Seventh Grade Press 071316

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Seventh Grade Press

Volume 1, Number 8

| July 13, 2016

Butterflies can’t text

By Kaylani McMillan

Butterflies can’t text, so they have to send messages to their friends and relatives some other way.

Can you imagine being a teenage butterfly and you want a lot more of your friends to come over?

Well, guess how they call them. They send signals, chemical signals. That surprised me.

The butterflies of Pend Oreille County are kind of famous around the rest of the State of Washington. They’re special.

When I found that out I was shocked. Pend Oreille County is known as a butterfly hotspot.

There are an overwhelming amount of butterflies.

They love the variety of plants here. Some butterflies only eat one kind of plant. There are few that are attracted to thistles.

Female butterflies have to go to the plant that it’s attracted to and feeds off of to lay its eggs so the offspring has a good chance of surviving. For example the butterflies that feed on thistle are Painted Lady and Mylitta Crescent.

Butterfly nectar plants in Pend Oreille County are: Snowbrush, Redstem Ceanothus, Bitter Cherry Willow, lupine and plants they visit in the spring.

In summer they munch on Yarrow, buckwheats, and Native Thistles, (the

E d ito r’s n ote

T

he Seventh Grade Press is a series of stories written by seventh graders in Ms. Irene Ewing’s class at Sadie Halstead Middle School in Newport. Each student chose a topic of local historical importance, conducted research and interviews and went through a lengthy editing process.

More than 80 students participated and each one will get a ‘by line’ in The Miner Newspapers.

This is the eighth week of the project. Check back for the next several weeks for more on local history. See more on page 3B. If you find that you have something to add, interview candidates the class should talk to, or documents and artifacts you want registered in the local museum, contact the Seventh Grade Class at Sadie Halstead Middle School, in Newport. They have agreed to collect and catalog everything that comes in, and deliver to the museum for archiving.

County fairs came from college

By Trystin Stone

kind I step on a lot in the summer). Late summer and fall, they usually go grub on Aster, Sunflower and Mints. Probably, if you find those plants, you’ll find butterflies too.

Some of the best areas to see different kinds of butterflies are to go hang out at Tiger Meadows, and the Forest Service roads above Sullivan Lake.

There is even a butterfly association. Carol Mack, who taught me

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all of this about butterflies, and John Stuart organized a butterfly conference called Wings over Newport. I really like butterflies because they are pretty, colorful, and they move around like I do, flitting from one interesting place to another. I have plenty of butterflies in my head and even my stomach sometimes.

There have been many species of butterfly in Pend Oreille County throughout the years who have seen Carol

Mack watching them and they want to thank her for helping them from becoming endangered. I learned a lot from Carol Mack also, and I loved her enthusiasm. Like the butterflies, I also want to pass on a big thank you for her help. I can text a a big thank you to Carol and the butterflies will just have to do their chemical thing to send their thank you to her.

My information is from an interview with Carol Mack, and www.diggings.com.

Did you know that the County Fair came from college?

President Woodrow Wilson gave money to the colleges, starting in 1914 to make the Extension Service the educational arm of the Department of Agriculture. He gave money to the colleges to develop County Fairs to educate people about the changes in farming.

In the article by Purdue University County Extension Service, The History of the County Fair, the Extension Service also started sponsoring a regional and national youth movement called 4-H. It is commonly thought the 4-H movement provided an important revitalization of livestock, and domestic arts, such as cooking and sewing.

Science in college was advancing and it was time to get the information to the public, and the idea of a county fair was a good way to do that.

Pend Oreille County has had a county fair for a long time. It is held at the fairgrounds in Cusick in the summer.

Prosperous past at Blueslide

By Alika Robinson

Blueslide was like any other town with a store, school house, and post office, and it was located on Ruby Creek and the Pend Oreille River. Blueslide was big enough for a barber shop, a town swimming pool, and many family homes.

Lumber stacks that came from the saw mill across the tracks were stacked along the north east side of the town.

The railroad station made a convenient stop for travelers, businessmen, and a busy train, hauling lumber back and forth.

Camp Ten of the logging camps resided two miles up Ruby Creek.

There were two ways those loggers sent the big logs off the mountain and down to the sawmill. One way was a logging train, made of an old engine and several flat cars that chugged back and forth on the smooth railroad tracks.

The smooth grade where the rails were laid is all that remains and

can still be seen, back in the woods along the north side of Ruby Creek Road. Also logs could be sent off the mountain, down the old wooden flume. Part of the creek water was diverted down the flume, quickly sailing logs to land right at the base of the saw mill pile.

As I said before, Blueslide was a modern little town and it also had a city water system, with a hunting around in the woods. An old cistern collected pristine mountain water that was gravity fed in underground pipes, down to the town. In the field, old water pipes still cross through the old town site.

The Blueslide town is not standing, the only original buildings still standing of the fourteen acre town are the old outhouse and the old White Pine Lumber Company bank vault. The old school teacher’s cottage has been expanded to a much larger home. A community room and dormitory sit on the old schoolhouse foundation.

Blueslide got its name when the side of the mountain slid into the river with a splash, exposing a blue clay face. The clay on the mountain got very wet that year from the snow melt and rain, making it slick, causing it to slide off of the mountain while trees and rocks on the surface went crashing down along with the clay. The steamboats coming up the river used the blue slide as a landmark. After all these years the slide dried and sunbleached to a tan color. The slide was probably a tragic scene for hunters and trappers, seeing the prime grounds now demolished. The landslide that occurred at Blueslide was possibly something like the Oso slide.

The northern county opened to homesteading in the early 1900s, the free land attracted many settlers from far and wide. The Blueslide area was an ideal place for trapping, and the logging was abundant with See blueslide, 3B

‘Bee water’ and old schoolhouse mark Elmers Loop

By Makinzie Rose Garris

Have you ever heard about the Elmers? Or perhaps Elmers Loop? Well, even if you have, let me tell you a little bit about what I know.

Back where I live, right around Elmers Loop, there is an old school house that was built in the 1800s. My dad told me the old schoolhouse has been there for almost 115 years.

Once, I found out that through some of the hard times, only about four or five people were able to go to the school. I felt

bad realizing that many people weren’t able to go to school and learn how we do this very day. In those days the roads were all dirt roads and it was harder for people to get around.

I love all the sights, the mountains and the trees.

We can do bon fires. The snow is deep and I especially like the fact that the woods are really close to Elmer’s Loop.

There is a small little lake that is literally called the Lake of the Woods on the map.

People used to call it

the “bee water” because bees swarm on it in the summertime. It is a really unique area.

The Elmers let us ride through their land and we have a lot of fun.

Elmer’s Loop is amazing.

I know every person who lives on it. Every person that’s there has lived there for at least five years. The Elmers have been there a long time, before I was even born.

Why do they call it Elmers Loop, maybe because of the past generations that have lived there?

Let me tell you how to get there. When you’re driving down Spring Valley, and if you keep going straight you head off into Elmers Loop, but if you take a right you keep going down Spring Valley Road. If you keep going that way you’ll run into the other end of Elmer’s Loop.

Those two roads intersect and that corner is where you have the view of the old school house.

It has survived the bad See elmer, 3B

ThE mineR

seventh grade press

July 6, 2016 |

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The Nelson Family history

By Sydney Nelson

Ole A. Nelson and his wife Mary Olson were born in Norway where they had Nels Martin Nelson and Mary Nelson.

Once they came over to America and moved to Illinois they had my greatgreat-grandpa, Ole Nelson born March 18, 1891.

In his late teens, my great-grandpa and his older brother Nels Nelson traveled west to find new work. On their way west they met Odelia Strand and her sister Guida Strand of South Dakota.

In 1911, August 21, Nels Martin Nelson married Guida Strand in Wisconsin where my great-grandpa also moved.

Great-great-grandpa Ole Nelson and Odelia Strand got married January 25, 1913.

The Nelson brothers happily married the Strand sisters, but times in the U.S. were tough and work was hard to find, so they and their families moved to Newport, Washington. Almost the entire Pend Oreille watershed was forested with various types of trees and logging was profitable.

Getting logs to market was a problem.

Not only was the river riddled with frightening waterfalls and rapids, but it flows north, in the opposite direction that the logging companies wanted to move their logs.

There was work as River Pigs for the Diamond Match Company. If you are wondering, River Pigs are the men who drive logs down rivers to saw mills. According my family, masses of logs were driven up or down the river like huge herds of cattle, by jumping out on them, rolling them, pushing and keeping them moving. By riding along on the mass of logs, river pigs could guide the logs.

When a jam started, the River Pigs tried to get to it quickly and dislodge the key logs. This job required some understanding of physics, strong muscles and extreme agility. If the logs got jammed, which they did a lot, these men had to run out over the moving logs and use a pike to try and dislodge the jam.

It was a ridiculously dangerous job.

Nobody was surprised when a river pig died, and work certainly couldn’t be halted on account of it.

Eventually Ole and Odelia had five kids. The first born was Donald Nelson November 18, 1919, followed by DeWayne Nelson, then followed by twins Doris and Deloris.

Then the baby of the family, my greatgrandpa Delbert Clarence Nelson, was born July 12, 1935.

Once the children grew they became amazing young adults. On 1951, September 29, my great-grandpa was married to a beautiful young women Melva Lucille Crysler.

Delbert worked with his dad and his brother Donald as River Pigs, but later

on in his job he worked a loader for the logs. Melva was a rural carrier and clerk for the Newport Post Office. Melva retired 1992. Melva and Delbert had four kids: Colleen Nelson, Kathy Nelson, Jeff Nelson, and my grandpa John Nelson.

A story I heard from Bert was of Jeff Nelson’s birth is that when Melva Nelson went to the hospital my greatgrandpa Delbert Nelson said jokingly, “If you do not come home with a boy then don’t come home.”

When Melva came home, she had a baby boy in her arms and he was very happy.

Melva and Delbert’s kids grew up going to Newport School District. They all graduated from Newport High School and got a good education.

When their last kid moved out, he moved to Oldtown, Idaho, with his wife, Ruth Lynn Johnson. They grew up in the town of Oldtown, Idaho, with their kids: Shawn Nelson and my father, John Ole Nelson, born 1980, July 27. Their boys grew up and went to school in the Priest River school district. That is where my dad met my mom and they were high school sweethearts. They ended up dating a awhile, then they broke up.

My dad was going into the Navy, but he had earlier had laser eye surgery on one of his eyes, so if he were to dive too deep his eye would explode. So he came back and moved in with his mom and dad till he could find a job. My mom at that time had been dating my sister’s dad Jerry Librande. They had my sister when my mom was 20 and ended up breaking up. So my mom lived in an apartment with my sister Sadi Lynn Librande on January 2, 2001.

One day after work my mom was in Shopko getting some food when she ran right into my dad. After they finished shopping they started to date again and eventually got married.

Not quite a year later they had me my name is Sydney Ann Nelson on March 7th, 2003. My sister and I attend Newport Schools. Seven years after I was born, my little sister, Cora Grace Nelson was born March 31st, 2010 and then three years later my littlest sister Lucille Rose Nelson was born May 31st, 2013. It has been almost three years since Lucille was born and I am now 13, Sadi is 15, Cora is 6, and Lucille is almost 3. So this is the newest generation of Nelson’s today.

This is the Nelson family history, we are a hard working family and we have been like that for many years. I had lots of fun writing this paper I learned a lot about my family and some stuff I already new but it is good to go back over the history just to make sure we have them right. Thank you for reading.

Owen’s Grocery a staple of local community

By Michael Owen

Owen’s Grocery is a fourth generation family owned deli and soda fountain that is located on the corner across from what is now the Centennial Plaza and the Visitor’s Center.

I’m Michael Owen, I’m the up and coming generation. Owen’s started out in 1938, with my great-great-grandparents. The store was one third of its size today.

My great-grandparents expanded the store to a second set of pillars in 1953, then my grandparents expanded to its full size (the third set of pillars) in 1995. They expanded because they had to expand product so they had to expand the store.

Owen’s started out as a grocery store, and in 1980 my great-grandpa put in the deli. My grandpa went to Kmart and found a “Blue Light Special” sub sandwich and thought it was a good idea to start making them.

My grandparents put in Owen’s first espresso machine in

BLUESLIDE: Sawdust used for insulation

elmer: Weather important in old days

mountains of trees. The river made a convenient way for transportation, with a ferry and steamer landing at Blueslide, it was established as the landmark.

People often worked together in the logging town of Blueslide. According to Big Smoke, when nearing winter, the loggers would haul loads of sawdust to the cookhouse and bunkhouse to be dumped on the foundation for insulation. In trade, the kitchen crew would stuff the loggers’ pockets with cookies and doughnuts as they left.

Living in those times was not easy. Settlers had to work very hard to maintain a steady living, by washing their clothes by hand and growing their own food in the garden. The settlers who worked the logging mills got very little pay. They received $1.00 per day with noonday meal at the camp cookhouse. I’m glad that nowadays we have better jobs with higher pay, it would be difficult to raise a family with the low pay. Having a low paycheck meant that early settlers in Blueslide didn’t get many of the luxuries we have today such as a washing machine, dishwasher, and dryer, for your clothes and cutlery.

Instead the settlers did it by hand and a little bit of elbow grease.

The mountain flourished with wildlife and vegetation. Hunters and trappers would trap and hunt many animals, such as lynx, wolf, rabbit, and other land critters to provide food and income to their families. Selling the hides of animals was a good source of wealth back on the early homesteads. Many people would craft clothes such as mittens, coats, and boots for fashion on sunny get together days or warmth on cold winter days.

They were tough, and some way they would make it work.

windstorms that we’ve had and even the cows walking through it because it was built so strong. Just looking at the school takes my imagination back to the old days. I would love to ride a horse to school!

The rooms would be warm from an old wood stove,

From Page 2B

1993. It was my grandpa and grandma’s idea. My great-grandpa thought it was a horrible idea, but it turned out to be a big hit and still is to this day.

The classic soda fountain bar is over 100 years old, where you can enjoy a hand-dipped homemade ice cream, sundae, banana split, or milkshakes (huckleberry is a regional favorite), and drink coffee or an espresso.

We recently remodeled about two years ago. We added a loft and had to take out seven layers of flooring in order to put in a new cement floor.

We also added more windows by taking off some of the brick wall.

About a few weeks ago we took off some of the plaster to expose the brick behind the bar to match the recent remodel.

When my great-greatgrandparents opened the store they couldn’t afford a refrigerator, so they took their refrigera-

tor from their house and put it in the store.

The mural on the side of Owen’s was created by Kate Drum. The mural included a river and several local animals.

Near the mural there is a brick with the elevation of 2128 stamped into it. This was put in place when the original building was constructed in 1903.

Owen’s Grocery has been part of the Newport community for a long time and it is a great place to stop. One of my fondest memories is when my brother and I were racing our scooters around the store every day. I would always beat him. I also remember when we would play in a little corner with army men. As I aged, I started to run the cash register, help my dad cater, and serve people food from the deli. I’ve grown up and become a young man in Owen’s Grocery, and it will always be a part of who I am.

From Page 2B

The rooms would be warm from an old wood stove, and there wouldn’t be the drama that modern schools have. and there wouldn’t be the drama that modern schools have. I think it was better for kids to grow up then.

When I see the old school I can imagine the old days and having only four or five people being able to learn because the others couldn’t go to school. There wasn’t a lot of room and kids had to work.

Who built the school? Did the Elmers go to the school? Was Mrs. Elmer the teacher? Who was the teacher?

You know what else I think might have been important in the old days? The weather. I can just imagine waking up in the morning having to ride a horse or walk to school and the weather could be horrible.

Or what about needing milk or even eggs, you had to wait for the cows to be ready to give milk or the chickens to be ready to give eggs.

I don’t know about you but I would honestly LOVE to live like that! I just think it would be a wonderful experience with no Wi-Fi, or Facebook, or snapchat, or Instagram and much more. Not even cell phones!

I just honestly think that would make life a lot easier, don’t you think?

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