PA6E 14 IT he New Era I AuEust 30, 2017
From page 8
busy to weave so the children
never wore homespun. The best
Polly Ann could do was knit
stockings.
Richard Finley helped or-
ganize the Methodist Church
in CrawfordsviUe, but when he
kept the mill running on Sunday,
church members complained,
so he and Polly Ann switched
their allegiance to the Christian
Church which was more con-
cerned about the question of
baptism - whether complete im-
mersion was best or a symbolic
sprinkling would do - rather
than sabbatical issues.
Where the firs now grow
thick at the end of the Craw-
fordsville Bridge was the location
for a sash mill, a slow process in
which lumber was cut vertically.
This was another mill in which
Richard Finley had an interest.
With two partners, he also
built another flour mill down the
Calapooia east of what is now
Shedd.
That mill still stands as a
historical site, the Thompson
Flouring Mill (see page 13). It's
really a second building, with ad-
ditions, the first having burned.
Timbers for both projects were
felled and hewn in the Craw-
fordsville area.
That mill was established
in what was hoped would be a
town called New Boston, usu-
ally known only as Boston. For a
time it thrived, but the expected
railroad stayed two miles back
from the Calapooia River and
the town of Shedd grew up and
siphoned businesses away from
Boston, including Capt. Frank
Shedd's blacksmith shop.
Meanwhile, Polly Ann want-
ed a new home, away from the
mill below Crawfordsville.
She had a houseful of girls
and she meant to keep them
away from the goggles of rough
miners who came to buy flour.
She did get a new house, a
painted one, below the hill north
of where the Finley Cemetery
would be.
When first reaching the new
house, the children kicked at the
locked door, scarring the not yet
dried paint and gaining a spank-
ing from their angered mother,
as remembered by daughter Eli-
za Braden Finley.
Richard Finley had been
born in Tennessee in 1814 and
Polly Ann in 1827, also, in Ten-
nessee. They were married with
two daughters when they came
to Oregon Territory.
According to a family record,
they had 11 children in all, some
of whom did not survive child-
hood.
After Polly Anne died, at age
39, Richard married again. His
second wife, Elenor, has only her
first name and middle initial on
the tall obelisk marking the Fin-
ley graves in the family cemetery.
A guess was made suggest-
ing she may have been a Robnett.
Richard C. Finley died in
1882 and Elenor in 1909 at the
age of 89. Polly Ann appears to
have been the mother of all of
the little Finleys.
Yet, at the East Linn Mu-
seum, gratitude must be offered
for those WPA books on Linn
County. Accurate or not, they
supply information otherwise
unavailable.
After Richard's death in
1882, the flour mill continued in
operation, bought by a Canadian
family from Manitoba, the Mc-
Kerchers.
Of the family, two broth-
ers, Daniel and John, eventually
operated the mill. Their father
was also named John and their
uncle, Duncan, was involved in
the mill's ownership for a time.
Initially, John farmed up
Courtney Creek while Daniel,
generally known as Dan, handled
the mill. Then in 1895 Dan died
tragically and John W. became
manager of the mill.
Dan's loss came as a great
blow to his family. It holds inter-
est now because of the tale of a
triple murder found among the
East Linn Museum files.
To be continued
From page 7
to eastern Oregon, where their
daughter Lisa was born in Baker.
Eventually, they returned
and she got a job at Hewlett-
Packard in Corvallis, where she
spent "20-some" years, she said.
Meanwhile, Sam had started
working as a handyman for the
owner of three rustic cottages
built along the South Santiam
River in the 1940s, one of them
on a tree stump.
"Sam expanded them and
fixed them up," Henthorne said.
Sam also developed a strong
friendship with the owner who,
when he decided to sell them,
gave the Henthornes first chance
at the property. They moved
there from Sweet Home in 2004,
rented for a few years, then
"scraped together the money"
and bought the place in 2007.
"Then we tried to decide
what to do. Somebody suggested
a bed and breakfast but I said I
didn't want to do that.
They decided to rent two of
the cottages, which they called
Red and Green, out to vacation-
ers. They're now called the South
Santiam Cottages.
Meanwhile, things changed
for Claire, who decided to take
a company offer of early retire-
ment from HP in 2009. The
package induded alternative
education at Linn-Benton Com-
munity College, from which she
graduated in 2012 with a degree
that qualifies her to be an educa-
tional assistant.
"She finished what she'd
started years before," Lisa Chase,
her daughter, said.
Claire hasn't pursued that,
though, because the cottages
have kept her - and Lisa - busy,
particularly after Sam's death in
2015.
"Housecleaning is not my
passion," she told a visitor.
"However, she does a mar-
velous job," Lisa added.
Over the years they've
worked on the cottages. On the
walls are paintings by Lisa, a pro-
fessional artist who has taught
art at the college level.
The cottages are self-suffi-
cient, with everything guests
need except their own personal
necessities. Perched directly
above the river, they give guests
easy access to the water. The wa-
ter is ankle-deep below the cot-
tages and guests often tether
their floatation devices so they
can float in the current, or set
up their lawn chairs out in the
middle of the stream.
Downstream there's a swim-
ming hole and a lot of guests like
to kayak on the river.
The cottages are also pet-
friendly. ~hus far, they've had
dogs, cats "and a bunny," Lisa
said.
"It's a lot of fun," Claire said
- a phrase she repeats often.
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"It's pretty chill here," said
Lisa.
Many are regulars as well
and most stay for three or four
days.
"I could list 20 sets of people
who make regular visits," she
said.
One couple visited for "prob-
ably years in a row," Claire said.
The husband was a dedicated
fisherman who loved the river
and they began house hunting
on their visits, finally settling
in a "nice place" in the Courtney
Creek area.
They're careful, when taking
reservations, not to impose on
regulars' favorite dates, Claire
said.
The cottages are particularly
useful for people headed to the
mountains for skiing or other-
wise.
"They're good for wife cot-
tages for hunting season," Lisa
said.
The cottages offer such a
secluded feeling, once a visitor
is inside, that it's easy to forget
that Highway 20 is only yards
away.
"A lot of (guests) wonder
what they've gotten themselves
into when they come through
the gate," Claire said. "What you
see on the other side is pleasant."
"When they come through
the door, they're always amazed
in some way," Lisa said. "So cute!"
The two said they frequently
switch d6cor around, which gets
guests' attention.
"Sometimes people bring
little things themselves," Lisa
said. "Sometimes you find little
homemade souvenirs."
Claire said her enterprise
has gotten a lot of local attention
as well.
"I did not expect the amount
of people who were wondering
who the heck I was and how I
came up with this," she said.
exercise can
wen, here we are at Septem-
ber again.
Being that I have school-age
children, I am thinking about get-
ting them ready and back in the
groove of learning.
It seems like they have to re-
learn because so much is lost over
the summer, that the first few
months of school is just review.
As we age, we also lose a lot
of what we have learned. Ag-
ing takes a toll on the mind. The
brain shrinks up to 10 percent of
its size, so we all need to do what
we can to keep it healthy and
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A: Once again spring is upon us and
the amount of pollen in the air is increas-
ing daily. When pollen gets in the
tearfilm of the eyes a reaction occurs
that causes the eyes to become irritat-
ed, itch. For most people simply putting
cold water on the face or a cool wash
cloth will relieve your symtoms. For
others more is required. Start with over
the counter allergy drops. Use as direct-
ed on the bottle. Most allergy type
drops will sting when put in. If no relief
occurs then try an oral type antihista-
mine such as Claritin. Some have found
relief with an allergy nasal spray also.
Always use as directed on the box. If
these do not help our office is here to
help you determine the appropriate
prescription allergy drop for relief.
"There are so many people who
have known 'so-and-so who once
lived here.'"
"They tell us, 'I used to come
here all the time to visit my
friend,'" Lisa said.
The clientele is growing
steadily, with guests coming
from all over the world, Claire
said - Russia, Germany, Austra-
lia, New York, "and a lot from
California."
One comes from Virginia for
a month at a time each year.
"She has family and friends
in the area," Claire said. "They
come to visit her."
She said the customers are
what have made it a pleasant
experience, running the South
Santiam Cottages.
When she took them over, "I
wasn't expecting anything spe-
cific. I just didn't want to go back
to work."
working.
Here are 10 ways to keep your
mind sharp, whether it be over
the summer or over the years:
1. Bxercise: It's well-known
that the mind and the body are
connected, and what is good for
the body is good for the mind.
2. Read a book: Reading
builds connections within the
brain as wen as giving you new
information.
3. Eat right: Foods like
nuts, fish and red wine especially
help with brain health. Overall,
a healthy diet keeps the mind
healthy.
4. Maintain good posture:
Good posture improves blood
flow to the brain.
5. Get a good night's sleep:
Getting enough sleep helps the
mind, especially your memory.
6. Paint, draw, or doodle:
It may not be a masterpiece but
this is exercise for the mind.
7. Learn something new:
This keeps the mind active and
alert. Sign up for a class or teach-
ing video.
8. Listen to music: Mu-
sic can build connections in the
mind.
9. Do puzzles: Any kind of
puzzle can exercise the brain.
10. Write: Email, notes, or
even a book, writing helps with
your hand and eye coordination.
Sarah Redfern, RN, is clini-
cal services director at Samaritan
Wiley Creek Community in Sweet
Home.
