Chicken Tales of Pacific County

Sou’wester, Spring 1966

When I become curious about a part of Pacific County history, my first go-to place for information is the Sou-wester — quarterly magazine of the Pacific County Historical Society.  This morning, after taking breakfast to our girls, I got to wondering about what their ancestors might have been up to.  And so, I did a little searching.

From the very first Souwester in Spring 1966:
Tideland Chickens
Rev. Wolfe of the Raymond Methodist Church has solved the problem of raising chickens on the tidelands. He has just completed a floating house for his chickens which insures a safe, dry place for them when the tide is high, while at low water they can feed outside. Rev. Wolfe did not say whether or not he had supplied his flock with tide tables.  (Raymond newspaper in 1908)

In the second issue, Summer 1966, Charlie Nelson wrote about his folks who were married in Oysterville in 1873:
In those days there was no shortage of food for every family put up a barrel or two each of beef and salmon. Many also kept cows, pigs, chickens and raised good gardens. Needless to say there was always plenty of shellfish for the taking.

Amelia Aubicon Petit (1830-1924)

The very next issue told of the Amable Petit family who arrived in Chinookville on the 8th of September 1866, in a two-masted schooner which none of those aboard knew how to sail against the wind; hence, they moved only with the out-going tide or when the wind favored them. Much of the time they were anchored or tied up to the bank waiting for the tide to turn.  It took them over a month to make the trip from Portland to Chinookville.
When anchored near a farm, someone often came out to the schooner to ask what they were peddling! But they bought food from the farmers living along the river, in one place corn, in another chickens, fruits, and other products.

In the Winter 1988 issue were “Some Stories of the Howard Family”  by Mrs. Neva (Howard) Roberts who was born on a farm in Brooklyn, Pacific County on November 16, 1897.
Early in September 1902, after a period of drought, there came a day of very low humidity and the sun failed to rise, or so it seemed. In Montesano, I have been told, people went about with lanterns and many were scared that it was the ‘End of the World.’ The cows came to the barn in midmorning and the chickens went to roost. The dogs barked and the sky was completely dark. Father said he didn’t think it was the End of the World, but probably a bad forest-fire.

Little Red Hen, a good listener

And, from “The Life and Times of Ned Needham (1902-1995)”  in the  Spring 2000 Sou’wester:
Growing Up around Oysterville and Nahcotta
We moved from the Nasel in March, 1908, by barge with two cows, a horse, and  flock of chickens to 24- acres between Nahcotta and Oysterville. Why my folks bought this place I will never know, since there was no way you could make a living of it.
As an addendum to his article, the 94-year-old author wrote: One piece of advice: if you have read this, don’t wait until you are as old as I am before you write your own history, for your memory and spelling will not be as good as it was when you were younger. Of course old age is a good excuse for all your shortcomings.

I say “Amen!” to that.  I plan to tell these stories to the girls later on today — maybe when I go to tuck them in tonight.  I wonder what they’ll think of them.  You never can tell with chickens…

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