Pat Edwards

Groundwaters has showcased the exceptional local talent in Lane County, Oregon for over 14 years - the first 10 years were in the form of a quarterly literary magazine distributed free of charge through libraries, organizations and businesses. Over 70 authors and poets have contributed over 170 fiction and non-fiction stories, essays, poems, photos and artwork for this annual anthology. Each writer and poet writes from the heart to share a bit of who they are with our readers. These family-friendly offerings will entertain all ages.

Groundwaters has showcased the exceptional local talent in Lane County, Oregon for over 14 years - the first 10 years were in the form of a quarterly literary magazine distributed free of charge through libraries, organizations and businesses. Over 70 authors and poets have contributed over 170 fiction and non-fiction stories, essays, poems, photos and artwork for this annual anthology. Each writer and poet writes from the heart to share a bit of who they are with our readers. These family-friendly offerings will entertain all ages.

In 1873 and 1874, after serving four years as a Union soldier in the Civil War, Captain John O

In 1873 and 1874, after serving four years as a Union soldier in the Civil War, Captain John O'Brien homesteaded 160 acres of land south of Lorane, Oregon in what is now the Letz Creek Road area. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided free land to veterans who had served in the Civil War as well as others who qualified. However, Capt. O'Brien didn't live there full time until 1907, when he retired as the President of the Multnomah Typographical Union #58 and stepped down from the International Federated Trades Assembly of Portland in which he took an active role for many years. It was obvious that Capt. O'Brien loved his farm. He spent as much time there as possible, using it as a retreat from the rigors of running a trade union and a daily newspaper in the big city. His story is rich in texture. A printer by trade, he was a man who lived his life as a leader, but proved also to be a gracious and gentle man. Much of the time he spent as a Union soldier during the Civil War, first as a private and eventually being promoted through the ranks to captain by brevet, is recorded in his own hand from the almost 50 letters he wrote to a favorite cousin throughout his four years of service. After leaving the military at the end of the Civil War, he took up the cause of the men who worked in the trades--especially the printing trade--and he became deeply involved in setting up trade unions to make sure that the workers who mainly used their hands and training in helping to build America were treated fairly and provided a living wage for their families. That vocation took him far from his Connecticut upbringing, first to Helena, Montana, then to Sacramento, California and soon San Francisco where he married his wife, Julia. He then settled in Portland, Oregon where he continued to champion the cause of the working man. He was a man of substance and from the stories told about him in the Lorane area, especially, he was loved and respected by his neighbors, as well. This book is the second in a series that showcases the lives of some of the very interesting early settlers in Lane County who had direct connections to the Siuslaw Valley and Lorane, specifically.

Groundwaters has showcased the exceptional local talent in Lane County, Oregon for over 13 years - the first 10 years were in the form of a quarterly literary magazine distributed free of charge through libraries, organizations and businesses. Over 60 authors and poets have contributed over 165 stories and poems for this annual anthology of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and artwork. These family-friendly offerings will entertain all ages...

In researching the Bailey family of the Bailey Hill area of Eugene, Oregon, I became enamored with the strength of character and thread of family bonding that ran through their midst. When I began my project, it was with the intention of profiling 4-6 families in one book, but once I got into my detailed research, I knew that there was much more to the family than I expected. The history of the Bailey family of Bailey Hill has proven to be rich and interesting. Arriving in the late 1840s and through the 1850s, they were early pioneers to Benton and Lane Counties in Oregon and, although their major connection was not with the Lorane area, they had a strong presence in the Siuslaw Valley and other parts of Lane County, Oregon as well. Bailey Hill, the area where several family members settled that eventually took on their name, lies southwest of what was then Eugene City. In the 1850s, it was described as being 5 or 6 miles from Eugene City. Today, there really is a Bailey "Hill," and Bailey Hill Road runs north and south, over the top of the hill, where it later connects with Lorane Highway to the south and to West 11th to the north. There used to be a Bailey Hill School District #7 and the Bailey Hill Elementary School building still stands today on the corner of Bailey Hill Road and Four Oaks Grange Road, but it is no longer used as a school. The land it sits on was donated by Bailey family members and is still owned by the Eugene School District #4. It's very possible that the adjoining property where Churchill High School is located was part of their property, too, although it came much later. Several of the Bailey family members came through Oregon on their way to the gold fields of California. The gold that one brother found in turn helped to finance the family's movement across the plains from Missouri. According to Harry Bailey's obituary, published on November 6, 1929, when his grandfather, John Bailey, Jr., arrived in Lane County, "the Skinner cabin was the only building here." Several brothers volunteered to serve in the Rogue River Indian Wars that took place in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas Counties to our south from 1855-1856. In the aftermath of the war, in skirmishes with the tribes, two of the brothers lost their lives and one was wounded in separate incidents. The family also had a strong presence besides just a strength of character. A unique family characteristic they shared tended to call attention to them whenever they were in a group, especially. John and Sally's adult children were extraordinarily tall for their generation. The shortest of the siblings was Elizabeth, standing at 6' in height. The sons ranged from 6'2" to 6'7-1/2".

This is the first book in the OREGON'S MAIN STREET Coloring Book series.Pat Edwards, co-author of the OREGON'S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 "The Folk History" has embarked on a series of adult and children's coloring books to compliment this historic piece of Oregon's past.The books are meant to elicit the memories that so many of us have of life along its route in the first part of the 20th century.Join us in our journey on the Pacific Highway/U.S. Highway 99 through Oregon