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1ValsetzValsetzValsetzValsetz Greg FerrariGreg FerrariGreg FerrariGreg Ferrari Geo 422/Winter 2001Geo 422/Winter 2001Geo 422/Winter 2001Geo 422/Winter 2001 03.22.0103.22.0103.22.0103.22.01 Prof. DoelProf. DoelProf. DoelProf. Doel2Introduction Hidden high in the Coast Range of Polk County, between Falls City and Lincoln City, located in the Siletz Basin, the town of Valsetz could once be found. Surrounding Valsetz are steep and gentle sloping mountains covered with Douglas-fir trees. Fanno Peak to the Northeast of Valsetz, and Chandler Mountain to the Southwest, helped surround Valsetz, which kept the town isolated from the Willamette Valley and the Oregon Coast. For sixty-five years, this logging community produced valuable wood products including, lumber, plywood and veneer, for U.S. and world markets. The company owned town changed ownership three times during its existence, with each new owner adding different chapters to the history of Valsetz. Changes to Valsetz over the years were few, while changes to the surrounding environment were many. Natural and manmade disturbances helped shape Valsetz and the surrounding area into its present day landscape. Today, this landscape has a network of logging roads leading to clear-cuts or forested mountain sides, which provide the valuable wood resources needed by society. Trees and brush now inhabit the dried lake bed that was once Valsetz Lake. Adjacent to the lake on its Eastern shore, where Valsetz once rested, only a dirt road, Douglas-firs and a storage shed presently inhabit the area. The purpose of this paper is to provide the history of Valsetz, before, during and after its existence; and to provide an understanding of how changes in the landscape surrounding Valsetz are related to changes that occurred in the town itself. Various newspaper articles, maps, books and brief oral interviews helped mold together Valsetz history.31900’s and Before The Siletz Indians were probably the first people to experience the Siletz Basin and its surroundings. The Siletz River flows through the Siletz Basin and it is assumed that the Siletz Indians used the river to provide food. In the late 1800’s, with western expansion and the Homestead Act of 1862, European settlers begun to move into Oregon. Accounts of the first European settlers inhabiting the Siletz basin vary. Writer “Hemlock Slim” of the Mountain Echo, the Valsetz newspaper, claimed of knowing about trappers and hunters who settled the area in 1853 to make profit of its abundant wildlife(The Itemizer-Observer, 1966). He mentioned that settlers used a network of trails in the dense forests to lead to desired areas that provided the needed resources to survive. This account of early settlers, however, was not otherwise documented. The first fully documented proof of inhabitants in the Siletz Basin was by surveyor Andrew L. Porter in 1894. Porter and his survey crew scaled the Coast Range, township 8 south, range 8 west, mapping it (figure 1), while giving details of its vegetation and inhabitants. Porter reported that seventeen settlers were inhabiting the township and range by 1894, and that there were still many good claims to be made. In sections 28, 33 and 34, 9 settlers were inhabiting the area that later would become Valsetz. Arden Handy, Zimri Hinsham, Montgomery Syron, William Mc Carty and O. A. Fanno were some of the settlers in the Siletz Basin during Porter’s survey of the area(BLM website). Fanno and Handy each became permanent fixtures in the Valsetz area. Fanno had a creek, ridge and mountain peak named after him; while Handy had a creek bearing his name. Each of these settlers used resources in the Siletz Basin to provide food and shelter. Fanno had a road running from his cabin, about 15 miles East to Falls City.4 Porter describes the Siletz Basin area as heavily timbered, with Fir and Hemlock blanketing the surrounding mountainsides and basin. Some of the surrounding mountains are steep and have exposed bed rock cliff, while others are gently rolling slopes. In the Siletz Basin, the land is relatively flat with first rate soil. Numerous small streams, including Beaver and Fanno Creek, flow into the Siletz Basin, joining the Siletz River and continuing on to the Pacific Ocean. The South Fork of the Siletz River flows through the basin from the Southwest and continues northwest into a steep, rocky gorge. Along the river banks various types of trees and vegetation grow. The Siletz River, named by the Siletz Indians, means “fern river.” This could lead one to believe that the ferns that are currently scattered along the river bank, were also present at the time of the survey(The Oregonian,1984). The old growth forest consisted of large diameter trees ranging anywhere from 4 to 7 feet in diameter(Itemizer-Observer, 1997). Occasionally, some trees would reach diameters larger than 9 feet. The mixed aged stands were primarily dominated by Douglas-fir and Western Hemlock. Hemlock was probably the most dominant tree in the old growth understory, due to their ability to grow well in the shade. This can also be seen in the survey of Porter, who mentions smaller diameter Hemlock in his notes. Scattered in the Fir and Hemlock forests, were Cedar, Alder, Crab Apple and Big Leaf-Maple. Porter mentions that Larch could also be found in the Siletz Basin area, but Larch does not normally grow in this region. Areas of the old growth forests had barren forest floors, as seen in photos of the area, and as told by loggers, Gary Strom and Harry Miller who experienced the breathtaking size of old growth fir trees in the Valsetz area. Conversely, some areas of the forest floor were covered with dense brush. Vine maple, Huckleberry, Salal, Chittum, Salmon Berry and Elk Briars were5many of the vegetation types found on the forest floor that Porter described in his survey notes. Porter also described occasional openings in the forest where brush grew, but these openings in the forest were not very big. While the Siletz Basin area had some settlers, the area, for the most part, was found by Porter in its virgin state. Changes to the area were caused by natural disturbances like floods and fire. These events helped mold the forests into mixed-aged stands, where trees of different species and size grew together. When a tree died, it opened up the forest canopy and allowed sunlight to reach the forest floor.


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