Klamath Life February 2018

REGIONAL MAGAZINE FOR KLAMATH, LAKE, MODOC AND SISKIYOU COUNTIES

Klamath Life Wading in

Klamath Country Fly Casters look to sport’s future through education, conservation

First-hand experience Explorer program trains the next generation of law enforcement

Planning for parks Park projects moving forward in Klamath Country

H e r a l d a n d N e w s | Fe b r u a r y - M a r c h 2 0 1 8 | w w w. h e r a l d a n d n e w s. c o m | $ 4 . 9 5

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Klamath Life

Silver Linings Inside:

On the cover: Cheyenne Gunn, 9, ties her first fly at the

Klamath Country Fly Casters’ booth at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Jan. 20. Read about the club’s education and conservation efforts on page 17.

Experience: Explorers program helps train future law officers. Page 3

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Cover photo by H&N photographer Brittany Hosea-Small

Green spaces: Klamath Falls parks continue to grow with new projects. Page 7

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11 Bridging a gap: Dragonfly Transitions, Leap of Taste partners in training. Page 11

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Wading in: Klamath Country Fly Casters promote conservation. Page 17

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What’s on your line?

Picking the best bait to reel in a fish-tale worthy catch. Page 21

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X marks the spot: Rumors persist of buried treasure in Klamath Country. Page 25

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Flushed Away: Lake County Museum display profiles odd collection. Page 29 

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Ol’ Sam’s cabin: Fleener Cabin a historical remnant of a former way of life. Page 31

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3 Heritage & healing: Beading, language lessons used to promote wellness. Page 34

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This publication is copyrighted under Klamath Publishing LLC doing business as the Herald and News (c) 2017. All rights reserved.

L

aw enforcement may have changed significantly over the years, but the desire of many young people to one day become officers remains.

That is why the Klamath Falls Police Department maintains its Explorer Program, providing opportunities for trainees ages 15 to 20 to experience law enforcement firsthand.

While you won’t find explorers chasing down suspects or making arrests, they are able to shadow full-time officers and serve as ambassadors to the public.

“The Explorer Program helps to show a level of volunteerism, community involvement and service,” said Lt. Jack Daniel, program manager. “A goal of the program is that the participants take away a sense of greater purpose and become goal oriented.”

The first law enforcement explorer post was founded in California in 1959 through the Boy Scouts of America and similar programs have since been established nationwide. Daniel said his department’s program is more than 40 years old and is chartered through a nonprofit and run by KFPD. See EXPLORER, page 4

Training the next generation Investing in future officers through Explorer Program

By STEPHEN FLOYD: H&N Staff Reporter

Observation: Explorer Austin Gilmore observes from a distance as Lt. Robert Mulcare demonstrates a traffic stop during a training exercise for the Klamath Falls Police Department Explorer Program. Multiple high school- and college-age students participate in the program, which gives young people a firsthand look at the police profession.

H&N photo by Stephen Floyd

4 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

EXPLORER, from page 3 Daniel said people from multiple backgrounds can join the program from anywhere in the immediate area, not just within Klamath Falls.

“I would say that there is no typical explorer,” he said. “We have all kinds of personalities in the program, from a variety of age groups.”

Future of law enforcement Explorers are not required to commit to a career in law enforcement to join, though the program is geared toward those who see a future in policing.

Explorer Sgt. Alexandra Pena knew she wanted to be a cop and found out about the program while working with a full-time officer on her senior project for Lost River Jr./Sr. High School. She has since enlisted in the Oregon Air National Guard to further her experience level and said this decision and others were strongly influenced by officers in the Explorer Program.

See EXPLORER, page 5

Restrain: Lt. Robert Mulcare, top, shows Explorer Sgt. Alexandra Pena how to safely restrain a subject on the ground while demonstrating on Explorer Austin Gilmore.

Stand: Mulcare, above, uses Explorer Sgt. Eleaza Herrera to demonstrate where officers stand in relation to a restrained subject to minimize injury if the subject should become aggressive.

Cuff: Gilmore, above left, practices handcuffing a kneeling subject on Pena.

Search: Herrera, top left, demonstrates a search technique on Gilmore.

H&N photos by Stephen Floyd

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 5

Explorer Marie Campbell stands soaked after being pulled into a swimming pool during a four-way tug-of-war with local kids at Park and Play program at Mills-Kiwanis Park.

H&N file photo

by Brittany Hosea-Small

EXPLORER, from page 4 “It’s because of their advice, push, and training for greatness I know I can succeed at anything I work toward,” said Pena. “This program has pushed me to become the best person I can be.”

Explorer Sgt. Eleaza Herrera said she learned about the program while on a civilian ride-along. After two years as an explorer, Herrera said she feels certain about becoming an officer.

“This program gave me the opportunity to see if this is something I would be interested in doing full time and within a couple of months I knew, thanks to the program, that this is what I wanted to do as a career,” she said.

Community role model Pena, Herrera and their fellow explorers are able to ride with full-time officers and see what their daily routines look like.

Explorers observe traffic stops and help surveil locations and subjects. Sometimes they are taken to active crime scenes where they can view an investigation or help contain pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Most residents are likely to see explorers during community events, where they help with crowd control and public outreach. To hear the explorers tell it, these assignments are their favorites to attend.

“Some events that always stand out to me are the ones where we get to volunteer our time are resources for the community,” said Herrera. “I really enjoy the Snowflake Parade, Shop With a Cop and the Veterans Day Parade.”

“One particular event that comes into mind is the annual trick-or-street downtown,” said Pena. “This past October a young girl stared at me for a while and she was in a police costume.

After some encouragement from

her mom, she came up to me and told me that she wants to be just like me when she got older.”

“That night I went home and I thought to myself that, no matter what I wear, I will be a role model for that young girl and the many others who are looking up to me,” Pena continued.

Moving up the ranks For explorers like Pena and Herrera who have shown dedication, leadership skills and maturity, they can apply for the rank of sergeant and be assigned an explorer squad. Sergeants are charged with supervising volunteer activities and report to the reserve lieutenant.

After reaching the age of 21, the time comes for explorers to leave the program and potentially choose to remain in law enforcement. They would be able to join the department’s reserve program, which trains volunteer officers, or seek a fulltime position.

See EXPLORER, page 6

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EXPLORER, from page 5 Officer Ben Krueger began as an explorer in 1989 and is now coordinator of the department’s reserve program, which oversees the explorers. Krueger said he wasn’t even sure he wanted to be an officer 29 years ago, but his first ride-along as an explorer was all it took to set his career path.

“I remember I decided at that moment that’s what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.

Krueger said being an explorer helped introduce him to the expectations of the job and show him “police officers are people too.” He said support from full-time officers during the program turned into support for his career after he was hired with KFPD. “Probably the most valuable things were the mentors that I established through that program,” he said.

The right stuff Krueger said a student who would excel as an explorer is someone who is dependable, able to communicate well and is responsible. He said honesty and integrity are “paramount” and said students should be ready for a rigorous screening process.

“We’re pretty selective on who we allow to be in the program,” he said.

Requirements include an extensive background check, no felony convictions, no misdemeanor convictions or arrests within two years of applying, U.S. citizenship, a high school diploma or GED or a 2.0 minimum GPA if currently attending high school.

Krueger said some students may feel intimidated by the standards, but said they should not be discouraged from applying, even those with troubled pasts.

Krueger said he would rather students be forward about their lives than try to hide something.

“Kids make mistakes, but we’re looking for pretty responsible kids,” he said.

Pena also said candidates

The unknown: Lt. Robert Mulcare explains the finer points of safely conducting a traffic stop to Explorer Austin Gilmore. Mulcare said traffic stops are often the most dangerous encounters officers can have, as they are approaching unknown subjects in an unexpected environment.

Safety: Mulcare instructs Explorer Sgt. Eleaza Herrera, center, and Gilmore, above, on how to safely approach a vehicle during a traffic stop.

H&N photos by Stephen Floyd

must be dedicated and honest and “willing to serve the community in any way possible.”

Herrera said an explorer needs to be ready for challenges both personally and in relation to the job.

“An explorer needs to be mature and willing to handle tough and stressful situations,” she said. “As an explorer, we are kept away from most of the ‘bad’ stuff, but we are around stressful situations and need to act appropriately.”

Giving back When asked how she sees the explorer program benefitting the community, Herrera said it allows KFPD to take an early look at those hoping to join law enforcement and help them mature.

“The department is able to test, observe and reach possible future police officers up for serious crime,” she said. “This program is a great gate that gives us a link to younger generations.”

Pena said being an explorer helped her feel proud of her community and show gratitude to the many programs and people who have helped shape her.

“I can say that I am proud of where I come from,” said Pena.

“The Explorer Program is a great way to give back to the very same community that molded you and the best way to show your gratitude is to serve back and raise the future generations into elite citizens so they too can one day serve the community.”

Daniel said an explorer gets from the program what they put into it. Though some may discover law enforcement is not for them, Daniel said others “get a taste of it and love every minute.”

To learn more about the explorer program at KFPD, including access to downloadable applications, go to www. kfpd.us/divisions/patrol/explorers. sfloyd@heraldandnews.com

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 7

Planning for Parks Klamath Falls parks continue to grow as new projects move forward

F

or some children growing up, local parks and activities can provide healthy forms of escapism.

John Bellon, who grew up in the Mills Addition and now works as parks director in Klamath Falls, says his local park helped him throughout his adolescence. More specifically, free park events at Mills Kiwanis Park kept him away from mak-

ing poor choices.

Now that he works closely with the community’s evergrowing parks, Bellon wants more people to discover the surroundings in their own backyards.

“There are a lot of kids who

may not have those programs that invite them out to really improve their quality of life,” Bellon said. “It’s almost like now kids seem to be under house arrest.”

As technology continues to grow in modern society, more communities such as Klamath Falls are increasingly looking into ways to improve their own parks and outdoor recreation options as a stress buffer. Even now, the city and Sky Lakes Medical Center are

Photos and story by SEAN BASSINGER: H&N Staff Reporter

about to begin the first steps of another new green space along the 1100 block of Main Street downtown.

But even without the newer parks underway, Bellon says Klamath County and Klamath Falls are full of amazing outdoor spaces, including Moore Park, Kit Carson Park and Veterans Memorial Park, that are just waiting to provide benefits for residents.

See PARKS, page 8

8 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

Community: Children sit and stand along the concrete plaza at the opening of Sugarman’s Corner pocket park in downtown Klamath Falls on June 30, 2016.

H&N file photo

for Bellon and his department in finding out what makes the best parks possible. However, Bellon said it’s never the city’s intention to just replicate what others do, but rather explore specific elements that could best work for Klamath Falls residents.

PARKS, from page 7 “What it provides, really, is an opportunity for people to just get outdoors,” Bellon said.

“Many people who are busy working at businesses downtown and offices that might feel a little cooped up.”

Overlooked wonders In terms of outdoor recreation, Klamath Falls has more than 600 acres across 50 parks, along with roughly 12 miles of trails. Moore Park, designated as “regional,” is the largest. It covers more than 400 acres oalong the southernmost base of Upper Klamath Lake.

Three key values that make parks valuable are their health and environmental benefits, social importance and economic value, according to the National Recreation and Park Association, a nonprofit that works to help advance parks across the U.S. Bellon himself touched on the benefits of visiting local city parks, which he said could also help with stress, poor moods or mild anxiety.

Portland, Medford and other cities across Oregon have been points of research

Each area park differs in size, in addition to each area’s purpose. Sugarman’s Corner, for instance, could be described as a “pocket park,” while Kit Carson Park could be a “community park.” Sugarman’s Corner, a newer installation at the intersection of Main Street and North Sixth Street, is ideal for lunch meetings and breaks for anyone who works in downtown Klamath Falls.

H&N photos by Sean Bassinger

The sun peeks out from behind tall trees past the main entrance and open fields at Moore Park in Klamath Falls Jan. 30.

Bellon said the Klamath Falls Downtown Association (KFDA) has already made plans to hold regular lunch meetings and gatherings at the location, which has several seating areas and tables along the corner. At their first meeting of the year, KFDA President Nicholas Phair mentioned that they plan to have sack lunch gatherings at the small park.

See PARK, page 9

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 9

Illustration courtesy of ZCS entineering

Healing space: A public park is being developed downtown along Klamath Avenue and 11th Street by Sky Lakes Medical Center to honor the memory of Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, across from the Sky Lakes Wellness Center where she worked.

PARK, from page 8

Help build the park

There are also plans in the works for a Baldwin Hotel Museum Park near 31 Main St., which Bellon said could also serve as a connection to other trails nearby — quite possibly even merging with areas that lead to Moore Park.

“It’s almost like a threshold, if you will,” Bellon said. “From there, you could cross into all the natural splendors we have right on the edge of town.”

The city and county have decided to work together since they own two sections of the area adjacent to the historic hotel. Bellon and others have said the park would be perfect for outlining the history of the older Linkville settlements. The area’s rocky terrain also makes it perfect for additional fixtures, which could even include a small waterfall in the future.

Growing green spaces A more recent Sky Lakes project serves as a memorial park for Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, who originally worked with Sky Lakes Wellness Center Director

Donations for the park to be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke can be sent in Van Dyke’s name to the Sky Lakes Medical Center Foundation, 2865 Daggett Ave., Klamath Falls, OR, 97601, or online at the Giving Center in the Foundation section of SkyLakes.org.

H&N photo by Sean Bassinger

Cleared ground: Demolition of two buildings was completed in December to make room for a public park along Klamath Avenue and 11th Street to honor the memory of Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke.

Katherine Pope on proposing the downtown green space. Sky Lakes entered a lease agreement to purchase the 1.4 acre lot of land along Klamath Avenue and 11th Street after the city council voted 4-1 to support the plans in May. In addition to other park plans, city officials have continued work toward their parks master plan, an effort Bellon says has also sought input from residents on what they want to see

in their parks.

At a city council work session in November 2017, at least 20 people gathered to talk about areas with the largest needs for new parks and how to improve parks they already have, according to previous reports from the Herald and News. More neighborhood-based parks in underrepresented areas, such as the Stewart Lenox area, and additional beautification for Vet-

erans Memorial Park downtown were some of the most popular suggestions.

The goal of the plan is to observe what community members want done to existing parks and where they may want future parks to be located. City officials have hopes the plan will anticipate needs for the next 15 to 20 years.

For Bellon, this will be the perfect opportunity to expand on outdoor resources for decades to come.

“That’s what we want to do with our park area, open space area and our trails,” Bellon said.

“Make it more inviting for people to get out and stay out.” sbassinger@heraldandnews.com

10 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

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SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 11

Br i d gi ng a ga p Rehabilitation through real world experiences

By SCOTIE PECH: For the Herald and News

W

hen glenn White and Mona Treadway founded dragonfly Transitions in 2000, they only expected to accommodate a handful of students.

Their goal was to use what they learned as therapists in wilderness boarding schools for at-risk youth, and provide a place to ease students out of rehabilitation and into the real world.

Almost a decade later, the program accepts more than 40 students every year on three campuses in Klamath Falls and Ashland. One of the centerpieces of the program is training through A Leap of Taste, a downtown

Klamath Falls café, which White and Treadway use to help transition students into an independent lifestyle.

“We’re looking to see if they can do their day-to-day lives,” said Treadway.

See EXPERIENCE, page 12

Photo by Scotie Pech

Conversation: Leap of Taste staff member Tiffany Johnson interacts with a customer at the downtown Klamath Falls café Jan. 11. Dragonfly Transitions students work at a training program in partnership with the café.

12 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

Photos by Scotie Pech

Skill set: Dragonfly students learn how to cook in a professional cafe alongside paid staff at Leap of Taste, acquiring life skills they will use when they graduate.

“They help you get back on your feet. They welcome everything.

It’s a very open environment, you feel safe at Dragonfly.”

— Katey Plotkin, Dragonfly Transitions student EXPERIENCE, from page 11 Becoming an intern Each term, five students intern at A Leap of Taste, where they learn how to work in a professional café alongside paid staff. Students steam lattés, grill sandwiches, and acquire life skills they will use when they graduate from Dragonfly.

Katey Plotkin, 20, an intern for A Leap of Taste, said she always wanted to work as a barista. She said she was excit-

ed to be accepted for the café internship.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Oregon, so it’s like a win-win being in a program that has helped me so far and living on the West Coast,” said Plotkin.

Plotkin said her view of independence after graduation could include becoming a makeup artist, or pursuing her interest in photography. Either way, she said being able to live on her own is a significant goal in itself.

“After I leave Dragonfly, I

know I want to be more independent, I want to actually live on my own, and being able to know I can do it without needing extra help,” she said.

“I think it’s a great program,” she continued. “They help you get back on your feet. They welcome everything. It’s a very open environment, you feel safe at Dragonfly.”

Individualized approach While studying at Dragonfly and working on her internship, Plotkin and other students meet with Academics Director

Phillip Squibb, who helps keep them on track.

Squibb works with students to enroll in schools such as Oregon Tech, Klamath Community College, Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community College. Squibb said the focus for Dragonfly students is not simply on academics, but on building healthy personal skills.

“It’s more therapeutic around working on relationships with professors, with their classmates,” said Squibb.

See EXPERIENCE, page 13

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 13

EXPERIENCE, from page 12 He meets with students regularly to develop what they call “Executive Functioning,” which includes study skills, doing homework and preparing for tests.

“It’s very individualized,” he said. “There’s some basic things. (The students) meet with me every week. We have our own academic lab where they work. I help them organize study groups but overall it’s individualized.”

Treadway said this personal approach is part of Dragonfly’s philosophy that, “Change really happens through interpersonal relationships.”

Squibb said meeting student needs individually has created what he called an “innovative and cutting edge” process.

“We do research on our program and it shows that we are successful and that our students improve their quality of life, and their ability to handle stress and discomfort,” he said.

A holistic philosophy Both A Leap of Taste and Dragonfly Transitions are led by a philosophy White and Treadway share. They believe healing a student and helping them become independent is about the entire person and not just their ability to hold down a job or finish school.

“Treatment’s happening all the time,” said White.

Treadway said even a student’s failures are part of the growing process and should not be avoided but embraced.

“We learn sometimes through failure and mistakes, and that’s OK,” she said.

This approach to the whole person even shows up on A Leap of Taste’s menu, which is full of organic and healthy food options. Treadway’s mother provided many such recipes when she served for a time as a cook at the café.

Dine time: Leap of Taste customers fill the downtown café during the lunch hour while performer Tom Franks, right, plays guitar on Jan. 20. Students with Dragonfly Transitions participate in a work and life skills training program with the cafe.

Photos by Scotie Pech

“What you put in your body matters,” said White. “... It just fits with our philosophy around wellness.”

White and Treadway have said they don’t yet have plans to expand locally but have talked about opening a program similar to Dragonfly on the East Coast. However, there is room to grow their relationships with local businesses through internships similar to those at A Leap of Taste.

White and Treadway already work with local businesses including REACH Inc., Hutch’s Bicycles and Jump ‘N’ Jax and they’re open to other internship opportunities.

To learn more about the program, and how to become involved, visit dragonflytransitions. com.

H&N reporter Stephen Floyd contributed to this article.

14 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

ANGLING FOR THE

RIGHT CATCH

Klamath Country Fly Casters promote and preserve fishing in Klamath Basin

By KURT LIEDTKE: H&N Staff Reporter

T

here is a group of avid anglers in the Klamath Basin working to not only find the perfect catch, but promote the joy of fly fishing to future generations while ensuring that healthy habitats allow species to thrive.

The Klamath Country Fly Casters (KCFC) were formed in 1971 as a group of men and women with a mutual passion for the challenge behind the zen-like art of fly fishing. Over the course of its more than 45 years of work, the group has prospered as an educational outfit and as environmental crusaders, working to salvage spawning grounds and create fish passages to assure a future catch.

See ANGLING, page 15

Do the twist: A red-butted woolly worm is tied at the Klamath Country Fly Casters booth at the PLAY Outdoors event at the Klamath County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Jan. 20.

H&N photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

Ties to the river: In recognition of the need to keep fish populations healthy, many Klamath Country Fly Casters members work to improve habitat.

Photo courtesy of the Klamath Country Fly Casters

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 15

Photo courtesy Klamath Country Fly Casters

Charter sets the bar “We, the Klamath Country Fly Casters, out of a vital interest in the sport of fly fishing, do hereby join in a common effort to maintain and promote fly fishing as a method of angling, to encourage youth to learn this method of angling, to participate with others interested in the sport in social meetings, and to make every effort to protect and improve fishing resources in our area and to support fly fishing organizations in other areas in the overall quest for improvement and perpetuity of fishing resources.”

— From the Klamath Country Fly Casters club’s original charter

ANGLING, from page 14 While fly fishing is commonly considered a solitary activity, often KCFC coordinates group outings, as well as a Christmas party and summer picnic.

The social aspect of the group’s philosophy is also fulfilled with monthly meetings, every third Tuesday of the month (September through May) at Elmer’s Restaurant in Klamath Falls.

There members have dinner and enjoy a monthly presentation featuring speakers and topics covering the many meticulous aspects required to

become a master angler.

The choice to use flies rather than bait — and the traditional casting techniques that let the line fly by its own weight rather than an established weighted hook and bait — is a personal choice. This is similar to the choice some hunters make to train and hunt with bow and arrow rather than a rifle. Proper fly casting takes practice, patience, a nimble wrist and knowledge of fish habitats to land the perfect cast for the right catch.

See ANGLING, page 16

How-to tie: Cady Cory, 9, learns fly tying from Mary Craggs at the Klamath Country Fly Casters booth at the PLAY Outdoors event at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Jan. 20. Craggs has been with the Fly Casters group for nine years.

H&N photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

Photo courtesy of the Klamath Country Fly Casters Club

ANGLING, from page 15 The prizes they seek are redband trout, a subspecies of rainbow trout native in the Klamath Basin. Brown trout and brook trout can also be found in the Klamath Basin, and fly fishing can be used for any saltwater species as well, from salmon to steelhead and even sharks.

“Whether catching fish or not, when fly fishing you are always doing something, not just watching a bobber,” said John Hyde, a certified fly fishing instructor and commercial fishing guide at the Yamsi Ranch in Chiloquin. “I just like fly

fishing, it is a different experience, and fly fishing has taken me all over the world to some of the best fishing experiences out there.”

“It is true that most of us respect fish, but it’s not an us-versus-them approach that unfairly stereotypes,” said Greg Bulkley, a retired surgeon from Maryland who moved to the Sprague River area to spend his days fly fishing. “We may be in it for the sport more than the meat like bait fishermen, but when we catch and release a fish there is still a 5 to 10 percent mortality chance.”

‘Whether catching fish or not, when fly fishing you are always doing something, not just watching a bobber.’

— John Hyde Fly fishing instructor and fishing guide Yamsi Ranch

See ANGLING, page 17

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SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 17

H&N photos by Brittany Hosea-Small

Cheyenne Gunn, 9, ties her first fly at the Klamath Country Fly Casters’ booth at the PLAY Outdoors event at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Jan. 20. Education and community projects are important aspects of the club’s activities.

ANGLING, from page 15 Fly tying is an art form in of itself, according to Hyde, and he says KCFC has been blessed with some of the most prolific, celebrated masters of the craft, including the recently departed Dick Winter — whose flies are often adorned on walls as art pieces rather than used in rivers. Tying a fly can take anywhere from a few minutes to sev-

eral hours to replicate the specific kind of insect hatch sought most appealing to a specific fish species.

The flies also provide a chance for personalization, each angler finding their preferred style.

With a motive toward sharing knowledge, KCFC members remain very active assisting novice fly casters; those interested in learning fly tying, and particularly working with kids. Many members participate

in a collaborative program with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) called “Eggs to Fry,” where KCFC volunteers deliver trout eggs to elementary schools so that kids can watch eggs hatch and develop into fry — or young fish hatchlings. When the fish are big enough they are released back into natural habitats.

See ANGLING, page 17

18 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

ANGLING, from page 17

Photos courtesy of the Klamath Country Fly Casters

Conservation: Many Klamath Country Fly Casters members collaborate on volunteer efforts to help keep fish populations healthy through conservation work.

The group is also active in the Resources and People (RAP) camp each June, where members teach fly tying and fly fishing basics to teens.

The club also hosts fly casting and fly tying activities at the annual PLAY Outdoors event, held each January at the Klamath County Fairgrounds.

Additionally, casting clinics are hosted

by Hyde every June, and KCFC member John Krueger hosts a monthly fly tying round table.

In recognition of the need for action to keep fish populations healthy, many KCFC members collaborate on volunteer efforts to improve habitat. This is the aspect of the organization that has arguably been most successful, or at least most celebrated, earning the distinction of Club of the Year in 2013 by the Oregon Council of the International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) for its extensive educational and conservation work.

The conservation and habitat restoration work by KCFC has been

spearheaded largely by Bulkley, who in collaboration with Sue Mettenberger, a specialist in river and stream restoration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW), have collected over $400,000 in grants for watershed restoration along the Sprague River and Five Mile Creek.

The Fly Casters have worked diligently over the past 12 years to restore project areas in a way that is both habitable for fish and usable for cattle and irrigators.

In the midst of water quality and availability struggles that have plagued the Klamath Basin for years, KCFC members have found common ground and partners in irrigators and conservation groups alike. Following a strict policy of being politics-free, the group has broken down physical and metaphorical barriers to find solutions for restoring river banks, planting soil-retaining plants and trees, and building fish passages that allow species to access spawning grounds.

See ANGLING, page 19

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 19

ANGLING, from page 18 Over more than a decade of work, KCFC members, in collaboration with USFW and private landowners have had 53 contiguous miles of the 75-mile long Sprague River — and its many branches of streams — under restoration, all on private property that in the past may have been inaccessible for those seeking habitat conservation. Funding avenues have included government grants, matching funds from USFW, IFFF and private donations.

“It’s been a win-win, it hasn’t settled the water wars, but it’s made the people more educated about the importance of conservation for the value of their own land,” said Bulkley. “It has helped break down barriers to let everyone know these are good well-meaning people, not a giant agri-business trying to rape the environment.”

Restoration work completed in the Klamath Basin has outpaced that of other restoration projects across Oregon under the IFFF state branch, and rivals that of all work done across the country under IFFF, accord-

ing to Bulkley.

“One of the most important things to do is getting cattle off of stream banks, which can be done with riparian fencing or rotational grazing,” said Bulkley. “The USFW will pay for fencing if ranchers agree to use and maintain it, and they don’t lose a significant amount of grazing. Through grants there are off-stream watering tanks available, and small areas where cows can still access streams without destroying the entire river bank.”

A major area of focus has been the construction of fish passages, allowing migration along streams for food sources and spawning purposes.

Many streams and rivers have historically been diverted and altered by private landowners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for irrigation and ranching purposes.

This was sometimes done with the best of intentions, however knowledge gained about habitats has shown many of these past practices to have been ill-conceived, often blocking fish from reaching spawning grounds.

See ANGLING, page 20

Photos courtesy of the Klamath Country Fly Casters

Streamside: Klamath Country Fly Casters members collaborate on volunteer efforts to help keep fish populations healthy through conservation work.

20 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

‘At a national level in the conservation community, the Klamath Basin is considered the canary in the coal mine. It is the poster child for how water issues will be handled in the West ...’

— Greg Bulkley, Klamath Country Fly Casters member

ANGLING, from page 19 Groups like KCFC have worked diligently to restore water habitats to their root structure, building fish passages that allow irrigation to continue while still providing a path for fish to progress unhindered. This has become particularly important in the wake of the listing of two native sucker species — the Lost River and shortnose — as endangered.

Where necessary, KCFC has collaborated with landowners to replace temporary irrigation dams with permanent dams. The dams raise the water level to just below a diversion, where fish ladders with drops of no more than 6 inches are placed, enabling passage for suckers and trout. For smaller irrigation dams, KCFC has worked to replace these with sluice gates and fish screens, controlling the flow of water to irrigation fields while preventing fish fry and eggs from ending up on farmers’ fields.

“Fly fishermen know what is good for the suckers is good for the trout,” added Bulkley.

“The USFW isn’t restoring my property just so I will catch more fish. If my stream is healthy it helps the entire system.”

Typically 10 to 20 members out of around 75 total members participate in each restoration project. While most members join for the joy of fishing rather than the sense of fulfillment that comes with restoration work, nearly every member has participated at some point in volunteer efforts whether in the educational or environmental aspects of the club. Whether a project includes trash pickup, removing juniper or planting, the restoration work is vital in preservation and promotion, while showing that common ground on Klamath Basin water issues is possible.

“At a national level in the conservation community, the Klamath Basin is considered the canary in the coal mine,” said Bulkley. “It is the poster child for how water issues will be handled in the West, and a vital scenario in balance between environmental issues and land-use rights. What happens here has a huge influence on what has and will happen elsewhere.”

The habitat work has not been exclusive to the Sprague River, as Hyde noted spawning rocks and willow cages volunteers have added to the upper Williamson River where he conducts much of his angling time.

For Hyde, fly fishing is all about the added challenge that develops a greater sense of accomplishment, and inevitably leads to more secluded fishing holes for those who like to get away from it all.

“Fly fishing is something you can keep working on no matter how old (you are), every time you go out you learn a little more,” said Hyde. “The club is a great opportunity to be a part of the community sharing mutual interests, a chance to learn from some of the masters. Whether it’s casting or fly tying or beginners interested in giving it a try, there’s somebody there who is eager to help.”

For more information about the Klamath Country Fly Casters, visit www.klamathcountryflycasters.com.

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W

orms might be the most universal fishing bait — at least, in the United States and Canada — but they certainly aren’t the only effective bait.

In Auckland, New Zealand I asked for worms and got a blank stare, then “Oh. Like rubber worms?”

Portugal and Spain’s fishing culture were also strangely devoid of the slimy creatures.

Whether or not they’re commercially sold for fishing bait, earthworms can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

So while many of us might take worms for granted, these incredible faceless creatures are nonetheless the face of fishing.

See BAIT, page 22

What’s on your line?

Picking the best bait to reel in a fish-tale worthy catch

By LUKE OVGARD: H&N Sports Reporter

22 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

BAIT, from page 21

WORMS If someone tells you to get fishing bait, regardless of the species, locale or time of year, Lumbricus terrestris is probably what they are referring to. This is by far the most universal and most popular bait because all fish — even largely vegetarian species — can be enticed to eat a worm.

This creature might eat dirt, but it deserves some respect for its versatility.

Photo by Luke Ovgard

Worm: The author caught this massive 28-inch redband trout on a whole night crawler, floated 5 feet up from the bottom of a deep hole.

ON THE BOTTOM

OFF THE BOTTOM

WEIGHTLESS

BOBBER

Worms fished on the bottom can catch most freshwater species, but in the Klamath Basin, you’re primarily targeting rainbow trout, brown bullhead and yellow perch. You will occasionally catch blue chub, tui chub and all of the Basin’s sucker species, too.

These species hunt on or near the bottom, and depending on the depth and substrate type, you’ll want to adjust your attack strategy.

The proper way to fish worms on the bottom is to fish a slip sinker (1/8- to 1/2-ounce) above a barrel swivel (size 8 can handle all but the largest trout) and run a length of leader (6- to 10-pound fluorocarbon is universal) to a small single hook (No. 6 will work for all species).

When targeting our native rainbows, you can catch fish using the above method, but you’re more likely to find success by floating the worm up from the bottom.

This method uses the exact same gear, but with one caveat: you need a syringe.

Most pharmacies sell packages of insulin syringes for a buck or two.

Simply thread your worm on the hook and inflate it using the syringe. Your leader will determine how far to float it up. When I’m fishing at Eagle Ridge or other deep water, I like to use a long leader (4, 5, or even 6 feet). When I’m fishing shallower waters like Hank’s Marsh or Caledonia Marsh, my leader is more like a foot or two.

Where they exist, you’ll also catch sunfish and bass using this method as well as trout and chubs.

When drift-fishing a river that allows bait (like the Link River), I use an entire night crawler on a single hook tied to my mainline. No inflation, no weight. Just drift fish the worm and let it sink on its own.

This can also work in rocky parts of the lake.

This is also how to catch big browns in the few small streams that allow bait fishing (like Annie Creek).

I abhor bobber fishing. It’s rarely the best option, but when the bottom is sucking mud, deep silt or just extremely weedy, you can drop a worm down the proper depths instead of floating it up from the bottom.

Bobber fishing is best for sunfish and crappie, but you can catch most species this way.

They can work for trout.

After all, fly fisherman use bobbers regularly in places like Rocky Point (though they try to class it up by calling them indicators), but they’re still just bobber fishing. Swap out a nymph, scud or woolly bugger for a worm and enjoy the same excruciatingly boring success.

See BAIT, page 23

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 23

BAIT, from page 22

MINNOWS Worms may get the gold, but minnows are silver in more ways than one.

For anglers targeting large redband trout in Upper Klamath Lake, frozen minnows are the most popular bait.

These cornmeal-basted treats are found in the smaller size about an inch long and the larger size that ranges from 3 to 5 inches in length.

Either will work for trout, but keep in mind that each has subtle differences and should be fished differently.

SMALL MINNOWS These are easier to fish. Simply use the same setup mentioned above for fishing worms off the bottom. That is, run a slip sinker (1/8- to 1/2-ounce) above a barrel swivel with a length of leader to a No. 6 hook.

Hook said minnow through the lips, with the point facing back toward you.

LARGE MINNOWS Most people misuse large minnows.

When using minnows for trout, you can’t just put the hook anywhere like you would when sturgeon fishing and expect to hook fish.

Trout don’t vacuum baits off the bottom like a sturgeon; they bite it and then eat it.

Trout almost always hit prey from behind, and these larger minnows need to be hooked properly, or you’ll just end up with a strong bite and stronger disappointment when you pull the minnow out of the fish’s mouth.

The trout, yellow perch and brown bullhead you’ll catch on small minnows will usually chew your bait a bit as they try to get it into their mouth before devouring it. Don’t set the hook on the first tap because fish often bite the tail first.

Still-frozen minnows stay on your hook better but also release less scent, so weigh that when rigging up.

You can use the same setup mentioned above and hook the minnow through its lips. The only problem with this is that smaller fish (i.e., redbands under 25 inches or so), might only bite the back half of the bait and not get hooked.

To remedy this, you can tie a second single hook (or treble if you’re not planning to release the fish) with a short length of braid to your primary hook and then embed the second hook in the side of your bait, about two-thirds of the way toward the tail with just the point sticking out.

See BAIT, page 24

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24 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

BAIT, from page 23

WEIGHTLESS The same way you’d drift a worm will work for minnows, too, but it works better for sight fishing. I hooked a single large minnow through the lips and sight fished to rising trout in the lake and Link River this year with great success.

Watch for the rises and cast your unweighted minnow nearby like you would a fly. Free spool or open your bail to allow trout to eat the bait, then set the hook after a few seconds of running.

After you land the fish, don’t dig the hook out. Simply cut the line as close to the hook as you can and let the fish go.

The hook will rust out in a week or two, and if you didn’t try to yank it out, the trout will be fine.

Photo by Luke Ovgard

Minnow: When fishing minnows, weight is not necessary. The author sight-fished this 25-inch trout with a weightless minnow this summer.

Other baits While worms and minnows account for the vast majority of bait fishermen’s arsenal in the Klamath Basin, a few other baits are worth mentioning. These bronze medalists can spur conversation if nothing else, but they do produce.

CUT BAIT In Oregon, it is illegal to waste the flesh of any game fish. Using the flesh of game fish as bait could be constituted as “waste,” so the prevailing notion is that game fish you catch cannot be used as bait even though this is not explicitly stated in the fishing regulations.

That said, salmon and steelhead make great bait — especially for hybrid bass and catfish.

So when fishing for hybrid bass, I go to the deli counter and buy a salmon or steelhead fillet, cut it into chunks and use it as cut bait. It works wonders and keeps me away from any legal gray areas. It’s not the best bait to keep on a hook, though, so make sure to freeze it beforehand.

FISH EYES Another bait that works wonders is fish eyes. My brothers and I used to fill stringers so full of invasive yellow perch at Lake of the Woods that the metal clasps would break. After we ran out of worms, we’d tip our jigs with perch eyes, and they worked wonders.

Since the eyes are not “flesh,” even game fish eyes can be used if harvest of that specific game fish is within the bounds of the law and you don’t waste the meat after digging out the fish’s eyes. It’s pretty creepy, but it’s disturbingly effective for crappie and perch.

SNAKES AND FROGS Yellow perch and bullhead catfish will eat anything. Don’t believe me? I once used pieces of a dead garter snake I found at Gerber Reservoir to catch perch.

On numerous occasions I’ve killed and used bullfrog chunks as catfish and perch bait when I’d forgotten worms. I even killed a few tree frogs once and used them as bait. I felt terrible about this, so I haven’t done it since, but in a pinch ….

ODDS AND ENDS Bread and corn are great vegetarian baits for carp and goldfish.

Anything strong smelling will catch bullheads, including Preparation H (I can vouch for this) and garlic cloves, but probably the weirdest bait I’ve ever seen used with success was a piece of Red Vines licorice. My brother Gabe caught a green sunfish in a pond using a piece of Red Vine on a jig. The fish hadn’t touched bare jigs all day, and everything I thought I knew about fishing shattered that day.

Contact luke.ovgard@gmail.com; Follow @LukeOvgard; Read more at caughtovgard.com.

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 25

A

s time turns rumor and news to legend and lore, the validity of treasures hidden in Southern Oregon comes into question, but that hasn’t stopped some from spending their lives trying to strike it rich.

Whether tales of lost mines, secret caves filled with vast gold and silver deposits or buried treasure, there are plenty of clues and secondhand stories about treasures buried just below our feet.

See TREASURE, page 26 Modern travel: Stagecoaches travel across the Klamath River from the end of the railroad lines at Pokegama on Oct. 20, 1907, southwest of Klamath Falls. Stagecoaches were often the targets of robbers, with some reported to have buried their treasure.

Photo courtesy of the Klamath County Museum

‘X’ marks the spot Rumors persist of buried treasure in Klamath County

By KURT LIEDTKE: H&N Staff Reporter

26 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

TREASURE, from page 25 During the 19th century a flood of settlers headed west in a quest to find fortune. In California many were spurred by the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, leading to the 1849 gold rush, while Oregon was seen as a limitless landscape for intrepid loggers to harvest, though mining was also a lucrative draw. A few were rumored to have found large gold deposits in Oregon’s hills, but those mines have been lost to time.

Among the stories spread afar of Oregon treasures, the most valid are those stemming from stagecoach robberies. The stagecoaches were easy pickings for criminals, isolated wagons traveling through open country filled with mail, soldier’s wages, supplies, miners’ gold and

often, rich passengers. Multiple stagecoaches were robbed, with the looted riches rumored to have been buried somewhere in Oregon, though whether or not “X” marks the spot remains in question.

One such robbery occurred in 1872 on the south side of the Siskiyou Mountains, recounted in 1909 in a published article by Capt. O.C. Applegate. According to Applegate’s writing (which was re-reprinted in the “1964 Klamath Echoes” compiled by the Klamath County Historical Society), two robbers escaped with $12,000, mostly in gold, hijacked from a stagecoach.

The amount stolen would be valued at over $500,000 today, but the whereabouts of the robbers or treasure remained a mystery for years.

See TREASURE, page 27

Storied history: Captain O.C. Applegate, an early Oregon pioneer recounted in a 1909 publication the tale of buried treasure in Southern Oregon. His detailed retelling of the story of an 1872 stagecoach robbery, is one of the best and most reliable accounts of buried treasures in Oregon.

Photo courtesy of the Klamath County Museum

WRITE YOUR OWN

SUCCESS STORY

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SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 27

Then, at an obscure mining camp in Oregon, a grizzled man near his death told a friend about how he and a partner had long ago robbed a stagecoach. According to Applegate’s story, the man confided to his friend precise details so that he could collect the treasure the two robbers had buried long ago. The man provided a written statement and diagram, sufficient he felt for his friend to retrieve the treasure.

“Skirting the great gorge through which flows the Klamath River they entered the sparsely settled Klamath Basin, avoiding with the utmost care for some days the habitations of settlers,” wrote Applegate in 1909. “At last overcome with fatigue and hunger and having passed into a hilly region, they ventured to a house which proved to be a stage or mail station. Here they spent the night and during the time cautiously relieved themselves of their treasure, burying it at a point some distance away from the cabin, but taking pains to keep in mind some necessary facts as to its location.”

... they spent the night and during the time cautiously relieved themselves of their treasure, burying it at a point some distance away from the cabin ...

Rumors of the treasure being somewhere in Klamath County spread, and eventually the friend of the apparent robber was asked to join a party of treasure hunters investigating the whereabouts of the stagecoach gold. The individual had lived in Klamath County for several years, and knew about details of transportation in the area since the days of the bi-monthly military express traversing Native American trails from Fort Klamath, Spencer Creek and Klamath River Canyon to Henley Post Office – where a junction was made with the California and Oregon stagecoach line a few miles south of the Siskiyou Mountains.

Careful study was made of copies of the maps and documents compiled from the robber’s account. Based on geography and settlements in the area, the group of treasure hunters believed a cabin belonging to a mail-carrier that served as headquarters for his line between Lakeview and Linkville (now Klamath Falls), remotely located near a spring in the woods on the road to Swan Lake, was the stage station that the robbers had pinpointed as the place to bury their treasure.

The group searched the grounds of the vacant cabin, discovering several augers in the old stone chimney that could have been used by previous individuals searching for the loot, a common find according to Applegate in that most lonely cabins had been targeted as the potential starting point for the treasure.

“That was of no consequence for had not the vicinity of every lonely cabin in the county been excoriated in the long search for the hidden treasure?” wrote Applegate. “There is a mysterious way in which secret information of buried gold becomes public property and this case was no exception.”

See TREASURE, page 28

Meet Oliver Cromwell Applegate Oliver Cromwell Applegate was born in 1845 in Polk County, Oregon, the sixth son of well-known Oregon pioneers Lindsay Applegate and Elizabeth (Miller) Applegate.

The family had established the Applegate Trail, a toll road branch of the famed Oregon Trail for settlers to follow to the region.

In 1863 Applegate joined the military, the only independent military company in Southern Oregon, and served under his father as an assistant U.S. Indian Agent, overseeing the Klamath Reservation at Fort Klamath. He oversaw a military outfit comprised of Native Americans from local tribes that created a supply trail from The Dalles to Southern Oregon, and played an integral part in the Modoc War of 1872-73.

Later in life, Applegate would become a politician and a renowned writer, delving into the newspaper business among his various entrepreneurial ventures. In 1878 he married Ella Anderson, and the couple raised six children. He served as a delegate on behalf of Oregon at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Ill., in 1892. He died in 1938 at the age of 93.

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TREASURE, from page 26

28 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

TREASURE, from page 27 The friend of the robber knew that the cabin was not the original, which had burned several years prior, which seemed a decided advantage in locating the whereabouts of the gold.

From a depression in the ground which marked the site of the original cabin the group headed west to the place where the fence once stood that held a potato patch as described in the robber’s account, then walked 220 steps into the woods and up a hill.

Four trees grew close together at that site, as described in the robber’s account, one of which had bark removed by a shovel from years ago, as confirmed in the old robber’s ramblings. Turning toward the cabin, after taking nine steps forward and two to the right they began digging. After two feet deep the group found a hard bed of natural cement, but no gold.

Perhaps ...

Perhaps its whereabouts had been retrieved by the old robber’s accomplice, or a friend of a friend. Perhaps the mail carrier stumbled across something amazing near his cabin and retired in luxury, or perhaps the

missing stagecoach treasure still exists buried in a hill somewhere along the former stagecoach lines — the answer has been lost to time.

The stagecoach robbery mystery, which has become known as “The Potato Patch Treasure,” is far from the only legend of buried treasure in Oregon, or even in Klamath County for that matter. Legends persist of the lost burial site of the Louse Creek Stage gold, hastily buried somewhere north of Grants Pass amidst a shootout in 1890 as robbers failed to escape.

The paymaster of Fort Grant (now Phoenix) used to bury a kettle filled with local miner’s gold to keep accounts before a bank existed, which worked fine until the individual suffered a stroke and died before completing a map to its hidden location.

Rumored treasure Legends of hidden treasure exist from Pendleton to the Oregon coast to Corvallis to Klamath County. There are rumors of $25,000 from a stagecoach robbery buried at Horse Thief Meadows near The Dalles, a sunken Spanish treasure ship off the Oregon coast near Tillamook County, over a dozen lost gold mines in the Steamboat Mountains between South Umpqua

River and North Steamboat Creek, a cache of stolen treasure at the base of Mt. Hood, and a secret cave discovered in 1878 filled with a massive vein of gold near Miller Creek in Josephine County.

In Klamath County, a wealthy miner who would spend his winters in Yreka burning through his fortunes was rumored to have a secret mine in Southern Oregon, known as the “SetEm-Up Cabin Mine.” When the miner departed for his mine one summer, never to be heard from again, a party went searching for the secret mine. They didn’t find the mine, but they did become the first white settlers to see Crater Lake. Other local treasures include the Spencer Creek Lost Treasure located near Keno, the Lost Pedro Mine somewhere in the vicinity of Diamond Peak, several chests of robbed loot consisting of gold coins and bullion buried near Klamath’s Pelican City, and a buried treasure belonging to a man named Barham somewhere near the town of Keno.

Perhaps great treasures await the determined hunter, or darn lucky back-country hiker, but for now the gold remains buried, the stuff of legend. kliedtke@heraldandnews.com

... perhaps the missing stagecoach treasure still exists buried in a hill somewhere along the former stagecoach lines — the answer has been lost to time.

Coach to Klamath:

Stagecoaches pass through Klamath County in the 19th century, the primary source of transportation before the days of the railroad. Stagecoaches were lifelines for scattered communities carrying mail, supplies, wages, gold and more, making them easy targets for robbers.

Photo courtesy of the Klamath County Museum

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 29

Found treasures: An unidentified man stands proudly next to a board of various items believed to have been collected years ago from the Lakeview sewers.

Photo courtesy of the Lake County Museum

T

he Lake County Museum in Lakeview holds a wide assortment of fascinating artifacts and documents preserving Lake County’s unique history, but there is one display that remains a mystery yet unequivocally draws the most interest from visitors.

While most museums maintain a strict hands-off policy, people are encouraged to touch and explore this display, which presents a vast collection of items recovered from the Lakeview sewer system. The exact origins or even how the collection came to exist have been lost to time, as have the individual or people who retrieved and assembled the items now tacked onto a large plywood board and stored in the

museum’s records room.

It is believed the board was presented at a garage sale, where individual items were being sold, when someone suggested it should instead be given to the museum. Supposedly, the sale’s proprietor’s late husband had worked for the Town of Lakeview, collecting various trinkets during his tenure cleaning out drainage systems.

See FLUSHED, page 30

Flushed Away Lake County Museum display profiles collection of odd items lost down the drain

By KURT LIEDTKE: H&N Staff Reporter

30 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

FLUSHED, from page 29 According to John Griffin, resident historian and board member of the Lake County Museum since its opening in 1990, the items came from the sewer structure that collects run-off from Bullard Canyon and runs under E Street, eventually re-emerging near Fremont School. Just who compiled the collection or how it ended up at the museum, Griffin does not recall, but the display is far and away his favorite and most intriguing piece of history stored there. ”I spend a lot of time just staring at it,” said Griffin. “I’m always wondering just how the heck some of these things got down into a sewer pipe. We get a lot of curious double-takes, and some amazement. This is the one thing that people will stand and stare at for long amounts of time.”

The time dedicated to

Down the drain: A bizarre collection of items taken from Lakeview’s sewer system are on display at the Lake County Museum. The collection was compiled during sewer repairs, and ranges from watches to false teeth to toys and more.

H&N photo Kurt Liedtke

exploring its many historic treasures of no intrinsic value but immeasurable in sparking fascination is understandable simply from the quantity and variety of items in the collection. Some of the items are so large, it is a wonder how they ever fit down a drain pipe, certainly coming from the era before drains had catches when sinks connected straight to sewers.

Amazing variety Included in the vast array are nail clippers, watches, bottle openers, silverware, lipstick, false teeth, keys, scissors, lighters, pendants, door knobs, necklaces, dog tags and leashes, saws, toys, towel racks, handles, toy cars, padlocks, razors, garden hoses, rings, poker chips, dice, pens, combs and so much more. If there is an item that might possibly be found anywhere near a sink or toilet, somehow Lakeview resi-

dents have found a way to drop it down the drain over many years.

Few if any of the items are identifiable, the years and rust taking their toll, except for one — dog tags for a pooch once belonging to Vonda Cook at 220 N. J St. “We’ll have people tell their grandkids that they used to have one of these items, and they’ll start discussing the different brands around in the past,” said Griffin. “I wish we knew more about it.”

The display for a time was stored in the museum’s basement before being moved to the top floor records room.

Previous to becoming the Lake County Museum, the building served as the Education Service District (ESD) office, where Griffin worked in the basement before joining the board to help establish the museum.

Griffin is also an active board

member of the ESD. It seems like the collection has followed Griffin for years, yet he still remains fascinated by it, both in the origin story of each item and also noticing new items among the collection whenever he dedicates time to staring at it or providing tours. It seems as though while the story remains largely a mystery, the display has countless stories to tell.

Patrons to the Lake County Museum can explore the mysteries of the Lakeview sewer collection for themselves during visiting hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the operating months of April through October. The Lake County Museum is at 118 S. E St. For more information call 541-947-2220, or to schedule a guided tour, contact John Griffin at 541-947-4230.

Admission to the museum is $3. kliedtke@heraldandnews.com

Ol’ Sam’s cabin Fleener Cabin a historical remnant of a former way of life Story and photos by LEE JUILLERAT: For the Herald and News

Ol’ Sam’s doesn’t look like much.

From a distance it’s just a ramshackle cabin remarkable only because it stands starkly alone in the otherwise bleak, barren high desert landscape.

See CABIN, page 32

Klamath Life | 31

32 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

CABIN, from page 31

Photo courtesy of the Van Landrum collection

Sam Fleener was an early homesteader in northern California’s lava beds area.

But the cabin, better known as the Fleener Cabin, is also a historical remnant of what used to be.

Our small covey of hikers found Ol’ Sam’s after starting from a trail in Lava Beds National Monument then heading cross country. In a few miles we spotted the cabin, gradually shaving the distance until — passing by remnants of an old well, falling apart metal barrels, fragments of a pump and scatterings of debris — we peeked inside. About 25- by 25-feet, the cabin has a front

Photos by Lee Juillerat

Rare visit: Bill Van Moorhem looks inside, and walks alongside the Fleener Cabin near Lava Beds National Monument.

entrance, back window, semi-collapsed roof and a raised wooden floor that when walked on creaks like a haunted house.

“That was ‘Ol Sam’s Cabin,” Maurice O’Keeffe later said of the dilapidated structure, explaining it was part of 180 acres that his father, also named Maurice, bought from Ol’ Sam — Sam Fleener — in 1929.

The cabin and surrounding lands remained in the O’Keeffe family until last June, when it was part of an 800-acre parcel bought by the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma. It wasn’t until several

homesteaders on land near what later became Lava Beds National Monument. According to O’Keeffe, legend says Fleener was a bootlegger who made whiskey from the rye he grew on fields surrounding the cabin.

As a young boy he heard tales about Fleener, stories that may or may not be true.

“I remember old timers telling some tall tales,” O’Keeffe remembers.

One tells of Fleener riding horseback on the ridge above his cabin in a whiteout snowstorm, one so blustery that Ol’ Sam unknowing-

weeks after our visit that tribal attorney Blake Follis said that because the cabin is on private property and because of potential liability issues, “We don’t want any trespassing,” and said violators will be prosecuted.

(We didn’t pass any “No Trespassing” or private property signs, although that may change. While strongly discouraging visitation, Follis didn’t discount the possibility of relocating and preserving the cabin in another location, saying, “We can work on that in the future.”)

Who was Ol’ Sam? Fleener was one of the early

ly rode off the rim and landed on his cabin’s chimney. “The snow was so deep,” O’Keeffe remembers being told, “that he didn’t get hurt.”

There were tales of Fleener catching and eating badgers, and more.

O’Keeffe’s father, who came to the U.S. from Ireland in the early 1900s, originally tended sheep in Lake County.

Like others, instead of money he was paid in sheep, eventually having enough to start his own herd and, in 1929, buy the Fleener property.

See CABIN, page 33

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 33

CABIN, from page 32 The Fleener Cabin is part of a mostly desolate landscape. South of Ol’ Sam’s cabin is a series of long, narrow lakes that are mostly dry lake beds except in unusually wet years. When we hiked past, we found only a few puddles in the wettest places. Water from lakes, and more dependable water from a well just steps from the cabin, were used

by Fleener for reportedly making moonshine whiskey and, later, by sheepherders who sometimes stayed in the cabin during the winter tending the O’Keeffe family’s 3,000 to 4,000 sheep.

According to O’Keeffe, the sheep typically wintered on lands near the cabin from about November to March. To stay warm, herders turned their horses loose and walked.

In March, sheep were moved about north to lambing sheds, a band at a time.

Trailed and loaded Several weeks later, when the lambs were strong enough to travel, bands were trailed to the Southern Pacific Railroad yard in Merrill and loaded onto rail cars for a ride into Klamath Falls, where they were transferred to Weyerhaeuser rail cars. Some were unloaded in the community of Sprague River and some at the Ivory Pine Road near Bly, then trailed to summer pastures. Sheep were herded to the Black Hills from Sprague River and Weyerhaeuser’s Camp Nine area from Bly, either on deeded lands or the former Klamath Indian Reservation. In October they were moved to lands near the cabin.

O’Keeffe remembers how his father would “get a bunch of kids and stand them along the road in front of driveways,” while moving them through Merrill to the railroad yard corrals, where the sheep would spend the night until being loaded on rail cars the next morning.

In the fall, bands would be trailed back toward the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. O’Keeffe’s father and other sheep ranchers — “There was a lot of sheep in those days” — would rent fields where the sheep fed in stubble. “When the grain was used up they’d move them to the lava beds.”

Several families had large herds that grazed in what is now Lava Beds National Monument and neighboring lands.

Sheep ark nights O’Keeffe says herders didn’t sleep in Ol’ Tom’s cabin, but instead stayed in sheepherders wagons, sometimes called sheep arks. Built atop a wagon, the horse- or muledrawn arks were covered with a rounded canvas roof and outfitted with a bed, wood stove, table and small storage boxes.

Near the cabin was a deep well. Using an engine, it pumped about 10 to 20 gallons a minute so “They could water a lot of sheep.”

Because of its remoteness, Ol’ Sam’s has seldom been visited. Mike Reynolds, the former Lava Beds superintendent who hiked or ran extensively in and near the park, says he made about 10 visits, including one where, “I once sat out a crazy rain storm in there. Believe it or not, the roof worked to some extent.”

The land surrounding Ol’ Sam’s are off-limits now. But the crumbling cabin’s history lives on.

The land surrounding Ol’ Sam’s are off-limits now.

But the crumbling cabin’s history lives on.

Photo by Lee Juillerat

Down below: Water from lakes, and more dependable water from a well just steps from the cabin, were used by Fleener for reportedly making moonshine whiskey and, later, by sheepherders who sometimes stayed in the cabin during the winter.

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34 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

Photo courtesy of the Klamath Tribes

Heritage & Healing Klamath Tribes host beading, language lessons for members to help promote wellness through culture

By VALEREE LANE: For the Herald and News

T

here is a quiet cultural revolution happening in downtown Klamath Falls. On February Wednesdays, the Klamath Tribes offered members the opportunity to learn to bead and to speak the Klamath language.

The beading lessons are held at the Klamath Tribes’ Youth and Family Guidance Center, where Chloe Say is helping her people learn flat stitch and peyote stitch techniques. Say is the newest member of Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services’ prevention team, which uses cultural practices to promote sobriety and wellness.

An inaugural beading session was held in January. Twenty people attended, ranging in age from infants to elders. While participants worked on their beading projects, some reacquainted themselves with each other, and one man sang in a low melodic tone to bring rhythm to the experience.

Since the 1960s, cultural practices have been used as substance abuse prevention agents to draw Native American tribal members closer to their heritage.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration endorses these best practices, and Monica YellowOwl, supervisor of the Klamath prevention team, is well regarded by other Tribes for her cultural prevention work.

In an article titled “Cultural Practices in American Indian Prevention Programs,” Ruth Sanchez-Way and Sandie Johnson detailed the many ways culture is used in proactive practice. Their list of cultural interventions are activities used not only

by Oregon’s nine Confederated Tribes, but by tribal health professionals nationwide.

Sanchez-Way and Johnson compiled the list accompanying this article of some of the cultural interventions Native American prevention programs have used.

“All the activities assume the participation of elders and include the transmission of tribal history, values, and beliefs.

Also, music, drumming, and singing are integral parts of most of these activities, Sanchez-Way and Johnson wrote.

Beading and language classes are also being held in Chiloquin throughout February. The activities are separate, with the Klamath Falls language class held in a different building, but combine to provide participants with a better sense of self.

Learn more about upcoming Klamath Tribes’ events and news at klamathtribes.org.

Cultural & life ART & LIFE — Making traditional attire for powwows and other ceremonies — Tanning hides — Making ribbon shirts — Sewing quilts — Learning the native language — Cooking traditional foods — Picking and drying herbs — Making jewelry and moccasins — Making cradle boards

TRADITIONAL LIVING — Hunting — Fishing — Shepherding — Participating in tribal sports — Horsemanship — Camping and survival retreats — Picking berries and harvesting crops

CEREMONIES & RITUALS — Participating in sweat lodge ceremonies — Smudging — Attending social dances — Learning sacred dances — Fasting — Going on a vision quest — Paying attention to dreams — Attending powwows and other sober community activities — Storytelling and listening to stories — Participating in a Talking Circle

SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 35

Quintessentials A close-up look at personalities who help make the Basin a great place to live

Rich Hoffman — Klamath Union High School

By BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL H&N Staff Photographer

F

rom the ‘92 Los Angeles riots to teaching theater at Klamath Union High School, Rich Hoffman has led an adventurous life.

H&N photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

From high school until 1992, Hoffman worked in the theater industry, first as an actor and then in production, lighting and stage management. With the start of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles though, Hoffman began seeing a change in the Los Angeles scene and knew it was time for a change in his own life. That led him from Los Angeles to Arizona and finally to Klamath Falls and the love of his life.

For the past 20 years Hoffman has worked with the students at Klamath Union High School teaching them not only theater but self-confidence, problem solving and collaboration. He works to instill life skills in his students that they can use in the classroom, in future jobs and with their families.

Prior to his time at Klamath Union, Hoffman began his teaching career in 1997 when he received his credentials from Northern Arizona University. After having worked in the theater industry in Los Angeles for many years prior, Hoffman was a substitute teacher in Arizona when he was inspired to earn his teaching credentials. After graduating from NAU, Hoffman hit the pavement hard looking for teaching positions. It was with luck and serendipity that in the back of a large binder in Flagstaff, Arizona’s career placement center Hoffman came upon a job listing for a Theater/English teacher in Klamath Falls.

He was hopeful after finding Klamath Falls on a map, seeing a large beautiful lake, a rural community and an abundance of outdoor activities.

Hoffman immediately applied for the position and after only one interview, was offered the job.

He then called his father to share the good news.

“I was just so proud to tell him that I was going to be a teacher,” Hoffman said. “That’s one thing I’ve learned in my life is to be persistent. Persistence will really get you a huge, long way. It’s so easy just to give up when things are looking bad.”

See QUINTESSENTIALS, page 36

36 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

After two decades of teaching theater at Klamath Union High School however, Hoffman plans to retire at the end of the current school year.

says, ‘I just want to thank you so much for what just happened out there.’” Hoffman recalls.

It’s this spark that his students experience on stage that makes it all worthwhile for him. That same spark is what Hoffman felt in his senior year of high school, during his first theater class with his teacher Mrs. Clark.

He has hoped to find Mrs. Clark over the past several years to thank her for everything she saw and ignited in him during that first theater class.

“You were the one that

started me in this.” Hoffman says.

“Thank you for my life, thank you for my career, thank you for my wife.”

After two decades of teaching theater at Klamath Union High School however, Hoffman plans to retire at the end of the current school year.

Whether he will continue to teach part-time or possibly return to the stage as an actor is uncertain, but he is certainly planning to make the most of his future experiences.

“I’m trying to approach it as the next great adventure of many adventures.”

FOUR Generations Strong!

H&N photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

QUINTESSENTIALS, from page 35 In addition to educating the next generation in theater, Hoffman was also lucky enough to meet the love of his life in Klamath Falls.

“I just owe so much to her (my wife). She’s my greatest supporter and my most constructive critique.”

Hoffman says that just moving to Klamath Falls and meeting his wife has made all of this a success to him.

But that success has gone beyond his marriage and continues to fill the stage, in all the forms it takes, at Klamath Union High School.

Many of Hoffman’s past students have returned to thank him for the time he

spent with them, including an architect who continues in his daily work to use the life skills he learned in theater classes.

Sometimes those moments of gratitude come sooner then expected. Hoffman’s greatest memory during his time at Klamath Union was opening night of the production “Crazy For You.” Following the first act’s closing number, “I’ve Got Rhythm,” a young freshman who Hoffman had taken a chance on in casting as the lead gives him the best thank you he could ask for.

“She runs me down and gives me this huge hug and

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SILVER LININGS | Klamath Life | 37

— Flora & Fauna of the Klamath Basin — GREASEWOOD

TRUMPETER SWAN

Sarcobatus vermiculatus Greasewood, also known as seepwood and saltbrush is a rapidgrowing perennial shrub that can grow up to 7-feet tall. The whitebarked branches are rigid and spine tipped.

Greasewood blooms from July through August.

Greasewood, which grows in alkaline flats and can be found in all western states east to Texas and North Dakota, contains calcium oxalate and is poisonous to sheep and cattle if consumed in large amounts. However, greasewood is valued for the protection and cover it provides for wildlife and livestock, especially during the winter.

The tough wood of greasewood was used

by Native Americans for tools and firewood.

Trumpeter swan facts Body length: 4 1/2- to 5 ½-feet Neck length: 4 1/2- to 5 ½-feet  Wingspan 6- to 8-feet  Males are cobs  Females are pens  



Juveniles are cygnets

Eggs may be largest of any flying bird in the world 

 Can live 27 years in the wild, one captive swan lived to be 32

The plants can have extremely long root systems, from 5-feet to 20-feet long, with lateral roots 3- to 12-feet in length, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and buds can be found all along the lateral root system, which sprout when the plant or root system are damaged.

H&N photos by Holly Owens

Resources: “Common Plants of the Upper Klamath Basin” at http://bit.ly/2fm4Jsj

Greasewood facts



 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: plants.usda.gov  Flora of North America: efloras.org

Generally monoecious, with separate male and female flowers on the same plant, but can also be dioecious, having separate male and female plants. 

The male flowers lack both sepals and petals.  Inconspicuous female flowers with a wing-like membrane that enlarges as the fruit matures.



By HOLLY OWENS: H&N Staff Reporter

Cygnus buccinators The trumpeter swan is the largest of Oregon’s native waterfowl, with a wing span of up to 8-feet, and is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, with males sometimes exceeding 30 pounds — almost twice as massive as the tundra swan. To get aloft, swans need a more than 300-foot-long “runway” of open water: running hard across the surface.

Trumpeters pair up at 3 to 4 years old and stay together throughout the year, even while migrating.

Some may switch mates over their lifetime, while others may not pair up again if their mate is lost. Both parents raise the cygnets, reared in groups of four to six.

Trumpeters take an unusual approach to incubation: warming the eggs by covering them with their webbed feet.

In spring, the trumpeter swan is a common breeder east of the Cascades, most notably at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The Malheur hosts a small non-migratory bevy — or flock — of trumpeters.

The swans were reintroduced to the refuge in the 1950s as they were considered in danger of extinction.

Up to the late 1800s, the birds’ feathers were used to adorn hats, the skins used as powder puffs and the flight feathers were coveted for writing quills.

Resources:  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: http://bit. ly/2BmbsR3  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: http://bit.ly/2G1eSYu  Allaboutbirds.org: http:// bit.ly/2FZSMWk

38 | Klamath Life | SILVER LININGS

On the calendar around the region February

March

SATURDAY, FEB. 24 Running Y Bridal Show, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Running Y Convention Center, 5500 Running Y Road. Free admission. Door prizes given away throughout the day, free wine tasting from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7  Rock Painting Party at the South Suburban branch of the Klamath County Library, 5 p.m. The library is opening its doors to rock painters to paint and socialize with fellow rockers. The branch is at 3625 Summers Lane.

Winter Fieldhouse Jam, live music by Code Blue, food trucks, beer garden, dancing, games and family activities from noon to 10 p.m., Mike’s Fieldhouse at Steen Sports Park, 4500 Foothills Blvd.

Admission is $5 per person, with children under age 5 admitted free of charge.

THURSDAY & FRIDAY MARCH 8 & 9  Ross Ragland Theater Second Stage Series presents a Neil Diamond Tribute with local musicians Robin Schwartz and Greg Dunton, 7 p.m., Ross Ragland Cultural Center. Tickets are $20 before transaction fees.





 Rock Painting Party at the Keno branch of the Klamath County Library, 11 a.m.

Painting supplies available, but participants invited to bring their own rocks. The Keno branch is at 15555 Highway 66, Keno.

SUNDAY, FEB. 25  Performance of “I Love a Piano,” 2 p.m., Ross Ragland Theater. A nostalgic musical journey spanning seven decades of American history as seen through the eyes of Irving Berlin. Tickets are $23, $27 and $34 before transaction fees.

TUESDAY, FEB. 27 Northside Garden Club, 1 p.m., Klamath Basin Nature Talk on native plants, geology, animal habitats and resource management in the Klamath Basin, presented by guest speaker Todd Kepple, Klamath County Library. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3  Sky Lakes Medical Center Health Fair, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Klamath County Fairgrounds, 3531 S. Sixth St. Includes an assortment of health screenings and activities for all ages.

FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 9-11  Klamath Basin Home Builders Association 43rd annual Home and Garden Show at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Event Center.

Doors open from 4 to 8 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday. The show will include presentations, demonstrations, food and activities.

Admission is $3 for adults age 17 and up. Bring a food donation for the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank and save $1 on admission.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, MARCH 10 & 11  Rock and Arrowhead Club of Klamath Falls presents its annual Rock and Gem Show, “Fun With Rocks,” Klamath County Fairgrounds.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11 The Ragland Classical Series presents German pianist Andreas Klein in concert, 2 p.m., Ross Ragland Theater.

Tickets are $15, $19 and $24 before transaction fees. 

MARCH 16 TO APRIL 7 The Linkville Players present the locally written 

musical “The White Rabbit and Alice,” based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There,” 7:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

March 25. Tickets are $12, $13 and $15, available at Periwinkle, 811 Main St. SUNDAY, MARCH 25 Women in Local History, a presentation on notable women in history of the Klamath Basin, 2 p.m., Baldwin Hotel Museum, 31 Main St. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 31 Winter Fieldhouse Jam, live music by Black Cadillac Kings, food trucks, beer garden, dancing, games and family activities from noon to 10 p.m., Mike’s Fieldhouse at Steen Sports Park, 4500 Foothills Blvd. Admission is $5 per person, with children under age 5 admitted free of charge. 

April SATURDAY, APRIL 7 John Ford Coley, half of the Grammy nominated duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, in concert, 7:30 p.m., Ross Ragland Theater. Tickets are $25, $32 and $39 before transaction fees. 

THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, APRIL 12-14  Ross Ragland’s 2nd Stage Series presents “Murder at the Ragland,” 7 p.m., Ragland Cultural Center. This interactive murder mystery dinner will enthrall and delight audience members.

Tickets are $35 each before transaction fees.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14  10th annual Klamath Animal Shelter Fur Ball, 5 p.m., Klamath County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall No. 1. Includes silent and live auctions, cocktails, music, dinner and dancing.

Tickets are $45 and available at the Klamath Animal Shelter, 4240 Washburn Way, and at klamathanimalshelter.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15 The Ragland Classical Series presents “Young Musicians of Excellence,” 2 p.m., Ross Ragland Theater. Tickets are $19, $23 and $29 before transaction fees. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 20 “Dancing With Your Stars ALL STARS,” 7:30 p.m., Ross Ragland Theater. Local celebrities partner with professionals from the Utah Ballroom Dance Company to compete for audience votes.

This year will see the return of favorites from the last five years. Tickets are $19, $23 and $29 before transaction fees. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 Free admission offered at all national parks and monuments on the first day of National Park Week. 

SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, APRIL 21-29  Little Linkville Plays for Children presents “A Season of Aesop’s Fables,” a 20-minute long play, 1 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $2 each.

SATURDAY, APRIL 28 Winter Fieldhouse Jam, live music by Slap, food trucks, beer garden, dancing, games and family activities from noon to 10 p.m., Mike’s Fieldhouse at Steen Sports Park, 4500 Foothills Blvd.

Admission is $5 per person, with children under age 5 admitted free of charge. 

 Women of the World, in concert, 7:30 p.m., at the Ross Ragland Theater. Honoring global folk traditions, the group’s repertoire spans music in 30 languages. Tickets are $19, $23 and $29 before transaction fees.

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