Talk:Binger Hermann

Baltimore Colony

There was some great information about Oregon pioneer history added to this article, but it doesn't all belong in Binger Hermann's article since not all of it is about him, and much of it is not encyclopedic (that is, it's a bit too colloquial for a formal article). I think there needs to be a new article either on Henry Hermann (Binger's father) or the Baltimore Colony, or both. I have edited the article to the part that relates to Binger and put the other parts below. It needs some more editing and should include inline citations. Let me know if I can help. --Sprkee 22:57, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Dr. Hermann first lead a small group of loyal friends to the West Coast in order to find the best location for the mostly German community he intended to bring there. As he found out new information on Oregon’s resources he would write articles and send them back to the East Coast newspapers. He ultimately chose to develop his own family’s homestead on the South Fork of the Coquille River where Broadbent, OR is now located.

After the Dr. returned to the East Coast the Baltimore Colonists got their affairs quickly in order and followed Dr. Hermann to meet a steam ship, the “Northern Light,“ of the Vanderbilt line, in New York City. Binger Hermann and his family would take the ship through the Gulf Stream off of Cape Lookout, then across the Caribbean Sea past the Bahamas, on past Jamaica, and after ten days they would come to the shores of Central America and Aspinwal. On the rail they went across the Isthmus and the area near where the Panama Canal would now be located. They eventually came to the old Spanish City of Panama and met the steamer “Uncle Sam” that would take them to San Francisco. The “Uncle Sam” anchored off the port of Acapulco so they could go sight seeing near the Castle of SanDiego. Binger Hermann, with roughly 50 other pioneers passed through the Golden Gate on May 7th 1859 then walked from the wharves of San Francisco. The morning after the Baltimore Colonists arrived in CA a local paper printed an article wishing them well and reporting on the statistical information of the Coquille Valley.

The colonists took the steam ship “Columbia” to Port Orford, OR. On May 22nd, they were traveling inland and up the Coast using Ox teams to carry the heavy loads. They moved the full wagons, women, and children along the beach route. They also ran mule trains, with heavily laden pack mules sometimes spilling cargo and breaking valued treasures. Charley Hilburn, a brother-in-law in after years of poet Joaquin Miller, had his wagon spill over and down a bank into briers. They hoisted it back up and made sure no person or animal had been seriously injured before moving on. Soon they reached the area where Bandon, OR now rests, a place where a few years earlier Native Americans had camped before being forcibly removed from their traditional living environment to the Siletz Reservation. There were no modern conveniences near Bandon then, but there was a massive lighthouse there.

In May Hermann got what must have seemed like his first introduction to the Promised Land when he first saw the Hambloch Homestead, a cottage clustered with vines and flowers in a meadow where dairy cows grazed. The colonists were greeted by Mr. John Hambloch and his wife, with whom they had lunch.

A days travel past the Hamblochs’ they found a river camp made of settlers from near Baltimore, Maryland. There were two families that the Hermann family knew previously. Doc Lowe was one of the party, and they shared a couple of hearty meals with him before continuing.

On several boats the colonists oared home, passing the occasional trapper. William Shroeder, then about 16, was in a rear boat. Accidently he fell into the water and Binger Hermann dove in to save him. Both boys quickly sank and reappeared. William was lost, but Binger was eventually carried to shore where his father kept him from drowning as well. William’s body was found by a trapper 17 days later.

“Discouraging as the accidents were,” Hermann writes in his manuscript titled ‘The Story of a Busy Life‘, "they only tended the more to inspire each one with new zeal and more determination to face the future." The colonists chose home sites and began to immediately clear the land. Although eager to carve out a new life on the frontier, most of the colonists were inexperienced in pioneer life. There was but one farmer among them. Besides Dr. Henry Hermann, a physician, there was a piano maker, a tinsmith, a music teacher, a cabinetmaker, a locksmith, and two cigar makers. Despite their inexperience, they managed to survive by helping one another out in what Binger Hermann describes as a “mutual aid society".

Only about a week after losing William Shroeder to the Coquille a Mr. Wilde, who was a cigar maker of Baltimore, was accidentally shot by himself. While he traveled through dense brush his trigger pulled on a branch. He left a wife and two children. Then the following week a Captain Harris was accidentally shot by his visitor, a William Duke, while a rifle was cleaned for a hunt. Then George Harris, a Norwegian born man who was disappointed with life disposed of himself at his solitary cabin.

The Baltimore Colonists camped in the woods on the plots they chose for themselves near the Hermann homestead and some housed with the very few pioneers that were already in the region while looking for the perfect locations for their homes.

Hello, I'm a little late in adding this information because I was recently in the hospital. I sent the below information to another person who edits wikipedia and they suggested that I post this to the talk page. Thank you for your time, work, and patience.

I'm new to editing on wikipedia and I have been trying to figure out how to properly add and cite information to the Binger Hermann page. There is a reference on the Binger Hermann page to The Oregon History Project's page 'Shadows in Public life', but I also wanted to add a reference to The Oregon History Project's page 'The Baltimore Colony' where there is a transcription of Binger Herman's first draft of “The Story of a Busy Life,” p. 8 which I quoted from. I'm afraid I'm not the best editor as yet, but hopefully my editing skills will grow with some help and education.

I welcome the assistance of other editors in achieving a neutral viewpoint in this article and in finding proper citations for the new information. Most of what I learned about Binger Hermann was passed down to me through my family, he is my great great great uncle. But there was a book published by the Baltimore Colony Centennial Committee it was called "The Baltimore Colony and pioneer recollections : taken from the original notes of the Honorable Binger Hermann, by Baltimore Colony Centennial Committee (1959). Recollections of early Coos County as recorded by one of the Baltimore Colony members. Hon. Binger Hermann was the first school teacher in the Coquille Valley and had the first store in what would become Myrtle Point. He went on to become a lawyer and the only Congressional Representative to have lived in the Coquille Valley." The above quoted was found at coquillevalley.org/CoquilleValleyPioneers.doc

I have personally read The Baltimore Colony and pioneer recollections and I used to own a copy, but it was unfortunately lost in a move of residence. I have also looked at a copy that may still be being kept in the basement of the Central Library in Portland, OR. No one was allowed to check the book out, you have to request to see it and have a library employee retrieve it for you.

There are also references to Binger Hermann, Dr. Henry Hermann, and The Hermann Store that Binger Hermann opened in Curt Beckham's 'Myrtle Point Beginnings' written in 1985. Robyn Greenlund organized an index to Myrtle Point Beginnings online in 2006 at http://www.freewebs.com/homehistorian/curt/Index.htm

This is what I found at the index page mentioned above:

• Baltimore Colony
  • Baltimore Colony arrives in Coos County, lead by Dr. Henry Hermann (1859 - p.20, 51).

• Hermann and Brown Store
  • Hermann and Brown store located inside Hermann building (1892 - p.11).

• Hermann Building (Opera House)
  • Hermann Building constructed with Daniel Giles and Son bricks. 3 stories tall. Now used by the Safeway Ice Cream Processing Plant (1891 - p.11).
  • Hermann building houses Myrtle Point Gold Creamery owned by A.M. Sunstrup (1933 abt - p.31).

• Hermann Store
  • Hermann store was constructed by Hon. Binger Hermann (1876 - p.9).
  • Fire started in the old Binger Hermann store. The two tallest buildings in town were dynamited to put out the fire (Jul. 18 1892 - p.9).

• Dr. Henry HERMANN
  • Traveled with John Yoakum (1850's - p.Forward).
  • Baltimore Colony leader. Father of Hon. Binger Hermann (1859 - p.1, 7).

• F.G. HERMANN
  • Ran a confectionary stand at the Coos & Curry County fair along with Ida W. Hansen (Sep. 1912 - p.60).

• Hon. Binger HERMANN
  • First teacher in Coquille Valley. Member of the Baltimore Colony (abt 1860 - p.47).
  • Built the Myrtle Point Store, a 2 story wooden structure (1876 - p.9).
  • Built the Myrtle Point Hotel, a 3 story wooden structure (1880's - p.31).
  • Speaker at 4th of July picnic. Son of Dr. Henry Hermann. Biography (Jul. 4 1881 - p.7).
  • Built the Hermann Building, a 3 story brick building (1892 - p.11).
  • Fire in the store building erected by Binger in 1876 (Jul. 18 1892 - p.9).

• Verlin K. HERMANN
  • Member of the Baltimore Colony Centennial Committee (1959 -p.67).
  • Author of Article on American Legion Hall with Charles McCracken (bef 1987 - p.67).

• Washington Polk HERMANN (a.k.a. W.P. Hermann)
  • Member of Myrtle Points first brass band (1880 - p.51).

I hope this helps with the citation process. Thank you so much for your valuable time and hard work! (I hope I'm signing this properly, this e-mail is from permalearning ) Respectfully, Permalearning 19:01, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Binger Hermann Links

I just posted quite a few links to the wiki talk page on Myrtle Point, OR and a few of those links had information on Binger Hermann. Including a link to one of his former residences. Here are a few of those links and more: http://historictour.coquillevalley.org/tour.php?linknum=11

http://historictour.coquillevalley.org/tour.php?linknum=40

http://coquillevalley.org/Indexes/MPBeginnings/timeline.htm

http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/OHP-Document-Shadows-in-Public-Life.cfm

a mention to Dr. Henry Hermann (Binger's Father) and The Baltimore Colony

http://www.cooshistory.org/histone.html

respectfully, Permalearning 07:54, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

The Hermann Family in Coos County Oregon

Pardon my method of reaching this group, but I am not a normal editor for Wikipedia, and therefore do not have a user name. I am the author of the index Permalearning mentioned above, and the creator of the historic tour in Myrtle Point which features several of the Baltimore Colony member's homes as they moved from their original homesteads and settled the town of Myrtle Point. I have additional information on this family, and the other families in the Baltimore colony and would be happy to assist you in this project. You can reach me via webmaster@coquillevalley.org.

Additional note: In Sprkee's summary above, he lists "William Shroeder, then about 16". The correct spelling of the last name is Schroeder, no Shroeder. I also have a copy of the book mention (Baltimore colony reflections...) and would be very willing to share it with you.

Respectfully, Robyn Greenlund 17:48, 30 July 2007 (PST) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.64.28.42 (talk • contribs) 00:57, July 31, 2007