WPA Interviews

Anderson, Lena (Snyder)

Interview with Mrs. Lena Snyder Anderson

By Leslie L. Haskin on 7 June 1939

My father and mother were Mr. and Mrs. Fred Snyder. They were pioneers of the Sand Ridge neighborhood to the west of Peterson's Butte in Linn County.

My father was born in Indiana, 25 August 1845. He crossed the plains to Oregon in the year 1864 at the age of nineteen years. Father was the driver of a four horse team on that trip. The emigration was long and tedious but marked by no particular adventures. The Indians were troublesome but all of the attacks were either on trains just ahead or just behind theirs.

Father came to Oregon all alone. He was accompanied neither by his parents or any brothers or sisters. He came first to Lebanon, then lived near the town of Sweet Home for a time and finally settled here on the farm where I now live.

My mother's name was Delia Simons. She was born in the east before her parents came to Oregon. I think that her birth year was 1843 and as she came to Oregon when she was three years of age it would make their emigration about 1846. Of course, my mother remembered nothing of that trip, so never told me any incidents which happened then.

Mothers brothers who came with them or were born in Oregon were Ed and Charles Simons. George Simons who lives in Lebanon was a cousin of my mother and can tell more of that family history than anyone else of whom I know. Allen Simons who lived at Sodaville was another cousin. My mother's Uncle ran a drug store here on Sand Ridge at a very early day. Everyone called him "Doc" Simons and I do not myself know what his real name was. He was an old bachelor and somewhat of a recluse. Later, when the town of Lebanon grew to some size, he opened a drug store at that place.

My mother has often told me that when she was little the grass grew so tall over all this prairie that a man on horse back was almost hidden in it. Cattle pasturing in it were very hard to find-almost impossibly so if they were lying down. There were no fences in the valley and the cattle ran all summer in the tall grass and were rounded up only occasionally for branding or for sale or butchering. Cattle ran out winter and summer little hay was made. Of course they suffered much during seasons of heavy snow. When mother was fifteen years old, she has often told me, there was a very big barn put on the Parker place near here-the largest barn in all the country. The barn timbers were heavy hewed fir beams and all the men of the region came to help at the raising. I can still remember that barn. It was large but not anything like the present day barns.

In the early days the school for this region was across Oak Creek on the McKnight place. Many of the scholars went to that school barefooted, even in winter. Some of them walked for miles and miles to reach school.

Father's neighbors when he first settled here were the Healeys, Bardwells, Temples, Whealdons, Morgans, Brandons, and Frums. Some of these families are gone entirely. A few still have members remaining. Eugenius Frum was the head of the Frum family then. His home was farther north on Sand Ridge. One son still lives on that place. He is Arch Frum and is now over 80 years of age. People commonly called him "Kim" Frum when he was young. His real name was Archimedes. The Temple family are now all gone, also the Whealdons. Some of the Morgans still remain. You should try to see Elzie Morgan who lives a mile or so west of Plainview. He should be able to give you much pioneer information. The Brandon family are gone. The Brandons were associated with R. C. Finley of Crawfordsville in his mill building projects. They built a mill on the Calapooia near Crawfordsville in 1848 or 1849 and another called the "Boston Mills" on the Calapooia a little east of Shedd. Another very old family members of which are still living are the Swanks. W. H. Swank lives in Albany. He is about 90 years old. There are also members of the Swank family living near Tangent. Joe Swank recently died near here at the age of almost 96 years. His wife was a Douthit. The Douthits settled on what is now the line of the S.P.R.R., which passes just west of the Butte. The Douthit claim was about opposite the present Sand Ridge schoolhouse.

A child, a member of the Douthit family was the first person buried in the Sand Ridge cemetery. He died, I believe, in 1858, as a result of burns when his clothing caught fire at a camp where they were staying. There is an older date on one of the tombstones there, that of a Peterson boy who died in 1850, but that was not an original burial. The body was brought here at a much later date-perhaps a burial on the trail in coming to Oregon.

Other neighbors of early days were the Parkers and the McKnights. One of the McKnight boys was killed accidentally while the family were crossing the Cascades. In taking a gun from the back of the wagon it was discharged, killing him. He is buried at Sand Ridge Cemetery but a memorial erected at the spot of his death has given name to a flat there. It is called "Tombstone Prairie" and it is situated on the South Santiam road a few miles west of Fish Lake Forest Ranger Station.

My father and mother celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in 1928. At the same time father's 83rd birthday was celebrated. They were married in May 1866. Both events were celebrated in one family gathering on 29 Aug 1928. After their marriage father and mother spent the remainder of their lives here on Sand Ridge. Father and mother lived to celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary also. Father died in 1934. Mother in 1936. (Note. There may be slight errors in the last statement.)

There were four daughters born in father's family. They are:

Dora Snyder, now Mrs. J. P. Swank. She is now 68 years of age. Her home is near Tangent.

Jane, Mrs. S.W. Wood. She is 2 years younger than Dora. Her home is here on Sand Ridge.

Lydia, she also married a Swank. Her home is at Tangent.

Lena (the informant.) Lena Snyder Anderson was born in 1876. Her home is on part of the original Snyder farm on Sand Ridge, Linn County.

I forgot to tell that on the way to Oregon my father had one disagreeable adventure, the result of Indian attacks. They camped one night at a late hour, after it was quite dark. They knew of nothing amiss until they began to notice a most offensive odor. In the morning on making investigation they found that they were camping on the spot where an Indian massacre had recently taken place. The odor they had noticed was the smell of the dead bodies.

I wish that I could remember more to tell you of our family history but like many people I did not pay enough attention to things that my parents told. My father used to go about the county speaking of pioneer events to various high schools. Perhaps the school children remembered what he related, but am sorry to say that I did not.

Father died in 1932. Mother somewhat later."

Copyright © 2000 Patricia Dunn. All rights reserved. This transcription may not be reproduced in any media without the express written permission by the author. Permission has been given by the Transcriber to publish on the LGS web site.