Front matter

NEIL VANDERBURG Family Farming and Saw Milling on Berry Creek Benton County, Oregon: 1935-1941 Oral History Interviews by Bob Zybach & George Wisner Soap Creek Valley History Project OSU Research Forests OSU RESEARCH FORESTS COLLEGE OF FORESTRY Monograph #8 1994

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.

The Soap Creek Valley History Project was authorized by, and was under the direction of, Dr. William Atkinson, former Director of the OSU Research Forests, from 1989 until 1993. Beginning in 1994, the oral history portion of this project has been under the direction of Jeffery Garver, OSU Research Forests Manager. Funding for the Soap Creek Valley History Project is provided by the OSU College of Forestry. Lisa Buschman, former OSU Research Forests secretary, initially transcribed most of the recorded interviews to computer files and assisted with draft editing, formatting, and indexing. Holly Behm Losli, Tami Torres and Md. Shahidul Islam, OSU Research Forests text editors, completed final formatting and indexing under the direction of Pam Beebee, OSU Research Forests Office Manager. Finally, both the Introduction and Appendix A of this history were written by Neil's daughter, Mary. 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 Soap Creek Valley History 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 Torres, text editors for OSU Research Forests. In 1994, the concordance file was thoroughly tested and redesigned under the direction of Md. Shahidul Islam, currently the publications editor for this project. His refinement of the concordance file now allows for a more efficient and systematic indexing of the monographs in this series. In addition, the system will now be much easier for students, staff, and others to use, and will provide a better method for cross-referencing other research materials being used in the construction of the scholarly history portion of this project. The Soap Creek Valley 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 the Depression- era Berry Creek resident, Neil Vanderburg--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. 1

INTRODUCTION Neil Elton Vanderburg A Perspective of Generations Anna's pen captured us well, and I had to laugh. At thirteen years old, her school assignment to write her family history crystalized her memories and yielded some interesting insights. What did she say about her grandpa, the "character" of this volume? "My grandpa fits the word unique perfectly. He is a man you have to love, and he is not at all reticent. I think my grandfather flatters the age of sixty- three because on the inside, I think he is about twelve. This man is not afraid to tell a corny joke, and as he retells his stories, you can watch them grow.. Though my grandfather is very wise and smart, it's nice to still see the glimmer of a kid at heart in him." This "kid" also has another side. My daughter might characterize her grandpa's childhood as hard. His life facts, some of which are contained in this book, might lead you to think so, but I don't think Daddy would ever see it that way. During the Great Depression, when meals were scant, and chewing on his small collars pacified the hunger, his heart was satisfied with the love of his family. When his bicycle was a Sears catalog dream, all of nature was his playground to which he added a wild imagination and an inquisitive mind. Never have I heard him recall the past with bitterness or regret. It made him what he is, and he is grateful. I also am grateful, because his life flows in mine. Some of my favorite memories of Daddy are when as an early teen I chose often to accompany him to the fields to help move irrigation pipe or check on the cows. It was in these quiet moments, that I saw most clearly the gentle and loving heart of this big strong man It was he who put me on a first name basis with the Columbine, Lambs Tongue, and Larkspur. He taught me to see the beauty of fox at play, a hawk in flight, and the changing colors of the sky. The work of farming was only an excuse to reap the harvest of hearts. There is no work, there is no life, that is an end to itself. This book is a testament to that truth. For myself and generations to come, thank you Daddy for what you have given. Mary Vanderburg Stone July 1994 vm

SOAP CREEK VALLEY MAP (p. ii): key labels include STATE OF OREGON, BENTON [County], Corvallis, SOAP CREEK VALLEY, VANDERBURG PLACE, NOT TO SCALE.