Sweet Lorane Community News, April 19, 2018

April 19, 2018Newspaper ColumnsBake and Craft Sale, Crow High School Band, Easy Acres Neighborhood group, Lorane Christian Church, Parade of Heroes, Spring, Western Lane, Wildfire Preventionpaedwards 1 Comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
April 19, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Two days, so far, of beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures! I’m in heaven. These 75-year-old bones are getting a bit creaky, so I’ve decided that, this year, I’m going to go at my spring planting and yardwork a little slower than I usually do. I don’t want to pay too dear a price the next day, so my goal is to get at least one major project done each day. Yesterday, I planted my petunia box. It holds 3 dozen plants that I stick through holes drilled through the front and sides of it as well as those that cover the top. Digging the old soil out and freshening it before I layer it on top of the plants protruding from the holes takes a bit of time, so I had a real sense of accomplishment when it was done. I have one more to do at my daughter’s house. I take pride in the fact that I built both boxes with my own hands a couple of years ago and when they are fully in bloom, they are a solid mass of color.

Today, was shrub planting day. Digging three holes and planting shrubs is all the physical work I want to do today since my back has said, “Enough!” but at least I can mark that one off my list now, too. I may even be up to doing some mowing this afternoon after I’ve written this column and worked on my new book a bit. (Fortunately, I use a riding lawnmower.)

The Easy Acres Neighborhood group is inviting the Lorane community to attend a Wildfire Prevention program to be held at the Lorane Grange on Sunday, April 29 at 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The program will be conducted by Fire Planning Coordinator, Alex Rahmlow, of the Oregon Department of Forestry, District of Western Lane. We can all benefit from Alex’s presentation by preparing for this year’s fire season. We all know how scary wildfires are after experiencing one really close to home the summer of 2015. 11888121_1625459517709138_4611884414108457338_n

We hope there will be a large turnout, since the more people who care enough to take measures to diminish the chance of wildfires on their property, the safer we all will be.
Just a reminder… the Lorane Christian Church’s Bake Sale and Craft Faire will be held at the Lorane Grange on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They are renting tables to display your product for $5 each plus a 10% commission will be charged on sales. I’m going to have one of the tables there for my books, (They are crafts, aren’t they?) and am trying to decide whether or not to bake some goodies, too. I hope to see some familiar faces there that day although I won’t be able to stay to the end. Tracie DeBoer has agreed to watch over my table until closing. Be sure to sign up for a table!

Later, that evening, the Lorane Grange will be holding its Dessert and Bingo Night beginning at 6:00 p.m. It’s for the whole family and the progressive blackout game, played at the very end, is ripe for winning. They also have a 50-50 drawing and great desserts. It’s always a fun evening. Be sure to come if you get the chance.

Here’s an update on the fundraiser for the Crow High School Band trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Oregon in the “Parade of Heroes” that I included in a recent column. Thanks to so many of you out there, they are nearing their goal to guarantee that the band can go. Be sure to send in your donations to the high school office and/or buy a really great-looking t-shirt at https://www.bonfire.com/crow-high-school-band/. It looks like it’s going to happen!

I hope everyone has been enjoy this beautiful weather!

Sweet Lorane Community News, April 5, 2018

April 5, 2018Newspaper ColumnsA Little Bit of Lorane History, Calapooya Mountains, Cartwright House, Crow Middle/High School, Divide, Estes Ranch, Goshen-Divide Highway, Hawley Land and Cattle Company, Ira Hawley, Michele Kau, Mountain House Hotel, Parade of Heroes, Pat Dixon, Robert H. Ward, Umpqua River, Washington DC, Willamette Riverpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
April 5, 2018
By Pat Edwards

We got the news yesterday that the Crow High School band, led by Music Director Extraordinaire, Pat Dixon, has been selected to represent Oregon in the “Parade of Heroes” in Washington, D.C. over Veterans Day weekend. According to our daughter, Michele Kau, Teacher Extraordinaire at Crow, the band is desperately needing help with funding to make the trip happen. They are accepting cash donations and have begun a fundraising effort by selling really great-looking t-shirts to commemorate the trip. The t-shirt order link can be found on the Lorane, Oregon and Crow Community Facebook pages and more information is available by calling the school at 541-935-2227. Let’s show our pride and help make this happen for our local student/musicians!

Speaking of Crow Middle/High School, we also got word that last week – sometime between Friday, March 30 and Sunday, April 1, someone broke into the auto shop at the high school and stole multiple items that belong to the school. It has been so exciting to see our schools providing vocational classes again for our students and to have this one crippled by tools and equipment being stolen over Spring Break, is very upsetting. If anyone has any information on the theft, please contact the sheriff’s office and the school.

Once again, we don’t have a lot of news to report this week. This time, I’m going to tell you a little about when the stage route that went through Lorane was changed…

A Little Bit of Lorane History:

The Divide landmark is located at the I-5 exit 170. It marks the little-noticed pass that divides the Umpqua River watershed from the Willamette River watershed—Southern Oregon from Northern Oregon. It is here where a traveler can return to U.S. Highway 99, now called the Goshen-Divide Highway, to visit the towns where the highway once brought prosperity.

At one time, there was a post office called Divide that was established on May 31, 1900 and was closed on January 15, 1921. It may have been moved across county borders, or its county designation may have changed in a boundary shift between Lane and Douglas counties.

After 1865, the stagecoaches no longer used the steep Territorial Road to cross the Calapooya Mountains, past the Cartwright House/Mountain House Hotel and Lorane on their way to Eugene City. Instead, they were rerouted by way of an old road which wound through Pass Creek Canyon. The road was poor, soft and muddy along the creek bottom and the canyon passage was narrow.

Robert H. Ward, who lived at the southern end of the new route, built a corduroy road by laying 8-foot cedar logs side by side across the road through the pass. This road became known as Ward’s Toll Road, with Ward collecting a toll from northbound travelers and Ira Hawley collecting the southbound tolls.

On the stage route, Hawley’s Station was located 10 miles north of Estes Ranch on the Ira B. Hawley Donation Land Claim. It provided a rest stop and a horse-changing station there.
“The passengers found food and overnight accommodations at the house and a big barn sheltered the team of horses on the large 4,000 acre cattle and sheep ranch. There was also a small community school on the property that served the surrounding area.

Today, U.S. Highway 99, south of Cottage Grove passes the red ranch buildings and barns which belong to the present Hawley Land and Cattle Company on the site of Ira Hawley’s Stage Station.

(From OREGON’S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 “The Folk History” [2014] by Pat Edwards)