Newspaper Articles about Asians, 1895-1925

Photos & Newspaper Research from the Collection of Curtis Irish

 

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Many of the photographs and newspaper articles here came from the collection of Mr. Curtis Irish, a lifelong resident of Marcola Oregon. He has gathered thousands of historic pictures and news articles of the Mohawk Valley. He has also been a consultant to the UofO on its Opal Whiteley Project through the Center for Advanced Technology in Education. Tracing the almost lost trail of these Asians pioneers would have been impossible without Curtis Irish and his eighty year passion for history.

 

Below is a link to Curtis Irish's complete file of old newspaper articles from the Mohawk Valley. This is a very large text file, almost 400 pages!  It covers the years 1891-1930 with news articles from all over the Mohawk Valley.  Curtis Irish spent several years in the UO library reading and copying old newspapers. It is a priceless collection showing the development of East Lane County over the years.

http://members.efn.org/~opal/mohawk.htm

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD  1-3-1900    MOHAWK BRANCH RAILROAD

 

About 20 men arrived at Springfield Sunday to work on the branch railroad grade. One-half of them were negroes.  The Southern Pacific pile driver arrived at Springfield Monday   night, and has been sent to the front, and will be at work in a few days. D. McCarty, of San Francisco, came in on yesterday's train to commence work on the McKenzie bridge at Hayden's.  (note: Japanese were allowed in to replace blacks)

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD  4-2-1900                     

 

MOHAWK ROAD WORKMEN ARE WITHOUT FUNDS AND DESTITUTE

 

The men who have been working for contractor Bays on the Mohawk branch of the Southern Pacific,  deserve the greatest sympathy.  Without money, after working all winter in the mud and wet, actually suffering in some instances for food,  which they are compelled to get by asking for handouts, these honest toilers are in need of  anything which can be given them. Contractor Bays has returned to Portland, and  made practically no payments while here. It is most unfortunate, as Bays has unquestionably lost money on the contract, and even the workmen do not question his honesty, or willingness to pay, if he could secure the money. Virtually everything has been attached. Attorneys Thompson and Hardy and L. Biyeu have over $1000 for collection, and are doing a work for charity in trying to get something for the men.

      

    The Southern Pacific should see that these laborers receive their pay.  It is a duty the company owes to the men who have built their road. It is believed that this will be brought about, and that the men will receive what is justly due them.               

 

    It has been reported that Mr. Bays has given up the work, having sank all he had in this job, every phase of which has been disastrous to him. About 20 of the men went to Portland today, their passage being furnished by the Southern Pacific. The rest of the laborers will remain here in  the hope of securing work of some kind, and will also be on hand to give what aid they can in the collection of claims.                                 

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD  4-21-1900

 

IRON FOR THE MCKENZIE BRIDGE ALREADY RECEIVED

 

SPRINGFIELD Ore.  April 21- The first installment of the steel bridge for the McKenzie river arrived at Springfield yesterday, consisting of three car loads. The balance of the bridge will     follow rapidly. The piers are nearly completed and in 10 days active work will begin on putting the bridge together. The bridge has been removed from the Central Pacific railroad, shipped from Corrineya station, 20 miles went of Ogden Utah.

 

     Archie Mason the contractor received another carload of horses today.  It is reported that he expects to receive 60 Japanese, to arrive by this evening's train, to be turned loose on construction work.

 

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD  4-16-1901

 

MOHAWK ITEMS BY A PING YANGER

 

Ping Yang School house needs a coat of paint Miss. Kerns is teaching the Ping Yang School. We have got a woman preacher at Ping Yang. Ping Yang is badly in need of a little missionary work. Mr. Morgan has put in a platform at his own expense at the Ping Yang railroad crossing.

 

The  farmers living near Ping Yang say that the fall wheat don't look as good as it might. The goat wood has got a big start on the pasture lands near Ping  Yang.  Mrs. Hickman, of Salt lake, preached at Ping Yang yesterday to a full house. We learn that Mr. Cole, of Marcola, intends starting a branch store at Ping Yang.

 

Ping Yang is located about 12 miles east of Eugene . It is going to be a great wood depot in the near future. If the entertainment that was had at the McGowan school had been held at Ping Yang a good crowd would have been present. 

 

      Everything quiet at Ping Yang at present.

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD    4-26-1901

 

MOHAWK ITEMS BY HAY SEED

 

Mrs. Max Jackson of Ping Yang has a new wheel.  We hope the lady won't have any trouble in learning to ride it. Walter Sharp is carrying the mail again.  Charly Hayden can find his lost cat by  inquiring at Mr. Fawvers.

 

The person who spoke of Ping Yang needing, a missionary is off.  Ping Yang don't need a missionary, but the people that live around Ping Yang do, and we hope they may be able to have one.  

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD  3-1-1907   MARCOLA NEWS

 

Marcola, Feb. 28.- The S. P. Company lumber yards at Marcola were begun yesterday.

     The Jap cook house on the section burnt down Sunday morning.

 

Charley Piquet, who was running the log haul  at the S. P. mill No. 1, received a broken knee last week by being struck by the limb of a tree. The railroad company has had to put on a coal burner, as they are unable to obtain wood between Coburg and Wendling.

 

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THE DAILY EUGENE GUARD           6-15-1908

 

CRAZY JAPANESE AT LARGE WITH AN AXE

 

One of the Japanese laborers at work on the Southern Pacific depot yard improvements became violently insane this forenoon about 11:30 o'clock, and Picked up an axe on the ground, made for several of his fellow workmen, and would have perhaps killed one or two of them hid not the others disarmed him before he could reach those he started after.

 

After being disarmed, the fellow ran down the track and out through the southwestern part of town.  When last heard of he was out beyond College Hill, and it is said he stopped at the residence of  E. Wood on West Eighth street and secured another axe.

 

Several of his fellow workmen are after him and may catch him before he injures any one or himself.  This Jap has been in a bad condition mentally for some time past, and several times his companions have had to take pistols and knives away from him. Dr.  W. Kuykendall examined him not long ago and pronounced him insane, but no action was taken. Officers are assisting in the attempt to capture the lunatic.

 

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THE EUGENE DAILY GUARD   6-23-1917    World War I

 

DRAFT REGISTRATION LIST FOR MABEL OREGON

 

Possibly Six Asian Men's Names on Draft List for WWI - note also names of Greeks & Italians

 

                                           Nesuke Azuma

                                              Y. U. Azuma

Harry Leslie Argetsinger

James Mike Agorastakis

Edward Beasley

Antonio Catanzurit

Charles James Christiansen

Oren Francis Duval

George Reuben Dingle

Reigh Taylor Earnest

John Bradford Fox

Robert Moulton Gatka

Frank Galse

Battisto Geddo

Sewall Charles Gatka

Edward Clow Handoaker

John Cleveland Hileman

                                           Reyozo Hasuike

Henry Thorvald Jorgensen

Thorg Andrew Johnson

Elmer Marvin Johnson

Fred Eric Johnson

John Walter Johnson

John Fredric Kalberg

John June Kennedy

Posey Lacey

Mike Lagos

Edward Russell Leckley

Arthur Vivian Lucus

Luigi Boanno

                                             Shimajiro Minetayo

Paul Earnest Martin

Frank S. Mc Queen

                                             Jennosuke Matsuda

George Malos

John August Gotfried Magnuson

Floyd Selvester Morrison

John C. McQueen

Flans Almot Malberg

Earl John McMullin

Vincent Kohaco Monaco

Geovanui Nudo

Edwin Olsen Ostgard

Herbert George

Brooks Pennington

William Alfred Piquet

G. Harold Palmer

William Henry Paris

Robert Henry Pierce

Clayton Lester Pierce

Albert Amos Piquet

Donato Pietromonaco

Neffie James Rutley

Franke Ogle Riggs

George Samuel Riggs

Joe Romano

Pietro Romano

Harry Raymondg Stafford

Booker Worthen  Snipes

John Harley Sullivan

                                               Tadataka Teshima

Michele Varriano

George Eastman Windham

Thomas C. Workman

Roscoe Henry Wilson

Earl Wayne Whitbeck

James Rose Windham

Louis Frank Zeller

 

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Ku Klux Klan Anti-Japanese Activity in Oregon & Marcola, 1923

From the Oregon Blue Book - Anti-Japanese Laws of 1923 The Ku Klux Klan found a strange champion in the Oregon legislature. Kaspar K. Kubli, speaker of the House of Representatives, happened to possess winning initials and became a rallying point for efforts to drive through the Alien Property Act of 1923. The law prohibited Japanese from purchasing or leasing land in Oregon. The legislature also passed a law forbidding wearing of sectarian clothing, namely priestly vestments or nuns' habits, in classrooms http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural/history/history24.htm

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The Morning Register 6-20-1924

Klan Lecturer Making Converts In County

R. C. Mathis, national lecturer for the Ku Klux Klan, who is making his headquarters in Eugene for a few weeks, lectured last night at Marcola. Wednesday evening Mr. Mathis spoke before an audience at Pleasant Hill. A large number of Lane county men are signing up for membership in the Klan as a result of Mr. Mathis' work, it was reported at the local headquarters yesterday.

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The Klan Grand Dragon of Oregon: In a speech to Atlanta's Klan Convention: 1924

"The Klan in the western states has a great mission to perform. The rapid growth of the Japanese population and the great influx of foreign laborers, mostly Greeks, is threatening our American institutions,! and Klans in Washington, Oregon and Idaho are actively at work to combat these foreign and un-American influences."

http://www.ahepafamily.org/99000his.html

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The Morning Register 1-29-1925

TWO JAPANESE ARE FINED

SHERIFFS SEARCH REVEALS EXISTENCE OF SAKE, BEER, AND WINE

At the Japanese Colony in Mabel

Sheriffs deputies, led by chief deputy Van Svarverud, raided the Japanese colony at Mabel yesterday afternoon and arrested three men on a charge of unlawful possession of liquor.

Y. Koto and Y. Kaysmashima late in the afternoon pleaded guilty in Justice of the Peace and were fined $15O each. 0. Shnaiyu, who was also arrested promised to come to Eugene later. He said he could not very well come yesterday as his wife had just presented him with an heir. The officers stated that they found about five gallons of sake, a mild Japanese intoxicant, home made beer and wine.

 Gordon S. Well. prosecuted the case in court. an interpreter, a Japanese student at the university, was sent for before the case could proceed, as the two men in court could not understand and speak but little English.

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The Morning Register 1-28-1926    MABEL MILL TO BE SOLD

The property of the Coast Range Lumber Company at Mabel will be sold at sheriffs sale February 26 and 27, according to Earl Luckey, deputy sheriff in charge of that work in the office of Sheriff Taylor.

 A first mortgage for more than $255,000 held by the Continental and Commercial Trust and Savings bank of Chicago, and a second mortgage for more than $515,500, held by the Dollar Portland Lumber Company, were recently foreclosed and order of the sale of the property was entered at the time the decree was given by Judge Skipworth.

The property to be sold consists of a large sawmill, 7000 acres of timber land, eight and a half miles of logging railway and practically the entire town of Mabel.

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