Originally published in 1987 as Sawdust and Cider; A History of Lorane, Oregon and the Siuslaw Valley, this book is a major revision. Published in September 2006, From Sawdust and Cider to Wine has grown from 165 to 269 pages. It contains over 230 black and white photographs, 100 family histories and 6 maps from the community of Lorane, Oregon, located southwest of Eugene in Lane County, Oregon.
"But, if I'm not from the Lorane, Oregon area, why would I want to read your book?"
You don't have to have any connection to Lorane or, for that matter, Oregon, to find this book of interest. For the "Baby-Boomer" generation, it will evoke memories of the days before television, computers and cell phones, when communication came across the airwaves of the family's wonderful Zenith radio or via the crank telephone's party lines. It will bring forth memories of vacations taken in the family car when "getting there" was half the fun! You'll remember how you and your friends picked daisies and watched propellered airplanes fly overhead as you lay on the lawn during long slow days of summer vacation, dreaming of adventures that you would encounter when you "grew up." It will bring back the realization that the "good old days" were not always easy or untroubled, but they were far less complex.
For many, it will bring back the stories told to us by our parents and grandparents of the World Wars, the Depression, the "horse and buggy days" and the pioneering spirit that formed our great nation.
Yes, this book is based on the little community at the south end of Lane County, Oregon -- a former timber community now internationally known for its production of fine wines. But it also chronicles the fairly recent history of the pioneers who braved the elements and the unknown and traveled the Oregon Trail and the Applegate Trail to carve out -- hopefully -- better lives for themselves and their families.
And... now about Lorane!!
Lorane, Oregon is a small, rural community located within a few miles of the headwaters of the Siuslaw River. It sits in a position some 22 miles southwest of Eugene; 12 miles west of Cottage Grove; 13 miles southeast of Crow and 9 miles north of Curtin.
The town of Lorane is built on two-levels. The two retail stores sit along Territorial Road, the main route through the town. The old and quaint part of the town which serves as the community center is located on an upper tier overlooking the valley. The buildings are picturesque. The Lorane Elementary School, the Christian Church, the I.O.O.F. and Rebekah Lodge, and the Grange Hall all blend with their settings, as does the much newer Fire Hall which sits across the street from them.
The Siuslaw Valley is a long winding gap between the hills to the east separating it from Cottage Grove, and those to the northwest, which are the beginning of the coast range. For simplicity's sake, the part of the Siuslaw Valley which will be referred to in this book will be that which extends from somewhat north of Gillespie Corners to the Siuslaw Falls area west of Lorane; south to the Douglas County line; and east to the top of Cottage Grove Mountain.
Although Lorane celebrated its 100th birthday in 1987, as the recognized post office of Lorane, the Siuslaw Valley was first considered home by white settlers in the early 1850's. Before that, it was part of the vast hunting grounds of Kalapuya-speaking Indian tribes.
You can learn all about these aspects of the community within the pages of From Sawdust and Cider to Wine!!
About the Author: Author Pat Edwards first wrote about the history of her community of Lorane, Oregon in 1987. That original history was written with co-authors Nancy O'Hearn and Marna Hing to help celebrate the community's centennial. In 2006, Pat wrote a major revision of the book called From Sawdust and Cider to Wine. In October 2014, Pat published, as co-author with Jo-Brew, a major work on the history of U.S. Highway 99 through Oregon, called OREGON'S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 "The Folk History." An earlier book under Jo-Brew's name called OREGON'S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 "The Stories" was published in November 2013. Pat served as editor, publisher and collaborator with Jo on that one. Together, the two books total 900-pages and over 600 photographs. Pat and her husband, Jim Edwards, own the Lorane Family Store and Pat spent 15 years as Administrative Coordinator for the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon through the late 1980s and 1990s, retiring in 2004. Since then, Pat has taken on the role of Managing Editor for the literary quarterly, Groundwaters, which is distributed throughout all of Lane County, Oregon. The magazine is now in its 11th year of publication. Pat also is the community correspondent for two small Lane County weeklies, the Fern Ridge Review in Veneta, Oregon and the Creswell Chronicle of Creswell, Oregon. Her work with Groundwaters has led her into the field of editing and publishing the works of others. It's how she and Jo-Brew met. Among her published authors that she has represented besides Jo-Brew, is Joe Blakely, Michael J Barker, Delila Mayer, and Jessie Schlaser. "I'm blessed with a large, loving family. Jim and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2014 and our family and home are our highest priorities."
