The Origin of the Garibaldi “G” by W. P. White In 1929 a small group of Garibaldi High School juniors traveled to Corvallis, Oregon in Principal J.E. O’Neel’s 1927 Hudson sedan, to Oregon Agriculture College (now Oregon State Univer- sity) open house for the state’s junior high school students who may be interested in going to college after graduating. Passing through Amity, Oregon on 99-0W (there was no l-5 then) they saw a large letter “A” on its nearby hill. As the miles decreased toward home a' question was posed, “Why not have a “G” for our town?” Later the idea was passed from student to student with at first very little enthusiasm shown. At one time the idea was nearly dropped. If it hadn’t been for Roy Albers' insis- tence that we renew our efforts its future would have been in doubt. Eventually the matter was brought up before the next student body meet— ing wherein it was accepted. By-laws were ,drawn up and the go-ahead given to lend the impetus necessary to see the project through to completion. Albers and White were assigned the task of selecting the site of the proposed “G” and to design it. White consulted Otto Schrader who was the plant engineer for the Hammond-Tillamook Lumber Company sawmill —— the third company to operate a sawmill on that plant site. He advised to keep the construction simple by driving 2x4 stakes into the side of the hill so that they would outline the ultimate shape of the letter. Across the tops of the stakes other 2x4’s would be fastened horizontally to form joists on which to lay and fasten 1x8 shiplap boards to form the body of the letter. Based on this valued advice White created the design of the It was to be 32 feet wide and 40 feet high with its breadth being 8 feet. One thousand six hundred board feet of lumber would be required all of which was donated by the company. The local merchants of that time also donated the nails and paint. The site on which the present “G” sits was the one chosen at that time; however there was a flaw in that choice that was not foreseen but more on that later on. The next challenge was how to position the “G” so that it would appear vertical regardless of the viewing angle. The solution was to actually lay out a vertical line of reference on the hillside that later would be used to properly orient the White borrowed five or six bed sheets from his home. They were tied together and stretched down the slope thus making a line that could be seen from afar. One end was tied to a stake that was arbitrarily selected as the top of the “G” and the other end was pulled down the hill until it was taut. Albers stationed himself across the estuary of the Miami Riverjust south where the railroad bridge crosses the Miami River. With a long pole and a white bed sheet as a semaphore he was able to communicate with , OCR Text: The Origin of the Garibaldi “G” by W. P. White In 1929 a small group of Garibaldi High School juniors traveled to Corvallis, Oregon in Principal J.E. O’Neel’s 1927 Hudson sedan, to Oregon Agriculture College (now Oregon State Univer- sity) open house for the state’s junior high school students who may be interested in going to college after graduating. Passing through Amity, Oregon on 99-0W (there was no l-5 then) they saw a large letter “A” on its nearby hill. As the miles decreased toward home a' question was posed, “Why not have a “G” for our town?” Later the idea was passed from student to student with at first very little enthusiasm shown. At one time the idea was nearly dropped. If it hadn’t been for Roy Albers' insis- tence that we renew our efforts its future would have been in doubt. Eventually the matter was brought up before the next student body meet— ing wherein it was accepted. By-laws were ,drawn up and the go-ahead given to lend the impetus necessary to see the project through to completion. Albers and White were assigned the task of selecting the site of the proposed “G” and to design it. White consulted Otto Schrader who was the plant engineer for the Hammond-Tillamook Lumber Company sawmill —— the third company to operate a sawmill on that plant site. He advised to keep the construction simple by driving 2x4 stakes into the side of the hill so that they would outline the ultimate shape of the letter. Across the tops of the stakes other 2x4’s would be fastened horizontally to form joists on which to lay and fasten 1x8 shiplap boards to form the body of the letter. Based on this valued advice White created the design of the It was to be 32 feet wide and 40 feet high with its breadth being 8 feet. One thousand six hundred board feet of lumber would be required all of which was donated by the company. The local merchants of that time also donated the nails and paint. The site on which the present “G” sits was the one chosen at that time; however there was a flaw in that choice that was not foreseen but more on that later on. The next challenge was how to position the “G” so that it would appear vertical regardless of the viewing angle. The solution was to actually lay out a vertical line of reference on the hillside that later would be used to properly orient the White borrowed five or six bed sheets from his home. They were tied together and stretched down the slope thus making a line that could be seen from afar. One end was tied to a stake that was arbitrarily selected as the top of the “G” and the other end was pulled down the hill until it was taut. Albers stationed himself across the estuary of the Miami Riverjust south where the railroad bridge crosses the Miami River. With a long pole and a white bed sheet as a semaphore he was able to communicate with , Nehalem Valley Historical Society,Under Construction,August 2023 Shipment Scans,Mark Beach Folder (NVHS),The Origin of the Garibaldi G article and draft copy by W P White,P01 (14).tif, P01 (14).tif