NORTH YAMHILL
[A transcription of the 14 page history of the town of North Yamhill (later City of Yamhill), Yamhill County, Oregon by Phyllis Helen Withycombe Stump, privately published, 1973. Published on the web by permission. In addition, section headers have been devised, and links to photographs provided by the Yamhill Historical Society.]
A Short History of the town of Yamhill,
Yamhill County, Oregon
By Phyllis Helen (Withycombe) Stump
1973
typewritten manuscript, 14 pages
with the assistance of
Anna Greenhoot Hurt
City Recorder
SECTION - - - - TOPIC
1 CLAM SHELLS AND A SINKING RAILROAD
2 PRE-HISTORY, INDIANS, TRAPPERS AND MISSIONARIES IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
3 THE FIRST SETTLER - SYLVANUS MOORE AND MOORE'S VALLEY
4 THE TILLAMOOK STAGE AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE VILLAGE OF NORTH YAMHILL
6 INDIAN TRAILS, THE WAGON ROAD OF 1844 AND THE FIRST ROAD BUILT IN NORTH YAMHILL (MAIN STREET) 1874
7 EARLY STORES IN NORTH YAMHILL
8 THE OLDEST HOUSE STILL STANDS
10 DRAIN TILE FACTORY AND CREAMERY
11 THE INCORPORATION OF NORTH YAMHILL - 1891
13 BOARDWALKS, BRIDGES AND THE TOWN LAMPLIGHTER
14 THE CHAMBERLIN HOTEL, THE ROYAL HOTEL AND THE FIRST WATER SYSTEM
15 PATENTED PRUNE DRYERS AND OTHER INVENTIONS
16 MARY PICKFORD (MARY SMITH) LIVES IN NORTH YAMHILL
17 FREEDOM FOR COWS LEGISLATED AND REPEALED
18 1908 - NAME CHANGED TO THE CITY OF YAMHILL
19 THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME YAMHILL
20 CLOSING
CLAM SHELLS AND A SINKING RAILROAD
Who were the first inhabitants of the land we now call "The City of Yamhill"? We know from the fossils of clams found imbedded in the clay at "the Gap" north of Cove Orchard that the land was covered with water at sometime in the past. These shells were uncovered when the highway was constructed to Gaston around 1920. Also, we know that there is some kind of an underground lake or pond in this same area. We know this, because around 1908, one place in the Southern Pacific railroad track sank clear out of sight. The morning passenger trains had passed over this section and then a freight train followed. Whether the passing of the freight train, with it's heavy load, triggered the opening in the ground, no one knows but shortly after the freight had passed, the hole appeared. The Southern Pacific workmen were several days bringing in cars of rocks and logs to try to fill this hole. At one time a freight car was backed too far on the track. It plunged over into the water and sank out of sight. Eventually the hole was filled and the track replaced. To this day, however, each year the track must be slightly raised and more gravel added to its bed.
PRE-HISTORY, INDIANS, TRAPPERS AND MISSIONARIES IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Just when and where the first humans made this section of the country their home is still a mute question. We do know that when the first white men reached this country, the "Indians" inhabited the land. The Indians of the Yamhill Country were led by Chief Wyonoshut, called McKay, pronounced McKye. They claimed not only this part of the Willamette Valley, but traveled up into Washington and down as far as California, if not into California. Chief Wyonosnut had been converted to Christianity, supposedly at the Whitman Mission. He tried to follow the teachings of the White Man's religion. He did not enter into the wars with the whites even if at times he was sorely tempted.
The first white men to take up their abode in the valley were the English and the French. They came to trap the fur bearing animals and secure any other valuable resources the land furnished. Then came the missionaries. They wished to convert the Indians to their way of life. In the fall of 1834, November the 18th, Ewing Young and 14 men, with a remuda of horses arrived in the Willamette Valley. Ewing Young settled in the Chehalem Valley and became the first American to settle in Oregon. John McLoughlin of the English Fort Vancouver, refused to sell him cattle to stock his holdings. In 1837 Young, together with 10 other men from the mission and the French settlement, decided to go south to California and drive cattle back for themselves. In the spring and summer of this same year they secured cattle and drove the herd north. They arrived early in October, with 630 head of "lean spanish cattle", mostly heifers.
Arriving with the group of men making the cattle drive was "a person whose name seems to be decipherably from the company records as Moore." The above information concerning Ewing Young has been taken from the book - "Ewing Young Master Trapper", by Kenneth L. Holmes.
THE FIRST SETTLER - SYLVANUS MOORE AND MOORE'S VALLEY
According to his descendants and other old timers the "Moore" mentioned in the records was Sylvanus Moore who took up a donation land claim in Moores Valley. He was the first settler in the North Yamhill country. He married and had descendants. One of them was Henry Moor - called Major Moor. Henry Moor had four children by his second wife - Eliza Burton. One of these was Mabel Moor Williams. Mabel Williams, affectionately known as "Dot" started a green house near her home in North Yamhill. Here she raised fruit and plants to be sold to people in the community. When she moved from this home to her inheritance on the Burton Estate, she took her green house with her. She had more green houses built with the aid of her husband. She sold flowers, flower arrangements and plants to customers in other parts of the country as well as in Yamhill. The Williams family has been active in the development of the City of Yamhill. Harry Williams still lives in the community. Harry states he has no idea when the "e" was dropped from the name or why it was discarded.
THE TILLAMOOK STAGE AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE VILLAGE OF NORTH YAMHILL
The main part of town is located on the John B. Rowland donation land claim. At first North Yamhill was just a store along the stage road to Tillamook and was operated by a Mr. Jim Fryer. With the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, North Yamhill became the starting point of the Tillamook Trail. With the need for accomodations for travelers, a hotel was built, a livery barn was needed, a postoffice was established and other businesses sprang up around the village. This development took place along the western end of what is now Third Street.
THE FIRST POST OFFICE
The first postoffice in the Village of North Yamhill was established April 29, 1858 with William B. Stillwell the first postmaster. On December 14, 1860 Mr. Stillwell was replaced as postmaster by another man and so on as shown by the following list. This list was secured from Von Seaton, ex-postmaster of Yamhill.
William B. Stillwell - April 19, 1858
James Fryer - December 14, 1860
John M. Payne - October 8, 1869
Wm. McConnell - August 29, 1872
Azor D. Runnels - April 12, 1878
George W. Sappington - May 17, 1881
F. Archibald - June 13, 1884
John D. Edwards - September 10, 1885
Daniel Busbee - August 3, 1887
Fred L. Sappington - June 5, 1889
Mary E. Laughlin - August 13, 1892
Harry C. Gist - May 9, 1893
F. L. Trullinger - July 6, 1897
Oscar W. Haynes - December 16, 1912
Harry C. Gist - December 18, 1916
G. W. Brace - December 18, 1918
C. R. Tyler - April 1, 1919
Von D. Seaton - May 1, 1936
INDIAN TRAILS, THE WAGON ROAD OF 1844 AND THE FIRST ROAD BUILT IN NORTH YAMHILL (MAIN STREET) 1874
According to Joseph Gaston in the Centennial History of Oregon - Vol. 1, page 503 - the mail was carried by private persons. The roads were mostly Indian Trails, enlarged somewhat by use of the white settlers. According to Mr. Gaston, the "first wagon road proposed in the Provisional Legislature was on June 24, 1844, when Mr. Lovejoy presented a petition from residents of (north) Yamhill, asking for the location and construction of a road from the Yamhill River south to the forks of the Willamette, about one hundred miles". As the settlers built rail fences around their holdings, the people when traveling from one place to another, would take down a portion of the fence, pass to the other side and then place the rails in their proper position in the fence. Thus they could use the old trails. After the new school house was built for District 16 in 1874, the first real road was constructed in North Yamhill. This is now called Main Street.
EARLY STORES IN NORTH YAMHILL
From the beginning of the Village of North Yamhill with Mr. James Fryer's store, to the time it became the Town of North Yamhill, many changes had gradually taken place. With the advent of the new two story schoolhouse in 1874 and the construction of Main Street the town started expanding along Maple Street. Maple Street soon became the business district of the village. Fryer's store was bought during the 1870's by the famous W. J. McConnel. When Mr. McConnel decided to move to Idaho during the late 1880's he sold the store to Tom Buckingham. Mr. Buckingham later took Frank Bedwell in as a partner. The Bedwells resided in the Fryer and then McConnel house, which still stands at the south end of Maple Street.
New stores sprang up along Maple Street. One of the largest of these was the Laughlin store, which was situated where Trullinger-Eustice store now stands. The second floor of this building was Laughlin Hall where social events were held. West of the store was the Chamberlin Hotel with its saloon. South of the Laughlin Store was Daniel Busbee's store, bakery and barber shop. These buildings burned in the early nineteen hundreds and were replaced by the present buildings.
Wm. Mesner built a livery stable on the southwest corner of Maple and Second Streets. However the old livery stable, originally owned by Tom Laughlin and situated on the west side of Olive Street, was still used by the Tillamook Stage horses.
The most ornate house in the village at this time was built around 1877 by a Mr. Brown for a Mr. Ball. It stood at the end of Third Street and is now owned by the Dumdi's. This house was the pride of the village, until the Lee Laughlin house was constructed on the southwest corner of Main and Laurel Streets.
THE OLDEST HOUSE STILL STANDS
The oldest house in town was the first frame house built in the community in 1845, for Mrs. James Burton on the Burton land. Mrs. Burton became Mrs. Cooper and the house was moved from it's first location to the south side of Third Street. Quong Hop at one time lived in it. Around 1918 when the old buildings along Third Street were being demolished, this house built with square nails was sawed into sections and moved by "Slim Jim" Coburn to a place along the highway to McMinnville. Here it was reassembled and still stands. It has recently been renovated by its owner, Ed Collins Junior.
EARLY MILLS AND ELECTRICITY
Most of the early settlers became farmers but occasionally a saw mill or grist mill sprang into existence. To my knowledge the first grist mill in the community was owned by Thomas W. Perry and was situated on his land near the Southern Pacific tracks and depot. Several warehouses were located in the same vicinity. At one time there was a store and a saloon, owned and operated by a Mr. Lakin, near this location. The grist mill and most of the buildings burned in 1885.
Another grist mill was west of Yamhill along the Yamhill River. This mill was bought in 1874 and operated by D. P. Trullinger. When electricity was planned for the community of North Yamhill in 1903, the mill was converted into a power plant. The electric wires to the customers were sometimes strung on small insulators on trees. In the houses the wires were strung along the ceilings with one droplight in the center of the room. The bulb was an old tungsten lamp.
I remember well one night, our family was in the living room with the light on. The heavens gave forth one tremendous flash of lightning with its accompanying thunder. The tungsten bulb became extremely bright, then burned out. All was black. We learned the next day, the lightning had burned out every lamp in the whole system, as well as injuring the dynamo. We took out the old kerosene lamps and used them until the company replaced the bulbs and installed fuses for each customer.
The pioneers, as well as having agriculture and grist mills, often had saw mills along a stream. These were needed to convert timber into usable lumber. The first one was the Daniel mill situated along the Yamhill River near Pike. This was built somewhere around 1880 or slightly before.
The Simmons, whose donation land claim was in Moore's Valley, south of Sylvanus Moore's, had a lumber mill some place over a hill west of Moore's Valley. It is possible the old millsite at Fairdale was this mill.
Later there was a mill on the west bank of the Yamhill River, close to where the millrace took off for the Trullinger Grist Mill and near the old covered bridge. A few houses were built for the families of the mill workers to live in. According to Harley Belt this small settlement was called Mullens Ville, because of the mullen which grew near by.
Before going further, I would like to state that I have heard of other grist and lumber mills in the vicinity, but I have not been able to acquire authentic information on them. They are the early grist and lumber mills of John Perkins and the lumber mill of George Perkins. There have undoubtedly been other such early mills but I do not know about them.
DRAIN TILE FACTORY AND CREAMERY
In 1885 Phillips Withycombe - my father - bought ten acres of land on the eastern edge of North Yamhill. Here he constructed a drain tile factory. This was the first tile factory in Oregon. The tile from this factory were shipped all over the Willamette Valley. Later square building tile were manufactured and were made into culverts for county roads and silos for farmers. They were also used for buildings as well. The old Yamhill State Bank building in town is made of these tile. In places the building was faced with brick. The Variety Store and the old Barber Shop were constructed out of these square tile.
I have in my possession an account book of my father's. One page is given over to an account with the N. Y. C. (North Yamhill Creamery). The first item is dated June 14, 1890 and tells of selling 34 lbs. of butter at 22.46 cents per lb. This is the beginning of the sale of butter from the Farmers Co-operative Creamery in North Yamhill. The creamery building was located on an acre of land in the northwest corner of my father's place. For some reason the co-operative creamery was a failure and the creamery was closed down. How long it ran I do not know. Around 1900 the plant was converted into a cheese factory. It also was not too great a success and was soon closed down.
Eventually the acre of land and the building was bought by Preston Busbee, a cousin of Daniel Busbee, and turned into a dwelling for his family. Preston Busbee bought an acreage when the Robert Laughlin estate was settled. He and his son Bill tore down the old Creamery building and built a home along the Newburg Highway and sold the acre of land back to Phillips Withycombe. All that is left of the old creamery is a slab of cement and a rosebush Mrs. Busbee planted along Ash Street some sixty five years ago. Recently I have acquired an old picture of the old creamery building which was taken when it was in its beginning.
THE INCORPORATION OF NORTH YAMHILL - 1891
While the farmers of the Yamhill Community were forming the co-operative creamery, the residents of the North Yamhill Village were planning to incorporate their town. I found the following information in the records of the Yamhill County Courthouse in McMinnville:
The city was platted in 1889 and was incorporated in 1890. It was mostly part of J. B. Rowland donation land claim, but was surveyed from the South East corner of the Alfred Job Donation Land claim, claim No. 77, Notification No. 1498 in Township three, South Range Four West (T 3 SR-nW) of the Willamette Meridian. The papers were signed by the following 34 people.
1 - S. J. Rafferty
2 - M. W. Tollman
3 - Lee Laughlin
4 - F. Hauswirth
5 - John Dempsey
6 - Louis Bower
7 - Nathan S. Allen
8 - M. S. Stewart
9 - E. S. Morris
10 - Richard Baird
11 - J. W. Haines
12 - Thomas Withycombe Sr.
13 - H. P. Moor
14 - ?. S. Perkins
15 - Mrs Nora Griffeth by
16 - Wirt Laughlin
17 - E. L. Hayes
18 - Jeremiah Williams
19 - H. C. Morgan
20 - N. H. Perkins
21 - Charles Salfisny
22 - B. N. Daniel
23 - C. ?. Toll???
24 - Catherine -her X mark- Mayhew
25 - Daniel Busbee
26 - W. C. Mesner
27 - A. D. Runnels
28 - Thos. M. Laughlin
29 - G. W. Sappington
30 - Daniel Parsons
31 - T. C. Buckingham
32 - Nancy -her X mark- Turner
33 - George Van Gorde?
34 - Araminta Higgins
The above information was sent to the State Legislator. According to the minutes of the first meeting of the Town of North Yamhill, the Oregon Legislature completed the incorporation as follows:
Town of North Yamhill. Now City of Yamhill, Yamhill County Oregon was incorporated by Act of State Legislator passed by Senate Feb. 5, 1891, by House Feb. 16, 1891, filed Feb. 20, 1891 by George W. McBride, Secretary of State. Signed March 3, 1891.
On April 13, 1891, the Board of Councilmen, consisting of Tom C. Buckinham, John Bunn, B. Newt Daniel, Ruben D. Shuck and Frank Hauswirth, met in the office of Tom C. Buckingham's store. At 7:30 P. M. the five officers took the oath of office, before Azor D. Runnels, Justice of the Peace. Tom C. Buckingham was elected president of the council and J. A. Buchanan, Recorder. Ruben Shuck, Newt Daniel and Frank Hauswirth were appointed a committee to prepare rules of order.
On April 25, 1891 the Council convened in the Pleasant View Academy. The rules of order were presented and passed. J. A. Buchanan's bond as recorder was accepted. Ordinance No. 1 to provide for licensing and regulating Bar Rooms and Drink Shops was passed. Each operator of a Bar Room or Drinking Shop must come before the Council for a license, pay $400.00, present a bond of $500.00 to cover violence of customers, must close shop at 10:00 P. M. week days, sell no liquor on Sunday and have his license exhibited at all times. John Lamar was the first licensed saloon keeper in Yamhill.
The Council again met on May 2, 1891 at Tom C. Buckingham's store. Tom Buckingham resigned as president, for his residence was not in the limits of the Town of North Yamhill. Newt Daniel called the meeting to order and John Bunn was elected president. The bonds of Ase E. McKern - first treasurer - and Wm. E. Mesner - first marshall - were read and filed. From now on the meetings took place in the office of John Bunn president.
THE TOWN JAIL
At a Council meeting, Sept. 7, 1891, the Council Members discussed building a jail. On Oct. 12, 1891, the Council Members voted to erect a jail. The jail was a one room wood building with bars at the two windows. It was located west of the alley between Maple and Laurel streets - about where the south end of the present Firemens room is now located in the City Hall. The jail was used for many years. The inhabitants of the jail were ruled by laws set down by the town council. After Local Option was voted in Yamhill, the jail house was not in demand and was eventually torn down.
BOARDWALKS, BRIDGES AND THE TOWN LAMPLIGHTER
On October 11, 1891, the Council Members voted to have board walks built along the streets of North Yamhill. The residents were to construct these sidewalks according to the specifications of the Council. To alleviate some of the mud and water, drain tile were used in places. It was not until the early nineteen hundreds that Maple Street had its surface covered with Macadam.
In 1892, the town, with the aid of the county, built a bridge over the slough between the Town of North Yamhill and the Southern Pacific depot. The bridge has now been changed to a culvert and the grade has been raised and widened.
On Dec. 21, 1892, coal oil lamps were installed by the Council Members on posts already installed on Maple Street. These lamps cost $53.05. To light the lamp at dusk, take care of them and turm them off later in the evening, a man was hired. For his work, this man was paid 20 cents a night. The first lamplighter was Chester Fox, nephew of Lee Laughlin.
I remember well how of a winter evening, I stood in the "front" window, just to watch the lamp at the end of Ash Street being lighted. I cannot remember how it was accomplished but I do know that Chester Walker, when he was the lamplighter, rode a horse which enabled him to reach the lamp.
THE CHAMBERLIN HOTEL, THE ROYAL HOTEL AND THE FIRST WATER SYSTEM
Around 1902 - after the Chamberlin Hotel burned - Ed Snider had the Royal Hotel constructed to take care of travelers through North Yamhill. The hotel was a three story with basement building and was considered one of the best hotels outside of Portland. The basement was used for storage in the back and had a saloon in the front, next to Maple Street. The first floor contained a waiting room and a jewelry store. Dining room, kitchen and other utilities to the back of the first floor. The two upper floors were rooms for customers.
To furnish water for the hotel, a well was dug or drilled on the Southwest corner of the Sarah Williams place, which would be the corner of First and Fir streets. Here a gasoline pump was installed and a pipe line constructed to the hotel water tank. This was the first water system in Yamhill.
PATENTED PRUNE DRYERS AND OTHER INVENTIONS
Ed Snider, as well as owning the hotel, had a patent on a stack dryer for prunes. He and Curt Goodrich built a stack dryer on Third Street across the road from the central entrance to the present day City Park. the patented feature of this dryer was that trays of prunes could be lifted by a hook and the lower trays, which dried first, could be removed when done. Dryers like this one were sold to many customers all over the Willamette Valley.
To meet demand for these dryers, as well as to manufacture two other patented items, the G. M. Cole Manufacturing Company was organized and a building built for its use. This building was located between second and third streets, about where George McLeod's house now stands. Here Snider, George M. Cole and Mr. Inglebright with the aid of Charles Torrance and Curt Jones - salesman, manufactured a patented egg breaker and a patented buckle for harnesses and shoes. This was in 1904 or 1905. Neither one of the last two items were a success. The egg breaker cost too much to manufacture. The dryer was used off and on until around 1942 when it was burned. This information was given to me by Ross Perry - my uncle.
MARY PICKFORD (MARY SMITH) LIVES IN NORTH YAMHILL
Uncle Ross also told me that Mary Pickford's mother taught primary grades here in Yamhill in 1900. At that time Mary Pickford was Mary Smith. Mrs. Smith and her daughter Mary lived in the old hat shop on the south side of Main Street, halfway between Maple and Laurel Streets. Mrs. Smith taught only the one year.
FREEDOM FOR COWS LEGISLATED AND REPEALED
May 5, 1894 the Council of the Town of North Yamhill met and ordered hitching racks for horses to be installed on Maple Street at stated places. A motion was also passed to allow only cows who gave milk to run free in the streets, other animals were to be confined. The motion passed, read:
Cows giving milk and owned within the corporate limits of the town may be permitted to run at large between the hours of five o'clock A. M. and nine o'clock P. M. unless the same are affected with some contagious or infectious disease.
This part of Ordinance #20 was repealed June 18, 1907. It was a great comfort to me when I no longer had to watch for wandering cows when I walked the streets of North Yamhill.
The book of minutes following 1894 is misplaced or is lost. However, there is in the vault at the City Hall, a book of ordinances. Thirty ordinances were passed by the time the City of Yamhill was incorporated in 1908. These thirty ordinances make for most interesting reading.
1908 - NAME CHANGED TO THE CITY OF YAMHILL
On April 13, 1908 the Council of the Town of North Yamhill succeeded in having the name of the town changed to the City of Yamhill. The first meeting of the City of Yamhill is as follows:
City of Yamhill, Oregon, April 13, 1908. City Council met in regular session with Mr. Perkins, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Epley and Mr. Morris present. After having taken the oath of office, a motion was made and seconded that Mr. Epley act as Mayor. Motion carried but Mr. Epley resigned in favor of Mr. Perkins, who accepted the place and was duly elected to same. After discussing plans for the future work, a motion was made to adjourn until next Wednesday evening, the 15th day of April, 1908.
B. A. Johnston, Recorder
Mr. Perkins was Norris Perkins a banker, Mr. Epley was a store keeper, Mr. Johnston was B. F. (?) Johnston a school teacher and Mr. Morris was Cal Morris a retired farmer and son of Eliam Morris, a pioneer. From the minutes of this meeting it will be seen that Norris Perkins was the first acting mayor of the City of Yamhill.
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME YAMHILL
I have been asked so many times "how or where did the name of Yamhill originate?" The only answer I can give is taken from the first volume of Joseph Gastons Centennial History of Oregon. A copy of this passage follows:
As a general thing Indian names of Natural features applied to places and not streams, so that a long river might have different names to different tribes. The name of the Yamhill River is a case in point; for it derived its name from the bald hills, northeast of Lafayette which the Indians termed "Che-am-il." this discovery was made by Judge Deady, who first settled at old Lafayette and looked up the origin of the name among the few remaining Indians then in the Willamette Valley; and from the name of the hills, both the river and the county derive their names.
CLOSING
In closing I wish to thank everyone who has helped me discover the facts I have just recounted. Especially do I wish to thank Anna [Greenhoot] Hurt, present recorder of the City of Yamhill.
