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Soap Creek Valley History Project
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Oral history interview with Lorna Grabe

This oral history interview with Lorna Grabe was conducted by Bob Zybach at Grabe's home in Corvallis, Oregon, on December 28, 1989. The interview was conducted as part of the Soap Creek Valley History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon State University Research Forests to better understand the history, ecology, and culture of the Soap Creek Valley in Benton County, Oregon.

In this interview, Grabe discusses her family background and early life in Iowa City, Iowa. She then talks about her marriage to Don Grabe and about his career, and she describes how they came to live in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1968. She describes life in the Soap Creek Valley area, including other families in the area and recreational activities, particularly bird watching. She speaks at length about her involvement in the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation, including the history of the foundation, the preservation work it has sponsored for the schoolhouse, and other members of the foundation. She also speaks about the use of wildflowers in its landscaping and discusses the story of a ghost haunting a barn in the area. She closes the interview by talking about the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation's accomplishments and plans for the future, and by discussing the changes in the Soap Creek Valley from 1968 to the time of the interview in 1989.

Grabe, Lorna Mae, 1928-1993

Oral history interview with Donald Dickey

This oral history interview with Donald Dickey was conducted by Neil Vanderburg and Bob Zybach at the Green Valley Care Center in Eugene, Oregon, from August 18-19, 1990. The interview was conducted as part of the Soap Creek Valley History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon State University Research Forests to better understand the history, ecology, and culture of the Soap Creek Valley in Benton County, Oregon. Maxine Ann Dickey was also present and occasionally contributed to the interview. The interview was conducted in two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 18, 1990, Dickey discusses his family background and early life in Berry Creek, in the Soap River Valley area of Oregon, including his memories of snowstorms, life on the family farm, and other families that lived in the area. He also briefly discusses his 35-year career in rodent control for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In the second interview session, conducted on August 19, 1990, Dickey describes the wildlife in the Berry Creek area, his recreational activities and social life, and people and places in neighboring towns. He speaks at length about the sawmills in the area. He then revisits the topic of his 35-year career in rodent control for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He closes the interview by discussing his marriage.

Dickey, Donald C. (Donald Charles), 1914-1990