Vandevert
Central Oregon was the last frontier of the American West. Mountains, deserts, and deep river gorges kept it isolated well into the twentieth century. The region was almost uninhabited when William Plutarch Vandevert, legendary bear hunter, homesteaded a site on the Little Deschutes River in 1892 and built a log house that served his family for three generations. The Vandeverts raised cattle, sold timber, and served their community as civilization grew up around them. The ranch has been home to a stage stop, a frontier post office, a one room schoolhouse, a dance pavilion, horses, dogs, sheep, and even a duel. Today the ranch is home to some of the finest log homes in the west.
ISBN-10: 0-9646506-2-2 ISBN-13: 978-0-9646506-2-6 Retail Price: $16.95 Authors: Ted Haynes and Grace Vandevert McNellis Trade Paperback: 208 pages, 70 photos & diagrams, bibliography, index Publisher: The Robleda Company (February 1, 2011) Language: English Dimensions: 6” x 9”
Booksellers who carry the book include:
The Des Chutes Historical Museum 129 NW Idaho Street Bend, OR 97701
Sunriver Books & Music Building 25, Suite C Sunriver, OR 97707
The Bowman Museum 246 N Main Street Prineville, OR 97754
(The Robleda Company does not sell books directly to the public. Bookstores and Libraries please order from Ingram.)
"The book is highly recommended for anyone living in Central Oregon." - Wendy Korn - Newberry Eagle
" This marvelous book is loaded with readable facts, photos, figures, personalities and a rich history of Central Oregon—from the front cover, featuring a hand-drawn map of the Vandevert homestead, to the back cover showing a powerful photo of "Bill" W.P. Vandevert, the man who started it all." Jim Anderson - The Source Weekly
"Highly recommended for pioneer settlement history of Deschutes County. Founded in 1892 by William Plutarch Vandevert, Bear Hunter, who could have stepped right out of a western novel, were he not a real person!" - Des Chutes Historical Museum Facebook Wall
"Editor's choice of the quarter." Crook County Historical Society Quarterly Newsletter
"Go to your local bookstore and get yourself a copy of this wonderful work and share it with your family on the next reading night you have with the children, or with your book club. It will enrich your lives and make you aware of the significance and contributions of the many pioneer families who utilized, and helped to preserve, the natural beauty of our land." Jim Anderson - The Source Weekly
The Oregonian & Oregon Live (April 9, 2011)
The Bulletin (April 3, 2011)
Newberry Eagle (March 2011 - See page 5)
The Source Weekly (February 7, 2011)
The Statesman Journal NWBiblioBlog (February 7, 2011)
Sunriver Scene (February, 2011 - see page 11)
"McNellis and Haynes have written a rich history of the celebrated Vandevert Ranch that is also an important chapter in the history of Deschutes County and Central Oregon. Much has changed along the Little Deschutes River since 1892, but the sturdy human heart of the Vandeverts' story is celebrated throughout this book, as in Grace's wry observation that "There was a lot of life on the ranch, wild and domesticated. But the most interesting lived in the house.” - Jarold Ramsey, Professor of English Emeritus, University of Rochester; author of New Era: Reflections on the Human and Natural History of Central Oregon
"InVandevert, Haynes and McNellis have written as definitive an account as we will likely ever have of this now 118-year-old pioneer ranch. To read their book is to grasp the role Grace's forebears played in Central Oregon's fascinating history. They have done the region's heritage a great service. - Les Joslin, Central Oregon writer and teacher
"In the 1940’s we frequently trailed cattle past Vandevert Ranch and it was fun to imagine what stories the old log homestead could tell. At last I’ve learned those stories from reading Vandevert and I enjoyed every page. It is wonderful to have history preserved in this entertaining and thoughtful book." - Nita Lowry, author of The Triangle Outfit
"From the colorful characters like William Plutarch Vandevert and his early days with the Hashknife Cattle Company, to the brilliantly detailed descriptions of life on the Vandevert Ranch, Vandevert is a book and a legacy everyone will savor." - Carol Gardner, founder of the modern Vandevert Ranch, and creator of Zelda Wisdom, Inc.
"Haynes and McNellis open a time capsule from a warmer and more genuine life with this captivating family history. When Indians camped in the meadow, and before electricity, central heating, or indoor plumbing. When the whole family gathered for Christmas. When entertainment came from the family piano, from reading, riding horses, and a hot Saturday night bath in a tin tub. All are described with a realism that glows like a western sun that has just set." - Melany Tupper, author of The Sandy Knoll Murder, Legacy of the Sheepshooters
"Here, in plain, unembellished detail, is what life was really like on western cattle ranches prior to the Second World War when large areas of the West did not yet have electricity or indoor plumbing, nor even refrigeration for perishables, and life everyday proved that there is no pleasure without pain." - Vincent Vandevert, grandson of ranch founder William Plutarch Vandevert
Introduction Chapter 1: Bear Hunter Chapter 2: Land, Water, and Nature Chapter 3: Oregon Frontier Chapter 4: Pioneer Family Chapter 5: Cattle Chapter 6: Community Chapter 7: Ranchers Chapter 8: Timber Chapter 9: Sheep, Horses, and Other Animals Chapter 10: Ranch Life in the 1930s Chapter 11: Heat, Light, and Civilization Chapter 12: Politics, Religion, Liquor, and Values Chapter 13: Third Generation Chapter 14: Town of Harper and Harper School Chapter 15: Camp Abbot and Sunriver Chapter 16: New Wife, New Home Chapter 17: New Owners, New Ranch Chapter 18: New Log Houses Bibliography Index
Grace Vandevert McNellis' earlier book, Home on the Vandevert Ranch, is out of print. Fortunately, CD's of Grace reading the book in her own delightful voice are still available. For this unique record of life on the Vandevert Ranch, send a check for $12.95 made out to Grace McNellis to:
Vandevert CD 9020 Peacock Hill Drive #2 Gig Harbor Washington 98332
The $12.95 includes the CD as well as shipping and handling within the United States. Be sure to include your shipping address (with your telephone number and E-mail address to help assure accurate delivery).
The Electronic Commerce Dictionary, written by Ted Haynes in 1995 is, of course, very out of date today. For those with a curiosity about ancient texts, copies can still be found on Amazon.