America’s School Trust Library The Zybach Collection

Soap Creek Valley oral history series · Monograph #14

Charles and Norman Hindes

Monograph #14 in the Soap Creek Valley oral history series: Charles Hindes and Norman Hindes, recorded in 3 sessions between September 28, 1993 and October 11, 1993, printed 1996.

Family History and Story of the Soap Creek Sawmilling and Logging Camp, Benton County, Oregon: 1928-1931

Cover of Charles and Norman Hindes as printed
The printed cover. Full-size scan on the creator's own site, nwmapsco.com.
Photograph printed in the monograph: Charles Hindes (seated) and Norman Hindes (standing)
Charles Hindes (seated) and Norman Hindes (standing). As printed: “C. Hindes — N. Hindes 1960” From the front matter of the printed monograph (page vi (in the roman-numbered front matter)), reproduced from the creator's own scan.

Zybach, Bob 1996. Charles and Norman Hindes. Family History and Story of the Soap Creek Sawmilling and Logging Camp, Benton County, Oregon: 1928-1931. Soap Creek Valley History Project, Monograph #14. Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon: 76 pp.

Provenance

Creator
Dr. Bob Zybach
Narrator
Charles Hindes, Norman Hindes
Recorded
3 sessions, September 28, 1993 to October 11, 1993
Transcribed, audited, edited
Bob Zybach (interviewer); Bob Zybach (editor); Bob Zybach (photographer); Charles Hindes (co-author); William Atkinson (authorizer); Jeffrey Garver (series-editor); Ann Rogers (series-editor); Lisa Buschman (transcriber); Holly Behm Losli (editor); Tami Torres (editor); Md. Shahidul Islam (editor); Pam Beebee (editor); Bonnie Humphrey (indexer); Samuel H. Moore (photographer); Ernest Cook (photographer); Myra Moore Davidson (other); Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation (other)
Printed
1996 · Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon
Pages
76 printed pages
Original
http://www.nwmapsco.com/ZybachB/Oral_Histories/Soap_Creek_Valley/14_Hindes/Zybach_1996.pdf
Accessioned
From Bob Zybach’s upload, 23 August 2026
Source file checksum
sha256:d27daa2da2701354743fc1abbd9cab91…

What is not here, and why

Front matter, as printed

Cover, as printed

CHARLES & NORMAN HINDES Family History and Story of the Soap Creek Sawmilling and Logging Camp Benton County, Oregon: 1928-1931 1993 Oral History Interview by Bob Zybach Soap Creek Valley History Project OSU Research Forests Monograph # 14 1996

Cover photograph

Cover Photo: The cover photo is of the Moore Family farm in the Soap Creek Valley, probably taken by Samuel H. Moore around 1899 or 1900. Provided by the courtesy of Myra Moore Davidson and the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation.

The series, as listed inside the front cover

Soap Creek Valley, Oregon, Oral History Series Monograph # 01: Lorna Grabe. Family history and story of the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation, Benton County, Oregon. Monograph # 02: Paul M. Dunn. Biographical sketch and story of the Adair Tract, Benton County, Oregon. Monograph # 03: Donald Dickey. Family history and life on Berry Creek, Benton County, Oregon: 1928-1942. Monograph # 04: Edward Sekermestrovich. Life at CCC Camp Arboretum, Benton County, Oregon: 1935-1940. Monograph # 05: John Jacob and Wilma Rohner. Family farming on Coffin Butte between World Wars, Benton County, Oregon: 1919-1941. Monograph # 06: James Hanish. Biographical sketch and a tour of Berry Creek, Benton County, Oregon: 1930-1938. Monograph # 07: Charlie Olson. Biographical sketch and early history of Sulphur Springs, Benton County, Oregon: 1900-1920. Monograph # 08: Neil Vanderburg. Family farming and saw milling on Berry Creek, Benton County, Oregon: 1935-1941. Monograph # 09: Eugene Glender. Growing up on a Tampico family farm, Benton County, Oregon: 1910-1941. Monograph #10: Velma Carter Rawie. A history of the Carter family and the town of Wells, Benton County, Oregon: 1845-1941. Monograph #11: Bessie Murphy. Botanizing in Benton County, 1900-1991. Monograph #12: Wanda Marcks Cook. The Story of the Sulphur Springs Stock Ranch, Benton County, Oregon:1904-1939. Monograph #13: William Davies. Monograph #14: Charles and Norman Hindes. Family History and Story of the Soap Creek Sawmilling and Logging Camp, Benton County, Oregon:1928-1931. Monograph #15: Marvin Rowley Monograph #16: Index to Monographs #1-#15. Soap Creek Valley, Benton County, Oregon, Oral History Series. Monograph #17: Documenting Natural and Cultural Resources Research. Soap Creek Valley, Benton County, Oregon, Oral History Series.

A note on that list

Printed on the second leaf (PDF p. 2), unnumbered, recorded here as [front-2]. #14 is the only volume whose list prints all seventeen entries with no "Remaining to be printed" block, and the only one that gives Monograph #14 a full title. Two printed continuation lines that the earlier reading dropped are restored: "1928-1942." (Monograph #03 — the datum in dispute) and "County, Oregon:1904-1939." (Monograph #12). Recorded as printed, including "Oregon:1904-1939." and "Oregon:1928-1931." with no space after the colon. Method: PDF p. 2 rendered with pdftoppm -r 170 (and the "Lorna Grabe" and "1928-19xx" lines re-cropped at 400 dpi) and read as an image; the PDF text layer of this leaf is unreliable ("Loma", "fanning", "Chaxlie", "Rwie", "199 1", "#1415"). Printed line wraps are joined with a single space, one line per printed entry, matching the convention already used in monograph #15.

Acknowledgments

The Soap Creek Valley History Project was initially authorized in 1989 by Dr. William Atkinson, former Director of the OSU Research Forests. The oral history portion of this project remained under Dr. Atkinson's direction until January 1994, when it was assigned to Jeffrey Garver, OSU Research Forests Manager. In December of that year responsibility for the oral histories was given to Ann Rogers, Cultural Resources Manager for OSU Research Forests. 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. This project could not have been completed without the help of these people. Cover Photo: The cover photo is of the Moore Family farm in the Soap Creek Valley, probably taken by Samuel H. Moore around 1899 or 1900. Provided by the courtesy of Myra Moore Davidson and the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation. Title Page Photo: Soap Creek Logging and Sawmilling Camp. This mill began operations in 1928 in the present vicinity of the Soap Creek Schoolhouse. Logging and milling operations provided employment for Soap Creek residents before World War II, but the work was irregular and the pay was scanty (Ref: Zybach, Bob. Historic Soap Creek Valley Auto Tour, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, 1989, p:26.).

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 publications 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 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 accessible 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 in IBM Word Perfect 5.1. This was made possible through the assistance and expertise of Bonnie Humphrey, of the former Horner Museum staff, Lisa Buschman, former secretary for the OSU Research Forests, and Holly Behm Losli and Tami Torres, text editor 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 of 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 a scholarly history 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 spoken memories of pioneer "Grandma" Carter, and the recordings of Charles and Norman Hindes 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 Research Forests and the College of Forestry.

Introduction

Charles and Norman Hindes. We came to Soap Creek from the McCoy-Burtrom logging and sawmill operation in Kings Valley, Oregon in 1928, just in time to enroll in Tampico School for the 1928-29 school year. Soap Creek school was not in operation at that time. During the summer months, before the economic crash of 1929, and on Saturdays, we carried drinking water to the cutting crew and greased the crossties on the skid road for the horse loggers. With the stock market crash came an almost over night closure of all logging and milling operations. We had no income, no government assistance in any form, and all the young people with new 1928 Model A Fords purchased on credit had them repossessed. The remaining three years (1930-1932) were the most severe of the Depression Years. There are few photographs from this time because people generally couldn't afford to buy cameras or film An accidental encounter with Bob Zybach led to the writing of this oral history. My brother Norman and I, working with Bob and his associates, have endeavored to fill in a blank in Soap Creek Valley history -- and specifically, a two-year period in Soap Creek School chronology -- that had not been previously documented. We dedicate our efforts to as many named individuals as we can remember, and to any un-named residents residing in the McCoy/Burtrom saw mill site in the years 1928-31, and the heirs thereof. We have also mentioned some of the long time residents of the Valley with whom we had contact. When asked by Bob for photographs covering this period of time, neither Norman nor I could remember the family ever having anything by way of a box camera. And definitely after the mill closed, film and the developing thereof was a luxury we could not afford. Although our time at mill/logging camp site was relatively short, it had a pronounced effect on we three boys. Our step-brother, Douglas Gilliam, while not included in the Soap Creek interview, was part of the family and of many of our activities during our stay in Soap Creek Valley. Prior to the stock market crash and start of "The Depression," which culminated in the closing of the mill, we boys had profound learning experiences. When not in school we had numerous household chores, such as carrying water (1/4 mile up hill), cutting winter firewood, etc. We also had some chores related to the logging and mill operation, such as cleaning out the horse barn (six horses deposit a substantial amount of used hay). One job I remember well was carrying water to the timber cutters. As I brought the empty water sacks down to be filled I would bring a bucket of grease and place a dab of grease on every skid (approximately 8' apart) on the skid road to enable the logs to slide with less resistance for the horses. Naturally, inasmuch as I was going up and down the hill at least twice a day, anything the "cutters" needed, such as a new axe or saw, file, or wedge, was added to my uphill trek. We three boys developed a good work ethic as well as an affinity for the logging industry. In addition, we learned many things by observing what to do and what not to do if one intended to be a long-lived logger. The seed was well planted for between the three of us we account for in excess of 75 year logging, milling and log hauling experience without major mishap. When we first arrived in camp, Tampico was the nearest school, so for most of the first year we walked the 3.8 miles each way. After a time, Alvie Govier and his Model T truck with a wooden box built over a bare chassis were brought into serve as a school bus. It was rustic but superior to that 7.6 mile walk rain or shine. For our last two years at the mill site a farm house was secured and Ms. Lottie Blake brought in to teach at what I am lead to believe was the second location of Soap Creek school. The house had been the Modrell home located roughly half way between the McCoy farm home and that of Elmer Govier on the west side of Soap Creek road. When Mrs. Blake entered our lives it denoted a turning point in all our lives, and mine in particular. Her strong point was history , but high school and college education were also high on her list of things to achieve in life. I learned many things from Mrs. Blake (not taught in higher education) of what to do and what not to do for success in education. Earlier I mentioned we dedicated our efforts in this publication to as many individuals and families as we could remember that lived in the camp between the year 1928-31. I wish to modify that statement to read any one still living, after all 1996 is many years after the fact. Charles Hindes Dallas, Oregon March 1996

The map

SOAP CREEK VALLEY MAP (printed p. iii): a locator map of Oregon, Polk County and Benton County keyed to "SOAP CREEK VALLEY" and "SOAP CREEK LOGGING AND SAWMILLING CAMP, 1928-1931"; marked NOT TO SCALE.

The recording sessions

Contents

  1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS p. i
  2. THE SOAP CREEK VALLEY HISTORY PROJECT p. ii
  3. SOAP CREEK VALLEY MAP p. iii
  4. TABLE OF CONTENTS p. v
  5. INTRODUCTION pp. vii–viii
  6. Part I.. September 28, 1993 Interview pp. 1–30
  7. 1.. Family History pp. 1–3
  8. 2.. From Albany to Kings Valley to Soap Creek pp. 3–5
  9. 3.. Lewis & Clark Exposition to Great Depression pp. 5–7
  10. 4.. Jack Price and Alvie Govier pp. 7–10
  11. 5.. Tampico School, Mrs. Montgomery and the Modrell Family pp. 10–13
  12. 6.. Peeling Poles and Horse Logging pp. 13–15
  13. 7.. The Vandersantens' Hired Hands pp. 15–16
  14. 8.. Albert Zundt, The Rohners, and Agnes Dobrinin pp. 16–18
  15. 9.. Lee Brown pp. 18–19
  16. 10.. The Town of Tampico pp. 19–20
  17. 11.. George Hindes' Farm p. 20
  18. Withheld section pp. 20–23
  19. 13.. Mrs. Blake, Teacher Extraordinare p. 23
  20. 14.. The Griffin Place pp. 23–25
  21. 15.. The Vandersanten Place pp. 25–27
  22. 16.. The Tillamook Migration - Life with "Julius" pp. 27–30
  23. Part II.. September 28, 1993 Soap Creek Valley Tour pp. 31–50
  24. A.. The Old Mill Site and Ivan Slater pp. 31–34
  25. B.. The Blake Place pp. 34–36
  26. C.. Return to Mill Site pp. 36–38
  27. D.. The Old Sawmill Camp pp. 38–41
  28. E.. The Old Mill Site pp. 41–43
  29. F.. Hindes' Home Site and Local Logging History pp. 43–45
  30. G.. Fishing and Trapping Stories pp. 45–47
  31. H.. The Seabrook's Place pp. 47–49
  32. I.. The Modrell Schoolhouse pp. 49–50
  33. Appendix A.. Charles Hindes' October 11, 1993 Note pp. 51–55
  34. Appendix B.. Family Photos pp. 56–68
  35. INDEX pp. 69–76

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.

"Mexican, The" (c. 1930 Vandersanten employee) 16
"Walter" (c. 1930 Arlie resident) 16
Adair Tract 3
Airplane 4
Allen, [Miss, Teacher] 49
American Indians 16, 34
Animals, Domestic
Arizona 15
Automobiles
Baker Family 26
Barzee Family 19
Battleship Oregon 6
Beals Family 19, 23
Blacks [African Americans] 16
Blake Family 34, 35
Blake, Charlotte E. "Lottie" 12, 24
Blake, Ed 34, 36, 52
Bloom Family 3
Brown Family 19, 23, 25
Brown, Hugh 18
Brown, Lee 18, 19
Burbank Family 15
Burbank, John 15
Burtrom Family 3, 5
Businesses
  • Bulacan Lumber Co. (Philippines) 64
  • Burtrom Mill 3
  • Farmers Insurance 35
  • Grange Insurance 35
  • Haugens Photography 67
  • Price General Merchandise Store 4
  • Valley Mill 1, 3, 9, 14
  • Weinert's Store 7
  • Yunker and Wiecks Logging Co. (Elsie, Oregon) 62
Camp Adair 45
Camp Arboretum 3
Carter, Velma Pearl 2, 3
Cemeteries 2
  • Masonic 3
Christianson Family 15
Cook, Ernest S. 10
Cook, Wanda Marcks 3
Creeks
Crops
  • Wheat 1, 9
Crossman Family 2
Dean's Mountain 45
Dean's Mountain Fire Lookout 45
Delaney, Corporal 64
Depression, The Great 5, 6, 7, 45
Dickey, Donald Charles 3
Dobrinin Family 17, 19
Dobrinin, Agnes 16, 18
Dobrinin, Mike 17
Dorgan Family 26
Epidemics 2
  • Flu [1918] 2, 2
  • Influenza [1918] 2
Erickson, Julius 27, 28
Farm Equipment & Tools
  • Tractor 9
Farming
  • Dairy 28
Fish & Aquatic Animals
  • Eels 28
  • Fish 46
  • Shellfish 28
  • Shellfish, Oysters 34
  • Trout 46
  • Trout, Brook 46
  • Trout, Cutthroat 46
  • Trout, Salmon 28
Florida 2
Flowers, Domestic
Flu Epidemic of 1918 2
Forest Fires
Fruit & Nuts
  • Apples 23, 36
  • Blackberries 4, 40
  • Blackberry, Wild 4
  • Hazel 48
  • Walnuts 34
Gilliam, Douglas 9, 11, 12, 27, 56, 58, 59
Gilliam, Evelyn 59
Gilliam, Wanda 59
Glender Family 19, 43, 46
Glender, Eugene Carl (1923-) 3, 23
Govier, Alvie 7, 9, 25, 52
Govier, Elmer "Shorty" 11, 12, 23, 39, 52
Govier, Hugo 12
Grabe, Lorna Dohrer 3
Grasses
  • Fescue 40
Griffin Family 23, 39, 52
Grinding Mills
  • Kings Gristmill 5
Hanish, James 3
Hildebrand Family 18, 23, 25
Hindes Family 1, 2
Hindes, Beulah Schrepel 67
Hindes, Charles 8, 27, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 63, 64, 67
Hindes, Goldie 2
Hindes, Lois 3
Hindes, Norman 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 10, 27, 29, 30, 50, 56, 60, 62
Hindes, Vivian 3
Horner Museum [OSU] 23
Hospitals
  • St. Vincent's 2
Houris, Charlie 15, 48
Illinois 1, 5
  • Rockford 1
Johnson Family 1, 35, 36
Johnson, George 35, 52
King Family 39
King, Charles 39
Labor Unions
  • A.F.L.-C.I.O. 13
Lewis and Clark Exposition 1, 5, 6
Lewisburg Saddle 25
Logging 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 40, 43, 44, 45, 48, 52, 62, 64
  • Horse Logging 13
  • Skid Roads 31, 44, 52
Logging Equipment
  • Caterpillar #60 45
  • Caterpillar, Allis-Chalmers 62
  • Caterpillar, D-9 62
  • Nash Quad 41
  • Yarder, Triple Drum 62
Maine 2
Mammals, Wild
Martensen, Norene Hindes 62
Matthews, William Henry "Junk" 10
McClanahan Family 13
McCoy Family 3
McCoy, Burtrom 3, 14
Mexican 15, 16
Modrell Family 12, 13, 39, 52
Modrell, Larry 13
Montana 18
Montgomery, Mrs. 11, 12, 52
Moore Family 14, 26
Mountains & Named Peaks
  • Coffin Butte [Benton Co.] 3
  • Dean's Mountain [Coos Co.] 45
Murphy, Bessie Gragg 3
Musical Instruments
  • Piano 26
New Mexico 15
Olson, Charlie 3, 26, 36, 47, 49
Orchards 47
Oregon Cities & Towns
Oregon Counties
Oregon Department of Forestry
  • Elliot State Forest 45
Oregon State University 1, 5, 7, 14, 19
  • College of Forestry 14, 19
  • Horner Museum 23
  • Paul M. Dunn Forest 7
  • Research Forests 1, 5, 14, 19
Organizations
  • A.F.L.-C.I.O. 13
  • Army Corps of Engineers 32
Pettigrove Family 5
Price, Bill 7
Price, Jack Jr. 7
Price, Jack Sr. 7
Providence [Rhode Island] 50
Railroads 18
Recreation
  • Dancing 4
  • Drinking 18
  • Fishing 6, 43, 45, 46
  • Hunting 6, 43
  • Saturday Night Activities 4
  • Swimming 5
Rhode Island 50
Rivers & Lakes
  • Miami River 53, 57, 63
  • Nestucca River 15
Roads & Trails
Rohner Family 17, 35, 43
Rowley, Marvin R. 3
Samuels, Archie 60
Sawmill Equipment
  • Chevrolet Truck 45
  • Planers 45
Sawmills
  • Bohemia Mill 25
  • Coote's Mill 7
  • Govier Sawmill 9
  • Pettigrove Sawmill 5
  • Soap Creek Sawmill 3
  • Valley Mills 1, 3, 9, 14
  • Zeller Sawmill 5
Sawyer Family 31
Schools
  • Corvallis High School 11, 17
  • Highland View Middle School 4
  • Mountain View School 67
  • Soap Creek School 3, 24, 26, 36, 40
  • Tampico School 10, 11, 19, 23, 40, 52
Seabrook Family 47
Sekermestrovich, Edward 3
Sheppard Family 17
Slater, Fred 48
Slater, Ivan 31
Soap Creek Valley 1, 3, 5, 19, 25, 26, 30, 31, 32, 52
Soil 43
Stambaugh Family 18
Studach Family 17
Swiss 17
Thurston Family 39
Tillamook Burn 29, 56, 57, 60, 62, 63
Trees
U.S. Government
  • Army 32
  • Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC] 3
Vanderburg, Neil 2, 3
Vandersanten Family 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 47
Vegetation
  • Cattails 40
  • Poison Oak 42
Vincent Family 10, 11, 25, 26, 47
Vincent, Bob 11
Vincent, Dave 11
Wallace, Bobby 14, 15, 48
Wallace, Harvey 14
Wars
  • Civil 19
  • Spanish American War 6
  • World War I 16, 26, 27
  • World War II 1, 50, 56
Washington State 13
Weather 11, 42
Weinert Family 7
Whitehead, Don 57
Windblad, Hank 57
Wisconsin 1
  • Madison 1
Wood Family 2, 6
Wood Products
  • Pilings 14
  • Railroad Ties 45
  • Ties, Railroad 45
Wood, Mary 2
Zeller Family 5
Zundt, Albert 16, 17
Zybach, Bob 1, 1, 5, 26, 49, 52

The printed original

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As printed
Zybach, Bob 1996. Charles and Norman Hindes. Family History and Story of the Soap Creek Sawmilling and Logging Camp, Benton County, Oregon: 1928-1931. Soap Creek Valley History Project, Monograph #14. Oregon State University Research Forests and College of Forestry, Corvallis, Oregon: 76 pp.
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Hindes 1996. America's School Trust Library, The Zybach Collection. https://schooltrusts.org/collections/zybach/soap-creek/m14-hindes/
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