Front matter

CHARLIE OLSON Biographical Sketch And Early History Of Sulphur Springs Benton County, Oregon: 1900-1920 Oral History Interviews by Bob Zybach and Angela Sondenaa Soap Creek Valley History Project OSU Research Forests OSU RESEARCH FORESTS COLLEGE OF FORESTRY Monograph #7 1994

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Myra Moore Lauridson and the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation. View from the Moore family house, looking south toward Soap Creek. Dabler's blacksmith shop is to the right. Portion of current McDonald Forest can be seen in the background. Photograph taken about 1899 or 1900 by Mrs. Lauridson's father, Samuel H. Moore.

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 Tones, OSU Research Forests text editors, completed final formatting and indexing under the direction of Pam Beebee, OSU Research Forests Office Manager. This project could not have been completed without the help of these people.

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 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 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 and indexed 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 former Homer Museum staff, Lisa Buschman, former secretary for the OSU Research Forests, and Holly Behm Losli and Tami Tones, text editors 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. The Soap Creek history is being assembled from the written and spoken words of the people who made it and lived it. The use of a 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 turn-of-the-century Soap Creek resident, Charlie Olson--a history spanning over a century and a half--to be systematically searched and organized. The index to 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 Charlie Olson's father was a Swedish immigrant who came to America looking for opportunities. He eventually ended up in Corvallis where he worked for Fisher's Flour Mill. It was seven years before he was able to save enough money to send for his wife and son. Once in America, the family settled in the Soap Creek Valley where Charlie Olson was born in 1898. Charlie was born in a small log cabin where his family lived on 160 acres of land. Today, Charlie is still as sharp and agile as he was several decades ago. This point was made abundantly clear when the interviewers watched Charlie cross a frozen log no more than six inches in diameter to reach the other side of Soap Creek. Not once did he hesitate nor did he take notice of our offers to help. This independence and determination has served Charlie well throughout the years. He survived a stint in the Student Army Training Corps during World War I, worked as a mechanic in Corvallis, saw the Great Depression, married and fathered children, and ran a successful school bus operation for a number of years. Throughout his long life Charlie has witnessed many changes in the Corvallis area. He can remember when cars were unknown there, and people often lived miles from their nearest neighbors. We have attempted to record many of those changes in the following pages. The first Olson interview took place as we drove along the main roads through the Soap Creek Valley. Because of the nature of the interview, people unfamiliar with the geography of the valley may have difficulty following some of the dialog. To help alleviate this problem, maps have been provided for reference points. The second interview took place at the Olson residence near Summit, in Lincoln County, Oregon. This interview covers the personal history of Charlie and his family as well as additional history of the Soap Creek Valley. It is our hope that this oral history will provide valuable historical information about early life in Benton County, and a glimpse into the life of a very interesting individual. Students of many disciplines will find this a useful document in recounting vegetation patterns, lifestyles, occupations, attitudes and landscapes of the early Soap Creek Valley. Angela Sondenaa March 1991, Grangeville, Idaho Postscript. Sadly, Charlie Olson died shortly before Christmas in 1993. He was very interested in this project, and it is unfortunate that he wasn 't able to see his story in its final form. For those of us with an interest in Oregon history and ecology, Charlie 's story represents a legacy that will entertain and educate others for years to come. Editor, May 23, 1994

Map of January 29, 1990 Tour of Soap Creek Valley. Circled letters correspond to chapter headings in Table of Contents.