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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Jeremia Shea's Orchard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Mr. Shea came to Oregon some time in the 1860's, and took
a homestead of 147.08 acres in Linn County. In 1943 my father bought a
house on 20 acres of land 1 mile east of Foster, between HWY 20 and the
Santiam River. This was what was left of that 147.08 acre homestead, most
of which is now under Foster Lake.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I don't know when Mr. Shea built the house, but I was told
it was 75 years old when we moved into it. This would date the house to
about 1868. The house was located on the western end of the property
(about where Riggs Hill Road joins HWY 20), and about 50-100 feet from the
highway. This end of the property was in 3 levels to the river, but the
eastern end dropped to the river in one slope.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>As was the custom, Mr. Shea planted fruit trees on the
land. There were 4 cherry trees near the house; a Royal Ann, a Bing, and 2
Tart cherry trees. I have vivid memories of climbing those cherry trees
and stuffing myself. I took a wash basin up into the tart cherry trees to
pick cherries so that my mother would make pies. YUM!! I think I ate
more cherries than I put in that basin!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>A little east of the house was a barn (we won't talk about
the day I set it on fire), and behind the barn Mr. Shea had planted a great
number of apple trees; many varieties that I have not seen in years. There
were no delicious or crab apples, but there were many different kinds. I
can remember picking my fill many times, and we had fried apples for dinner
quite often. Yum again!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>It is my understanding that people were quite eager to
share the fruit of their trees with others in the 19 century. I'm sure
that my paternal grandmother and her father picked some apples from these trees
when they stopped at this house to buy onions on their way back to Central
Oregon. Great grandfather Montgomery operated a frieght wagon across the
Cascades to the Willamette Valley.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Some time about 1947 my father sold the eastern half of
that 20 acres to a man who came in with a bull dozer and knocked down the apple
trees. To this day I don't know why this was done. He never set foot
on that propery again!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The barn was knocked down circa 1946/7, and the house was
torn down shortly after we moved out in 1948. I don't know why, but every
picture my mother took of the front of the Shea house wa a double
exposure. :-(</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>see: <A
href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/rulaford/3/foster-house0.jpg">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/rulaford/3/foster-house0.jpg</A>
This is the best photo I have of the Shea house.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>see: <A
href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/rulaford/3/shea_point.jpg">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/rulaford/3/shea_point.jpg</A>
This is about where the apple trees were.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I love apples, but there are only a couple of varieties
that will bare fruit in this location. Oranges, lemmons and grapefruit do
well here, but they don't hold a candle to Mr. Shea's
apple orchard.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Cecil</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Cecil Houk, ET1 USN Ret.<BR>PO Box 530833<BR>San Diego CA
92153<BR>FAX 619-428-6434<BR><A
href="mailto:cchouk@cox.net">mailto:cchouk@cox.net</A><BR>ANDERSON - BLAKELY -
FORD - HOUK - KIMSEY - MOE - RULAFORD - SIMPSON<BR>Searchable GEDCOM: <A
href="http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~cchouk">http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~cchouk</A><BR>My
web page MENU: <A
href="http://members.cox.net/~cchouk/">http://members.cox.net/~cchouk/</A><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>