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 Dean Bones.)
Before school started in 1888 at Oretown, a new school house was built between where the large barn belonging to W.D. Rock, (grandson of Hardy Rock) stands and the creek. It was a lumber building having patened seats, a bell-tower and bell. Drinking water was carried from the creek. Schools were not graded in those days.
In June, 1902, Tracy and Merril escaped from the Oregon Penitentiary and were sought in Western Oregon and Washington states. There was considerable excitement all along the coast, everyone planning what to say or do in case either one was seen or confronted. The school children enacted a new game which was considerable sport. Each day, two boys were selected to be Tracy and Merril who must hide out in the thick brushy canyon on the farm of Hardy Rock and south of the school house. The rest of the children armed with sticks for guns sought them. When the teacher rang the school bell, no children appeared and did not return until the convicts were found. This was repeated day after day, and the teacher, ?, simply couldn't to a thing about it. He was teacher only two and one-half months.
Later on, a new school house was built above the highway near the Grange Hall. It was a nice lumber building of one room until an extra room had to be added to accommodate the children of the fishermen on the Bay. This school is still in use. In 1948, the Oretown and Neskowin Districts united with other Districts to form a Union School situated in Union School District near the Central Cheese Factory.
The Meda School District has had two different school houses and united with Cloverdale District in 1946.
Neskowin District has had two different school houses and united with Cloverdale District in 1946. Neskowin District has had two school houses, the present one being built in 1926 or 1927 with two large class rooms. This District united with Oretown to join the Union School.
In 1895, a school district was organized a few miles up Slab Creek. The first teacher there was Miss Ella Pettijohn. This district united with Neskowin in 1946.
Settlers During the Year 1887
| Henry
and Sarah Page Al and Minnie Page Bowman Mrs. Plank (widow) Evans family Mr. and Mrs. Violet Schlegel Marcellus and Caroline Faulconer Oscar and Ida Faulconer Ed Talbot and family Doc and Anna Cutting Robert Schoo Daley (single) Lewis and Alice Shortridge Hardy and Alexandria Rock John Rock (brother of Hardy) Frank and Jane Franklin Lewis and Sarah Bozley Fred and Sarah Bozley Fred and Zuima Scherzinger Jack Carlson Chris and Anna Christensen W.H. Hardman and wife Charles and Martha Barnhart |
Walter
Barnhart Jeff and Esther Shaw James B. and Amanda Upton A.O. Yates Jerome Franklin and wife Frank and Jans Franklin Albert and Clara Fletcher Tom and Sarah Penter ? and Minnie Sandy Wallace Yates John and Emily Craven M.A. Bowers and wife J.L. and Alice Coffey John and Zurelda Dunn Job Foster and Family Alex Kitterman and wife Alex Fraser (single) Charles and Sarah Sutton Roe Penter |
(This page will be completed soon after Thanksgiving, 2002.)
Continue to page 44 of "Short History of the Little Nestucca River Valley and Its Early Pioneers!"