Sept 7, 2013 Bob Zybach, Jennene Johns, and John Meranda at Elliff DLC

Sept 7, 2013 Bob Zybach, Jennene Johns, and John Meranda at Elliff DLC

A photograph from September 7th, 2013 of Bob Zybach, Jennene Johns, and John Meranda standing next to a tree recently planted at Elliff Cabin, where Letitia lived and worked after leaving David Carson's estate. Jennene and Dale Johns own the presentday Ranch in Azalea that was once the Elliff DLC. John Meranda is the husband of Jan Meranda, historian who worked closely with Bob Zybach on the Letitia Carson story. During the time the legal suits were being filed, Letitia and the children had left their home of seven years and moved to the upper Cow Creek Valley in Douglas County. It is thought that she may have traveled south with the Nidey family, pioneers of 1852 who wintered in Santiam City (present-day Jefferson) and traveled south to Cow Creek Valley in late March and early April 1853. The distance from Letitia’s home on Soap Creek to the Hardy Elliff cabin (Johns Ranch in present day Azalea), where the Nidey’s first camped, is about 160 miles, or about one week’s travel at that time. The route taken was the main road from Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River and has been known at various times in its history as the California Trail, the South Road of the Oregon Trail, the Scott-Applegate Trail, and Territorial Road. Now it is mostly I-5 and 99-W. The Elliff Donation Land Claim is central to Letitia Carson's story and sits nearby Myrtle Creek, and her long-time Douglas County home.

Bob Zybach Personal Collection

LCLP

2013-09-07

Bob Zybach

Copyright: Bob Zybach

From a series of photos taken by historian Bob Zybach on September 7th, 2013 at Elliff Cabin, where Letitia lived and worked after leaving David Carson's estate and in the Stephens Graveyard along South
Myrtle Creek, a few miles west of her long-time Douglas County home.

JPEG image

Photograph

Elliff DLC 2013 -1

Elliff DLC, Myrtle Creek, Douglas County Oregon