Waconda, Oregon
On French Prairie there are two Wacondas-an old Waconda that flourished on the stage route, about one mile south of Gervais,Oregon and Waconda station on the Oregon Electric Railway. These Wacondas are about four miles apart.
Current day Waconda is a historic unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States, near the crossroads of River Road and Waconda Road.
Waconda was once a station on the Oregon Electric Railway. The station opened in January 1908. It formerly had a post office by the same name.
Old Waconda
Waconda was located about a mile south of present-day Gervais, Oregon. at the crossroads of the Oregon Stage Coach Road and Parkersville-Fairfield Road and Keene Rd..
These two roads were important commerce roads. The east-west Parkersville-Fairfield Road moved lumber and agriculture products from the Parkersville area to Fairfield located on the Willamette River, an important shipping port on the river. The north-south Oregon Stage Coach Road was the major road from Portland, Oregon to Salem, Oregon and on to California.
Although the town no longer exists, the current Marion County tax maps still show the plat of Waconda.
On May 7th, 1856, John H. Feaster, a blacksmith, purchased 100 acres for $ 18.00 per acre from William Larkin, part of the original William Larkin land claim of 1850
WACONDA – MEANING OF THE WORD
In the Kanza language, the name “Waconda” translates as “spirit water” or “Great Spirit Spring”
In the Siouan language, the name “Waconda” translates as “consecrated place”
STAGE COACH STOP
Waconda was established as a stage coach stop in the 1857
The site was perfect for a stage coach stop. The stage coach changed horses every 12 miles with Aurora Colony located 12 miles north and Salem located 12 miles south.
The cost of a ticket from Portland to Waconda was $ 4.00 and Waconda to Salem was $ 1.00.
Even in the rainy Willamette Valley, water was sometimes hard to find, but not at Waconda, it had a year around spring to water the horses..
PLATTING OF WACONDA:
Waconda was platted on September 3, 1866 by John and Martha Feaster with Elias Magers and J.W. Smith as witnesses. S.D. Snowden was the surveyor. Waconda streets were never named and even some of the blocks failed to be segregated. The streets and alleys were vacated in 1943.
SELLING OF LOTS:
John Feaster had a vision that Waconda would be a major town someday. In 1862, even before Waconda was platted, he began selling lots for houses and businesses.
As a special inducement for settlement in Waconda, Feaster offered a lot for free to a store, hotel keeper or blacksmith – if they were good ones and if they would erect a “respectable” building and start a business.
CHURCH:
The Baptist denomination is building a handsome church.
Trustees of the French Prairie Missionary Baptist Church: John D Garrett, Wiliam B Magers and Sanford Stevens. Recorded on deed Dated 11/6/1865
HOTELS:
Waconda had two hotels that stood on the west side of what is now Highway 99E. Anton Adelman as a youngster with others of his age toasted weiners in a huge fireplace that once warmed guest in the hotel.
BREWERY:
The town had a brewery, Glaser and Kirn Brewery beginning sometime in the 1860’s owned by Gustave Glaser and Fredrick Kirn. The site was called Brewery Hill. Beneath this one-story brewery was the aging cellar where good keg beer was kept until ready for distribution. Above was a bar where excellent steam was dispensed at five cents for a big glass. It brewed 129 barrels of beer in 1879. The beer was black, hoppy and potent.The source of water was an excellent spring at the bottom of the hill next to current day Farmers Creek that lasted year around.
Waconda brewery burned twice. The second time was on Sunday morning January 24th, 1892. Forty-five hundred bushels of barley, the ice house, and all the brewing machinery were consumed. Total loss was put at $ 14,000.00, with but $ 1,000.00 insured. The brewery was not rebuilt.
Gustave Glaser was born in Wurttemberg,Germany in 1842.
Fredrick W. Kirn was born in Wert, Germany.
WACONDA SCHOOL:
A school was a necessity in any town. Waconda was no exception.
In 1852, According to records in the Marion County School Office, a schoolhouse was built. The School House was located just south of Waconda on the Rondeau Donation Land Claim.. Just off of current Hwy 99E, East side and at the edge of an oak grove. In 2020, the property is owned by the Adelman Family.
From records in the Marion County Office, the value of this schoolhouse was $ 300.00.
W.T Rigdon gives a description of the school house as told in Sarah Hunt Steeves’ Book of Remembrance. “was built of logs with an opening about ten feet long at one end, where two logs had been left out to give light and a great fireplace made of rough unhewn basalt stone set with-out mortar, trowel, or plumb-line, built at the other end. The hearth was of the same stone, the flattest of the lot, while the chimney was built of sticks and plastered with mud. There was one door, made of rough boards from the nearest sawmill, with squeaky wooden hinges, while the door fastening was made by using a wooden socket and round peg. The rickety benches and rude dusks were fastened to the wall. In a few years Rigdon was destined to teach this school, and he said he made it a rule always to carry the door-peg in his pocket for fear someone would lock him out”.
This school house was used until 1873, when a new school was built on the S.W.R. Jones property on what is current day Hwy 99E. The School is now known as the Pioneer School, District 13.
POST OFFICE:
A U.S. Post Office opened on March 23, 1864. It closed on November 6, 1871 and was moved to Gervais, Oregon. The following individuals served as postmasters.
John H. Feaster March 23, 1864 – March 19, 1867
Truman Bonney March 19, 1867 – August 15, 1867
Charles Calvert August 15, 1867 – July 15, 1869
Moses Levy July 15, 1869 – January 4, 1871
John C. Mayes January 4, 1871 – November 6, 1871
1867 PACIFIC COAST DIRECTORY
The directory listed three physicians, two blacksmiths, a surveyor, a wagon maker and a general merchant.
Charles Calvert,general merchant & Postmaster
Richard Enes,wagon maker
J. H. Feaster,blacksmith
G. S. Johnson,blacksmith
W. B. Magers,physician
J. H. Masterson,physician
S. D. Snowden,surveyor
J. J. William,Physician
1870 CENSUS:
The census of 1870 was of the Waconda Township. It showed a population of 235, 50 dwellings and 33 property owners. The average age was 21.8 years. According to the census the town had three physicians, one teacher, one butcher, two merchants, two wagon makers, two saloon keeper, two saddlers, one druggist, three blacksmiths, one harness maker, one stable keeper and twenty-one farmers.