david.hedges.name

It is March 10, 2009. I have just come from Stafford Road north of the Tualatin River bridge, above the entrance to Shadow Wood and across from Mossy Brae. These names evoke images far removed from the scene that greeted me today ~ names that once, just days ago, said everything about this beautiful and historic Oregon place that now resembles a battlefield.

It is, in fact, a battlefield. Another key engagement has been lost in the ongoing war with the forces of greed and gridlock. The conquest of Stafford Road from Lake Oswego to I-205 is a fait accompli.

It started with the addition of two more lanes to I-205 between I-5 and the Stafford exit. Then came the two-lane roundabout at Wankers Corner, ostensibly to relieve congestion, but in reality to accommodate growth. Lake Oswego's push into North Stafford ~ its picture-perfect pathways, its ball fields and dog parks, its enormous retirement village ~ transformed country into city.

But this spot beside the Tualatin River is ~ was ~ one of those special places Governor Tom McCall referred when he spoke of what it is that makes Oregon so special. Scores of venerable cedar trees have fallen to chain saws. The natural curves of the narrow road snaking down to the bridge will be replaced by a wide, straight, sterile, treeless road cut leading to a five-lane bridge ten feet above the current one, eliminating the charming views of the river now enjoyed by motorists.

I have personal reasons for mourning. As a kid living in Lake Grove, I would hop on my bike and seek out fishing spots on the Tualatin. A favorite was on Shadowwood Road, immediately downstream from the bridge. Later, I was privileged to know Cassidy Bouts, the loveable eccentric who built many of Shadow Wood's houses. Several friends live on Mossy Brae Road. And I've always loved the old log cabin with its rustic stone chimney, glimpsed through a thick stand of cedars. It, too, is about to fall victim, a loss beyond fathoming.

It's special for broader reasons as well. Here, in pioneer times, a ferry boat transported wagons and stagecoaches bound from the territorial capital, Oregon City, to the Tuality Plains, where Oregon's first settlers put down roots. They grew the produce that fed the California gold rush. Stephen Meek, brother of Joe Meek, the territory's first sheriff, ran the stage line over the road now known as Rosemont, and down Stafford Road. There was a stage stop a short distance from the river, where horses and passengers were fed. Think about travel in those days!

A bridge replaced the ferry. The road was widened ~ but not by very much. Asphalt was laid down over dirt ~ but the graceful curves were kept. There was enough left there for anyone with a trace of imagination to see how it must have looked and felt one hundred and seventy years ago. Until a few days ago.

We have lost another small slice of our heritage, and gained nothing that serves a deep need. Sure, we'll move more vehicles at a faster clip, and call it progress. But progress to where, and to what end?

Postscript

If there is anything to smile about in this ungodly outrage, it is the sign at the north end of the devastation. When builders were riding high on the housing bubble, one such named his two-lot development "Stafford Triangle," undoubtedly with middle finger extended toward the slow-growth folks. The sign reads ~ no lie ~ "Elegant Stafford area, near the Tualatin River." The elegance here, ironically, was due to the wealth of cedar trees and the two-lane, curving road. With no buyers in sight, and building prospects slim, the property has been turned over to a real estate company. Good luck.

Update

March 12, 2009. Today, the West Linn Tidings fed its readers this dispassionate lead sentence: "Contractors have chopped down trees to make way for a wider bridge...." The article quotes Clackamas County project Manager Stan Monte as saying the county will eventually widen Stafford "all the way up to Lake Oswego." Five lanes? We're talking Beaverton! We're talking McLoughlin Boulevard! Why is this necessary?

Obviously, these projects have been in the works for many years. Why is the public never informed it time to influence decisions? What have they got up their sleeves now? I plan to do some digging. Stay tuned.

Developers rape Stafford Triangle land

“The County has arranged a forum for the Shadow Wood neighborhood citizens living downhill from the Johnson Road clear-cuts who have been impacted with flooding, falling trees, failing septics, dropping home values and rising insurance costs. This meeting (March 9, 2011), with these county & state agencies, will be to learn what, if any, recourse or access to assistance may be available. If you think this or a future clear-cut may affect you, you're invited to attend.”

Notice from the Stafford Hamlet to residents regarding an attempt by Clackamas County to mollify citizens, and prepare them for further clear-cutting by rapacious developers and large property holders.

[The last snippet of doubt about the rock-bottom ethics and morals of Herb Koss and friends was swept into the trash can when ~ without notice and with no regard for anyone or anything but Money-Money-Money ~ they clear-cut Fantasy Forest and wreaked havoc on Shadow Wood. The blind greed of these and others of their ilk must not go unchallenged. They have bought their way into favor with politicians in the three surrounding communities ~ West Linn, Lake Oswego and Tualatin ~ as well as on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners and the Metro Council, with the aim of packing the Stafford Basin with urban density development, thereby lining their own pockets at the expense of everyone who calls the region home. What had been a well-oiled campaign to buy political votes has erupted into open warfare against people who value the basin’s beauty and tranquility. They will not rest until they have destroyed Stafford. They must be stopped.]