Excerpts from "Spencer Butte Pioneers", 100 years on the Sunny side of the Butte 1850-1950, Lois Barton

Lois Barton lives on the land that was Harry and Belle Taylor's... most likely willed to Harry by his father James Oscar Taylor. There is still a small log cabin home on the land that Harry Taylor lived in, on his farm, with the Bartons. The old barn with the 'wooden' hinges, made by Harry, is still standing....

Harry Taylor was here fifty years ahead of me, since 1893. He knew some of the first and second generation settlers. He farmed and logged and helped sustain the schools and neighborhood. He was our nearest neighbor for several years and during that time shared his talents and memories with me.

During 1931 and 1932 Harry Taylor and John Gimpl brought the Riggs Donation Land Claims and additional contiguous acreage from P.L. Snodgrass, real estate dealer and financier, on a tax sale, paying on a stumpage basis for the timber. Later, Harry Taylor bought out Gimpl's interest in the more than 900 acres and fenced the Riggs place at a cost of $3,000. He moved his family into a new cabin and built a barn, grainary, shop and chicken house. For 10 years he farmed the Riggs fields, pastured mohair goats and cattle, cut many cords of firewood and hauled it to Eugene for sale. His wife, Belle, died on the place in 1943. Shortly after that he gave about 338 acres, including part of the Jonathan Riggs Donation Land Claim, and part of the Garnett Riggs Donation Land Claim to his son John.

Harry's son, John, went into the service in about 1940 and upon his return to the 'Farm'... logged part of the acerage then sold the place to the present owners, (author of the book "Spencer Butte Pioneers"), Lois and Hal Barton.

For most of the years between 1951 and his death in 1960, Harry Taylor, lived in the old farm house on this place as our neighbor, usually eating his evening meal at our table. He helped us plant and harvest a few crops of hay in the cleared fields. He grubbed land for a small vineyard and a boysenberry patch. He put up clotheslines, built gates, repaired fences, erected another barn and an addition to the chicken house, and helped with the family butchering. He raised several acres of sweet corn two different years which I helped him market in the small local groceries.. And he reminisced as he worked. He told stories at the table and rode with us to church, pointing out historical landmarks, recalling early events and people. Here the Osburns trapped a "wild" sow. There Orville Phelps had his nursery. This log house was built by neighbors to house a widow and her family. This is where they smoked salmon brought from tidewater on the Siuslaw river each fall...... an overnight trip for team and wagon each way. So Harry planted the idea for this book.