The following pages are part of an independent writing project I did during my senior year as an English major at University of Washington. My oral sources for this project were Patsy (Merchant) Gottfryd, Nola Blanes and Luther Fleming. Luther also provided me with his scrapbook of newspaper clippings, copies of The Log of Long-Bell and special editions of Longview Daily News. Furthermore, I found early editions of The Log of Long-Bell in University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Collection.
I strived to produce an accurate account, using the sources available to me over the course of Winter Quarter 1991. This project, however, is not an academic research report but rather several oral histories that have been enhanced with information from newspaper and magazine clippings. During the project I struggled with the question of “truth” and concluded that one person’s truth may differ from another’s. Nevertheless, if you want to send corrections to me, please feel free to do so (with supporting documentation, if possible).
I would like to thank Professor Richard J. Dunn, my mentor who was then chairman of UW’s English Department, for his guidance on this project. I found all of Ryderwood’s history as a company town intriguing and a bit overwhelming for a one-quarter project. With Professor Dunn’s help, I was able to focus my interest and findings to create this end result. I also would like to thank Luther, Nola, and my mother for the time they spent with me on this project. Their reminiscences made this project a treasure for me and for everyone who continues to discover it.
I hope you enjoy reading about the World's Largest Logging Camp!
Shelley Voie
Part 1 of this writing project is published here on these web pages.
Download Parts 1 and 2 combined as a printer-friendly PDF file.