At Home in the Woods – Part 2
Trackside Series - #13
By: Lloyd M. Palmer
April 2006
Our thirteenth installment of the Trackside Series will be a continuation of a subject we began in the previous issue, that being the camps used by the U.S. Army’s Spruce Production Division (SPD) here in Lincoln County during World War I. Last time we covered the camps that were established in Toledo and along the Toledo & Siletz Railroad, or Line No.10, as it was sometimes referred to by the army.
This article will discuss the SPD camps that were located along the Yaquina Northern Railroad which extended from the end of the Southern Pacific line at Yaquina City, along Yaquina Bay to Newport, then north along the coast to Otter Rock. This was the army’s Line No.11. As mentioned in our previous issue, the army assigned a number and letter designation to each of the camps and all of the camps along the Yaquina Northern RR were in the “7” series. Research to date indicates that camps existed from Camp 7-A up through Camp 7-X, with the exception of the use of the letters “J” and “Q”.
Trying to figure out where each of the camps was located is confusing at best and almost impossible to understand. Many times a camp would be established in the vicinity of ongoing work and when a particular job was completed the camp would be moved forward with the progress of the construction of the railroad. Some camps housed soldiers that were involved with the construction of the railroad grade itself while other camps were designated as surveyor’s camps or pile driver’s camps. The latter were usually located near the site where a large trestle was needed so were near the mouth of the numerous creeks that the railroad crossed between Agate Beach and Otter Rock.
Interesting enough, most of the information we know concerning the locations of the many camps comes from the reports and maps drawn by the army’s medical personnel. Rod Crossley, of Montrose, California, is currently writing a book on the operations of the Spruce Production Division and one of the sources of information that he’s examined are the SPD records in the National Archives in Seattle. He found that the archives contain medical records that include maps and notes concerning the location of many of the camps. It seems that the army’s chief medical officer in Vancouver was concerned with the sanitary conditions in each of the camps so sent medical personnel into the field to visit each of the camps. They were to draw maps for each of the camps and include the location of all latrines and stables in relation to the placement of the kitchens and mess halls.
With this information we’re able to begin to get a picture of where these camps were located. As mentioned though, understanding what took place is probably best described as a “can of worms”, will probably cause you to mutter to yourself at best and at worst, could drive you to drinking. Having said that, let’s give it a try anyway. So here goes (with a pale amber in hand) but remember, I warned you!
Camp 7-A, with about thirty-five men, was located near the army’s Yaquina District’s warehouse at Yaquina City. The was the interchange point with the Southern Pacific RR and the receiving point for all materials used on both the Yaquina Northern RR and the Alsea Southern RR. It was established in June 1918 and survived until the end of the war.
The next camp west was Camp 7-B which is thought to have been built on the hill just above the locomotive facilities for the Yaquina Northern RR. A large camp was built in the open yard surrounding a church (some say it was a school) that was located above the engine barn and water tanks and it’s thought this was 7-B. A couple of photos show the church surrounded by army tents but are not identified while other photos identified as Camp 7-B do not show the church. At any rate, several different SPD squadrons moved in and out of this camp and it was one of the last to close, that taking place on January 8, 1919, a couple of months after the war had ended.
Okay, so far it’s been somewhat straight forward. Now the fun begins. The next camp west was designated 7-C and was located “a couple miles west of Yaquina City” according to Mr. Crossley. It opened in late May 1918 but by August had closed and the men were moved north to the end of the line in Otter Rock where the camp became 7-P and was described as the “cleanest and best camp north of Newport” by the examining medical officer. However, in July a Camp 7-K was established which was located along Yaquina Bay, between 7-B and 7-C, and lasted until the end of the war.
Jumping north a little bit let’s cover a couple of camps that are well documented and there’s no question as to their location. Camp 7-E was located at the mouth of Big Creek, surrounding the Monterey Motel, and 7-F was built on the field in front of the Agate Beach Inn. Here, about half of the men were quartered in the inn and the mess hall was also located inside the building. Several identified photos exist showing these camps and all of them include the structures mentioned. Camp 7-E was vacated by September and 7-F lasted until the end of the war. It had originally house soldiers involved with grading the railroad but by the end of the war was home to a squadron of track layers.
Now, let’s back track a little and add some confusion. Between the locations of 7-C and 7-F maps indicate the existence of Camps 7-D, 7-G and 7-M. However, these maps are too small to indicate the actual on-the-ground location of these camps and research to date gives no indication of when these camps were occupied. Photos exist showing two different camps along the waterfront in Newport but are unidentified. One of these shows a camp located at the site of the present day Coast Guard station but the designation of the camp is unknown. The other camp appears to have been located just west of the Embarcadaro Hotel and its number is also not known for sure.
Moving northward from Agate Beach the next camp along the line was 7-O at the mouth of Schooner Creek. A note on a map dated August 29th indicates that it was a pile driver camp with about fifty soldiers. It too had been vacated by the end of the war. Next we come to 7-H at the mouth of Moolack Creek. Again, it was a construction camp used to house soldiers at work on the grade of the Yaquina Northern RR and was established during the second week in July with about two hundred men. One source indicates that by November 1st it had been closed and moved up along a railroad spur being built up Cole Creek where it was now called camp 7-X. However, a note on another map dated Oct. 1918, concerning 7-V states, “Camp 7-H now being moved from Molock Cr. to Cole Cr. About ¼ mile from creek to creek, and will go into temporary camp while building spur up Cole Cr. Then move further to north up Cole Creek, about 150 men.” This is the only mention of a camp 7-V so it quite possibly was short lived. If that’s the case then it appears that 7-H became 7-V which became 7-X. It’s starting to get interesting huh?
Moving farther north along the mainline of the Yaquina Northern the next camp we come to was 7-R. It was located at the mouth of Wade Creek and was another pile driving camp that provided living quarters for the soldiers at work on the trestle across Wade Creek. It was opened in early August and although was only planned to be in existence for about a month it seems to have lasted until the end of the war.
The next camp to the north was 7-N, located at the mouth of Spencer Creek. This was a large camp that was established in August when soldiers were moved north from camp 2-E, north of Alsea Bay, where they had been at work on the grading of the Alsea Southern RR. It too was a construction camp with over three hundred men. Camp 7-W was the next one out the line and was built at the mouth of Johnson Creek. It was a new pile driver camp established in October 1918 and housed both soldiers and civilians, as did a number of the other camps.
At the north end of the line, in Otter Rock, there were two other camps, those being 7-I and 7-P. Camp 7-I was located adjacent to the sawmill in Otter Rock that the army had purchased from Ben Jones. It was built to house both soldiers and the few civilians that kept the mill running to produce the lumber and ties needed for the nearby railroad. Camp 7-P was located just north of today’s post office in Otter Rock and was at the end of the line when the war ended. It opened in late August and housed the soldiers that were formerly at Camp 7-C near Yaquina City.
Now, to further confuse the issue, we’ll cover the last few camps that were scattered in locations other than along the Yaquina Northern. As work was being completed on the building of the mainline, at least between Newport and Otter Rock, work began on a number of logging spurs that were to extend eastward into the timber. Camp 7-T was established up Spencer Creek about one and a half miles east of 7-N. It was to become a permanent logging camp and in fact soldiers housed there were actually felling spruce when the war ended.
Further south, along Moolack Creek, two other camps were built. Camp 7-S was a construction camp for the grading of the spur being built up that creek and was located about three quarters mile inland from the coast, on the ridge between Cole Creek and Moolack Creek. Still farther east, about one half mile above 7-S, Camp 7-U was to become a permanent logging camp and was just getting established when the war ended on November 11, 1918.
One last camp is mentioned in the material provided by Mr. Crossley. A note on a map dated August 29th mentions camp 7-L. It seems to indicate that it was located near 7-H and was a surveyors camp with only a few men and states that the soldiers in this small camp used the mess, bath and latrine facilities of 7-H.
Well, have you been able to keep this all straight? If you were handed a paper and pencil could you draw a map and note all the camp locations on it? If not, don’t fret too much. If nothing else this will probably give you some indication of why your chapter historian is known to babble once in awhile.