On May 2,2025, I came upon an e-mail Patrice Hanson sent me on March 13, 2001 6:46:53 AM I had just found my sixteen year old daughter – I had never seen! I didn’t know I sired a child! Patrice is asking for a blood test, because…...her sister was molested by relatives of their stepmother!
WHAT?!!!!
Now I know why Patrice claims our daughter is the angelic embidment of her – real mother – who took her life by jumping off a cliff. Was the stepmother cruel to the children? Who molested Linda? She could not confided in her – dead mother – or her father, because he endured the mental illness of his wife. And now he is going to learn, his second wife…..can’t be trusted? What if that woman molested the three Vorel children. Of course Patrice would turn her mother into a guardian angel, and share her dark secrets with. Heather Hanson is not her grandmother, It is time for Patrice to get into therapy.
Dear Governor Kotek; The similarity between Frank Buck and Jeff Besoz – is truly uncanny! I highly suggest you contact him about producing ‘The Wendlings’. It’s about the Exodus from Wendling, to a isolated ranch near Point Reyes California. Inhabitants of a Hippie Utopia recall their grandparents in a dual storyline. My relative, Howard Taylor, had a Hippie Commune in Hawaii
The Wendlings
by
John Presco
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced a new Climate Pledge today in Washington D.C. (Amazon Photo)
At a news conference this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced the creation of a Climate Pledge that sets ambitious greenhouse gas emission goals for the tech giant and urges other companies to do the same.
The announcement comes amid a grassroots movement from Amazon employees pushing the company to take action on the issue, a day in advance of a planned walkout targeting climate change. It also follows through on Amazon’s earlier promise to address its environmental impact. Amazon is the first signatory of the agreement that calls on companies to reach carbon neutrality across their businesses within the next 21 years — a goal that’s a decade ahead of the 2050 deadline set by the Paris Accord.
“We’re done being in the middle of the herd on this issue — we’ve decided to use our size and scale to make a difference,” said Bezos in a prepared statement. “If a company with as much physical infrastructure as Amazon — which delivers more than 10 billion items a year — can meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early, then any company can.”
Who paid for the clean-up? Did Robert Buck hide the history of his ancestor? How many seabirds were shot dead in Marin County? Who paid for the shotgun shells?
Jon Presco
San Francisco Bay, 1937
From: Bancrofthouse@ To: velchanos Sent: March 13, 2001 6:46:53 AM GMT Subject: Another thought
My sister suggested that when you come, we get a blood test done to confirm paternity. I feel 100% certain in myself that you are indeed Heather’s father. I think you know from your psychic intuitions and when you see her you will confirm what you already know. However, as Linda, my sister said, then we’d have confirmation on paper and if anyone ever challenges it, we can prove it. For example, if Randy ever shows up although I feel the chances are slim. It’s been 10 years now and we are not that hard to find for anyone who really wants to. It might be a good idea though. What do you think?
Love,
Patrice
Part of my sister, Linda’s, fears for Heather are connected with the fact that she (Linda) was molested by relatives on my stepmother’s side when she was a young teenager. So she has very little trust of men and is very protective toward Heather. I am fairly protective, but I also know I have to trust the Divine Wisdom within her to make wise choices. She does need you now to give her a greater sense of herself and I feel out of that she will make wiser choices. Knowing she has a dad who loves her is so important for her right now. It must feel to you like you just had a baby girl. Congratulations dad! I just still feel sad that you were not there Sept. 26, 1984. The night she was born was an experience that I will never forget. I insisted that she stay with me in the hospital at all times and would notlet the nurses take her to the nursery. I just wanted to stay up with her all night and bathe in the feeling of being in love with her that was pervading my being. It was quite extraordinary. She is a very special being. I’m so happy you found out about her now rather than waiting any longer.
“Hi Dan. Ten years ago we talked in your office about the white equestrian statue outside your office. According the ongoing Kesey Square Myth, this horseman may come alive in the night, and drag Kesey statue over to Springfield – with your assistance. Is this true?”
I have known Dan Egan since I moved to Springfield eleven years ago. Recently, we discussed his prophecy that Springfield would soon own the statue of Ken now located in Eugene. Or, did Neil Laudati tell me this? There is a Trojan Horse, here? I have found the hidden Mr. Burns. In theory, I own the history of Springfield. Helen is my friend. I have talked about running for Mayor. I will beautify this lumber town. I own the real story of a lone poor man taking on the powerful and rich man with a bevy of attorneys, who depicted my famous sister as a deranged and dangerous lunatic, thus her legacy had to taken over by sane outsiders!
“Mr. Buck is a prominent Mason, a Knight Templar and Odd Fellow, and a member of various clubs, including the Bohemian, of San Francisco; the Pacific-Union of the same city, the San Francisco Gold and Country Club, the Claremont Country Club, of Oakland, California, and the Sutter Club, of Sacramento, California.”
From Frank would come the largest family trust on earth that is worth a billion dollars. Because there was alcoholism in the family, it was founded to combat this disease, and help the poor people of Marin. Maybe we can get Springfield in on this action, because Buck bucks, built this town – and Beverly Hills!
After my friend, Mark Gall, paid for my membership in the Emerald Art Association, I talked with Dan in his office at the old Springfield train station. He gave me his last copy of the history of Springfield which I donated to a merchants organization on Main street, that is now defunct. Then, came the rejection of the history I was compiling on the Fremont-Benton family by the founders of Emerald Arts, who I was told by the director were the widows of the men who owned logging companies. Were any of them kin to Frank Buck, the President of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company that built a huge lumber mill in Springfield, and, was based in Eugene. Frank was the major stock holder. Why haven’t we heard of him. Where is his monument and plaque. He is the real Mr. Burns!
“Mr. Buck is interested as a stockholder and Director in the Rodeo Land & Water Co., of Los Angeles, which owns 3100 acres of land near Los Angeles. The townsite of Beverly stands on part of this land. Mr. Buck is President of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, of Eugene, Oregon, and has heavy timber holdings in that section of the Northwest. He also is a Director of the Bakersfield Iron Works.”
Why did the artist who designed the Kesey mural put these Biblical words where the signature of the artist traditionally go? I and my niece have been fighting a conglomerate that made millions fro Oregon trees.
A month ago, my childhood friend, Nancy Hamren, saw the real me. I was having dinner at Far Manns in Springfield. My waitress was giving me the eye, again. She took over my station just to wait on me. I found out her middle name was Rose, which was her grandmother’s first name. I told her about my Rosy family. We made a date, and she tells me she lives in a recovery house. I tell her I just had my thirty year birthday. I offer to be her sponser until she get’s one. I turn to say something to Rose, and am staring at Nancy. She is with Jerry in a booth. I say hello!
Patrice Hanson and Bogus Bobby looked for a way to exploit the child I did not know I had. David could attest to this.
I try to apply the fact Patrice is still a Stage Mother that has a sick relationship with my daughter that involves esteeming Heather all the time – for a Good Feeling Fee! Heather has had several surrogate fathers who were bid to worship my daughter – I did not know I had. When I did not fall in step with the Fake Fathers, Heather got confused. Why wasn’t I feeding her female ego and vanity? Why wasn’t I promoting her Country Western Singer Career? She didn’t have one. And, Pierrot was not going to get her her big break. She did not even make her book. She would have a big role in my autobiography, but she and her mother sank it to the bottom of the abyss. Now, ten years later she has Flip in her corner. Linda bought him some sound equipment and he wants to make money producing records. Then – he drops dead of acute alcoholism.
Heather had signed a legal document and became my Trustee. But after Flip’s good friend called me a “parasite” and Patrice’s daughter agreed – I had to get out for my sanity. I might go back to drinking. Not once did Patrice’s daughter call me and ask how my radiation treatment for prostate cancer was going. My attorney bid me to get rid of her – and even sue her! She sent me this, proof Patrice still wants to be in control of the Rosamond legacy. I suspect they got their book in the works.
E-mail from Heather Hanson: I will agree to that if you agree to the following. a. You will sign a notarized letter stating you will not defame me or anyone I am close to on the Internet or any other form of media.This includes me, Bill, Linda, Flip, my mom, Matt and Katie and Tyler (Internet defamation is illegal and I will not tolerate it) b. You will remove anything you have published in which you have negated me and others in my life. c. You apologize for all the horrible things you have said. d. You get help for what ever condition you have that causes you to be so paranoid, irrational, and abusive. I trusted you to be in my life. Let you know everything about me and those I am close to and some how, when you get angry, you find a way to twist information and make everyone out to be sick, evil, and abusive. That is not my reality and never has been.
Heather and Patrice have no empathy for Christine – or me! WE could have had a wonderful and miraculous story out in 2001, but, Patrice felt threatened. Instead, we got a book that demonizes a world famous artist and her parents. Is it just fine to say terrible things about a famous person, and not un-famous people? The Hansons have had a big problem for thirty-six years, they are not famous, never will be famous, yet a child of a famous family was born unto them. Being a blessing – was not good enough – for Patrice’s daughter.
“Please raise your glass of Coors Light in remembrance.”
Capturing Beauty
Chapter One
The Gold Digger and ‘The Toy’
No father wants to find evidence his daughter deceived him, withheld vital information from him, and manipulated him with the help of hidden people behind the scenes, people the father does not know.
Three hours ago I found the name of Linda Comstock’s ex-husband. He owned a bank and was a corporate lawyer. He had many wealthy Democratic friends that he partied with – till he dropped. His obituary says he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, but, when I checked, I could not find Tom’s name.
When my seventeen year old daughter was disappeared from my life in 2000, I wondered if Thomas A. Comstock Jr. knew about this kidnapping. I wondered if he suggested Heather Hanson get with the money people, and away from ‘The Loser’. I was everything…
Patrice Hanson and Tom Snyder were the first outsiders to discuss the sexual abuse of children. Tom and Patrice never met my famous sister, yet, they found themselves in the driver’s seat – thanks to Attorney Sydney Morris – who sold my families literary legacy to outsiders who then committed Art Fraud in regards to Dunken The Frog. Nothing will freeze-up and bring a legacy to a quick ending then the accusation of sexual abuse of children. Tom and Patrice were communicating with each other.
When my aunt Lillian told me Stacey Pierrot sent her a photograph of my sixteen year old daughter taken at the Rosamond Gallery in Carmel, I had to consider that a sixteen year old child was working me – conning me! Heather had no intention of contacting me. She was there because her mother and her aunt Linda wanted my child to make contacts with rich people who would further he career – just because she was Rosamond’s niece. This niece – had no special gifts or talent. Knowing this could be trouble, Snyder and Pierrot suggested they contact me. Did they consult Mark and Vicki Presco?
Above are photographs of David Hanson an his son Malcom, who is the cousin of my grandson, Tyler Hunt. I rescued David and his half-brother, Matt, from their abusive step-father, Randolph DelPiano who is in the Grateful Dead book, he known as ‘Bogus Bobby’ a well known con-artist. Patrice told me David is the son of a Black Panther who died in a Chicago fire. Malcom is named after Malcom X. These two males are topical right now. I have debated for a week about posting these images. But, the story of how I became un-fathered, and how I have struggled to be a father, is a dynamic story that will help many – when told! I considered David and Matt being like my children. But when Patrice told me she was considering going back to The Monster, I threw her out. Did she know she was pregnant?
There is no hope I will ever lay eyes on my newborn granddaughter who Heather entered in a beauty contest….which is to say Patrice did. This Stage Mother lines up all her people when boss found Pierrot’s call. The Hanson sisters demand a blood test – just in case I get wise I am being conned. Does David know what is going on? I would love to hear him tell the truth. My friend Ed Corbin said Heather did not write the letter Patrice sent me. This psychopaths needs me in her corner. She was stalking Rosamond sine I met her. She pretend she has forgotten my name – but not the name ‘Rosamond’.
I am putting Patrice on a collision course with Smoky! I decided to take my ‘Tale of Two Daughters’ out of the trash. These people are in my family tree. I had a step-daughter named Britt who told a judge she would rather live with me, then her father. Her brother attacked Mary Ann, and she I called Britt’s father, he said;
“She had it coming. You’ll find out in time you married a nut!”
I instigated a child custody case. I am having a hard time with the truth most of the women I have bonded with, have bonded with abusive men. My father and Trump are like twins. Children read sexual accusations against POTUS all the time on facebook. Abuse of children is topical. I suffer from child abuse. My autobiography about how my sister and I were abused in every way, was hijacked and handed over to outsiders who exploited Christine and I. Robert Brevoort Buck destroyed a important literary and artistic legacy with the help of Patrice Hanson and her seventeen year old daughter.
“I’m so happy you found out about her now rather than waiting any longer.”
“By September 2000, however, plans were underway for a biography of Decedent, which Petitioner hoped might create interest in her work. The book was published in 2002. Although the book did not spur the hoped-for interest in Decedent’s life and work, efforts continued to market the concept of a screenplay based upon Decedent’s life. Petitioner hoping that this might be brought to fruition, elected to keep the estate open. However, it is the Petitioner’s belief the likelihood of an increased interest in Decedents work is negligible, and the time has come to close the estate.”
Sydney Morris
From: Bancrofthouse@ To: velchanos Sent: March 13, 2001 6:46:53 AM GMT Subject: Another thought
My sister suggested that when you come, we get a blood test done to confirm paternity. I feel 100% certain in myself that you are indeed Heather’s father. I think you know from your psychic intuitions and when you see her you will confirm what you already know. However, as Linda, my sister said, then we’d have confirmation on paper and if anyone ever challenges it, we can prove it. For example, if Randy ever shows up although I feel the chances are slim. It’s been 10 years now and we are not that hard to find for anyone who really wants to. It might be a good idea though. What do you think?
Love,
Patrice
Part of my sister, Linda’s, fears for Heather are connected with the fact that she (Linda) was molested by relatives on my stepmother’s side when she was a young teenager. So she has very little trust of men and is very protective toward Heather. I am fairly protective, but I also know I have to trust the Divine Wisdom within her to make wise choices. She does need you now to give her a greater sense of herself and I feel out of that she will make wiser choices. Knowing she has a dad who loves her is so important for her right now. It must feel to you like you just had a baby girl. Congratulations dad! I just still feel sad that you were not there Sept. 26, 1984. The night she was born was an experience that I will never forget. I insisted that she stay with me in the hospital at all times and would notlet the nurses take her to the nursery. I just wanted to stay up with her all night and bathe in the feeling of being in love with her that was pervading my being. It was quite extraordinary. She is a very special being. I’m so happy you found out about her now rather than waiting any longer.
Reply-To: stacey@r¡ To: jonpresco8@h¡, vpresco Subject: [Fwd: Patrice Hanson at Bancroft House in Sonoma] Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2001 09:02:43 -0800
FRIENDS AND ADMIRERS OF ROSAMOND You¡¯ll be pleased to know that Rosamond Publishing has commissioned the artist¡¯s biography: a celebration of her life and legacy. We¡¯re working closely with the author, Tom Snyder, to produce a handsome book dedicated to an extraordinary life. Tom is a trained observer as well as a storyteller intrigued by every turn in life¡¯s odyssey. If you have any comments to share with Tom about your own response to Rosamond¡¯s work, he¡¯d be happy to hear from you. His e-mail address is:
Forwarded Message From: Bancrofthouse Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 11:25:39 EST Subject: Patrice Hanson at Bancroft House in Sonoma To: info@r¡
I wonder if you can help me. Back in 1983, I met a man in Oakland named, I believe, Greg. He told me that Rosamond was his sister and that is the only thing I really know about him as a possible way of locating him. I need to find him for a very important reason. If you happen to know if Rosamond had a brother by this name or any clues that I could follow to locate him, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you for any help you can offer.
Sincerely, Patrice Hanson
From: Bancrofthouse Sent: March 12, 2001 2:31:47 PM GMT Subject: Re: a message from Patrice
Jon, It¡¯s great that its coming together so easily for you to come here soon. I really trust that this all is in the hands of angels and that everything that is needed will be provided in terms of where you can stay, etc. I will try to talk to Diane today. It¡¯s a little odd living in someone else¡¯s house because I can¡¯t just open the house to my friends without clearing it and working out an exchange that works for the owner. But she¡¯s really great and I feel she will understand and be supportive. Plus she is a great artist and will appreciate another artist and she is very familiar with Rosamond¡¯s work, so I¡¯m sure it will be perfect and a win for everyone.
I thought you should have the number for the phone that goes into Heather¡¯s room. She has her own line. It is.
I¡¯ve been thinking about the apparent conflict in regard to the biography. Perhaps there is information I don¡¯t have but it seems to me that a biography written by the brother would be a very different book from a very different perspective than one written by an outsider and so there would be room for the creation of both of them. I know when I am really interested in someone or something, I like to get my hands on as many resources as possible to get information from a variety of points of view. So I don¡¯t see that it needs to be an either/or situation. But, as I said, perhaps there is something I don¡¯t know that you do. We can talk about it more. Tom Snyder seems like a really nice guy also. It seems he is supportive of you and he definitely played an important part in connecting you with Heather and that is important and not to be ignored.
I¡¯m excited too. Maybe not as excited as you and Heather, but pretty excited. I do look forward to seeing you again. I¡¯m happy this is all out in the open now. It kind of lifts a weight off me that I wasn¡¯t really aware of but can notice now how much better it feels that you know about your daughter.
Love and blessings! Patrice
From: John Presco <velchanos e…> To: bancrofthouse@ CC: jonpresco8 Subject: FWD: Another thought Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 22:43:53 -0500 (EST)
Why would Randy, a known dead-beat and con artist want to show up out of the blue and challenge anyone for the right to be Heather’s father? Are you suggesting has seen the light, and wants to support Heather in every way including having a judgment against him in a court of law – MAKING him be the good father he never was? No problem here, as whenever he wants out he would gladly take a blood-test!
I don’t buy it Patrice. Why would he assume the financial burdens a sixteen year old girl would bring with legal guardianship. All of a sudden he had the urge to put Heather through college? Now, who else would show up wanting PROOF I am Heather’s father.
Jon
When I showed the first letter I got from my daughter to my good friend, Ed Corbin, he told me my daughter did not write this letter. Ed has authored a book about Eisenhower, had been an editor at Doubleday, and was a graduate from Harvard. I was dismayed to hear his astute opinion.
“What makes you think so?” I asked.
“A sixteen year old could not have written this. There is evidence of a second party. You daughter only contributed her signature.”
E-mail from Heather Hanson: I will agree to that if you agree to the following. a. You will sign a notarized letter stating you will not defame me or anyone I am close to on the Internet or any other form of media. This includes me, Bill, Linda, Flip, my mom, Matt and Katie and Tyler (Internet defamation is illegal and I will not tolerate it) b. You will remove anything you have published in which you have negated me and others in my life. c. You apologize for all the horrible things you have said. d. You get help for what ever condition you have that causes you to be so paranoid, irrational, and abusive. I trusted you to be in my life. Let you know everything about me and those I am close to and some how, when you get angry, you find a way to twist information and make everyone out to be sick, evil, and abusive. That is not my reality and never has been.
I¯ve been thinking about the apparent conflict in regard to the biography. Perhaps there is information I don¡¯t have but it seems to me that a biography written by the brother would be a very different book from a very different perspective than one written by an outsider and so there would be room for the creation of both of them.
I know when I am really interested in someone or something, I like to get my hands on as many resources as possible to get information from a variety of points of view. So I don¡¯t see that it needs to be an either/or situation.
But, as I said, perhaps there is something I don¡¯t know that you do. We can talk about it more. Tom Snyder seems like a really nice guy also. It seems he is supportive of you and he definitely played an important part in connecting you with Heather and that is important and not to be ignored.
I¯m excited too. Maybe not as excited as you and Heather, but pretty excited. I do look forward to seeing you again. I¯m happy this is all out in the open now. It kind of lifts a weight off me that I wasn¯t really aware of but can notice now how much better it feels that you know about your daughter.
Love and blessings! Patrice
In August of this year, Delpiano again began impersonating Bob Weir. One of the individuals he bilked, Ken Whitaker, admittedly not a Deadhead, recalled the experience: “He seemed to know everything about the Grateful Dead. He told stories for hours and he played the harmonica extremely well. We didn’t know then that the real Bob Weir doesn’t play harmonica. He said he was being hounded by the press over the death of their keyboard player Brent Mydland.” Oakland police spokesman Sgt. Stanley Bicker was very familiar with Delpiano’s scam. “Side by side, they don’t look alike, but in their photos and from a distance, they do,” he said of Weir and Delpiano, adding, “The really committed Grateful Dead fan knows that Mr. Delpiano is not Bob Weir.” For the two weeks he stayed in Walnut Creek, Delpiano made such a splash with the locals that they bought him dinners and provided sexual favors, and he obliged them by signing autographs. His scam ended when a friend of Whitaker’s, a Deadhead, exposed Delpiano as an imposter. Delpiano was ultimately arrested for failing to report to his parole officer and was remanded to the state prison to serve out the rest of his five-year sentence.
This picture was taken in 1946.The people that lived in the company houses had to leave when the mill shut down in 1946. In 1952 when the school closed, there were 8 kids in the school.
Look at the bright and beautiful faces these children own. They should own a tract of beautiful land in the Oregon Wilderness, but, Frank H. Buck robbed them of their father’s dream. Now he owes his soul to the Buck Company store. He will never get out of debt. After the land is raped and ravaged, and the Buck family can no longer make Big Bucks, Frank closes his capitalist adventure – down! There are no jobs. The city of Wendling – dies! This is what John Steinbeck, and Ken Kesey, wrote about. They championed these poor folks.
I just sent this e-mail to my Congressman, Peter DeFazio, wherein I suggest the founding of the New City of Wendling that was rendered a ghost town by Big Timber Barons. New Wendling will be located in Marin County. It will be home to homeless, poets, artists, writers, and performers who have made their way to Lane County in search of a New Life.
Big Bucks moved to a swank new building in San Francisco. He was a Senator and a Congressman. Did he have inside information on when and where the rails were being laid? Did his agents go north to Whore Town located across the river from Eugene and pay drunks to buy the land grants so The Good People can not follow the dream of my kindred, John Fremont, and own a homestead – from God? The Bucks raided Oregon from California, and snatched those parcels of land away from The Salt of the Earth! He took the trees away from the children, converted it into Cold Hard Cash, and hen dealt gobs of money out to his kinfolks in California.
There needs to be a Congressional investigation into Booth & Kelly stock. How much does Robert Buck know? What is he hiding? I think Beryl overheard The Men bragging and laughing at the sight of poor folks who came from all over America, for some Oregon, only to find dunks and gamblers – got it all – then sold it to Frank H. Buck, who puffs away on a cigar. Women do not own the right to vote, yet!
On July 14, I had a vision of a West Coast Statue of Liberty. A Dirty Dealer for the Billionaire in Chief, insulted the Great Gift of France. I see OCCUPY LIBERTY. This is the real Tea Party. We need to identify other land and property in all Fifty States, that has received the Big Buck treatment. Time to take back America!
New Wendling can be bought for thirteen million dollars. I will not show that listing lest the Land Grabbers and Heartbreakers buy it from under us – out of spite! The Marin Community Foundation should purchase it for The Oregon Poor, because they do not have enough poor folks to hand 1.7 billion dollars to. Problem solved. Get ready for the New Exodus!
He continued, about the Statue of Liberty: “I don’t want to get off into a whole thing about history , but the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of American liberty lighting the world. The poem you are referring to was added later. It is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty.”
The Buck and Rosamond family have come together. I would like to see a Statue of Huguenot Harmony standing at the entrance to the Larkspur Landing, where I envisioned a New Atlantis in 1986. How about Sea Cadet training center for poor young men and women? The Huguenot Society and Genealogy center can move to Marin. We live forever via our children and their children.
“This article is a condensation of a paper written for a U of 0 class. The author, Joan Kelley, is not related to Robert A. Kelly Her name is spelled with an additional E. Oregon’s lumber industry was stimulated in the late nineteenth century by the nation’s expanding economy and the presence of the western railroad. Timber barons and land speculators descended upon the region as well as the entire Pacific Northwest to acquire forest lands and establish lumber companies to extract the great natural resource. Western Oregon’s inland forests became accessible in the era of railroading. These woodlands were generally purchased from the railroads. The Oregon and California Railroad, later purchased by Southern Pacific, obtained title to immense tracts of land to help finance construction of the railways and to supposedly help the Jeffersonian Lane County Historian 55 farmer acquire land. These generous land grants were instead sold to timber speculators rather than the settlers as the government intended. The lands were often purchased by out-of-state corporations with Eastern or California capital. Within Lane County, th
Issue: ENV
Message Subject: Timber Barons Message Text: Frank H. Buck was president of Booth & Kelly when this timber company went into bars in Oregon and gave money to men in order to purchase land grants offered by the government when railroads came to our glorious State. These drifters, then turned around and sold them to agents of Booth & Kelly who began to harvest our trees. They then began to harvest human beings. They planted roots for them. They built a church, a school, and a company store in Wendling that is now a ghost town. After a labor strike in 1946, Frank H. Buck pulled out of Oregon, taking big bucks with him. He did not give the land back to his workers. When he died, he left it to his kindred. One of them was Leonard Buck, whose widow left Belridge stock to the Buck Foundation that is worth 1.7 billion dollars thanks to Buck oil wells that are pumping oil like crazy. Back in Welding, our Oregon trees are depleted. There are no jobs for the children and grandchildren of B&K loggers. Instead of single families owning farms along the rail line, a handful of Bucks ended up with our State Treasure. I suggest the people sue the Buck Trust, and bring our monies home to Lane County. I also found a beautiful property in Marin County that would be an ideal for The New Wendling Colony, where our tired, pour, and disenfranchised, might homestead. “Special to the Union. FAIRFIELD, Solano Co.. March 4. The inventory and appraisement in the estate of the late Anna S. Buck of Vacaville has been filed by Inheritance Tax Appraiser F. C. Mclnnis showing a total appraisement of $940,046.02, of this $36,892 being the value of realty, and over $803,000 be- ‘ ing the personal property. The personal property consists mainly of stocks and bonds, including $228,511.73 in Associated Oil stock, $193,658 in Belridge oil stock and $lOO,OOO in the Booth Kelly Lumber company. Mrs. Buck also owned other oil stock and over $30,000 in Liberty bonds. The largest share of the estate as bequeathed by the will, goes to two sons, Leonard Buck and Frank Buck of Oakland.
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“I give, devise and bequeath the entire residue of my estate to the San Francisco Foundation for the exclusively nonprofit, charitable, religious or educational uses and purposes below stated: . . . Everything so left to it including all rents, issues and profits thereof shall be known and administered as the Leonard and Beryl Buck Foundation, and shall always be held and used for exclusively nonprofit, charitable, religious or educational purposes in providing care for the needy in Marin County, Calif., and for other nonprofit charitable, religious or educational purposes in that county.”
Directions: From Portland, drive south on I-5. Take Highway Exit 216 to OR-228, turn left towards Brownsville. At eleven miles, just past Crawfordsville (you’ll see the Crawfordsville Covered Bridge on right,) take a right on Brush Creek Road. After six miles the road becomes Marcola Rd and goes through the Mohawk Valley. Six miles further take a left on to Paschekle Road. Go through the Earnest Covered Bridge then stay right on Paschelke Road. The road will come to a “T” take the left on to Wendling Road. Just under two miles the road circles the old Wendling Mill Site. The Wendling Covered Bridge is on the left. To the right and then left is the old mill pond site where most of these pictures were taken.
Description:
Wendling Oregon was a company Mill Town built by the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company in the Mohawk Valley about 20 miles Northeast of Eugene Oregon. At it’s height it had a population of about 1000 people, half of which worked at Booth-Kelly’s Wendling Mill. The hills around the area were populated by hundreds more men living in logging camps that fed the Wendling Mill and Springfield Mill.
The first mill in the area was owned by a man named Holcomb who built it at the junction of Mill and Wolf Creeks. In 1885 Whitbeck and Sterns purchased the mill, operated it for a short time before selling to Johnson and George Wendling. They operating it for a few years before selling to George Kelly, Tom Kelly, and Robert Booth in 1898. These men had formed the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company and immediately set about “modernizing” the mill.
The town grew so fast that an Post Office was established in 1899. In October of 1900, the Springfield-Wendling branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad was built to Wendling. This allowed timber and lumber to be shipped by train instead of wagon and allowed output to be increased even further. It is reported that the line was extended another 25 miles up the valley where trains brought timber to the mill from remote logging camps.
In 1903 the Southern Pacific Railroad announced that they would no longer sell land grants to individuals after realizing how much potential profit timber profit there was in the lands they owned. This was in conflict of the Pacific Railroad Acts enacted by Congress in 1862 and 1863. The Federal Government filed suit against the Southern Pacific Railroad, causing operations to cease. Because of this Booth-Kelly was shut down in 1904 as they could no longer transport logs or lumber. The mill was able to open again two years later after the lawsuit was resolved and by 1908 had grown yet again.
In August 1910 most of the town was destroyed by fire. The mill itself was saved, but most everything else had to be rebuild. Less then a year later the town featured larger houses with indoor plumbing. Before that the town consisted of a bunk-house with 46 rooms and electricity, a company store, cottages for married men and their families, an church, a school, a resident doctor, locomotive barn, machine shop, blacksmith shop, train depot, bowling alley, barber shop, and an skating rink.
The roads in Wendling were interesting, they were covered with left over sawdust from the mill. Later they were replaced with discarded and left over planks from the mill, along with wood-slat sidewalks.
The mill saw another fire in 1922, but was able to stay in business until 1946. The closing was prompted by a labor dispute, before a third and final fire that destroyed the building. This signed the death warrant for Wendling as any remaining timber was too far away to be financially viable. The Post Office closed in 1952, and the land sold to the Georgia Pacific Corporation in 1959.
One of Wendling’s most engaging residents was Opal Whiteley, who as a child had kept a diary of her adventures in a fantasyland composed of the trees, beasts, and wild flowers populated by fairies. Opal claimed to be an illegitimate child of French aristocracy who was either purchased or adopted as a replacement by her mother who had “lost” the original Opal.
The book of her life, complied by Opal herself, and launched as a serial in the Atlantic Monthly Press in 1920 ended up selling three editions and 15,000 copies in less then a year. By 1921, the Story of Opal was pulled from shelves due to the controversy surrounding Opal’s life.
Not much is left of Modern Wendling. A few older houses, the covered bridge, and the memories of residents lay among the ghosts of the mill. Concrete remains mark the final location of the mill, the general store, and the third spillway dam. There are rumors of the remains of a playground, and the children’s cemetery on the hill. But the road up is closed to traffic other then logging trucks. Other then these remains, the forest is slowly taking over the town again.
To get to Wendling, drive east along 126 from Eugene. Take 42nd Street Exit and turn left. Turn right on Marcola road. In the town of Marcola, take Wendling road on the right. You’ll come to a “Y” in the road. On the left will be the Wendling Covered Bridge. Straight ahead is the old mill site. The road circles around the entire mill site and comes back to the “Y.” Please pay attention to the “No Trespassing signs.” As far as I can tell the mill site itself is open, but some of the logging roads are marked as it private property around it.
The Booth-Kelly company eventually bought the operation.
“They realized they needed to build a place for all their workers to live, so they built a town around the sawmill,” Kreskey said.
“They blew a whistle for you to get up, blew a whistle for you to go to work and blew a whistle for you to go home,” said Kreskey, the exhibit’s curator.
A rail line from Coburg, passing through Springfield and Natron, was later extended over Willamette Pass. A branch from Springfield to Wendling was constructed in 1902.[5]
The company that would make Springfield a major industrial center was the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, which was incorporated in 1896 by Robert and Henry Booth and George and Tom Kelly.
In August 1901, the Booth-Kelly Corporation purchased the Springfield sawmill and several thousand acres of timberland in the region. The sawmill was dismantled in 1902 and a larger, more efficient mill with a capacity for greater production was constructed on the same site (Clarke 1983:46).
The sawmill was not directly powered by the millrace. A steam plant was built adjacent to the millrace to power the mill with the sawdust and refuse lumber. Since this fuel was in excess of the demands for operating the plant, and destroying it would be an expense to the company, a proposition was made to the Eugene Electric Light Company to erect a light plant in Springfield with the fuel furnished by Booth-Kelly (Clarke 1983:46-48).
In 1902 a 99-year franchise was granted to the Booth Kelly Lumber Co. to produce electricity for the city using the company’s steam generator.
In 1911, a brick steam plant replaced the original wooden building. In July of that year, the Booth-Kelly sawmill was destroyed by fire. The company replaced the burned remains of the old mill with a modern electric-powered mill with several buildings in 1912 (Clarke 1982:48-55).
The importance of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company to Springfield’s economy is illustrated by the number of residents employed there. City directories of 1907 and 1911 clearly show that a majority of the population worked in some capacity for Booth-Kelly. In 1904, the company sold some of the controlling shares of stock to out-of-state businessmen, which brought new money into the community. Springfield became known as “Mill City,” and as it grew and prospered, many new people arrived looking for work. In 1907, railroad rates sky-rocketed for lumber shipments, and Booth-Kelly faced a serious legal battle concerning land grant purchases. Despite its problems and the fact that no profit was made in 1911 by the Springfield mill, the company kept the operation going. The decision to replace the burned mill in 1912 was the result of improved regulation of railroad rates and a favorable decision by the U.S. Government in the case against Booth-Kelly (Clarke 1983:50-55).
Robert A. Booth was more than a successful businessman. He was a state Senator for two terms in the Oregon Legislature. He was the leader in formulating the Oregon highway system and served as chairman of its Highway Commission. He served as trustee of Willamette University, was President of the Oregon Land and Livestock Company, served on the Oregon Tuberculosis Association and the State Park Commission and was active in Rotary, Boy Scouts, Portland and Eugene Chambers of Commerce and other public service organizations. It is an expression of Mr. Booth’s devotion to the religious work of his father that the Circuit Rider Statue adorns the Capitol grounds at Salem, his gift to the State. Mr. Booth was lifetime Methodist. He was the Sunday School Superintendent for over 20 years and also served his church as trustee and in other capacities.
He died in Eugene, Oregon, April 28, 1944, at the age of 86.
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