To Salem and Home
(Oct. 30 - Nov. 4)
We're on the road again heading towards Salem, Oregon where Giny and Bill live. The Columbia river is magnificent. A strange thing happened here. A man and woman pan-handler approached us with a story that the man's car broke down and he had to get to work. Could we give him money to get it fixed. When they first approached us they were joking about trading motor homes. They had parked next to us. There was a car in a parking lot across the road...but this area is a long way from town. They'd already hit on someone else, and I was glad there were some other people around. Mel gave him something....but not what the guy wanted. We were anxious to get away from them. At a rest stop we saw a young woman begging for gas money. The last time we were at that rest area a guy had a sign on his pickup that he needed money to go to his mother's funeral.
Here we're approaching the ghost town of Shaniko that was once the world's largest inland wool shipping center. During it's boom town days of 1900-1911, this railhead town earned the "Wool Capital of the World" title. In 1910 the official census for Shaniko was 600 residents. There were five saloons, three hotels and a number of other businesses. Some of the 1900's era buildings still stand, but the heart of the town burned down in a series of large fires.
Shaniko is located on US 97, 70 miles North of Bend, 57 miles south of Biggs Junction and 135 miles from Portland The town of Shaniko was no accident. It was planned before it was born; the brainchild of a group of bankers and businessmen in The Dalles. By 1900 many permanent buildings existed including a hotel, a combination City Hall, Fire Hall and jail and other structures some of which still stand. The reason for the town was the enormous production of wool, Central Oregon being one huge sheep ranch in the 1900s.
The only outlet for these thousands of bales of fleece was the The Dalles. In 1898, in order to expedite the shipment of wool, a railroad (right) was brought in from Biggs Junction on the Columbia River. Since a railroad could not be useful without a terminal, Shaniko was built for that express purpose.
These two old timers hold down a spot on the hotel's bench.
Shaniko schoolhouse (built in 1901) was a three room building accommodating grades kindergarten through high school. There was a coal burning stove in each room. The school opened in 1901 and was closed in 1946. It fell into disrepair, but was restored during the 1990s. It now serves as a community hall where meetings, dances, reunions and receptions are held. A kitchen has been installed and meals are served at some functions. It is one of the most photographed old school buildings in the state of Oregon.
The old wagons museum.
Bank.
City offices were located upstairs in this building. Fire fighting equipment such as hand drown hose carts were stored in the front of the ground floor portion. The three cell jail located in the rear of the ground floor looks much the same today as in the early 1900s.
The town once had a water system with a large reservoir and steam operated pumping station located in the Canyon. Springs supplied the water. The water for the town was stored in two large capacity wooden tanks (left) high in the water tower.
General store and sawhorse on the right side (below).
On a clear day you can see these mountains on the distant skyline. Mt. markers from left to right...1 Mt. Hood elevation 11248. 2 Mt. St. Helens Before elevation 9677 After 8300. 3 Mt. Adams elevation 12307 and Mt. Rainer elevation 14470. 4 Broken top elevation 9152 and Three Sisters south elevation 10554, N elevation 10063, N elevation 10004. 5 Mt. Washington elevation 7502 and Mt. Three Fingers Jack elevation 7841. 6 Mt. Jefferson 10495.
At Giny and Bill's home in Salem.
It's none other than the sisters.
These little critters are pretty entertaining. They sure love peanuts.
The man who lives here loves to make these little wooden animals. He wanted to put them on the fence as we see here. His wife didn't want him too. Eventually she suffered from a stroke. He figured it wouldn't matter anymore, so here they are.
Nearby we stopped at this steak house, that lived up to it's reputation.
We had a wonderful visit with Bill and Giny. Before long it was time to head for home.
Mt. Shasta's our special land mark when we get back to California.
Snow gueese in a flooded rice field.
Highway construction below Penn Valley....and we're almost home. Great trip, but it'll be nice to be home again.
