America’s School Trust Library The Zybach Collection

Soap Creek Valley oral history series · Monograph #6

James Hanish

Monograph #6 in the Soap Creek Valley oral history series: James Hanish, recorded in 2 sessions between January 13, 1990 and April 10, 1990, printed 1994.

Biographical Sketch And A Tour Of Berry Creek, Benton And Polk Counties, Oregon: 1930-1938

Cover of James Hanish as printed
The printed cover. Full-size scan on the creator's own site, nwmapsco.com.
Photograph printed in the monograph: James (Jim) Hanish, pictured as a boy, with his mother Connie Hanish
James (Jim) Hanish, pictured as a boy, with his mother Connie Hanish. As printed: “Title Page Photo: Jim Hanish and his mother, Connie at the Hanish home along Berry Creek c. 1935. Mrs. Hanish died a few years after these interviews were completed. She lived to be over 100 years old.” From the front matter of the printed monograph (front-2 (title page)), reproduced from the creator's own scan.

Zybach, Bob and Kevin Sherer 1994. James Hanish. Biographical Sketch and a Tour of Berry Creek, Benton and Polk Counties, Oregon: 1930-1938. Soap Creek Valley History Project, Monograph #06. Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon: 85 pp.

Provenance

Creator
Dr. Bob Zybach
Narrator
James Hanish
Recorded
2 sessions, January 13, 1990 to April 10, 1990
Transcribed, audited, edited
Bob Zybach (interviewer); Kevin Sherer (interviewer); Bob Zybach (co-author); Kevin Sherer (co-author); Kevin Sherer (editor); William Atkinson (authorizer); Lisa Buschman (transcriber); Lisa Buschman (indexer); Holly Behm Losli (editor); Holly Behm Losli (indexer); Tami Torres (editor); Tami Torres (indexer); Pamm Beebee (series-editor); Bonnie Humphrey (other); Myra Moore Lauridson (other); Samuel H. Moore (photographer); James Hanish (co-author)
Printed
1994 · Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon
Pages
85 printed pages
Original
http://www.nwmapsco.com/ZybachB/Oral_Histories/Soap_Creek_Valley/06_Hanish/Zybach-Sherer_1994.pdf
Accessioned
From Bob Zybach’s upload, 23 August 2026
Source file checksum
sha256:1b8a11e0850a56d3016417662b6e98c6…

What is not here, and why

Front matter, as printed

Cover, as printed

JAMES HANISH Biographical Sketch And A Tour Of Berry Creek Benton And Polk Counties, Oregon: 1930-1938 Oral History Interviews by Bob Zybach and Kevin Sherer Soap Creek Valley History Project Monograph #6 OSU Research Forests 1994

Cover photograph

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Myra Moore Lauridson and the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation. Pictured is the Moore family farm on Soap Creek, taken about 1899 or 1900 by Mrs. Lauridson's father, Samuel H. Moore.

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Soap Creek Valley History Project was authorized by, and is under the direction of, Dr. William Atkinson, former Director of the OSU Research Forests. Funding for the project is provided by the OSU College of Forestry. Lisa Buschman, former OSU Research Forests secretary, transcribed recordings to computer files and assisted with draft editing, formatting, and indexing. Holly Behm Losli and Tami Torres, OSU Research Forests text editors, completed final formatting and indexing under the direction of Pamm Beebee, OSU Research Forests Office Manager. This project could not have been completed without the help of these people.

Soap Creek Valley History Project

THE SOAP CREEK VALLEY HISTORY PROJECT The Soap Creek Valley History Project was undertaken by the Oregon State University's Research Forests in 1989 for the purpose of better understanding the history, ecology, and culture of an area that has been directly impacted by OSU land management practices for nearly seventy years. An important part of the project has been the location and publication of existing recorded oral history interviews with individuals who have had an influence upon the valley's history. New recordings have also been made with significant individuals who have not been previously consulted, as well as "follow-up" interviews with a few people who have continued to contribute to our understanding of the Soap Creek area. The publication of these interviews as a series of cross-referenced monographs has been undertaken in an effort to make them available to resource managers, researchers and educators. An additional use is accurate and available references for a planned written history of the area. One of the primary accomplishments of the project has been the creation of a computerized concordance file, currently on IBM Word Perfect 5.1. This was made possible through the assistance and expertise of Bonnie Humphrey, of the Homer Museum staff, Lisa Buschman, secretary for the OSU Research Forests, and Holly Behm Losli, text editor for OSU Research Forests. The file allows for both the efficient and systematic indexing of the monographs in this series, as well as providing a method for cross-referencing other research materials being used in the construction of a scholarly history of the Soap Creek Valley. Wherever possible, that history is being assembled from the written and spoken words of the people who made it and lived it. The use of the concordance file allows information from the journal entries of botanist David Douglas, the transcribed words of Kalapuyan William Hartless, the memories of pioneer "Grandma" Carter, and the recordings of James Hanish to be systematically searched and organized. The index of this monograph is an example of the applied use of the file. Citations should mention both the OSU College of Forestry and OSU Research Forests.

Introduction

INTRODUCTION The following interviews with Jim Hanish were conducted as part of the Soap Creek Valley history project. The interviews took place on OSU Research Forest properties in January and April of 1990 in the vicinity of Berry Creek and Forest Peak of the Dunn Forest tracts. James Hanish is an outwardly happy man and is extremely agile, being able to walk the brush-laden hills and travel the steep and rugged terrain with the enthusiasm of a much younger man. This pipe-smoking man of eighty years of age lives with his wife, Grace, in Corvallis, where they care for his mother, Connie. [See title page photo and note.] The first time out in the field with Jim, the weather was against us. Jim had alluded to Native American sites that he had become familiar with when he was younger. In search of these sites we encountered a thick fog that prevented us from locating sites on the summit of Forest Peak. In fact, we were even unable to locate the peak. A February attempt to locate the site by Jim and I, (which was not recorded) resulted in a better orientation, but we were still unable to reach the correct summit. The potential significance of the features described by Jim, and later confirmed during field surveys, is obvious. The rock-lined pits described in this report may be the product of windthrown trees or may correspond to the Native American practice of cooking the camas bulbs in rock-lined pits or "camas ovens." Or even been the result of other human activities. In addition to the information concerning Forest Peak, Jim's contribution to other areas of the Forest has yielded the mapping and subsequent recording of Native American sites with the State Historic Preservation Office, the assignment of names to local landmarks and the general location of a pioneer cemetery. The information and subsequent field confirmation a project of this nature provides attests to the importance of programs that include oral histories as part of the survey process. Kevin Sherer May 13, 1991 Corvallis, Oregon

The map

Map of January 13 and April 10, 1990 tours of Forest Peak and Berry Creek neighborhoods. Names associated with house symbols are from the early 1930's. Depression era sawmills are symbolized with a half circle over a rectangle.

The recording sessions

Contents

  1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS p. [front-3]
  2. THE SOAP CREEK VALLEY HISTORY PROJECT p. i
  3. SOAP CREEK VALLEY LOCATION MAP p. ii
  4. Map of January 13 and April 10, 1990 tours of Forest Peak and Berry Creek neighborhoods p. iii
  5. TABLE OF CONTENTS p. iv
  6. Photographs p. v
  7. INTRODUCTION p. vi
  8. Part I.. January 13, 1990: Berry Creek Tour pp. 1–46
  9. A.. Smith Hill Wildlife pp. 1–2
  10. B.. Gardner Home pp. 3–6
  11. C.. Coote's Mill pp. 7–25
  12. D.. The 100 Road pp. 26–34
  13. E.. Savage Creek Crossing pp. 35–43
  14. F.. 130 Road p. 44
  15. G.. South Fork Bridge pp. 44–46
  16. Part II.. April 10, 1990: Forest Peak Tour pp. 47–73
  17. H.. Forest Peak pp. 47–52
  18. I.. The Dickey Farm pp. 53–55
  19. J.. Hanish Homestead pp. 56–65
  20. K.. Pioneer Cemetary p. 66
  21. L.. Coote's House p. 67
  22. M.. Brinkley's House p. 68
  23. N.. Gross' House p. 69
  24. O.. Airlie p. 69
  25. P.. Staats Creek pp. 70–73
  26. APPENDIX. Autobiographical Sketch pp. 74–76
  27. INDEX pp. 77–85

Maps printed in this volume

Photographs

Captions are printed exactly as they appear in the book. The photographs themselves are in the printed volume and are not online yet; the scanned PDF of the whole book shows them.

Index to this volume

Bob's own back-of-book index, made live: each page number opens that page of the transcript. Every heading also appears in the Series Index, where it gathers references from all fifteen monographs.

American Indians 30, 74
Amphibians
Anderson, [Doctor] 5
Animals, Domestic
Arizona 76
  • Tucson 76
Austria 76
Barns
  • Hanish 78
Belgium 78
Bird Family 69
Birds, Wild
  • Ducks 30
  • Ducks, Beta Wood 30
  • Geese 30
  • Hawk, Red Tail 44
  • Hawks 44, 45
  • Hawks, Super 44
  • Pheasants 1, 33, 45
Bridges
  • Berry Creek Bridge 7
  • South Fork Bridge 46
Brinkley Family 70, 71
Brinkley, Walter 29, 70
Burke Family 9, 28
Businesses
  • Broadway Department Store 78
  • Corvallis Lumber Company 78
  • Douglas Aircraft Plant 78
  • J.C. Penney's Company 78
  • National Tank Manufacturing Company 78
  • Smith Hill Properties 3
  • Wienert Store 71
Buttecauf Family 16
Byrd Family 69
Cabins
  • Savage 25
California 5, 10, 16, 17, 22, 67, 76, 77, 78
  • Chula Vista 77
  • El Cajon 78
  • El Segundo 78
  • Inglewood 78
  • Los Angeles 78
  • Pomona 22
  • San Diego 77, 78
  • Sunnyside 5, 77
Camp Adair 17
Canada 76
  • Toronto 76
Cemeteries 34, 57, 68
  • Pioneer 68
China 33
Coote Family 9, 13
Coote, Bill 17, 28
Cornutt Family 27
Cox Family 72
Creeks
  • Berry [Benton Co.] 7, 9, 13, 15, 46, 53, 65, 78
  • Maxfield [Benton Co.] 72
  • Savage [Benton Co.] 6
  • Soap [Benton Co.] 1, 26
  • Staats [Polk Co.] 72
Crops
Cushing, Grace 77
Czechoslovakia 17
Depression, The Great 10, 14, 18, 26, 78
Dickey Family 29, 54, 67
Dodgson Family 9
Eastern Oregon 58
England 76, 78
Eras
  • The Depression 78
Events
  • Eastland Excursion Tradgedy 77
Farming
Fish & Aquatic Animals
  • Fish 32
  • Trout 32
  • Trout, Brook 32
  • Trout, Cutthroat 32
  • Trout, Salmon 64
Floods 27
Folks Family 1, 7, 29
France 78
Fruit & Nuts
Gardner Family 3, 6, 9, 23
Gardner, [Mr.] 15
Germany 78
Glender, Eugene "Gene" 32
Greenwood, Ben 78
Gross Family 71
Hanish Family 56, 57
Hanish, Connie O'Neil 76, 77
Hanish, Fred 76
Hanish, Grace 78
Hanish, Harry 76, 77
Hanish, James "Jim" 1, 76, 79
Hartman, Grace R 78
Homesteads 54, 65, 66
Hoover Family 72, 74
Huntly, Ted 78
Illinois 77
Indiana
  • Terra Haute 76
Insects
  • Bees 9
  • Hornets 7
  • Wasps 7
  • Yellow Jackets 7
Logging 6, 13, 14, 19, 22, 25, 34
  • Horse Logging 13
  • Splash Dams 14
Logging Equipment
  • Fresno 15
  • Saws, Drag 19
Mammals, Wild
  • Bears 1
  • Beaver 1
  • Bobcats 1
  • Civet Cats 7
  • Deer 1, 8, 65
  • Fox 1, 25
  • Fox, Red 1
  • Mink 1
  • Rabbits 45
  • Rabbits, Jack Rabbits 45
  • Skunks 7
  • Squirrels 45
  • Squirrels, Flying 45
  • Squirrels, Ground 45
  • Wolves 1
Mayflower [Pilgrim Ship] 76
McHenry, [Judge] 5, 6
McHenry, Joseph 6
McKibbon Family 72
McKibbons, Gerald 72
Meador, Pearl 76
Meador, Will 78
Michigan
  • Battle Creek 76
Minerals
Mountains & Named Peaks 1, 58, 58
  • Brinkley Hill 34
  • Cascade Mountains 58
  • Coast Ridge 54
  • Folks Hill [Smith Peak] 1, 6, 12, 30
  • Forest Peak [1853, Benton Co.] 12, 45
  • Kings Valley Ridge 54
  • Skinner's Butte 3
  • Smith Peak 22
Musical Instruments
  • Accordion 29
  • Fiddle 29
New England 76
Newspapers
  • San Diego Tribune 77
O'Neil, Grace 76
O'Neil, Lint 76
O'Neil, Thomas 76
Old Soldier House 76
Orchards 4, 6, 8, 60, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72, 74
  • Brinkley Orchard 70
  • Dickey Orchard 60
  • Gardner Orchard 4
  • Hanish Orchard 60
  • Tandy Orchard 69
Oregon Cities & Towns
Oregon Counties
  • Benton 78
Oregon Donation Land Claim [DLC] 7
Oregon State University 67, 76
  • Homer Museum 76
  • Paul M. Dunn Forest 72
Pearl Harbor 78
Railroads 57, 58, 77
  • Chicago & Great Northwestern Railroad 77
  • Southern Pacific [SP] 58
Raintree, [Mr] 70
Recreation
Religion
  • Baptist 9
  • Catholic 9
  • Church 8, 9, 29, 72
  • Mennonites 34, 65
  • Presbyterian 9
  • Sunday School 9
Reptiles
  • Snakes 32, 33
  • Snakes, Garter 33
  • Snakes, Rattlesnakes 1, 3
Rio De Janeiro 76
Rivers & Lakes
  • Lake Michigan 77
Roads & Trails
  • 100 Road 27, 66
  • 130 Road 45
  • Applegate Trail 67
  • County Roads 68, 72
  • Plank Road 14
  • Tampico Road 23
  • Tram Roads 14
San Diego Bay 77
Sawmills
Schools
  • Berry Creek 8, 9
  • Eugene Field Elementary 77
Scotland 78
Smith Family 30
Smith, Greenberry 7
Smith, Joe 4, 5, 6, 25, 30, 31, 34, 57, 67, 78
Smith, John 4
Smith, Joseph 30, 31
Social Organizations
  • American Legion 6
Soil 31, 78
South America 76
Southern California 10
State of California
  • Selective Service Board 78
Stevens Family 72
Sulphur Springs 28
Swarnee, Clyde 77
Tandy Family 27, 34, 69
Tandy, Forrest 27
Trees
U.S. Government
  • Air Force 78
  • Naval Reserve Program 78
Vegetables & Herbs
  • Corn 76
  • Lettuce 16
  • Tomatoes 16
Wars
  • Civil War 76
  • World War II 4, 10, 78
Washington State 58
Weather
Willamette Valley 30
Wood Products

The printed original

How to cite this item

The first line is the citation as it is printed in the original. Use it when you cite the work itself. Use the second when you cite this page.

As printed
Zybach, Bob and Kevin Sherer 1994. James Hanish. Biographical Sketch and a Tour of Berry Creek, Benton and Polk Counties, Oregon: 1930-1938. Soap Creek Valley History Project, Monograph #06. Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon: 85 pp.
This page
Hanish 1994. America's School Trust Library, The Zybach Collection. https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/soap-creek/m06-hanish/
Permalink
https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/soap-creek/m06-hanish/
Original PDF
http://www.nwmapsco.com/ZybachB/Oral_Histories/Soap_Creek_Valley/06_Hanish/Zybach-Sherer_1994.pdf

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