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B
eing new to Molalla,
this Centennial Year
project has proven to
be an exciting — and educa-
tional — process. But while
researching the history of the
Molalla Pioneer, the city of
Molalla, its citizens from the
past and its environs, I met a
lot of great people here in
town who were eager and
willing to help.
There is the city historians,
especially Iris Riley, who
shared photos from the
Molalla Area Historical
Society and even helped me
browse through their archives,
and Lois E. Ray, an MAHS
board member and author,
who gave me a copy of her
book “Molalla” to learn from.
But another helpful source,
after reading in the Pioneer
about this project, came down
all the way from Vancouver, Wash. to give me some personal
history on the paper’s first editor, Gordon J. Taylor. Robert
and Jan Bui even brought photos of Taylor and his house up
in Meadowbrook, which is now a historical landmark.
It seems Robert Bui grew up right next door to the Taylors
during the 30s and 40s.
Why his information was so helpful is that after all my
research into the man, all I had learned about G. J. Taylor
came from tidbits I found online — old newspaper articles of
the times. Ironically, I learned the most about the Molalla edi-
tor from his rival paper, The Oregonian.
But now, with Bui’s information, I met the man. Gordon J.
Taylor, who came to Molalla from the Toledo-Castle Rock
area of Washington in the spring of 1913 with his wife Nettie
and grade school-age son Walter to start a newspaper.
He was an energetic man of maybe 35 who, probably
through no small coincidence, arrived just as the town was
beginning to grow. The railroad was coming – two different
lines – and that meant prosperity. Taylor, an apparently natu-
ral-born leader, jumped right in, taking up the reins to
encourage fellow Molalla businessmen to start a Commercial
Club (early Chamber of Commerce) and promote the town.
He led groups of men to Portland to drum up interest in
Molalla and promoted the town’s many wonders far and wide.
His editorials in the Molalla Pioneer, especially those first
few years, prodded his fellow citizens into action.
His slogan “Make Molalla Move” became known far and
wide. And the city did move, throwing up new homes and
businesses and schools to meet the demand.
Of course, a prosperous town would mean more prosperity
for the owner of the local newspaper.
Bui talked about
Taylor’s campaign to
bring business to
Molalla.
“He was convinced
that the Molalla area
would hold great oppor-
tunity with the con-
struction of the railroad
underway and the rail-
road traffic that would
soon be coming through
town,” Bui said. “In
addition to publishing
the weekly newspaper,
Taylor also ran the
Molalla Pioneer com-
mercial printing office
that catered to the area.”
Bui said that the
Molalla Pioneer was a
family business. After
graduating from Molalla
High School, Taylor’s
son, Walt, joined the
business as a linotype operator.
Taylor had bigger dreams than just being a newspaper pub-
lisher though. In 1918, he ran on the Republican ticket for a
seat on the legislature, representing the 16th district. His slo-
gan, “Better legislation, less agitation,” was printed in the
April 27 Voter’s Magazine along with his platform:
“Earnestly work for such law as as will advance the moral
and material welfare of the state. My first thought and effort
will be for a speedy winning of the war for liberty. I favor
state and national prohibition. One of the greatest problems
before the state is the development of the rural community. I
recognize good roads as the more important factor in this. I
will favor legislation which gives the best results in roads for
farmers. I favor economy, the cutting down of every unneces-
sary expese and salary in the state and county.”
I don’t think he won the election that year. But he was
elected and served in the legislature in 1930 and 1931.
“Gordon Taylor was always interested in politics,” Bui
said. “In August, 1940, he hosted a picnic for then-U.S.
Senator Rufus C. Holman, who was running for re-election.”
The Taylor family lived in downtown Molalla, and they
built a summer house on Milk Creek at Meadowbrook in
1925. During the depression, they sold their home in town and
moved into the “cabin” at Meadowbrook.
“My father bought an adjoining property in 1929, and we
became good friends with the Taylors,” Bui said. “After sell-
ing the paper in the 40s, both Gordon and Walt worked in
Salem for the state of Oregon.”
— Peggy Savage
Molalla
The newspaper of record for
Molalla and surrounding areas
Member NNA • Represented by Oregon
Newspaper Advertising Corporation and
American Newspaper Representatives
USPS 358-360
Published since 1913 in Molalla, Ore.
Molalla, OR 97038-0168.
Postmaster:
Send address changes to the
Molalla Pioneer, P.O. Box 168,
Molalla, OR 97038
The Molalla Pioneer is printed using recycled paper
Published weekly at:
217 E. Main St.
Molalla, OR 97038
503-829-2301• Fax: 503-829-2317
Web:
Email:
Publisher: Bill Cassel
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
OneYear Local Carrier . . . $30
USPS Delivery . ............. . $35
Periodicals postage paid at
Molalla Post Office.
300 words is the limit on letters.
The Pioneer may print letters longer
than that at the editor’s discretion and reserves the right to edit or not
publish any letter.
10 a.m. on Friday is the deadline for letters to the editor
for the following Wednesday’s
newspaper.
The Letters to the Editor and columns printed in the Pioneer do not necessarily reflect
the opinion or approval of this newspaper.
Submissions that are deemed libelous, obscene or in bad taste
will not be printed.
Likewise, submissions airing personal grievances
against businesses and individuals will not be accepted. Name calling and
uncivil discourse is discouraged and may result in your letter not being published. Criticism of the
actions of government and/or public officials is protected by the First Amendment.
For verification, authors must include their full name,
street address, daytime telephone,
and email address. Only the name and town will be printed. No anonymous letters will be printed.
Pioneer staff
Pioneer
Editorial policies
Peggy Savage
Editor
Kimberly Schmidt
Sales Manager
Colin Storm
Sports & Business Editor
Karen Hartrampf
Circulation Manager
Opinion & Editorial
6
MOLALLA PIONEER 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Who owned the
Molalla Pioneer
Here’s a timeline — some dates are approximate
The Pioneer has been around even longer than the
incorporated city of Molalla, by a few months.
Owners over the years had to try and fill the boots
of its first editor, G. J. Taylor, who not only put out
the weekly paper but spent considerable time pro-
moting the city far and wide. Judging by the length
some owners stayed around, they must have found
the job daunting.
The owners were:
1. G.J. Taylor — March 7, 1913 to late 1920s
2. James V. Blake — late 1920s
3. C. Leonard Ireland — late 1920s to February 1946
4. Monroe Sweetland — February 1946 to May 1, 1948
5. Charles F. Burger — May 1, 1948 to late 1948
6. Howard Durfee — late 1948 to December 1952
7. Paul F. Ruud — December 1952 to Sept 9, 1971
8. Bruce Keys — Sept. 9, 1971 to mid 1970s
9. Roger Eddy — mid 1970s to Jan 22, 1976
10. Orrin Carhart — Jan 22, 1976 to mid 1980s.
11. Eagle Newspapers — mid 1980s to Jan. 1, 2013
12. Pamplin Media Group Jan. 1, 2013 to the present
INVITED PORTLAND TO JOIN IN RAILROAD CELEBRATION
BACK BOW, LEFT TO RIGHT: PIONEER EDITOR G. J. TAYLOR, E. ROBBINS, G. H. GREGORY.
FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: MARK. WOODRUFF, L. H. STONE, O. K. COLE, J. R. WOLFF., A
COMMITTEE THAT WENT TO PORTLAND TO INVITE BUSINESSMENT TO SEE MOLALLA.
It’s time to think about Relay for Life
To the editor:
The 13th Annual Relay for Life of Molalla is coming soon.
The relay will be held on the weekend of June 22 & 23 at
Heckard Field. This events runs from noon on Saturday until
10 am on Sunday. The theme this year is “Remember the
Past...Celebrate the Future!” The theme honors the 100th
anniversaries of the American Cancer Society and Molalla.
At this time we are looking for teams to join the relay. You
can have an unlimited number of members for only $75. This
is a great event to show support to your loved ones who have
fought the fight with cancer. We are also hoping to celebrate
100 survivors during our survivor’s lap, luncheon and dinner.
Survivors do not need to walk on a team, but are encouraged
to sign up early online to assure the correct t-shirt size. Mark
your calendars now to come and celebrate at this wonderful
community event. The excitement is growing! Go to
to register a team, sign up as a
survivor or find out more about the Molalla Relay. For more
information, please contact 503-209-7721.
Roxie Smith
Molalla
To Schrader: The buck stops with you
To the editor:
I had to respond to the Molalla Pioneer’s latest article on
Representative Schrader and his message to Molalla. I see
were representative Schrader is agitating (worried) about the
approaching skyrocketing debt, and he is correct. The debt is
caused by spending on things like ($800 million) on the 2010
stimulus bill and the ($6 trillion) cost of “ObamaCare.”
Maybe Rep. Schrader forgot how he ended up spending ($7
trillion) in five years over and above the regular unbudgeted
budget. For a minute there, I thought Rep. Schrader was a
closeted Tea Party person, he was so agitated about the debt
that he caused. The buck stops with you, son, and you can’t
wiggle out of it.
George Abbott
Molalla
Congress doesn’t do any useful work
To the editor:
It occurred to me this morning while standing in the show-
er, that all of us would be better-off if the Federal Congress
did the same; nothing.
Not a soul in the United States of America would miss their
grand-standing, self-aggrandizing, patronizing and generally
useless machinations. They don’t do any useful work; the
laws on the books already are such a mess that no one can
pull them together into a working document that could be
used to govern the nation, so why do we need more?
They stand on the steps of the Congress so as to look
important while some slick-haired TV reporter feeds them
leading questions they can pretend to answer, and that just
after they voted on some bill they never read and exempted
themselves from. BAH!
It would cost us as taxpayers far less if the members of
Congress just stayed home and we paid them their wages for
not showing up in Washington, D.C. For that matter, if the
entire Federal workforce stayed home, would we miss them?
Except for the Thousand Standing Around (TSA),
Immigration and ATC controllers, what interplay does the
average citizen have with the Federal Government? Not
much. Let ‘em stay home all year; at least that way we would
know for sure we were being cheated out of our money
instead of just believing that to be the case.
Michael J. Early
Mulino
Coltonites need to step up and file
To the editor:
Colton-ites: Become Engaged! Our next local election is
May 21, with candidate filing date being Thursday, March 21.
Check out and bookmark:
-
tions/. Click on May 21 Election, then “Open Positions.”
Colton Water has three positions open; Colton Fire has two
positions open; and Colton School has three positions open –
and, at the time of my writing, no candidates have filed.
Colton-ites need to step up and file! We want to give our
community choices. We do not want our boards to appoint
vacancies after the election.
Download the simple 1-page “SEL- 190” form, complete,
sign, and mail it with the $10 filing fee. If you need assistance
with the fee cost, contact me after the election and I will help
you with that. All of us need to support the above boards (as
well as the CPO, second Wednesday of the month), attend
their meetings, and ask how you can assist. “Stay engaged, no
matter what your age!” Let’s have fun, and have multiple can-
didates file per position. Don’t be timid – and frankly, if you
are the successful candidate, the time commitment is minimal.
Let’s do our civic responsibility in self-governing Colton!
Colton folks need to chart Colton’s future!
Don Newell
Colton
Letters to the Editor
Who was G. J. Taylor, anyway?
Photo courtesy of Robert Bui
Gordon Taylor at his Meadowbrook cabin, 1940
