southtillamookcounty.com
History
"Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers" written about South Tillamook County, Oregon
The page below was written by Mrs. Hardy Rock (Alexandria LEY Rock) and published in 1949. NVMS students have retyped her history so that many may read it. Although some punctuation errors have been corrected the text remains as written by Mrs. Rock.
Note that Alexandria LEY Rock's "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers" has been republished in book form as of January 2007 and is now being offered for sale by the Tillamook County Historical Society!
(This page was typed by seventh grader, Heather, during the spring of 2002 and edited by Dean Bones.)
Newspapers were used for wall paper and made clean smooth walls over rough boards or shakes. The housewife would often pause in her work to read an article or a poem which was on the wall.
Boys earned spending money trapping mink, civit cats, weasels etc. The skins were stretched envelope fashion over a shaped board, fur side in.
Flour was bought by the "barrel" 4 sacks made a "barrel". Sugar was purchased in wooden barrels lined with white paper. The barrels held 100 pounds. Bluing came in round balls, the size of marbles which were tied in some white cloth and soaked in cold water to be added to the rinse water.
Slates and slate pencils were used instead of tablets and lead pencils.
No one had any linoleum or carpets.
All latrines were outdoors some distance from the house. Baths were taken in a round laundry tub or in the ocean or river.
Sinks were made of wooden boards set together with white lead to make them water tight. Water was obtained from the springs or creeks and carried into the house by bucketfuls. A tin dipper (kept in the bucket) was used for drinking purposes.
Bed mattresses were made of a cover of flour sacks or ticking filled with straw or hay--no one had springs.
Many head of cattle were poisoned each year eating wild parsnips and larkspur which grew in the swamps.
Salal berries were canned for winter fruit after being heated in the oven to get the worms out.
Newspapers were wrapped around socks before putting on boots to prevents wear of the socks.
Butter for pioneers was made by shaking the cream in a large jar of bottle. Later dash churns were used until the barrel churn came into existence.
Turpentine was the best remedy for cuts; vinegar and cinnamon for dysentery.
Coal-oil was and is good liniment and was used for colds and sore throats.
No one in the earliest pioneer days had infections.
contagious diseases were rare.
Mutton tallow or seal-oil was used for shoe and boot grease.
Continue to page 26 of "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers!"