Talk:Skipanon River

Skipanon River

I copied the following from User talk:66.91.0.39 Katr67 17:25, 10 December 2006 (UTC) Holy cow! That's a ton of new information for such a little river. Thanks for all the work. Do you have full citations for the books you cited? Here is some help with citations: WP:CITE and some citation templates, which I find very handy. Let me know if you need help with making a references section. Oh, and by the way, the policy WP:RS won't let us use personal correspondence as a source, as it is considered original research. Katr67 05:32, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

Cleanup

If I don't hear any objections, I'd like to revert all the anonymous changes made to this article in November and copy them here where they can be reviewed and slowly added back to the article. I think there's too much point-of-view and original research to try to work with the article the way it is written now. Thoughts? Katr67 08:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Hearing no objection, I'm going to revert the article. Katr67 03:06, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Stuff removed from article by User:Katr67

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The Skipanon River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 7 miles (11 km) long, on the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It is the lowest navigable tributary of the Columbia on the Oregon side, draining an area of coastal bottom land bordered by sand dunes and entering the river from the south near its mouth on the Pacific at Warrenton west of Astoria. (Alder Creek, Tansey Creek (map) and creeks draining Swash Lake and small ponds in Fort Stevens State Park (map) being lower - we won't mention the drainage creek (image) from the Warrenton city sewage lagoon)

It issues from foothills south-east of Warrenton and from Cullaby Lake in Clatsop County, northeast of Seaside and less than 3 miles (5 km) from the ocean. This section flows north parallel to the coast and east of U.S. Route 101. This section is actually a man-made canal build starting around 1879 with major work done in 1904; also known as Carnahan Ditch. The Skipanon enters the northwest end of Youngs Bay at the mouth of the Columbia approximately one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Warrenton. The mouth of the river is at mile 10.7 (km 18) on the Columbia upstream from its mouth.

Almost all the flow in the Skipanon River is derived from groundwater. Discharge increases as the river flows downstream. Measurements made by the U.S. Geological Survey in the late 1960’s during September indicated that flow over the spillway at Cullaby Lake was about 0.5 cfs (14 L/s) at a time when inflow from Cullaby Creek was non-existent. Thus, groundwater flow to Cullaby Lake is sufficient to compensate for evaporation from the lake surface and still provide some excess for discharge to the Skipanon River (Boley, 1975). Today, it is not unusual for flow over the Cullaby spillway to cease in July (Jim Scheller personal communication).

Direct precipitation is the primary source of water entering the Clatsop Plains aquifer, although some natural inflow may occur as underflow from the foothills of the Coast Range or in small ephemeral foothill streams that percolate into the ground at the base of the hills. Water leaves the aquifer by discharge to the ocean, either directly as subsurface flow or indirectly as discharge to surface streams, primarily the Skipanon River and Neacoxie Creek (Frank, 1970). Most of the precipitation (78.5" (192.5 cm) annual average), an estimated 50-60 inches (127-152 cm), percolates into the ground. It is estimated that the Clatsop Plains dune sand aquifer contains about 900,000 acrefeet (1.1 trillion liters) of water. Water in some areas of the aquifer has a short residence time, emerging as discharge to surface waters in hours, days or weeks, while water in other portions may be retained for decades (Frank, 1970).

History

The naming of: Lewis and Clark called this stream the Skippernawin Creek on their charts. Silas B. Smith (image) is authority for the statement that the Clatsop Indian name Skippernawin referred to a point at the mouth of the stream rather than the stream itself (McArthur, 1992).

Land modifications: Wetlands and waterways - When Warrenton was young, the Skipanon was a shallow stream barely 12 inches (30 cm) deep at low tide (Hensley, 1950). The mouth of the Skipanon River was originally low and marshy. The river channel was widened and deepened and several tributary sloughs closed off. Federal aid provided revenue for the continual dredging of the Skipanon River mouth and the development of a harbor. One of the earliest dredging operations deepened the channel enough to allow boats drawing 23 feet (7 m) to dock (Hensley, 1950).

The Skipanon Peninsulas were created by fill during the late 1920’s-30’s. These large fills have severed Alder Cove from Youngs Bay and caused the Skipanon River to empty into the main channel of the Columbia River, rather than into Youngs Bay (City of Warrenton, Baseline Community Profile). By 1931, the US Government authorized a navigation channel and dredged the tidal portion from the mouth to the boat basin: 30 foot (9 m) low water depth, 200 foot (61 m) wide bottom width and a 600 foot (183 m) wide turning basin. Maintenance dredging operations continued every few years. The channel work and turning basin were complete in 1939. The Mooring Basin, essentially a dredging and filling exercise was completed in 1957 and fill stabilization work was complete in 1958. The Mooring Basin was officially ‘dedicated’ in 1958 (Hensley, 1950).

Alder Cove: The marsh area on the east side of Alder cove, a small portion of which is in the mouth of the Skipanon has developed since the construction of the Skipanon peninsulas in the 1930’s. The biology of Alder cove is similar to Youngs Bay, of which it was once part. Salinities are somewhat higher in Alder Cove, however since it is closer to the ocean with no major tributaries, the benthic populations are very high, particularly amphipods, and the area gets extensive use by downstream migrant juvenile salmon and other fishes. The Warrenton sewage lagoon effluent drains into the Cove. Alder cove tidal marshes and flats are widely recognized as a unique area (Nature Conservancy, 1974).

Except during the winter months, fresh water flow in the Skipanon River is low (average flow 50 cfs (1412 L/s)) and Columbia River water and ocean water are the main water masses observed below the 8th street dam. Salinity intrusion occurs here whenever salinity is present in the adjacent Columbia River waters. Despite the low fresh water flow, strong vertical differences in salinity occur during the fall, and bottom waters may become stagnant. Dissolved oxygen levels well below state and federal standards have been observed (Boley, 1975).

Clatsop Canal Project – Carnahan Ditch

The Skipanon River did not naturally connect to Cullaby Lake as a navigable waterway. Originally the primary outlet of Cullaby Lake was the east fork of Neacoxie Creek and the area between the Lake and the Skipanon River was a series of marshy areas and open water ponds. The ‘canal project’ was initially conceived by pioneers as an alternate outlet to Cullaby Lake. At this time (1879) the west fork of Neacoxie Creek was being encroached by moving sand which placed a blockage in a narrow area near Sunset Lake between the present communities of Sunset Beach and Surf Pines. The east fork of the Neacoxie ran north to the south end of what is now Ridge Road and then turned south, flowing through Gearhart and entered the Necanicum River Estuary. The blockage was causing lake and creek levels to rise as well as the flooding of farmland (Pickering in: Cumtux, 1998) (Jim Scheller personal communication). The present ‘Carnahan Ditch’ starts just north of the original Neacoxie Creek outlet, where now a bridge crosses to Carnahan County Park. It then travels north about two miles (3.2 km) meeting the original southern fork of the Skipanon River (Pickering in: Cumtux, 1998).

The idea of the canal began as a simple one. Connect the small lakes within the swamp lands by digging ditches between them. Thus connecting the Skipanon River to Cullaby Lake and draining the swales and bogs (potential fertile farmland) to improve pasture and row crop capability (Robert Stricklin personal communication). An 1879 newspaper article by James Taylor reported on the benefits of such a system: supporting commerce, draining farmland and benefiting produce delivery (Pickering in: Cumtux, 1998). Other, perhaps not so beneficial changes, affected the natural system as well. For example, the hydrodynamics of the system were changed considerably: the water table of Cullaby Lake and swamp area immediately east of the dunes and old railroad dropped several feet; and the Cullaby Lake outflow was directed away from its historic channel (Robert Stricklin personal communication).

By 1904 work had begun again on the canal, this time with greater seriousness and with some financial support. This re-development of the canal was to be 10 feet (3 m) deep, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide at the bottom and 20 feet (6 m) wide at the top. Cost estimates ran between $6000-8000. It was also estimated that the project would drain approximately 1200 acres (486 hectares). Payment for the canal was drawn from the owners of the property to be drained as well as the collection of fees on logs to be transported. N.B. Bain was the first to run logs from Cullaby Lake to tidewater, floating a million board feet of logs down the River in 1905 (Pickering in: Cumtux, 1998). The canal was also as a source for irrigation of local crops; cranberry growers especially utilized this resource.

Salmon on the Skipanon

Very little historic information exists about the salmon stocks of the Skipanon River. Local anecdotal information suggests that at one time coho salmon spawned in Perkins Creek, a tributary to the Skipanon. It has also been suggested that fish migrated up the old outlet (Neacoxie) of Cullaby Lake and into the Cullaby Creek system.

The estuarine area of the Skipanon, which once connected directly to the Youngs Bay System was an excellent feeding area for juveniles as they waited to enter the Columbia System and then the Pacific Ocean. This system was probably an excellent place for adult salmon to wait for spring freshets to initiate upriver spawning migrations.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has very little information on the Skipanon River, the only earlier work is a survey done by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1952 on Cullaby Creek. It seems very unlikely that salmon can find their way up the Skipanon River, through the 8th street structure, up the Carnahan Ditch, around the Plyter dam, and over the Cullaby dam to Cullaby Lake and then to Cullaby Creek to spawn in limited habitat. [Please refer to the Fisheries Chapter of the Watershed Assessment for more recent survey data (1990 – 92)]. Cullaby Creek (ODFW survey notes 1952)

In the 1960's or 1970's hatchery permits were given out on the Skipanon River. Warrenton High School obtained one and built a chinook salmon student run hatchery on school land which borders the river (Science teacher: Lawrence Baldwin). A chum salmon(??) permit was given to Robert Stricklin but no hatchery was constructed on the Stricklin farm where Taylor Lake, also known as Carnahan Lake (image), drains into the Skipanon River (canal) about one mile (1.6 km) downstream of the Cullaby Lake dam.

Eighth Street Dam and Tidegate

The original purpose of the tidegate structure at 8th street was to reduce upstream flooding by minimizing high tail-water conditions caused by high tides. This water control project was the first of its kind (Public Law 566) for the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the U.S. Soil Conservation Service). The project was completed by the NRCS in 1962-63 and with its completion it effectively divided the Skipanon River into two bodies of water.

Located at River Mile 1.5 (km 2.4) on the Skipanon River, the 8th Street Dam structure was built for the purpose of flood control in the 1950’s. It was built using three heavy doors made of steel and wood allowing very little estuarine flow beyond the structure. Since construction of the dam the health of the river has declined; rapid growth and development in Warrenton has also greatly impacted the water quality in the Skipanon. In addition, the structure has not been properly maintained leading to two of the doors falling off in past years.

In the early 1980's, there were several occasions during the fall when witnesses on the dam could see several salmon milling about the tidewater side of the river. These looked like chinook and were assumed to be returning stock from the Warrenton High School hatchery program. Due to the tidegate condition and water flow there seemed to be no chance they could pass further up the river.

In addition to degrading water quality, flooding continued, daily tide cycles were reduced and salmon were restricted from accessing habitat spawning habitat. In 1997 the Skipanon Water Control District, Skipanon Watershed Council and Clatsop Soil & Water began to research alternatives management and improvements to structure.

The design called for cutting three 3x4' (91x122 cm) holes in each door to allow for improved fish passage and estuarine flow upstream. In addition, Natural Resource Conservation Service performed flood analysis and determined the three gates could be opened Spring - Fall with little or no flood risk. Opening the gates improved water quality, fish passage and increased estuarine habitat. To open the gates, engineers designed a platform to span the distance of the opening and use hand-powered winches to lift the gates.

Since the grand opening of the dam August 2002, citizens have commented on the visual improvement of the river, a 35 fold increase in spawning salmon has been documented and water quality improvements are being monitored.

Skipanon Slough

Visable from East Harbor street, Skipanon Slough (map) drains several small creeks and ponds from the low foothills around an area (once?) known as "the Aluminum Plant", a many acre region cleared in the 1970's south of King and Jetty streets (image). It flows though farmland west of U.S. Highway 101 and enters the main Skipanon at Galena Road. There is an old, poorly working tidegate there that controls the water flow. This tidegate and the slow moving algae filled water it creates behind it probably has made it impossible for any native colder water fish (trout, salmon) to use the slough and its small tributaries in many years.

The Skipanon Watershed Assessment

The Skipanon Watershed Assessment (Bischoff et.al., 2000b) has only a slim northern boundary which adjoins the estuary at the mouth of the Columbia River. Treatmnent of this watershed in this assessment is provided as background only. Bsichoff et al (2000b) describe the watershed as follows:

The 8th Street Dam project on the mainstem Skipanon River is a prime example of successful community-based restoration in the Skipanon. The tide gate structure was retrofitted with a lifting mechanism to support estuarine tidal flushing and fish passage during times of the year when flooding is not a concern. The Watershed Council has collected significant water quality information docuementing the success of the restoration and is also conducting spawning surveys in the upper portions of the watershed at Cullaby Creek where increased adult spawning activity as a result of the project has been documented.

The Skipanon Watershed Assessmenet indicates that Coho, Coastal Cutthroat, Chum, Chinook, and Steelhead salmon species utilize Skipanon River and its watershed. Additionally, several species of threatened and endangered salmon species either reside in the Skipanon or utilize estuarine portions of the Skipanon watershed as a rearing, foraging, and migratory transition area in parts of their life cycles. This makes conditions in lower Skipanon tributaries particularly the estuary critical habitat for local as well as up river Columbia Basin fish populations.

ODFW mapped current steelhead distribution by attributing 1:100,000 stream coverages based on survey data and best professional judgment of local fish biologists. Distributions identified spawning, rearing and migration areas. These coverages are dynamic data sets that are scheduled to be updated every two years. These data are available on ODFW’s website. According to these data, no winter or summer steelhead reside in the Skipanon River watershed. However, spawning surveys conducted in Cullaby Creek by ODFW in 1991 and 1992 identified steelhead in Cullaby Creek suggesting steelhead are using Cullaby Creek for both spawning and rearing. Steelhead that may be present in the Skipanon River watershed are strays from hatchery programs adjacent to the watershed or from the Warrenton High School hatchery program (Note: WHS hatchery never equipped to raise steelhead).

Coho occurs along the entire extent of the Skipanon River. It is unlikely that native populations exist in the watershed today. Cullaby Lake may have been a key rearing area both before and after its drainage was altered. Currently, the warm water fishery in Cullaby Lake precludes successful coho rearing. Spawning surveys were conducted in Cullaby Creek by ODFW in 1991 and 1992. Both juvenile and adult coho were found in Cullaby Creek as well as a few redds, suggesting coho is using Cullaby Creek for both spawning and rearing.

Currently, fall chinook salmon do not occur in the Skipanon River watershed and it is suggested that they did not inhabit this watershed historically either (Walt Weber pers. Comm. As cited in Birschoff et. al., 2000b.). Surveys conducted in Cullaby Creek by ODFW in 1991 and 1992 also did not identify any chinook in the watershed (Birschoff et al, 2000b). (Note: It is hard to belive the Skipanon did not historically have a run of native fall chinook salmon as all other Youngs Bay and lower Columbia rivers seem to.)

Cullaby Lake outlet and Plyter dams

At the same time of the 8th street dam's construction, two other structures were built on the system. One was a dam at the outlet of Cullaby Lake. This dam’s purpose was to maintain ‘adequate’ summertime water levels (Kraynick and Stoevener, 1981).

The other structure built was the ‘Plyter dam’ which is downstream of the Cullaby outlet. There is some disagreement as to its original purpose. Kraynick and Stoevener (1981) contend that it was “originally built to maintain saturation of the peat soils in the area.” However, local knowledge maintains its original purpose was designed to “keep the peat soils drained to about 30 inches (76 cm) below the surface enabling them to be used for agriculture, without oxidizing (the soils) more rapidly than necessary” (Robert Stricklin personal communication). The total project was built over 5 years (1962-67) and at a cost of $621,000. The project proved beneficial to development interests at Cullaby Lake and but agricultural plans (livestock and cranberries) were not developed (Kraynick and Stoevener 1981). Recreational development (Cullaby Lake) was also supported financially by Clatsop County (Jim Scheller personal communication).

Oregon Water Quality Index Report for North Coast Basin

(from http://www.deq.state.or.us/lab/wqm/wqi/n_coast/n_coast3.htm)

The Skipanon River is unique to the North Coast basin, and not just for its tea-like color. While it did not receive the lowest minimal seasonal average score, the Skipanon River has the most consistently poor water quality of all of the monitored streams in the basin (Table 1). Low dissolved oxygen concentration, high total solids, and high total phosphate concentrations consistently impact water quality, with the occasional influence of biochemical oxygen demand and high temperature. The Skipanon River has naturally occurring high levels of humus associated with surrounding marshes. This would contribute the majority of total solids and nutrients, which present a high demand on available dissolved oxygen.

More on water quality issues

(from: http://www.ospirg.org/blog/home/archives/000185.html

June 14, 2005

Federal Judge Agrees With OSPIRG: Halts Pollution of Skipanon River

Yesterday, an Oregon federal judge ruled that a seafood processing facility in Warrenton must immediately halt its illegal wastewater discharges into the Skipanon River, a tributary of the Columbia. The facility is run by Pacific Coast Seafood Co. and Pacific Surimi Co., which in turn are owned and operated by Pacific Seafood Group, the largest seafood processor on the West Coast.

Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (“OSPIRG”) and two Warrenton-area residents filed suit against the companies in July 2002 for chronic non-compliance with the Clean Water Act, including operating the plant’s “surimi” processing line without a federally-required discharge permit, consistently violating the terms of a discharge permit applicable to the facility’s conventional seafood processing line, and consistently violating the terms of a negotiated consent order with the state Department of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) pertaining to the surimi operations.

Wildlife

Fish: Chinook salmon (onchorynchus tshawytcha), cutthroat trout (onchorynchus clarki), largemouth bass*. Fish present in the Columbia river and Young's Bay such as sculpin, other salmon (coho (oncorhynchus kistuch) and chum (oncorhynchus keta)), steelhead (oncorhynchus mykiss), smelt and white sturgeon may enter or live in the lower river. White Crappie, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, brown bullhead ("catfish") and rainbow trout that live in Cullaby Lake may also enter the Skipanon canal part of the river. Sticklebacks have been seen in ponds that drain into river. Spawning coho salmon reported high on Cullaby Creek in a 1950's Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife report and even with reports of spawning steelhead in the early 1990's(??), it is hard to belive many anadromous fish reach beyond Perkins Creek in the 21st century.

Mammals: Beaver, muskrat, nutria, elk, deer, coyote. Two otter seen feasting on fish at Taylor/Carnahan lake in 1980's*.

Birds: Blue heron, malard duck, wood duck, coot, bald eagle, osprey*.

(*All witnessed by Wiki editior LH)

Trails

Foot: The Fort-to-Sea Trail replicates the route members of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery may have taken from the original site of Fort Clatsop to the Pacific Ocean. It crosses the Skipanon near Perkins Road.

Bicycle: Unknown

Horse: Unknown

Canoe: Unknown

Lewis & Clark History

Used as a travel route by the native Clatsop indians, the river also was used by members of the Lewis and Clark expedition to visit the saltmakers' camp, and over Tillamook Head. Both Captains certainly traveled this route as did the French-Canadian Toussaint Charbonneau and his Shoshone wife Sacagawea--presumably carrying her baby Jean Baptiste.

The day after establishing the site for Fort Clatsop, Clark conducted a reconnaissance of Point Adams and the ocean shore to locate a campsite for the salt makers, then blazed a trail back to the fort from the coast. An aboriginal word, "Skip a nor win," was used by Clark to identify the "creek" that drained into the Columbia River estuary near the mouth of the river. The river was used by the Indians to conduct commerce between the river and coastal villages. Clark first recorded the aboriginal word that is the origin of the present place name, but the meaning is not known. The river's place name had several different spellings before it was standardized.

(from: http://englishriverwebsite.com/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/Places/youngs_bay.html

Lewis, November 30, 1805 ...

cloudy morning set out before sun rise and continued our rout up the bey [Youngs Bay] —

S. 60 E. 1 ½ to a point. land not very high and open woods a little back from the bay

S. 80 E. 3 m. to the center of a bend passing a point at 1 m. land the <same as in last course> from the commenct. of this course

S. 35 W. 2 ½ m across the bay to a point of marshey ground which for three miles in width borders this coast—

S. 60 W 2 m. to a point of marshey ground—

S. 50 W ¾ m. to a marshey point at arm of the bay. from this point a point of highland bore S. 25 E. 3 miles distant—

N. 80 W. 2 ½ to a marshey point passing the arm of the bey ¼ of a mile wide [Youngs River] --- the country to the S. E. appears to be low for a great distance and is marshey and untimbered for three miles back, from this point, the eastern point or commencement of the bay [Youngs Bay] bore N. 15 E. 3 miles.—

N. 60 W. 3 miles passing an inlet [Lewis and Clark River] of 100 yds. wide at 4 m. to a point of marshey ground, here an inlet [Skipanon River] of from 40 to 60 yds. in width comes in just opposite to the upper point of a shore which we have heretofore thought and island but which I am now convinced is the main land [Point Adams]. we asscended this stream [Skipanon River] about 2 m. it's course being S. 15 E. we halted near a small cops of timbered land to which we walked and dined <after which>

Sent out three men to examin the country to the S. & W. they returned after about 2 hours and informed me that the wood was so thick and obstructed by marrasses & lakes that they were unable to proceed to the ocean which could not be at any considerable distance from the apparent sound of the waves breaking on the Coast. we now returned and asscended the inlet which we had last passd [Lewis and Clark River] no fresh appearance of Elk or deer in our rout so far. asscend the inlet [Lewis and Clark River] as we intended about 1 m. found it became much smaller and that it did not keep it's direction to the high land which boar S. 10 W. but inclined West. therefore returned to the large arm of the bay [Youngs River] which we passed this morning. here we expect to meet with the Clât-sop Indians, who have tantilized us with there being much game in their neighbourhood. this information in fact was the cause of my present resurch, for where there is most game is for us the most eliguble winter station.— continued our rout up the large arm of the bay [Youngs River] about 6 miles and encamped on the Stard. side on the highland. the water was quite sweet. therefore concluded that it must be supplyed from a large crick. at our camp it is 120 yds. wide, tho' it gets narrower above. <about 2 miles> it rained but little on us today tho' it was cloudy generally.— Wind from N. E.— saw a great abundance of fowls ...

Historic Data

(from: http://www.oregonpioneers.com/doc45.htm)

West of McClure's claim began that of Tickey Smith, who named Smith's Point. In January, 1845, he had a log cabin there and in it the writer met J. Teller, who located Skipanon, calling it Lexington, and two brothers named O'Brien, or Bryant, who had located claims from Tansy Point, east and west. It covered, of course, two miles of river beach, including what is now Flavel.

The Clatsop settlement was west of Young's Bay and nearly one mile up the Skipanon. Indian Cooper had made his claim and had the walls and roof of a prententious blockhouse started. To reach the Methodist Episcopal Mission site and the house of Solomon S. Smith (image), the pioneer homebuilder, nearly half a miles of swamp land had to be crossed by carrying goods over on men's or women's backs. At the Mission and at Smith's, dairies of about a dozen cows were started, and Captain R.W. Morrison had leased the Smith cows and farm, the Mission cows being tended by __ Trask (Note: Eldridge Trask), subsequently pioneer of Tillamook. William Hobson had located his home north of the Mission claim. Calvin Tibbitts was south of both the Mission and Smith claims. That of George Summers, south of Tibbits, became the Mission home. Mr. Wirt was next south, then the Perry place, soon the home of the late John Hobson; next the Trask claim, which became the home of Colonel James Taylor; next the Thomas Owens claim, and still south William McDaniel, Ben Wood and Major Hall.

These were the settled places here in January, 1845.

Mrs. Sarah Owens was the only one south of Tibbitts making dairy products then. By July 4, 1847, W.H. Gray, Colonel Taylor, B. Kindred, Alva Conditt ("Condit"), Captain John Robinson, Obadiah Mottley, and __ Thompson (Note: Arthur H. Thompson or Rev. Lewis Thompson), all clean handed people, had settled and started dairies, Mr. Conditt devoting himself to cheese making. The National day was celebrated and a very happy community spent the day together in good neighborhood style. There were eighteen homes represented, and at least half as many bachelors' halls. Later there was some increase, till the Rev. Lewis Thompson had more than three times the audiences at the Morrison private school house than now gather to hear his successor at the Morrison church.

Now there are but eight of those places run to dairy products, two to dairy and sheep, one to sheep only, one for pasturing seine-hauling horses and one without tenant or resident owner. The cause of the decline of dairying is labor requirements and the difficulty of keeping steady trained help on account of more attractive logging camps, lumber milles, salmon fishing and even clam digging. From some of these natural dairy farms money has been spent by the Morrisons, Taylors and Carnahans, to open a channel from tide flow on the Skipanon into Eulaby lake of depth to float out logs taken from the east end of several of the places.

This lake is the remains of a much larger area of one lake, now marshland, to drain which, even for cranberry culture, would require the deepening of the drain channel at least two feet, but which so lowered would form sites for 1000 three-acre cranberry farms, where now is more than 3000 acres of sedge grass, cat-tail, flag rushes and scrub alders. It is, in my opinion, a very inviting field for associated capital and labor. Drained and planted to the best New Jersey cranberries, this body of marsh would have a value of $100 to $300 per acre.

Of thirteen owners or tenants, eight are of English birth, for which climate is the chief reason. There is not, perhaps, a limited district in the United States equal to the east side of the Clatsop plains for the production of rutabaga turnips--an A1 winter feed for mutton, wool, beef or milk making. Of course, it is equally good for carrots, parsnips, and other vegetables of all kinds grown in the temperate zone. The locality has now the best local markets in Oregon for small fruits and fresh vegetables, especially in the summer season, and every proprietor has a seaside resort of his own. John Minto" (Oregon Statesman Feb 4, 1904, reprint of an article that was originally printed in the Oregonian)

---

End of material removed from article. Katr67 03:14, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

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