In 1873 and 1874, after serving four years as a Union soldier in the Civil War, Captain John O'Brien homesteaded 160 acres of land south of Lorane, Oregon in what is now the Letz Creek Road area.After leaving the military at the end of the Civil War, he took up the cause of the men who worked in the trades-especially the printing trade-and he became deeply involved in setting up trade unions to make sure that the workers who mainly used their hands and training in helping to build America were treated fairly and provided a living wage for their families. His story is rich in texture. A printer by trade, he was a man who lived his life as a leader, but proved also to be a gracious and gentle man.
About the Author: Pat Edwards is the author of two books on the history of her home community of Lorane, Oregon. The first, Sawdust and Cider; A History of Lorane, Oregon and the Siuslaw Valley, was written with co-authors Nancy O'Hearn and Marna Hing in 1987 to help celebrate the community's centennial. In 2006, Pat wrote a major revision of the book called From Sawdust and Cider to Wine. She had a long-time collaboration with co-author, Jo-Brew, who sadly passed away on March 1, 2018. Their research and many years of work resulted in the publication of their companion books, OREGON'S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 under subtitles of "The Stories" (2013) by Jo-Brew, and "The Folk History" (2014) by Pat Edwards. Since then, Pat has begun a series of books based on the "Early Lane County (OR) Families With Lorane Connections." Volume 1 was titled The Baileys of Bailey Hill (2017) and she recently completed Volume 2, The Life and Letters of Captain John O'Brien. She and her husband Jim own the Lorane Family Store in the small community of Lorane, Oregon. She spent 15 years as Administrative Coordinator for the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon before retiring in 2004. Pat took over the role of Managing Editor for the literary quarterly, Groundwaters, which was distributed throughout all of Lane County, Oregon for over 10 years. The magazine published its last issue in January 2015 and it is now being published as an annual anthology. Pat also is the community correspondent for two small Lane County weeklies, the Fern Ridge Review and the Creswell Chronicle. Her work with Groundwaters has led her into the field of editing and publishing the works of others. She and her colleague, Jennifer Chambers, are invited speakers on the subject of "Self Publishing." "I'm blessed with a large, loving family. Jim and I celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary in 2018 and our family and home are our highest priorities."