxe qradient of 57 fee�/mile; and 19 miles
meander throuqh rollinq �alley lands with an averaqe gradient af S feet/mile.
The South, in contrast, flows i�s enti�e ienqth over relatively glat aqricultural
2
land and has an avera.ge gr.adiene of 8 feetjmile (�'ige 2j.
°�hhe main Yamhill River, Iike its South gork, has a very c?entle qradient.
Flowing for 11.2 miles over low farmland before it empties into the willamette
River, i�.s average qradient is only about 1 foot/mile. This is, rowever, p�rtly
due to the influence of the backwa*er of the Willamette. The Yamhill is a small
river, from �0 to 100 feet in width. Zts bed lies between steep banks on either
side-��rom 20 to 60 feet in heiqht--and is generally cove�'ecl wi�h trees and
:rush. The lower por�ions of the rzver channel are ,pat�erned by oxhows, sharp
k;ends ,�nd e�ld overf lcsw channels c�i�h f loaiolazns vazyincr fx°om less than C. 5
miles to mare than 1.5 miles wide.
a.ecords of c?ischarqe exist for several }�oints an �he river and its trib-
�
u�aries as follows:
2iver I.oca�ion
South Yamhill above
A?illamina Creek, RM 45.5
�dillamina Creek, F.N4 6.2
5outh Yamhill below
Salt Creek, RM 16e7i
NoYth Yamhill at
P i;c e, Fti�� 2 Q. S ,
Years of
�ecor
44
44
38
25
�
�5ean �'iow tiiah Low
(in Cubic feet oer secand)
629 �9,600 2.6
263
1,7�36
242
1(�,800 5.4
47,200 3.2
9,53� 1.7
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Fragmentary recor�s a� Sheridan show a maximum discharge af 26,600 cubic feet
per second and �inimum of 38 cubic feet per second, On the main stem there
&1�.'l� �P.l�� itt v,r2ST �!�'uYS 0 rnCOrd d�'?nt,sc t�� iCC!C8 3t T.� :dl�!: 3
maximum flaa of 27,000 cubic f�et per second and a minimum of 35 cubic feet
per second. Average discharc?e at the mouth is approximaceiy ?_,300 cubic geet
per second.
VF.SSEL NAVIGATION
Pioneers began miaratina to �he Yamhill Ftiver basin durinq the early
1840`s. Set�lements arew and as the scarcity of good roads hecame sorely
evident these early farmers and tradesmen found the Yamnill River a w�lcome
ready-made hiqhway. They used rafts or small boats to get down the Yamhill
to markets on tkae lower t��iliamette. �
The firs� commercial shipping that �ook p�ace on �he river was carried
out by James D. ?�iiler:
I commer.ced flatboatinq on the Willamette and Yamhill rivers
in the spr�.nq of I85(7, runninq from Canemah above the falis
at Oreqon City to Lafayeete, Yamhill County, on the Yamhill
River, a run of 35 miles, two days t� cro up, returning in one
day. "•ty de�an freight was mainly wheat for th� flour malls
�t Oregon City, 350 bushels beiner all the hoat could carry
safely. I was paid S� cents a bushel. My hoat was Es5 feet
long, se�en feet beam, 26 i�ches deep. My pr�pellir,q power
was four Indians, using two oars ori each sideo ? did the
steering or pilo�incr with an oai a� the stern enci. I paid
�he Indians S16 each for the trip....
Z had ali I could carry ou� of the Yamhili River from Labonties,
Dayton and Lafayet�� . T retr,ember one t�'ip I had a load af
seven �.ons measurement for Thomas Carter, of Po�tland, wha
was openinq up a branch stare in T,afayette. ?ie paid me S245
for the freiqh* up. A�y.up-freiqht was g�neral mercnandise,
for which I was paid S35 a ton reas�are-nenta This business
�•aas very satisract�ry bufi of short du�atian, for in the
spring of 18�0, Captain Swai.n and .Tchn Kruse got a sm�ll
engine, six inenes by 22 inches s�rok�, and put it in a
0
�
shig°s lonqboat after lengtheninq it out to about 50 feet;
it was about seven feet beam ( Hoosier ` No. 1]. Th?y put
on side-wheels and geared the enqine with a pinion an the
crank shaft, working i�to a spur wheel on the paddle-wheel
S��i� g��i�u �t2T�g �O �.^<�e T�2S t2�St cra�mAr in �tYo���
wat�r coirttnencPd to run betweer� Per�land and Oregon City in
the early sprinq of 1850ee..
The Hoosier ...was hauled �round Willame�te Falls and put on
the Butteville, Champaeg Dayton and Lafayette route< The
Hoosier coanmeneed running on this rout� in ,7une or �he first
part of July (i8513. �nd soon sent flatboats and Indian
power to �he bank for all �ime.
The Hoos ier could ca�ry 5�ans and made three trips a week from Caraemah to
Dayton. 'The vessel had all the trade it could handle arad k�usiness was qaod.
So gaod, in fact, that it.began to attract the a�tention of other enterprisinq
investorsa During the same year it beqan on the Yamhill run, 1851, three
additional steamboats began doina business on �he upper Willamette and Yamhilla
On June b, 1851 the small Washing�on churned up the Yamhill
for her share of the c7rea� grain weal�h baund for la�ae� willatnette
flouring millsm After so�e mc�nths of competition with the Hoosier,
the Washington �rithdr�w fr�t t?�e Y�hi.11 �rade �r�� was sez�� do�ar�
to the lower Willa�nette. Her place was soon taken by tT�e side-
wheeler Muitnomah The Multnomah [Fiqe 6l was foll�aed by the
_____
Canemahm
The washington [was] brouqht north from San Francisco on the
deck af a windjammere ?'he Multnomah built of Jersey oak shipped
west, with a barrel hull �hat required no caulking (was] put
together at Canemah. she bectan service late in 1851.
The log of the Washinqton exists in �he Dauqlas County !�use�am and the foilowing
entries wer� made by her Captai.n, Ae Se Murry: "On upper Willamette June
1851. Up Will. �o Cincinnati [Eola� & up Yamtaill to Dayton, Jul.y, I851. At
8
Lafayette on Yamhiil, ,7uly 19, 1851.°'
James De Miller returned to the Yamhill in the e�rly part of 1856 and
resumed his history of its naviqatien:
Captain S. P. Smith, a brother-in-law of mine, and myself, bought
the Hoosier No. 2, and continued to run the boat in what was then
knawn as the Butteville, C.h�mpoeq and Yamhil2 trade. Captain �1ni�h
5
�nd Z then co��mence� *o �uild a larqer hull for the Hoosier
which we calle� No. 3 , and employed Captasn Leonard Plhite to
superintend the buil�inn. Durin� the time �f the huildinq
af the new hu11, we kept the Hoasier. Na, 2 runnina, doina a
goa:: business. ��� socr. q�* e�.�r new baa� c�uc a?2� i�aca a�i �h�
business that she could �o, but �he machinery w�s overloaded
and we had numerous break�lc�w�s, which was quix� expensiv�.
CapCain Smith in the spring of 1857 sold his on�°half interes*.:
to Joseph Lacey, who ran on the bo�� with me for same time.
W'h�� I sald ou� �o I2obert N. WF�i��, ia� the sumnie� �f x8�7, �
toak one-fourth in�eres� in the new s��azner built by Captain
Cris Switzer, John H. Waxe, �eorge ��arshall and Al1an, McKinlay
and Company, and called t?ie Elk, which com.meneed runninq about
October 1, 1857. This steamer [a small sternwheeler] was
built for the same route as the Hoosier After runr.inq one
season the Elk [Pig. 7l proved too iarq° for this rou°te, and
the business dic� not pay for three trips a week, so we con-
cluded to run one trip a week in Yamhill anc� the res*��of the
time - up the Willaa^ette, -
For a time Miller ran on the Tualatinp but at the end of 1858 he deci�ed tc:
bring the Hoosier into the Willamette and run an the o2d
Yamhill route, as the Elk owners wzshed to Ze�we i� and qo an
the upper willamette runem..
I ran �he Haosier again in the �amhill. C�n June 1[1859J I
exchanqed my in�erest in the �'lk for �he interest of �weitzer
and Peas� far 510�0, the Elk then Ieaving the Y�r.hill rou�e
r� the Hoasier P,bout this date I bouctht from Captain �. W.
Cochran the steamer ,7ames C for a compar�y cotnposed of
�eorge Laroque, Edwin B. Fe3lows, J. T. Aptiersara t^lilliam
Overholtzer and J. B. Miller. I then took command oi the
James ^linton runnincr in place af the Hoosiez' to I�u�teville,
Champoea, DdytQPl y Laf�yette arzd ?�cMznnville whera the water
would permita W� did a fine business, carryinq grain, flouz,
fruit and all kincas o` farm z�roducts.
We �oon commenc:ed �o buizd a sco�a fo� �he machirzsry of the
Hoosier which wc�uld r,ot dra�a so much water arad wculd be �le
in the fall to qc� over the bar at tn� mout.;i of the Yamhili
E:iver. As we could no�, r�ira o�?r this bax fr�� one or tcao
months in the fall, °ae canrectAd at the anouth vf the Yamhill
with �he Cli.nton dividi_�a up tre cYe�v of t'l ta run the
Yamhill scow to Dayton and return, ^�akinq thr�e trips a week
frcm Oregon �ity "o p�ints on the Y'amhoil ?.ive-.
The Yamhill SteamY�oat Compan,� had beer. or��nzz�d ?n 1$59 hy ,Tames Clinton.��
�
ThF company '�liller was in mercrerl to form tlze t�rf-���on 5team *lav.iq��rion
Company in December 1860 and continued its operation on the Yaanhill in the
fo2l�wir�g ye�r. :� 2862 the Fec��e's "'ran�por�a�a�n C�m�s�n�r �•�as est�biisi?n�
and they placed ne�+a and firaer boats on the upper t�?illamette. '"his company's
freiaht ra�es, made effective May 13, 1867, ar� of interest:
From Portland to
city
Oreqon �'ity
rACMinnville
�alem
Albany
Corvallis
Eugen�
up rate
S 2a50
7.�0
f�o0n
lb. f?0
11s00
I6<(10
Dawn Ya�e
S 2000
7.00
Fo00
7.0f�
R.00
11. Ot7
Special rates were named for flour, oats, �ippleso separators and reapers. In
1868 the averaqe freight rates from noints on the Yamhill �.iver to Portland
were S to 7 dollars per ton. The first rate schedule of the Willamett�
Transportation Company in 1871 was $3 per ton grom Portlanc3 to McrSinnville and
52.00 to Dayton and Y�afayet�.e. 'Phese charg�s were we2l under gast freigh�
staqe rates. P7ells Farqo gn 1869 charged 4 1/2� per pound from Portl�nd to
Salem1 Futhermore the staqe could not handle the bulk wheat shipments �anich
were the stagle of �he Yamhill trade especially as �hPSe were sen� out when
autumn rains made the roads miserable gainq for stages and wagons.
As for schedules durina the 1860's and 70's. the People's Tzans�ortation
Company`s:
Gtc�amers SENATOR and RLERT will leave the campany's dock Portland,
naily (Sunday exceg�ed) for �reaon City at 4 1/2 o'clock ANS anc�
3 PM connecting teith company hoats at �regon �'ity .e. c1n Monday,
wec?nesday, and Friday, for Dayton -- Ae A. *RcCully
Oregonian ,7une 30, 1869
The Willamette River Transportation Company's steamers Zef� Flanders F�harf,
Portland at 6 o'clock., A�R for Dayton, Lafayette an�i t?cMinnville c�n Saturday
and Monday, Passage to McPSinnville being $1a00 in December 18730
I]
Cintil Piov�m�ber 26, 1887, tiae r�ilroa� company operated t��o ste�m-
boats, City of �alem anc Salem, �hrou�h its s�.bsidi�ry, Oreqoniar=
Navigation Company, Lim.i�ed. These steamboats an3 others ...
connected with the wes� si.de branch at Dayton. By �aking steam-
L__.. c�__ a.t......7 -.a- ..�..7'...0 R Ad nrtarc �n_arl 135nr�h
tiCJC6� 1LVIi� rVl t,1Q1aU ttt, jc`v'cia v t.av�a� s�o._. p �w.s.a�-+ay.....+ i....� ...+,_.�,.
on board and) reached Bay*on at 'Pao o'clock �hat afternonn, wh��ce
the railroad conveyed them to Lafayette Dallas, '�onmouth ....
Everything was going so well tha� a group of f�rmers caot toaether and built a
railroad from the Sheridan-Gsand �?onde area to �he river at Day�on.
Wi.th the wheat boom of Che 1870's, the Corps e�f Enga.neers was asked to
finance improvemen�s on the Yamhill °.iver. Their first report was made in
1871: 21
r� RRcMinnville, the county seat of ttais caunty, it [Yamhill Q.iver)
hecins to assume naviqable proportions, and from that poin¢ to its
mouth, a distance of 17 miles, it is capable of being ^+�c:e fairly
navigable at reasonablp expense for abou� 5 months �.n the y�ar.
Liaht draft vessels can r.each Dayton, 5 miles above the mouth,
during the entire yeare
It made the same description when it was again called upon to make *_'ecommendations
for improvement to the Yamhill ir. 1890s
Rt present, the Yamhill River is naviaable by light-draught
steamers during the entire ye�r �o �ayton, th� mairi shi�pina por=c,
and to TM�artin's lar,dina, al�hough, on account of �t�e bar at Lhe
mouth and a narrow place near th� �own, trips are made with some
dzfficulty, and a� a reduc2d tonnage.
Light draft vessels can reach nay�on, S miles above the mou�:h,
during the en�zr.e yearo To Mc.�9inn�rille durirq staaes c�f hiqh
water they can ru*� for four months; ta Laf�yette, a not much,
if any, lanqer period.
I� was not u�tii 1892, howevQr., .*_��t an apr:ro�riation wa� mad� for im�rovemen�
of the Ya�t;hill. It was in the as�oun¢ o� S3,C?00 and was �x�en�ed as follows:
n small party af inen with a skiff, axes, saws, powc�er, and �ther
outfit necessa�_-;� for �.ha t��;r_posp, �•;as ery;�ic;y�c: :�urir;c the c�peater
p.�rt of nctober and r�TOVember, cle�Y�:ine? snau �, loqs i s�umps , and
overhangir.cr '�;.ees fr_o�n t.hF be�� of "��is �°i�rer ?>et.wee?� its mGUth
a.nd Mcr�innvill�-, l� mi1FS �bc�°��. ?�urir.c� �hi.s time about 1,200
trees an� snaas of °.r�rio�.is •�p�acr?.p�::.c�r �r�re cut, which rloated
away durina the nex"� r�_se. In thE latfier_ rar�: of ^Joverr�her, in
�
conseQUence of heavy rains, the stream had risen to a 12-foot
stagep a� which heiaht the rapi�s at Lafayette are suhmerged
sufficient to permi� boats passin� ahove them. It was at
that time in as good condi�ion for navi�ation as it is possible
tn m�ke it. t7o boats took advantage of this condition to ascend
above Daytona
Za
Similar work was undertaken in 18q5:
From �ay 13 to May 23 the Corvallis worked an the Yamhill
River between its mouth and the town of Lafayette, and
removed 69 snaqs from the channel and 118 stumps and over-
�anging trees from the banks of the river between �hese
goints at a cost of $303m85.
Again in 1896 a party of inen were pu� to removinq snaas from the Yamhill on
June 1 and completed clearing the river to McMinnville (Fig. 14}
Despite the facL that these channel improvements were undertaken, iY is
importan� to note that during 1892 �hey had not enticed any vessels to ascend
as high as �cMinnville. The 1895 clearance per�it�ed a s�eamer to qo up to
Mc�innville in the spring, the firs� such voya�e in 14 years {!) an� it con-
�inu�d its trips wh�neve� there was sufficient water.��
Despite this modest usage the people af the basin claMOred for a set o�
lecks on t�� river. The U. Se �ngineers clearly understaod this was not because
they anticipated larger use of the river: they wanted the potential threat
27 In 19�� the
of vessel competition as a cl�b to heat down railroad rates.
locks were constructed and apened on September 21 by Capte 47illiam C. Langfitt,
United States F.ngineer. �. single lock with usable dimensions of 175 by 3� f.eet
gave a lift of 16 feet over the Lafayette rapids< The cost was $72,0��.
Between the opening date and 7une, 1901 �here were 225 lockaqes with
passage of 38,967 in reqistered tonnaqe carryinq 1,742 �ons of freight and 3,010
passengers {Cover desiqn, Figs. 3-4}. During the year ending June 19�2 there
were 246 lockages with the passage of 48,24� in reaistere� tonnage carrying
3,455 tons of freight {includinq 571 tons of qravel and sand on barges for
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11
repair of the locks and 117 tons of loqs) and 1,199 passengers. And that
was the en� of hea�ry tra�fic throuq� the locks. The railroads lowered their
rates suf.ficiently ta again carry aIi �ne bu�ira��s, and during �t'4� wi=�=�er a�
19Q2-03 defects in the consfiruction of the locks were revealed:
At intermediate stages the lock is submerged, while an impassai�le
fall exis�s at the damm Durinq �he past three years the lock has
been clased to traffic, due t�? high tll�teYg for a total of two
hundred and thirty°one clays.
This made it impossible f.or �he locks to be used durinq the w.et seasor. °
�he �rery time the river was the most advantaqeous means of transport. Esy Tune
1904 i� was repor�ed that,"Ther� have been no steamer lockaQes c�urina the year,
bo�h lines af boats which formeriy ran *_o ?^c?�innville havia�q abandoned t?�e run
above Dayton (2 r�iles below lock} because i� is claimed tha� uncertainty of
lock operations durinq the high-water season makes it impossible t� compete
z
with railroad rates." "'he situa�ion remained so in 1905 th�ouqh 19�7.'
All freiaht carried has been practically cordwood �o� pa�er pulp
and loas, with the exception of I7 tor�s of s�nd. �?o rec�ular
steamers have onerated - ak�ove �he Iock. Thfrty lockaqes were
made for towboats and �he others for wood barges, rafts, fishing
hoats, and launches.
The above traffic �onsisted �rincipally of pape� pubp loqs, saw
Zogs, and oilina, and in addition to this 895,000 feet ?'. *�. of
saw loas and pulp logs passed over the dam durinq hie�h water. �do
reqular tioats have operated above the lock, the lockaqes beinq
for barges, rafts, launches, anc? fishinq ba��s.
The source of these loas fr�m the upper Yamhiil will be �iscussed in the nex�
sectian, bu� the final pericd of naviqatio�� on the Iow�r Yamhill wiil be follawed
here.
Corps of Enai�:e�rs records indi�.a�e that durinq the years 1912, 1916,
and 1917 somewhat o� an incgease i� s�eam�icat tr�f�ic thrauah �he locks occurred.��
This proved ta be no�hinn mor.e �han a last attempt by remai:�ena steam�oa� owners
1�
to continue a service that had all hut �ied stat�wide:
Ye� for many years the no R. & Ne boats kept runninq up the
Willamette, leaving Portland �aily for the Yamhill and the
�pger river�a.o ��•�Pn, as time went �n a�� businpss decii�Ar.,
the runs turned back a� Corvallis. rlext Indspendence hecame
terminal for the line, and then Salem, until finally only the
boat to Dayton on �he Yamhil2 remained in service, wi�h nne or
two other standby steamers for seasonal �raffic, such as the
Ruth and the last af the fleet, the Modoc They h�ld out
until I916 when �he Om Rm & N..amwithdrew its boats from the
river (Figs. 1Q, 11, 15, i6je
As late as 1915, a few boa�s still �raversed the Yamhill; a
few riverside farmers still chose to ship by watera But
Lafayette's period of giory was qone, leavinq few traces; and
Dayton was a drowsing county villaqe qr�uped around its larqe
public square,
Plthouqh steamboats ceased to opezate an �he Yaanhill, tuqs still came
through the locks in order to tow loq rafts into the ��illamette and down to
Oregon City or Portland:
Railroad rates were lowered and the Yamhill Locks durinq later
years, have seen Iittle traffic save the occasional log rafte
Latest figur�s shaa that about $22,000 wor�h of freight, aII
logs goes through in a yeara
This ne�s stnry af 19�0 in the Oreqonian is substantia�ed hy �he �est.imony �f
Charles F..e "Smok�y" Stoller, veteran Willamette tuqboat captain, who recalled
ascending the Yamhill above Lafayette during �everal years around 1930 in asd��
to tow out pilings through the locks. 'I'he dump was built just upstream of
the bridge at Lafayette. It was originally owned by a Japanese firm and iogs
towed out were slated for exportm A larqe portion of the lc�s harvested from
the historic Tillamook bu�n, as well as other Iogqing operations on the east
slopes of the Coast Range, were dumped at the Lafayette facility often by
small logginq campanies and 'qypo' outfits:
Incidents on both the North and South Yamhill rivers have led
to this increasing use af �he river for r�f�inq loqs. Previously,
a railroad line tapped important timber holdings in the �ofth
13
Yamhill River distric�, but in 1937 t.his line ��as burned ou�
by a des�r�.�ctiv� fir�. Now loqs are hauie� b} truck �o �h�
river where they can be rafted out< In 1339 the �onnage of
loqs and pilina raf�ed in �he vicinity of �he loss w�s more
a. t,. .. ., � n n +. �...,. �. a i, � a �. � 1 � 7 1
�aaaat svv �ac��c� �iau� ..j.. ���.+.a
True no steamboats ply the waters of the Yamhill anyr.^ore, but
logs and piling are rafted down �he rivere In 1939 the tannace
throuah �he Iocks increased 75 percent over 1935, the previous
high yeaz; and the increase since 1939 had been abaut three
times over previous high years. During 19�2 an av�rage of twG
Iog rafts per day passec7 throuqh the locks.
In the late 40's Pope and ""albot hought out the Japanese firm and kept the 1oa
dump uz��il its closina in 1955. Durinq that time, approximately one-h�lf
millian board feet of loqs were taken down the Yamhi3l Ri�ser every day - fi�e
days a week. The aovernmezt closed the locks in 1954,_but downstream thP
7ones dump, the Daytor� dump, ?'ope and Talbot's dump below D�ytc�n, and �he
i"ugphy damp near River Mile 2 contiraued in operation until 1�78 when a locr
dump was cor�structed at �undee in the vicinity of Ash Islara�? on the Willamefite
P.i�rer and ended �his traff ic �n th� Yamhill 0 3 �
14
Fig. Sa Ruins of Y�mhill
Locks, Seimmer 1976.
15
Photoqraphs of some of the steamhoa�s tha� plied �he Yamhill
NoOSIF,R, Pdn�. i-3
;<7ASFiINGTON
^FL' LTNO�aJ�.H
CA NETMIA F: -
JAM�'S CLIN'I`ON
ELK
SENATOR
�LERT
{INIO ar UNION
ST. CLP.IRE
OCC.ZDERIT
nRIER;T
REAVER
A. A. MC CULLY
SHOSHON�
n"C ?�IN�;�tILLE
DAYTC3N
CITY nF SALEM
�ALF."�t
OHIO
LUCKIANtt7TE CHIEF
ELF'C?On
ELAqO?E
LEOhIA
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Pdorth Yamhill
LOG nRIVES
The hastory of log drivinq on �he North Y�mhii2 is seLy �ampletelY
documented, thanks in particular to the case of Trullinger v. xowe t�3 Or 2i9},
Daniel Pe Trullinger was an 1848 pioneer to Oreqon who had purchased a wates-
powered flour mill on the North Yamhill two miZes due west af Yamhill �hen
called North Yamhill, in the yea"r 1875m�� William Addison Howe, a Harvard
graduate who had taken the Oreqon Trail in 18h5, built up a banking or real
estate business i� Yamhill �nd founded the Carlton Zumber Companye He had
also served the district during two terms in the Oregon State 5enate> The 7n0
pages of testimony in �heir legal contest descrihe virtually every drive on
that river system.
Ivan Daniel related that his family was the first to drive the rtor�h
Yamhill beqinning in 1873 (Fige 2d}.
We came to Yamhill County and se�tled on �he nor�h fork of the
v��r;t� Ri�Ar t�n at wha� thev call Pike [R�! 20.5] and �here was
a that time and my father rented that mill and
we operated it for a number of yearsm
Logs were cut in the early part of the summer mostly. and our
log� wer� practic�lly all peeledE logged them with cattie and
left in the river until the water was sufficiently hiqh in the
winter to drive them, and then we drove them down; first drove
to Fike or at �ar�in's hapyard and operated that mill �here for
six years; and ��as unfortunate enough to have the boom break and
lost the whole business; and Mre Ball of North Yamhill, �nd my
father, went into partnership and built a m.ill dawn there on wha�
we supposed was �r. Morris's land, riqht near Mr. Trullinqer's
mill dama
Later they formed the Yamhill Lumber Company. Its mill was
out here at 5t. Joe, althouqh they bouqht this mill up �here;
that was turned into the Yamhill Lumber Company as par� of their
paye It was all belonging �o one company...and they took another
mi11 down here by Daytan tha� Mr. Powell and �r. Shipley owned
and then built this mill at St. Joe, and we drave loqs down to
supply that mill.
St. Joe was a railroad junction north af the confluence of the �orth Yamhill
31
Fige 20a. Nozth Yamhill
ahove Pike, RA4 22.
i.�ecember 23, 1980.
32
r^ig. 2dbm No�t2� '�a��thil'�.
a:�ove mrullingsm Aiibl si�e,
;z� � e I:ec�mk.ier 23 . ? ��80.
and South Yamhille the mill was near River �ile 1 of the Nor�h Yamhi�l.
Mr. Daniel explained that th� �riv�s could only take place �uri�q w.inter
L S�L.���...��al�. .5
h3.Q�1 EJ��as,." tayhlCh PYl1�itlL 7�E.'Ql?1 dS ec3�A;� c�iS b"It�L7K5C77.�7.dltj , GIIVidc`?rt it�laeyucia��y o aiiu
��ould last into March,
Gr'e did lots of wark on the river when water was too 2ow to run
and of course they wauld r±ave. For i.nstance, we beaan at Pike
and would have lots of loQS down on those qravel bars; we wau1�3
qather with our logginq team and crew of m.en anc� those that were
tao far out on the bars to wark in by hand we oullec? aff by
cattle and some of them that were very small would float on
dawn, and m.any of them quite a qoorl ways, and of caurse � man
mgaht say that we were runninq loqs, but we �id not consider
it was a successful drive.
Aut it paid them to do it because they could no� be certain of another freshet,
and some loqs were better than none. They had one very had 5eason:
The first winter we came �o �reqon there never was hu� c�ne c�ay
that the water was even r.oiley in the stream at Pike,.. That
was on �'hristMas Day and �ae had czuite a number of logs in the
stream, and failed to qet them downe Poss�bly 20 csr 15 was �11
we qot c�own and they had put those loqs t.n 1/2 or 3/4 of a mile
above the mili, and we hauled �hos� Ioqs ��e� th� bo���r� where
John Sheperd afterwards put in his hop yard, with ca�tie �nd
took them in our mill pond the next summer<
[ThP loas were put zn� abocat 1/2 or 3j4 of a mile above �hP
mill.e... They hauled ther.� from the side of the hill up there
and pu�. them into the river and drove them down, or tried �o
and we did not have water enough to drive them. So ttae next
summer they hauled them out of the river and hauled them down
to where they would float in�o the mill pond. The mi21 we had
there was a water mill and the dam �cross riqht near �Iartin's
house.
Fortunately a low water year like that had only occurred once in 33 years on
the rivere One year t1878 or 79), however they h�d 600,000 feet of loqs in
the bonm and it broke, so they moved down close to Trullinqer's mill where the
logs had jammed. The backwacer from the flour mill's c�am provided water to
hold their Iogs. �p�� �he new location also had Rood access �o their lumber
markets which were all over Yamhill and in part of Polk Countiese Some of
33
their loas at this site were obtained from the �oo�e's �,alley strea�, �'he�
they were merged in the Yamhili Lumber �n�pany, "2 years in succession we
estimated we aot down over Z miiii�n €eet eneh yea�. Th�s° wer° t•"•e bz�a,es�
44
�rives we ever had anything to do with."
Ivan's elderly father, Henry �. Daniel, Qave further detaiis abou� the
drives:
We always hauled aut l.oas and dumped them �n some [roll] way in
as favorable a spot as we could so as to hreak t�e lams and put
�hem out on a flood, and always employed men to qo th�re and break
the �am or brea'�c the roll c�ray and roll them down in the wa�.er t�o
float off, some loqs 4 or S feet in c�iameter. They would ¢loat
aenerally we will say, about 1/3 of the diameter above the �rater,
a gr.een loq. That is about r�y mer�ory of i.te You Y.now �here must
be some 3 feet of =trater in the shallowest place to float thos?
loqs, and if on<.� stops, meets with an obst�uction, "he o*_hers a�ill
�ile up on it and �orm what we call a �ame
�i�: foot loqs were difficult to hanrlle in that s�ream and he thouaht some *ha�
size from his drives nic;ht still be huna up in the rivere n.fter Chey movecj to
the site near Trttllinqer dam:
�,-a„ �lIRC ��nwn nvPr mv old dam that I had above and from a wav
ur. near� °s. Petch's nlace and some (gram �he mouth) of Fairchilc'
Creek and all alona the river o�here we cou2d nrocure locrso
,'�f�.er 16 years in tne sai•rr^ill husiness, wh?n they were the only parti.es drivinc;
the °7orth Yamhill, the Daniels rented `"rullincier's mill in 188�3 an� to�ic t�U
flour milling.��
The plaintiff, 7 P. Trullinaer re�alled when I�. �°. P,aniel ha� moved
close to his mill:��
I 3dvised h�m to huild �own at my dam.e<.He operated that mi31
a few years, two or three years hefore they huil� do�rn at St.
,7oe. Then the�r ca�nenced runninq by; they had bouq�t logs above
there at that time and it was an experiment �o know whether theY
could (run them] to �tb .TOe or .^.ot, and I was qreafily intereste�?
...I had been a lumberman a e�ood many years and I u�antec� to sP�
whether loas could he run there. '"hey com�nenc��i runninq loqs
over my dam and d�c� for several years down �o S*. Joe Dam. �.nd
nev�r a� any �im� t they let Iocrs �ra, they neve?^ huna up
on °-hat c?ame
34
They never allowed logs to run•if they could help it when fihe
r3ver was risina; when the river is �n a rise the s�rater is
hiqhest in the cen�er, and when it commences to fall it comm.ences
to be low in the center and the logs will draw to the center and
ke�p in �he cen��r oi �hc rivere Lx�er� ��ve LcZ� me ��a* w�s
the fact and therefore they rather run loqs on a lowerinq riv�r
than on a rising river.
�nothPr reason for holdinq the lo�s a� the hoom wasee< it is
abou� �he only point Z kno�a of from nike do�n where there is a
lar�e wall Qn one side so that the logs can not Qet out on it and
the other side has good timber all alonq the banks wher.e they may
swing booms to k�ep them from aoing out onto the country. They
can mass about a million feet there or more, and when they qet
those loqs massed there and the water is ri�h� at the proper height
after a flood and has commenced to recede.mo they start those loqs
and sometimes two men will take 2,QOO,Q00 feet down there almost
as cheaply as they could take out 1�0,�00 feet, because they all
ao with that f�ood and it makes it cheaper runninq,
Trullinqer said that he had purposely made allowance for the passage of saw loqs
over his mill dam (RNI lb) when he constructed it:
I thought of it in ��aildinq Che dam, of the lenqth of loqs, and
Z left 60 feet f.zom this chute, for all of this kind �f stuff to
qo overe �here were occasionally 60 goot logs nut in before
Mr. �owe was on the rivers but as a gener.a3 �hing, no� Ionqe�
th3� 40 feet but I have not1Ced some 51xties put in th�t Cd�e
down. I left it wide enouah so that a FO foot log would swinq
and go over it should it ca�ch, and I thought it wou2d not do to
make it narrower �han that.
Of the witnesses who wer� log drivers, the one who worked earlies� �n �he
Atorth Yamhill was Joseph W. Hutchcroft who logaed 4 years with his bro�her for
�he Yamhill Lumbering Company beainning in 1882-83e The hiqhest point he ooer-
ated at that tirne was five miles above th� mouth of �airchild Creek. T}lat
would be almost �he riighest point on the �orth Yamhill at p.iver Mile 31.
They put in a flush dam there about 14 feet hiqh in 1883 or 1884. They used
it both in the winter to increase the flow of �h� stream in order to float
their largest loas, a few of which were five feet in diameter, and in the
summer to spread the logs do�n the stream away from their rollway in preparation
for the winter freshets. The average size of their Ioqs was three feet in
•
35 �
diam�ter and 16-2� fee��in lengthm The driving season was from �ovQmber �o
�he first of April, though one year {probably when �hey �ere working r.ear �he
L:9,] /�a.....+Ll a.�..... �l �or7 r � f .i. ¢ . �av.�... uw t��„9`'C 4C .T71�V SO
II1G�L3LI3 CSL fcS1ZC;tttlU 4sCCr.d �+icY �i..c.0 v _ `-
Fobert H�nninq alsr� remembered drivinq Iogs for Ball and Daniels or the
Yamhill Lumber Company for six or seven years beqinning in 1883 0� I884. Lc�s
of from 16 to 48 inches in dia.rneter were takera down from lo�rer Fairchiid Creek
and Cole's (RM 24j , Williams (R� 28-28.5] and ?�at Nlaroney's (Mat �taroney owne�
land from River �tiles 2�3-30.) place on �he North Yamhiile The drives occurred
from December ta early March, and Hanninct drave �o the bo�n abov� "'rulling��'s mial
damm He had one independen� contrac� with a�artner in 188? in whsch Petch re�.eased
water from his mill datn (P.M 27] in order ta b�'eak their rollway, but otherwise
51
they took their Ioqs da�rn without the assistancs ot s�lash dams tFig. 21).
Aiorris Russell began on the river by cleaninq it between Tr.ull�,nger`s ?�ill
and S�� Joe in 1883. 2rz 1885 he wen� to a Iogging camp on the u�per river and
hel�ed put in the first splash d�.m on Fairchild Creek f�� the Yarrhill Lum�er
_ e � _ .,.7.� ,. .. a ., 1 � r 1, ,a �,., n.,
Company l� W�S C:dllE,'Ct Cdll SZ1C7 LHI11�iS czcuit. r� icai�ci�wcicv va^a^c �t���,.��, �,.u.<< ....
�he North Yamhill a* that tizne cailed the Petty dam. Nozris Russell �as di�eetly
emnloyed by 5everance Brothers, and b�sides buildinq the dam put in Zoas and
52
broke roll-�ays< He remembered that in those yea�°s, hesicles Severance B��thers
and Ball and Daniels, tha� Rohert Hanning, Hank �?ober�s, Chaml�erlain and the
Gr2en boys, �r. Faixchild and Br�uah�on also clrove ?ccas on the North Yamhill.
Yamhi2l Lumber Ce�mpany had �ir sawloas branded "S", "V" and '°J°' in their hoam
durinq tne sprinq af 18�7.
Of. this group N. Chamberl�ira testi�ied thafi he legc,ed on �.ne riv�r be�ween
1885 an� 1890 with Ball and Dani�ls. t-'e sta�ed *_hat �}�ey use� Petch's d�m 7ust
helow S�riths (Fin. <2) to scattQr the locrs a�ray frr;m the rollway in preparation
fer e'.t<� w.int<�r fre5t:<�r. '?'h<� two or three �r�shets af each ti�in*_er were sufficient
•
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F'1C� m 2� e NOZ'�}7 ° Id%tltl�ll o
RM 26e
DeCembeT 23, 1980
37
Fig. 21am Remains of Petch's
mill/splash dam RPR 27m3o
Decembar 23, 19800
ro
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to t�ke the logs down to the boom above �ruilinger's dam.�
The Yamhi2l Lumber Company was the object of several lawsuits and went
55
out of �usiness in ��8�. cecrq� Brcu�h�en, w�Q �a� �an�a a sawmiii �z c»e_qo�
City sance 1876, boug�t the loas they had in the river and their splash dam.
He cut and drove loqs off the t�aroney place above Mount�in House (RM 27.Sjo
In o�der to get these loqs down the North Yamhill and out inta the willam�tte
to float to his mill at Oregon City, Brauqhton built thre� splash dams on the
upper �orth Yamhill. The lowest was a� Williams place (RM 28j �elow his timber;
the second at Maroney's place [RM 29n5] and the third above it was called tlpper
IIroughton dam (RM 30Ja During the first year he �ot out over 3 feet.
They started logqin_q in the sprinq, peele� the loqs and put �hem in the ri�er
using the dams to keep splashing them down to keep them out of the way so they
would not pile up. But durinq �he next two seasons hardl� any came down and he
sold out in 1893 after Iosing $i0,000. Tt is not surprisinq that he �estified
56
that the river was not a qoo� drivinq stream.
Brouqhton's bad experience did not deter the Spa�lding Logginq Company,
which had much experience on the Santiam, Luckiamute and Willamette, from drivinq
the North Yamhill for nearly a decade< They huil� a boorr on the riorth Yamhill �o
hold white fir logs in 1895e William R< Petch, whose family owned land near
River Mile 28, said that he helped drive logs for that company from their property
which was above Mountain House. The Spaulding Company had their cattle put the 18qs
in the river, and then they were driven down to Fairda2e (PM 26) durina high water
in late January and early February 1896. Ntostly �pauldinq confined their'logging
and drivinq operation to the area around Fairdale so that they did not have tto
much trouble gettinq out their loqsa
P.. C. Miles dated Spauldinq's first drive on the North Yamhill to 1897.
Oniy duxing the first season, when they were takinq out logs at �he highes�.
39
point of their drives, Petch did they use splash dams. The rest of �he
time th�y �ook the logs down on the winter freshets; below Pike they could
���� ��� �ti� iGya �i �� v��a^�b 7'R>1fl*�� vt�ync nf �at�r � �ha �am �heV llS2d
was the Williams dam about half a mile above Mountain House. Its height was
about 20 feet above bed-rock and was used mainly to break their roll-ways.��
hliles explained that Spauldinq made its annual drive on the k?illamett� in
October and "as soon as that was thzough [they] took the crew to the Yamhil2
River and logged durir�g �he winter monthsm.m..°�he Plorth Yamhsll is one of fihe
smallest s�.reams we have aperateci on successfullym
59
more easilv driven and some are more diff-icult."
ni.que belaw Trullinger's dam.
Some other st�eams are
He explained their tech-
We usaally have twc crews, one crew we call the jam-breakersy
that went ahead; logs would ga ahead and lodge or jam across
the river on a tree, and one cr�w worked ahead and kept thezr
clear and kept them movinq, and �.he next crew followed the
logs and picked �he logs up that lodged along the bar.k and
kept them working that w�y. We had a���� cre�r a�ad the j�r�
breakina crew.
John and tvorris Russell also had contracts to bring dawn Iocis from the
Williams dam for Spauldina in 1898 ancl 1902. They taok 800,000 feet of logs
all the way to Dayton the firs� season, and from there they went an to the
Spauiding mill; in 1902 ¢hey took the loqs to St..Jae. After the logs w�re
s�.arted floatin_q, they followec� them �lonq the river with cant hooks, "You
61 ��n lo s
can't ride �hem there very well, because it w�s rapid �nd rockye" 9'
huna up on the banks ar bars �hey would use their peavey°s to qet them back in
the water and floating againo �
P.ussell brothers cantracted to make � cle�n sweep of the river, ;�ut when
Spaulding ran their o�an drives �znder their foreman af the logqing g�n�, '�.
h4cLaughlin, th�y would cften leave Iogs along the river. ?�icLaughlin drove the
North i'amhill in I90(?, 1901, 1903, 19�5 and 1905 - these were the drives tha.t
52
wer.t through the new locks at Lafayet'te,
In �?arch 1906 they had only been
A ��
able to get 400-500,�00 feet of a 2 million foot• drive �own to Carlton an�
they sold out their inte�est in the remaining million and a h�lf feet scattered
dlfl?1� �Sle r1YB� (561T1� i�L``LV�F�zS iYCit?t i.�'iE �iil:c5 v� caiii�i 'y'�2.i�i �C Fd. a u��;s �
During the previous year, 1905, Howe had returned to the method of Broughton
and built two splash dams upriver. They were much larqer than the earlier
splash dams. One was a mile or two up Fairchild Creek (�iq. 27) and was alleq-
edly 60 feet high provi�ina, a 20 foot head of water; it had a 5 million cuhic
foot reservoir behind it. On the North Yamhill, Howe addec3 six feet to one of
64
�roughton's dams (Rri 29.5� making i� 2Q foot hic�he I�. oras because the much
larger splashes from these dams fouled his race with dirt and dehris and left
logs hunq up on his dam - which he had beaun to use for the Fr.oduction of electric
65
power in 1904 - that Trullinger bgought suit acrainst Howe (Figs. 23-26]. ,
A description of their operation appeared in the March 1906 Timberman:�
Work with the Carlton Lumber Company, at Carlton, is progressing
�tery s��is�'ac��rily. Zt has fc�u� dcrs�keys g�utting in loqs two
at each camp, and the fifth one on the way to the Yamhill camp<
D�ring January the two camps put in 3,000,��0 geet, maDcing a
total of 7,000,000 feet in the water up to February 1, from which
time it expects to loq 4,000,(300 per month. Hereto�ore the company
has used the donkeys a great deal in buildinq damsa The dam on the
Yamhill, above the Yamhill camp, was completed about the middle of
December. Since this time thay have splashed the landings dail.y
and made two drives to Carlton. The last drive of 2,Od0,000 is
landed in the Carlton boom. This cleans up all the logs from
Yamhill camp, while those in Fairchild's Creek will be brought
ou�t in about two weeks, or as soon as the splash dam on that creek
is finished and ready for business.
�
A logger named Rartron in the employ of Howe (Carlton Lumber Company) and
the company's logqing foreman Charles Demares� testified that besides the spiash
dams they had a practice of lining the river with loqs in order to confine the
water and raise its leve1. Demarest, aged 46,. was an exp�rienced log driver
from 5aqinaw Coun�y, Michiq�n who had come to �3reqon in 1901. Since then he had
driven the Willame�te, McKenzie and Mohawk rivers besides the North Yamhill.
0
41
68
He described the�r t�ch�iaue:
wherever our wa�er is thin in the river you will line it u�;
maybe you wi13 buzld what we call horse pierse In building
h��sc pie�s i^ th� hea� �¢ thp ;�?, r�P g�a�P� will work up
to the head of the logs, loose gravel will pile up ahead,
We will build a horse pi�r there and let the w���r run tnrouqha
A goQd maz�y times we do tha� in the evening before WP go home,
and it will cut thraugh thsre all niqht and you can do business
in the morning, By ru�nina these leqs by we leave the channel
narrawer and then we commence in the upper end and let our loqs
qo througha
Unlike F.ussell bro�hers, D�marest's crew of I2-15 men qenerally rocie the logs.
69
They also reGulariy used powder to blast �he logs fxe� from obstructions.
In January 19Q8 Carl�on Lumber Company also rebuil� Petch's dam to 25 gee�
(Fig. 27) and further downs*_ream at Cole`s built a dam 30-4� fee� hiQh (R� 24).
It was an operation o� adv�nced �echnoloqy and had resulted in drives of up to
12 millian feet af lectsa In April 190? they had thirty million feet of legs in
71
the wat�r.
On the basis of th� aboue and other testimony Mr. Chief Justice Bean
rendered the decision of the court:
We had occasion in the recent case of Kamm v. �ormand, 50 Orm 9,
to d�fine such a[navigable or floatablej stream, and �he respective
rights of the public and riparian own�rs thereon. �ithin the rule
announcedF the plaintiffs' position cannat be sustained. Withou�
�oing in�o an exhaustive exa�ina�ion of �h� t�stimony, i� zs suffici�n�
that it shows that for at least 10 or I2 miles above plaintiffs' mill
�he stream has been successfully used durin� the winter seasnn for
floating logs from the mountains to the mills and markets below far
more than 20 ye�rs. Plaintiff D, Pm Trullinger himself testif.ies
that it �as sc used �roa� 1880 to 1887 and since that time, that it
had been used for running loqs before the constructian of his present
dagr,, and that he built it "so loas ca�ald qo ove� i*e" There are many
other witnesses who testified to simi2ar tase of the s�ream. Inaeed,
mos�, if not all, the witnessns who �estifiec? �hat in their opini�n
the s�ream is not na�viaable or f.lo�table, ei�her on direct or crass-
examina�.icn, sa�l that it ?~�as been so used successfully, and t�is sac� is
more valuabl� as evidence of. ¢he rharacter of the s�ream than their
cpinions.
A naviqable or floa�able river or s�r�:am�, havrever, is of cnmmor. riqhfi
a highway by nature. �� is not r_reat�d or �stak�lisned by any govern-
mental agencY. nog can it be �bancloned ar discon�ir.ued by such agency.
0
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On the other hand Howe was enjoined from continued use o� his splash dams to
the detriment of Trulling�rs use of his dam to produce power.
' Th� evidence in thas case and the decision of the court aive the Stat�
a clear basis of title ta the be� of the North Yamhill from River Mile 27 to
its mouthe
48
South Yamhill River
The earliest notices of log driving on the South Yamhill sys�em are t�
Wiilamina and �ill Creekse The 1880 Census of Manu�actures reported that
(William E.� Talbot and (David Me) Cave's sawmill received its logs "'On
wiliamina Rivere" Later �he Sheridan Sun during the s,prinq of 19n1 described
the apening of �he Jack & fi imberlake sawmill in Willamina whfeh obtained its
logs with the use af a splash dam on Fas� Creek (R� 8e8, Willaanina Creek} 7 �
From that �ributary's mouth the logs floated down Wi22amina Creek to the mill.
In 1�07 the loqs af the Beaver State Lumber Company of Willamina, successor to
the Eas� Creek Lumher Company, were "floated down the Willamina, a distance of
abou� seven miles." In mid-March of the follaainq year, high waters on the
creek brought sawlogs down to the Palmer sawmill in Willamina.75 nurina the
summer of 1912, Joseph and John Brown cut and peeled 1,140,000 f�et of fir logs
of 10 to 60 inches diamete� a�d 12 to 32 foot lengths �nd put them in the creek
as far up as R�ver Mile 13.5.76 .
Extensive railroad tie drives occurred on u7illamina Creek durinq 1912-14.
They were undertaken by Gran� U. �arch in connection with �he operation of the
He H. Parker sawmill located near the mouth of East Creek wher� the Willamina
was used as a log pond. �etween �ay and June 1913, 4,000 ties were sen� down
the creek from this mill to Willamina. 1,700 ties were also sent down from the
Harry Blackwell farm just below the Parker sawBnill during the same mon�h {Fiq. 28a)a
Be �aeen March and July 1914, 800 more ties h x 9" and R feet long were also put
77
in t°Iillamina Creek by Grant U. March a�d Peterscn Brothers.
Returning �o the 1880 Census of Manufactures, it also reported that Sleppy
and Brawn of Douqlas Pr�cine�, Polk County received their logs on Mill Creek.
Their mill was prabably at Buelle In 1901, while Jack & Timberlake were buil.ding
at Willamina, J. A. March of She�idan started a sawmill on Mill Creeke In 19Q5
4g
Blac:kw�ll Park, ?2�kd 5<6.
'�ovemb�r 8 1980.
NUVan o F �.t?c{�� e
� �.
F3g. 28a, F;illa�ina Cr�Ak ��
r�r. 2$b. t�'i�l�,rair�� r���k
br�':_cr� �'�n�a�l Schoo� Br:.c'�;�,
T< He March of Buell sold the mill and 1200 acres of timber on the headwat�rs
of Mill Creek �o Henry St�vensonm�9 This property became the basis of the
80
Sheridan Lun�er Comgany whi�h built a n�w m�i1 ��� �iil�s a�vdE Puayl i..
1�06-07, Its daan was 500 feet across and 35 feet high. A splash dam was gro-
posed 10 miles above the mi1Z dam and the fi�st l�s weze ta be cu� between
81
River Miles 19 and 21.5 �o be taken out on the winter freshets (Fiq< 29a)•
In 1908 the company had grea� difgiculty gettina out their Iogs to the mi11.
�o the splash dam at River �ile 21e5 may not have been built until after that
yeare From the sacami.11 a flume took the rough lumber and ties down to Sherid�an
where there was a railroad terminal and the Sheridan Lumber Company planinq mille
Jack Brown, wno was born on Salt Creek aft�r his family moved �here in the
late 1880's and as a young man loqged there and on Mill Creek, �ecalls the spiash
dam ora upper Mill Creek used to carry logs down to the company's mill pond located
at the site presently occupied by Mill Cr�ek Park. Additionally there we�e s�lash
dams on Cedar Creek (RI�f 18.6.) and South Rranch (RM 13e5 ; Fiqm 29e}. Rel��se 4rom
thes� auxiliary dams helped carry the logs to the mill ponde The river had to be
biasted wider near "�he Gorge" (Fige 29b), and in the pracess Harry Bennet,t and
another man lost their lives. i�r. B�own recalled that there were three camps
operating f or the Sheridan Lumber Company Mi11, Clay Brown and (H.} mhomr�son ran
two af them. Ao �Ieserve ran the third. Toqether the three camps expectec� to
84
put in 125,Q00 feet per day during early 1916<
At one time there was evidently a fourth logging camp, because in Deeember
191d a lien was placed on 540,000 feet oP logs cut in Camp No> Four and branded 4
which were in Mill C`reek between the camp and the snill pond< They had been cut
by Harry Lonq, a sub-cantractor for Russell R. Jones who in turn sold them ta
the company. In 1913 George Se Hills used a chute on the north side of �Si11
Creek at River i�ile 15 to put logs in �.he water from which point they were floated
51
Figm 29a. Mill Creek at River
Mile 17.
December 14, 1980.
��
Fig. 29b e "The Go�'ge" of
( Aiill Creek, RM 16.5.
� December 14, 1980.
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five �iles down tfiill Creek to the mill pand. He put in about 750,00� feet of
sawloqs between early �ovem�er 1912 and mid-July 2913. Use of �ill Creek f�r
splash dam loaging by Sheridan Lumber Company ia�ted until 19I8 when the flume
blew down and they closed their Buell operation. Their last season was � goc3d
one, however; the January freshets successively brought �own R million and then
2 million feet of sawlogsa
As an afterword to the use of Mill Creek to f2oat �amber products, Jack.
Brown floate� posts down from the R.ussell Jones property at River �dile 1�.5,
during the Great Depressiono
In Magch 1904 the Sheridan Sun asserted that the South Yamhill was very
suitable for floating loas and that a bend west of Sheridan made a very suitahle
place for log storagee� At the same date a timber cruiser`s report on cuttir,g
grounds in the Grand P.onde area indicated that "Loqs can be driven in Rock Creek"
from Sec�ions 32-34 of Township 6 Southp Range 8 West, There and in the neigh-
bo�zng s�ctions to the e��tj loas �ould then be floated out on �he South Yamhil
presumabll between River Miles 50-58. It is possible tha� the South Yamhill
aas used to flo�t logs in the vic�nity of Valley Junction, because in 191� a
lien was placed on 475,000 feet of sawloqs .cut from the Tharp Donation Land Claim
(Rtd 46-47) and sen� to the Scott & Butler sawmill on �he �°iver.
9n A phatograoh
of a Sheridan Lumber Compaz:y rollway published in March I911 would also seem to
have been �.aken an the South Yamhill (Fig. 30). The Timklerman reported in
?�arch 1912 that Sheridan Lumber Company had geceived an enormous loq drive down
92
the South Yamhill Rivero
Whether the report of a 2 million foot c�.rive received by them in high water
during Apri1 1913 r�f�rred to the South Yam.hill or Mill Creek is uncertain.
Again it is uncer�ain if t�e 1925 regort by tne C�rps of F.nvineers that *_he Yamhill
was used up to Raver Mi1e 50 to float sawloqs refers to �he South ?�ranch of the
53
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54
river or is an"erroneous reference to the heavy use earlier m�de of the �arth
Xamhil1. There was a final drive of one million feet of cottonwood loqs on
the Se�u*_h Y�mhill fr�m the B?�l?vtaP a��� to �he Wi�lamette in the 2ate I�3d°s
undertaken for the Doernbacker Company.
The drives on �he South Yamhill above �c�inn�ille probably did not occur
over a sufficient span of years �o qualify �hat waterway as a highway for commercee
The use of Mill Creek occurred over a greater number of years but was wholly
denendent on man-made improv�ments, the severa2 spiash dams, �o carry the qreat
volume of loas which went to the Sheridan Lumber Company mi11, so neither would
it qu�lif.y as a navigabie waterwaye Only 47illamina Creek in the South Yamhila
system carried loas over a sufficient perioc? of time, at least from �879 to
1914 to constitute a highway for commerce and giv� the Sta�e a basis to claim
its bed from the mouth to East Creek at River �ile 8.8.
0
G
55
�rc�:AZZO�AL Bo�TZ�c
i�,�dZV , Yt cYt �t30ital bo�32.in.; i�ti t?yc� \':in�i i 1 1 l:i �•<• i i:: nsi �i i ui:� i_ c�i; l� .zi�.
occ��i�i��al du�k �� cr '�ra=:*�atp'-" �i�h��man makes use a£ the ziver cti:3.nn�1.
A boat ramp at Dayton is also occasionally used by the �ummer boater to
gain access to the Willa�tte River.
During the late 1920's and into the 1930's, tour boats would pilot sight-
seers from Portland to McMinnville and back on an aI2-day excursian. Baat size
and number of passengers per trip is not known; however, newspaper ar�icles and
Corps regorts mention �these tours.
P.ttractians along the way were the natural bar.ks overhanging trees, cling-
ing z�ss, the picnic lunch and the locks at Oreqon City and Lafaye�te.
This enterprise m�re than likely ended due to rs.ver pallution, develogment
along the banks, and the closing of the locks at Lafayette.
Oregon State Departz�nt of Fish and Wildlife biologists indicate that the
upper reaches of the South and North forks have a potenti.al for drift boat use
i L_ -� } b- r�..1- i
when, and if; steelhead and salzc�n runs increase �o a ievel u�o.t is a���a�v�v=
to the drift fisherman.
In 1979 kayakers began to develap a rtim from River Mile 16 to 8e 5 of Niill
Creek - the ald log drive run - and may try other reaches in the Yamhill system
in the future.
jE
SUMMARY
A iong history of vessel navigation in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries established the navigability of the main stem of the Yamhill River
and the South L'ork to McMinnville at River Mile 6, Over thirty years of log
�riving the North Yar.�hill on natural winter flows fram River DSile 27 to its
mouth, substantiated by fi:he decision in Trullinger v. Howe, established the
navigability of that wate nray. Lag flotation on the lower 8.8 miles of
Willamina Creek during a period of thir�p-five years also made it a navir,able
strea.r.i. That usage indicates that the South Yamhiil River from the mouth of
Willamina Creek to the main stem of the Yamhill was susceptible to navigation.
The State of Cregon therefare has a claim to the beds of these river reaches
in the Yamhill River system.
57
FnQTNnTEc
7� fOregon] State Wa�er Resources Board, � �id�le WillamPt�e River Rasin
{Salem, 1963), passim; Ruth R.ydell, "The Yamhill," Orecon Hist�r�cai
c�uar 44 i19�3), p. �47.
2e Flaodplain Information, U. Se Army Corps of Enqineers, ?anuary 197F.
3< Ibide
4. U. S. Geoloqical Survey, F?ater pesources nata for Oreqon, 1978, Water-Data
R.eport OR-78-1 (Portland, 1979}, pp. 376-78 and supplementary information
from �he �reqon �?ater Resources Department.
5< Hc�ward M. Corning, willamette Landinas, 2nci ed. (Partland: t�reqon
Historical Gocie�yP 1947), p. 184.
6. James n. Pliller, "Early nreqon Scenes: R Pioneer Narative,: ngeaon
Histarical nuarterl , 31 flg3�}o PP< lf7-F9.
7. Corninq, Willamette Landings pp. 65 185.
So Capt. A. S. �"urry, "Lo4 of the kjashinq�on," Douglas �ounty Museum, Rosebura.
9. Miller in Oreqon Historical 0uarterlv, 31, pp. 173-7h.
lU. Rydell, "Yamlzill," p< 150.
, , _ r �....7; 1 RR
11 e C;O�T11I1C7 o w111G['ICLLC Laiiva ;y� J Y• �-�� •
12o Ke !�S. ?�cDuffee, "�laviqation Upper ?�1illamette River, 1846-193�," Por�lanc�,
tJe �. Fn_qineer Department, 1940 (Mir�eoqranhed}.
13o Farle IC. Stewart, "Ste�m.boats on �he Columbia," nreaon f?istarical �uar�erly,
51 (1950), pe 32m
14e McDuffee, "Willamette River," pe 2h�
15. Zbid., p. 6.
16. Yamhili Caunty Historical Society, OId Yamhill (Lafayette, 2976)
p. 17; Aydell, "Yamhill," p. 148e
17. � 19 r�!ar, 30 June 1869.
18. Oreqon City Weekly En�erprise, 6 I`ec 1873.
19. I.eslie M. Sco�t, History of the nreaon �'oun�ry iCambric�qe, r�ass. ,'"he
�iverside Press, 1924}, IV, pa 30ti.
20. Fanc�all V. ^lills, Gtern-tv'heelers Up Coiumhia (Palo Aito, �al„ Paci`ic
Rooks, 194?), p. 1.03.
21. U. S. Chief of rnqineers, Feport, 1871; and see nreaon City uteekly
rntarr� 17 FPh 1870.
22. t7. S. Chief of T'naineers, A.ePort, 1890, ppm 794-95, 3381.
23. Ibid 1892, ppo 455-5�,.
24. Ibi 1895 D. 3592.
25o Zbide, 1896, p. 2E�F1.
26e Ibid., 1892 p. 3532; 1895 p. 36�2.
27. Ibid., 1 892, ^. 3533.
28< Ibid., 1901, po. 3555, 3557.
29. Ibid
30o Ibid. 1902, oe 22h2.
31. Zbide, 1903, p• 3570-76.
32. Zbid., 1904 ppe 3533-34.
33. ibid 1905, pe 2475; I967 p. 2189.
34. Ybid. , 19i2, nn. 2P14-15; 1y18, pe� j4(1V
35. ""ills, Ster �< F3; Corninq, Willamette Tandincrs p. 190.
36. �rego nian, 26 Oct 1930.
37< Division of S�ate Lar.ds interview with Charles F'. Gtoller, 15 Se�t 1976,
np. 34-35.
38. Pydell, "Yamhili," p. 151; Division of S�ate Lands interviews with
Earnse Kila�re and Jim Berner�., 19?7<
39. KilQOre, ��toller anc� Rernert interviewsr and see State I,ard Board *�tinutes,
Vole 19, p� 381 {Oct 1950),
40. Joseph Gaston C�ntenni�l His�ory of �reqon {Chicaqo. e. �?a Clar'ke Pub.
Co<, 1912), III, n� 92.� The millstone and other equipment from �he
Trullinger mill are in the Ya�r�hill *�?use�un, Lafayette. Ttte oriQinal
millstone had been brouqht from the Whi�man �ission affier the massacre.
41. Gaston, History IV, p. 40.
42. MSS SS, 68 A-3, CTN 47, No< �23, Transcript of Testimo�y, ppo 462-64,
State Archives, 5alem; spelled Daniels by �he Court Clerk; Yamhi�ll County
Circuit Court Case AIo. 2132, Yamhill Caunty Courthouse, Mc�innvillem See
Y�mhill County Histarical Society Newsletter, January 1975.
43. Trullinqer v. How� �estg�ony, PP� 463, 465p 46?-69p 4�I.
44m Ibid., pe 472e
45. Ibid ppe 473-75e
46e Zbid p. .4660
47e Ibid pp. 543-45. Truilinger had run a sawmill on Lake nsweao for several
years, Gaston III, 92, and see Tualatin River Navigability Study, p. 33.
48. Trull�nger v. Howe Tes�imony, p. 85.
49, (Qregon) State water Resources Board, �ap No. 2.6e
50. �rul�inger v. Howe T�stimony, pp. 130-34, 136-37 143°44.
51. Ibid pp.• 495-500.
52, Ibide, pp> 178-79�
53< Ibid p. 182 and see pp. �7, 135, 151, 472; John Hutchcroft v. Yamnill
Lumber Co. Yaanhill County Courthousee
54o Trullinger v. Howe Testimony, pp. Sd2-507.
55. Xamhill County Circuit Court Cases Noso 189�, 2028, 2i32, 2197.
56. Truilinger v. Howe Testimony, pp. 480-88, 491-93, 452-55, 460e Place
locations are from Broughton's testimony and �he m�p in the case applied
to Water R�sourc�s Map 2e6.
57m TrullinQer v. Howe Testimony, pp. 367-68, 354; Pacific Co�st Wooci & Iron,
23:2 (reb 1895) , p. 39.
58. Trullinger v. Howe Testimony, pp. 166-68.
�
59< Ibid pp. 174-75, 171e
60. Ibid p. 170.
61. Ibid pp. 1��, 145-46, 151, 156-57, 269.
62. Above, pe � Trullinger v. Howe Testimony, pp< 510, 515, 518-19; Calumbia
River and Ore4on Timk3erman, 1:4 (Feb 1900}, pe 10; 5.10 (Aug 1904), p. 32;
for liens placed by William Petch, Francis 4�'< Kelso and others on loqs in
the 2903 Spaulding drive, see Yaznhill County A4echanics Liens R, pp. 175-78
Yamhill County Courthouse.
63. Trullinaer ve Howe TestimQny, pp. 512-13, 5�6-18.
b4m Ibid 15-18 226, 382-83, 453 and Complaint, Item No. 7.
65 a '�'ruliinqer c�. riowe fie��i�r,�aiy . f�� e ll3 i �.
6b. Columbia River and Oreqon Timberm�n 7:5 (�Yaz 1906), pa 32A.
67a Trullinger ve Howe Testimony, .pp• 578, 596, 227, 603-040
68e Ibid pp.e 247-48, 607a
69e Zbid pa 592P Ydmhill CoUnty COtmniSSioners JOUrn�l 14, pp. 303, 47�, 483,
Yamhill Caunty C011Y'�}IbUS�
70, Transcript of TrullinQer vo Ftowe, affidavits of January i9t�8a
71, Columbia River and �reqan Timberman 7:1 (�tov 1905) ���c�P!4T1� the Ore_a,on Mi.11sr"
7:6 (Apr 1906); 8:1 (Nov 1906), p. 39t 8:4 (Feb 1907}, p, 41� f�cb (Apr 19�7),
o. 40A.
72. 53 OR 224-26 and 227.
73e Original Returns, 1880 Census of Manufactures, Schedule 3, "Sawmills," Yam:nill
County, Orea,on State Library Microfilm 28-49, State Library, Salem.
74. Sheridan Sun, Jar�, 15 Feb, l, � M�rch 1�301; Iater there we�e two splash c�ams on
Eas� C�eeTe, Joha� B�eed�n, �h�ridan, t�lephone in�eruiec�� 16 Jan 1981�
75. Ibid 19 Mar I908; The Timberman 8:7 (May 1907), pe 23.
76. Yamhill Courty Circuit Court Case No. 4811.
77. Zbid Nos. 49?6 and 5291; Yamhi2l County Mechanics Tiens C, pp. 28-33,
39 40, 781 Willamina drives confirmed by Phil Booth, 87 year resident on
the creek, 24 March 1981.
7$e Original Returns, 1$80 C�nsus of .�?anufactures, Schedule 3, "Sawmills,"
Polk County, Douglas Precinct,
79. Pacific Coast Wood & Iron 37 (1901}, pe 12t Coiumbia River and Oreqon
Ti r.tberman , 6:4 {Feb 1905), p. 32<
_ �
80. Polk County Circuit Court Case DIo. 3625, Polk County Courthouse, Dallas, and
=>1 dR 35.
81. The Timberman, 7:11 {Sep 1°06), p. 34; 8:7 (May 1907), pe 23.
82. Zbid 9:6 (Apr 1�0�), p. 50; Sheridan fiun, lb, 23 Jan, 13, 27 Feb, 19 .M:ar,
2 Apr 1908.
�
83m Yamhill His�orieal Society �udio-visual tape interview with Jack Brown
Salt Creek, June 1980, Sheridan Public Librarye Brown had heard that
there was a sawmill �t Buell in the 1�8d
84. The Timberman, I7:6 (�pr 1916), p. 32�.
85. Polk County Mechanics Liens, Vole 3, pp< 341-45, �23-26, 428 ff, Polk
County Cour�house.
86a The Timber 19:3 {Jan 1918), p. 48K, 20:1 (Nov 1918), p. 4�; �tSS �GP-12,
69A-18, item 1, File LF-10, Oregon S�ate Archives, S�lem.
87. Jack Brown tapee
88. 5heridan Sun, 18 M�r 1904e
890 Chaffee MSS, C-B 917, Carton 18, "Estimates Grand P.onde Lands, 7uly 1904
H. H. Bancroft Library, Universi�y of California Berkeley, CAe
90. Po2k County P�eehanics Liens, Vol. 3, �p. 335-36.
91e The Timberman 12:5 (Mar 1911), p. 48V.
92e Zbid I3:5 (Mar 1912}, p. 6,
93. Ibid., 14:6 (Apr 1913), p. F32e
94o U. S. Chief of Engine�r� Report, 1925, pe 16920
QF Tntev��i o�.> t.f3 ¢h Tdl an� Avs#�hcv . R>>ana V1 a�a _ � n T1Pf^ � qRn _
i.J. �<.....a.a...... ..d.�.: ...�a......� ��.�.....� a �...,.�..... .�..�� • °.. _�� ���,.�
96. Information from ,Iohn Haxton, Dept. of Fish and wildlife, McNtinnville, 1977.
97. Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club Newsletter, 5:4 {Feb 1980).