2009-- Sherwood City Manager Jim Patterson and Councilman Weislogal mumble while everyone else sings "My Country Tis of Thee."
Please click the photos. These two are the coolest ever taken in Sherwood so far!

The Olden Days: What Were They Really Like?

Hopkins Third Graders follow the model train at Morback House, while others from their school successfully complete the Smock Blocks test. Hundreds of such children follow the Sherwood Heritage Trail every year with June Reynolds leading the way. The famous Trail Guide Clyde List is often on hand to assist the famous playwright in retelling the story of Old Sherwood Town.Thanks to their efforts, nary a 3rd Grader in Sherwood can fail to name the founder of Sherwood. The name of the man who was once addressed as "The Dean of Oregon Mayors" by the League of Oregon Cities. Joseph Edward Morback is a household word in the 88J school system. There can be no mystery about who climbed to the top of the Sherwood water tower and had to cry out for help in getting back down.

A Stop Along the Trail

The Lebanese-born owner of Sesame Donuts hands out free samples of his wares to weary travelers. The school children are of course prudent in their dining habits. They carefully restricted themselves to one delicious doughnut hole apiece. They enjoyed the food, but were far more curious about all the Middle Eastern words and phrases to be found in Oregon. Such as "Damascus" and "Salem" and the enormous Cedar of Lebanon tree that overhangs Pine Street in Old Sherwood Town. The giant tree happens to be the national symbol of Lebanon. Strangely the street is named "Pine Street" instead of "Cedar of Lebanon Street." History is strange.

A Stop at the Barber Shop

Town Barber Dale Smith explains why he's never done business anywhere except in Old Town Sherwood. "I've been in this town for over fifty years." he said, "I don't think I'll ever quit." One entire wall of the shop is covered with photographs of early Sherwood. The other wall is hung with Dale's hand painted plates.

According to --Small Town America by Richard Lingeman: By the 1890s small town barber shops like this one... "had acquired a look and tone of elegance. Some had baths in the rear. In front there was a line of polished wood chairs with rich-hued velour uphlostery. On shelves were aligned the customers' shaving mugs, some embellished with initials or a design, like a coat of arms which reflected the owner's occupation. There was a smell of soap, steaming towels, bay rum, and cigar smoke in the air, and the place was a hive of gossip."

"Mother, Father! May I Go to Meet my Beau?"

The Trail Guide has to take time out from his chores to settle a family problem. His daughter has a new possession that is unique to Old Sherwood Town and the Victorian Age. She has a "beau."

Temperance vs. Intemperance

NARRATOR: "On this ground stood the Sherwood water tower. It was five stories tall!" WOIDA: "Aw, it's just another church steeple. That's all it is! The Steeple of Sherwood!"

"An interesting sidelight upon the building of the water tower is the story of John Woida, a saloon keeper. The tower was built with license money from the saloons in town and Woida, feeling that he had in a great measure, personally paid for the improvement, said boastfully; "I built the steeple on the town, I want to climb up and have a look at it." Now Woida was a corpulent individual and the tower was tall and not easy to climb, so some of the men bet old John that he couldn't climb it. But climb it he did, one evening after supper. He got up all right and looked around, but when he attempted the descent his nerve failed him and he pleaded for help. Four of the interested spectators: J.E. Young, Jim Anderson, Ora Johnson, and George Reisner went up to help him. They tied a rope around his rotund stomach and let him down the outside, kicking and sprawling like a big spider on the end of a cobweb. His cries were heard all over town and everyone came out to see the sport. A good time was had by all except, perhaps, John Woida." --History of Sherwood by Ronald Sherk, 1936.

The Grandfatherly Town Father

"How much will I charge to fix the heel on your shoe? Ten Cents!"

In 1891 G. Hanke moved to Sherwood and erected a shoe shop on the corner of First and Main Streets. "When I came here the roads were little more than paths. The road to four corners was so narrow that anyone traveling in a buggy or wagon needed to take care that the hazel brush didn't switch him in the eyes. Cows and pigs ran at large on the village streets. If you had anything left out on the porch they were likely to get it. The streets and roads were hub deep in mud most of the winter. There were board sidewalks down town and a few planks in the worst mud holes in the road. In those days every one had to work a day or two poll tax. Most of the time was spent in making road repairs. This was the only work done to the roads." --History of Sherwood by Ronald Sherk, 1936.

Back When it was All Trees

Blue Bonnet steps out of the shadows just long enough to warn us not to make so much noise. Clyde List's advice is: "When you approach Blue Bonnet, do not look him straight in the eye. Do not make any sudden moves. Mountain men like Blue Bonnet have little use for human company. They are more coyote or grisly bear than human."

On the Oregon Trail in 1843-- "There was a scarcity of game about or near the road. The hunters had to go some distance from the road in search of game. On one occasion one of our hunters Bennett O'Neal a tall thin rawboned individual got off his horse to shoot some game and his horse ran off and left him. He got lost and wandered round until he struck the road back of the train after being out eight days, overtook the wagons. During the time he was lost he subsisted on herbs, and roots such scraps as he could pick." --Joseph Hess Memoir 1847

"The whites are determined to settle on your land. We cannot prevent them and in a few years there will be no place left for you. Then what will you do? Will you live in the mountains like wolves? The deer and other game being killed off you will have nothing to eat, your women and children crying for food, and freezing from cold; there will be no one to care for you. I tell you this will be so. Then be wise. Take good counsel. Sell your lands. Agree to remove to such places as the Government may hereafter select for you, where they will protect you and provide for your wants." --Letter from Superintendent of Indian Affairs Joel Palmer to the Chiefs and Head Men of the Tualatin Band of the Calapooia Indians. March 21, 1854

How to Say "Cipole."

A whistle stop named "Cipole" was a major player in the Sherwood economy. According to the papers, "Sherwood has the distinction of shipping more onions than any other place in the world. Great wagonloads of them have been coming into town the last few weeks, and are being shipped by the carload." --Sherwood News-Sheet Oct. 11, 1911 The Cipole landscape has been called the most pristine example of the J Harlen Bretz scablands in Oregon. Much of it is also inside the Tualatin River Wilderness Refuge. We transported a small section of this remarkable territory to Veterans Park for this reenactment.

Video of "Ernie Cereghino" and crew with Reporter Rosie Padokie at Veterans Park.

A Real Robin Hood Adventure

In 1911 "There was no railroad crossing at Washington St. and it was necessary for vehicles to go around by the Main St. crossing. The city council petitioned the railroad company to no avail. They were advised by D. D. Hall, a local attorney,that if they could build a crossing and have it in use for twenty four hours, it would remain for all time. Plans were secretly laid and one evening after the railroad employees had retired, citizens armed with the necessary implements hastily constructed a crossing. When the railroad employees arrived in the morning they found a busy stream of traffic on the crossing; so busy, in fact, that it was impossible for them to tear the crossing to pieces. So it remained." --History of Sherwood by Ronald Sherk, 1936.

The Robin Hood Vision

By tradition, Robin Hood comes out of the forest in order to restore a more honest and "natural" way of life. Here are some historical topics that touch on the Robin Hood tradition:

Bringing the Forest to the City: "In order that the town in later years may have shade trees, it is hereby ordained that all property owners shall set out maple trees in the parking along their property. Such trees shall be set out not less than ten feet above the surface of the ground, and they shall have some kind of protection around them to keep the stock from breaking down." --Sherwood Town Ordinance #13 August 7, 1893

The Charivari: "Charivari Party Visit Newlyweds-- Now, Ed [Rasmussen] is a modest, retiring young man and he was loath to accept the invitation, but when he was told what would be done to him unless he joined the musicians he decided to participate in the festival of noise. The band surrounded the domicile of the newly-weds and the festivities started." The couple was escorted to the soda fountain at Sherwood Pharmacy for ice cream and singing. --Sherwood Valley News, April 19, 1928

Days of "Misrule": "Wagons, buggies, shingles, lumber, telephone poles, sign boards and a great many other things were transferred last night. Also many out-buildings were overturned. At the train depot one truck was found lying on its side while another one went for a joy ride down the road." --Sherwood News-Sheet Nov. 1, 1911

That Nasty Mr. Roberts!

"John Roberts on or about the 6th of July had a row with two unmarried women on the streets of Sherwood. The women threatened his arrest. Then he sauced them. One of the girls broke her parasol over his head, and the other slapped him in the face. This one he kicked and slapped the jaws of the other one. For these things a warrant was sworn out before Justice Smith charging Roberts with assault and battery-- two cases because there were two girls." --Hillsboro Independent August 5, 1898

Shoot Out at Saylor's Saloon

George Williams is being shot and mortally wounded by Alvie Fields. The April 8, 1892 Incident happened in front of building shown here, on Railroad Street. According to a contemporary, George Williams was "... kind of an ornery bugger I guess. He was a pretty heavy drinker in the saloon there and he'd always get into an argument and he'd pull a gun out like he was going to shoot, see? But anyhow, there was a guy by the name of Alvie Fields. [...] I think that was his name. He was supposed to have been related to Smock, but I don't know that for sure. But anyway he made up his mind that if he was going to pull a gun on him, he was going to get him first. But anyhow he didn't have no gun so he went to a man there. I kind of hate to talk about this. I didn't see it, but I was told by people who was there. He went to a guy I knew real well and told him he wanted to borrow his gun. He had a butcher shop there. He was a partner in the butcher shop. He had a .45. He asked, "What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to kill a darn mean dog." he says, "He's always a-bothering me. I'm going to kill him."

He got the gun and he wounded the guy. Well, he got into an quarrel with him and he pulled out his gun and he shot him. But he didn't die right away. They took him to Portland. I think they got him to Portland on a freight train. The freight trains always carried one coach to carry passengers. They didn't have passenger trains in them days."

--Dave Cereghino, February 28, 1976

"Shut This Saloon Down!"

The Adults in this Street Scene are Anna Reisner, Mr. Zimmermann, and E.O.Shepherd. Here is what various historical documents reveal about the speechifiers:

• "On motion the Recorder's action was upheld by a unanimous Vote of the Council in the matter of Ordering the Saloon of John Owens closed on the 20th day of January upon the Information made by Mrs. Anna Reisner that She believed if said Saloon was not closed that her life was in danger." --Town Council Minutes Jan. 20, 1896.

• Mr. Zimmermann is an orator, logical in his argument, and has a pleasing and entertaining delivery. He pictured the youth in all his tenderness, then the young man as he is taking the first glass, following him down to the ditch and the finished product of the saloon." --Sherwood News-Sheet March 6, 1912
NOTE: In other words, speaking in the idiom of the prohibition movement, Zimmermann described the evil effects of booze upon America’s youth.

• "Scarcely a day goes by that Governor West does not receive in person or by letter the tearful petition of some wife for help in keeping the saloons from selling liquor to her drunken husband. They plead helplessness, and say they are mocked at every turn when they try to save their husbands from themselves and the saloon. The cry of hungry children and the tears of destitute wives accomplish little or nothing, the governor is told over and over again. The husbands continue to get liquor.” --E.O. Shepherd, Sherwood News-Sheet July 23, 1913.