PAGE 8 i Tim Now Era I Ausust 30, 2017
Museum coil
ction tells story of Finley's historic flour mill
Along a mile stretch of High-
way 228, just west of Crawfords-
ville, is a thick growth of young
firs, beyond the bridge.
Go further, and on the right
stand the few headstones of the
Finley Cemetery. Travel on, and
to your left comes the McKerch-
er Park, a way station among
some older trees.
Still further, on the left, ap-
pears a popular swimming hole
which used to be called the Craw-
fordsville Dam. A large farm
house that stood across from
the dam has been replaced by a
newer building.
Today, one would not en-
vision the flour mill that once
stood at the falls above the
swimming hole, nor of the dis-
cord which brought about its be-
ginning in pioneer days.
That first flour mill, was
built in 1847 by Richard Chism
Finley, who lies buried between
his two wives in the Finley fam-
ily cemetery, along with some of
his children who did not reach
adulthood.
The falls over the chunky ba-
salt stone above the swimming
hole attracted Finley to the area
as an experienced miller. When it
came to turning the water wheel
of a simple grist mill, the force
evident in the turbulent flow
held promise as did the shelf of
land paralleling the falls where
they ended in the pool below.
It was a good place to site a
mill, the best he'd found on the
Calapooia, he insisted to those
eager to have grain ground close
at hand, especially because it
Dillinl
treasure
at the
East Linn
Museum
took weeks to haul a load of
wheat by ox team to Oregon City
where the nearest grist mill was
located.
A claim had been filed on
the land with the falls, but the
person who'd done so had left.
Although likelihood existed of
his coming back, the claim had
not been proved up - no house,
no crop.
For those whose priority
was having a grist mill, neces-
sity out-weighed the custom of
granting leeway to men who, for
some reason, left claims intend-
ing to return. Legally, Richard
Finley's right to file on the claim
lay open. To others, it smacked
of claim jumping.
So, with his neighbors'
blessings, Finley began building
the mill. The first mill building,
not large, was built with sides 12
to 15 feet long.
One day, as Finley was out
in the woods working with his
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axe, the original claimant to the Finley family had faced.
site returned. The man was not As a young man, Richard
happy. He spoke harsh words to Finley had worked in Wisconsin
Richard Finley. In turn, Finley lead mines, and an accident in
threatened him with the axe. which one leg was broken in two
The man rode off, never to places left him with a distinc-
return, according to some ver- tire limp. Since he was partially
sions of the story included in the crippled, hunting proved more
Works Projects Association col- difficult for him, and the animals
lection of pioneer stories at the he shot were often in poor shape
East Linn Museum. and the meat less than good.
Another version of the sto- At one time, he bought a
ry, however, suggests that McA1- small pig, smoked it and hung it
estar, the only name mentioned, in the cabin rafters. Eliza's moth-
who was a relative of the Court- er, Polly Ann Kirk Finley told
neys, returned with his ireful her, when a young child, that the
kin. children cried for that meat, but
In the meantime, according she had to say, "No."
to that account, Richard Finley It was reserved for sickness.
had contacted his neighbors to Polly Ann was from an im-
the west, the Blakely, Brown and portant family in the early his-
Kirk contingent. These opposing tory of Linn County, her father,
units of armed men faced off. Alexander Kirk, having operated
Had the Courtneys not decided a ferry in Brownsville among
against bloodshed, the history other things, so she is well repre-
of the Crawfordsville area might sented in the 1930's WPA stories
have been different, collected from pioneer descen-
McAlestar did leave, thedants.
grist mill got built, and for years
the Courtneys did not care much No sooner had Finley built
for the Finleys. his first mill then he headed for
Today there's little evidence the gold fields of California to
that an important grist mill once earn enough money to pay off
existed by those falls except for his creditors. He was fortunate
possibly a channel cut along enough to send back pokes of
their north side, but Finley built gold by marl.
not only the first flour mill, but a Polly Ann Finley could then
second bigger and improved one settle some of the debts from
a few years later, the mill. However, people would
In 1861-62 an extensive come to look at the gold and feel
winter flood wiped out the first of it and she soon realized her
mill building. Finley had used gold supply dwindled when the
the building as a shelter for fat- dust clung to the fingers of the
tened hogs, his daughter Eliza admirers.
Finley Braden recalled. Some She developed a plan. When-
were drowned but others man- ever gold arrived, she would
aged to scramble up on logs, send out word. Those to whom
where they perched for da~s be- money was owed would be paid
fore being rescued. They'd lost so on a first-co'me, first-served ba-
much weight they had to be fat- sis. When the gold ran out, those
tened up all over again, unpaid would have to await the
Without the grist mill in op- next supply.
eration because of the flooding, This made one man unhappy
people ran low on flour, too, and and he went away muttering, "I
some resorted to eating grated, am disappointed on every hand."
dried corn. But perhaps those WhenRichardFinleywentto
days of hardship did not match the California mines, he worked
the earlier days of the ones the half a day at the mill then set
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out by horse, even though rid-
ing was painful for him. When
he returned to Oregon Territory,
he traveled by ship to Portland
but he became ill with convulsive
chills, as they were called.
Three bouts were considered
fatal, so he sent word to Polly
Ann of his illness while he stayed
in Oregon City.
Polly Ann had considerable
strength of character.
She asked a neighbor, Timo-
thy Riggs, to go with her to Or-
egon City. They had one horse
between them and traveled by
the "ride and tie" method, start-
ing off, one riding, the other
walking.
The rider reached a point
where he or she stopped, tied
up the horse, and walked on.
The walker who'd been left be-
hind, would catch up, mount the
horse, ride past the partner, tie
up the horse, and so on, sort of a
leap frog progression.
When the pair reached Or-
egon City, they spied a man on
the porch of a boarding place rise
and walk toward the door. The
limp allowed Polly Ann and Tim-
othy Riggs to recognize Richard
Finley, whom, they were greatly
relieved to see, had survived his
third bout of fever.
One Finley son, George, re-
called his father as being a trust-
worthy and honest man who
never locked the doors to the
mill and who allowed credit.
Only once, said George, did
a creditor renege on his debt.
Richard Finley was offered Jack-
sonville (Ore.) gold for flour but
didn't accept it. He declared the
flour should be reserved for the
new influx of immigrants who
would be in need when they ar-
rived.
His own father had once
backed a neighbor's note in Fin-
ley's younger days and the neigh-
bor had not paid, so the father
had to pay it, leaving the family
so poor the children were forced
to work hard.
For that reason, Richard
Finley was generous to those
needing help and was known as
"Uncle Dick."
Robert Glass, the Jackson-
vine miner, solved his problem
of getting flour for the other
miners by buying wheat from a
farm near Lebanon for eight dol-
lars a bushel and then having it
ground at Finley's mill.
Richard Finley's generosity
had limits, however.
At one point he bought a fat
ox to roast for the men building
his mill. Indians stole it. Finley
and others tracked the culprits
to a campsite where the Indians
had butchered the animal and
were making jerky over a fire.
The Finley group drove off
the Indians, took pot shots at
them to scare them, and de-
stroyed the camp. The meat, they
thought, was too badly handled
to be eaten.
Other settlers feared this
would cause an Indian menace,
but nothing happened.
Finley's enterprise served
as the primary mill south of Or-
egon City. Farmers would bring
harvests to be ground from as
far away as the Rogue River. Of-
ten, men stayed at the mill, their
stock pastured nearby. Polly Ann
Finley's job was to feed them.
As her daughter, Eliza, re-
membered, the mother was too
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