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.)
The Faulconer house was on the west side of the road and south of the site of the Vogel House. Thence, it was built south over the hill and east of the present highway to the home of Johnie Hellenbrand (now owned by his daughter, Maude Kinman and family), here the road ended.
Some years later, it was opened past the Evans house (now owned by Lawrence and Anna Christensen Whiteman) past the Plank House (later owned by JIm Ward and now occupied by Walter Affolter and wife); thence, past the farm house of Al Bowman who was son-in-law of Henry Page. This farm is now owned by Rose Bauer and son. Passing the Bowman house, the road swung on low sandy ground around a high bluff of solid rock to meet Slab Creek. The Neskowin Kitchen now stands where this first road was built.
The Hotel at Neskowin was not built until 1895 by Henry Page who had been living on a Beach location on his Homestead. High tides caused him to locate on higher ground. He blasted out a site on the face of the bluff only large enough for the building, and it was entered by steps from the Beach. When the highway was repeatedly flooded by high and a tidal wave, the bluff behind the house was blasted out to make room for a dry, safe road back of the house which was when remodeled as it now stands and became the Neskowin Hotel.
Still later in 1910, a new highway was opened from the grange
hall running south a short distance, thence, west through the farm of Hardy
Rock and also what had been the Shortridge farm; thence, south on a blasted
out rock grade above the lake and meeting the old highway near the present Vogel
House. A Retaining wall was built along part of this grade with turn-outs
for view points where the
public enjoys the beautiful scenery of lake, camp ground, beach and ocean.
The first road from Meda to the country north was built from the home of Rosa Dunn (which was on the north bank of the Little Nestucca River near the present bridge), over the hill and via the old homesite of Henry Gage, which was on higher elevation and east of the present home of Luelling, who now owns the Henry Gage farm. It passed the farm home of Andy Gage and led to Cloverdale section.
This road was used until 1927, when a better road was opened on a low level from the home of Ralph Dunn to the Meda Bridge connecting with the Little Nestucca Road enroute to Dolph.
A road was opened from the Ray farm to the dock on the River which made a shorter route from the Meda section to Cloverdale.
In 1894 another road was built from the dock direct to Oretown.
A road was built up Slab Creek from the beach to the farm of Steve and Marie Bauer. Over the first road here it took Steve Bauer four days to get his team and wagon from Neskowin to his farm.
Later in 1923, a splendid highway built from Neskowin up Slab Creek and on over the Cascade Head to Otis. Previous to this, a horse trail was the only way to travel from Neskowin to Salmon River country. Still later, a road was opened along the crest of Cascade Head in 1933-34.
Continue to page 28 of "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers!"