The Dalles Chronicle August 11, 2002 Dream of A Bulb Farm Died With Pioneer by Dorothy Mathison for The Chronicle Chronicle Editor's note: An extended version of this story appeared in The Dalles Optimist in 1959. The author, who just turned 92, publishes a monthly newsletter for Parkhurst House residents and family in Hood River. The following has been condensed and lightly rewritten by Elena Lesley of The Chronicle staff. Charred grass and scorched scrub oak now cover the expanse of Sheldon Ridge where a family had once dreamed of operating a world-renowned bulb farm. When Joseph Sheldon and his two daughters, Ruth and Miriam, moved to The Dalles from Lawrence, Kansas in 1910, they immediately began making preparations for the farm. The three set to work clearing rocks, mixing sand from canyon bottoms with soil and ordering bulbs from Holland. Once planted, the Sheldons' flowers gained a widespread reputation locally. Plots of daffodils, narcissus, tulips and iris made beautiful displays while in bloom, and The Dalles resident would often order them for homes and shops. Packaging the delicate flowers required special care. The Sheldons would pack blooms in moss they had found in nearby canyons and keep them moist using water carried by hand from a cistern. Once the girls reached adulthood, Ruth began writing for The Dalles Chronicle and Optimist newspapers, while Miriam remained devoted primarily to the bulb farm. Throughout her life, Miriam took great steps to diversify the selection of flowers grown on the Sheldon homestead land. She sought different wild varieties of flowers blooming in the nearby glades and canyons, often transplanting them in her own garden. Even in her old age, Miriam never gave up hope that the bulb farm would one day become a showplace, with people from all over the world coming to see her flowers. But this dream was never realized. She died in 1934 after riding on horseback in search of her children and several stray goats. Exhausted by the outing, she returned to her home and crawled into bed fully clothed, where she apparently suffered a heart attack. Although Miriam was no longer there to tend to them, her flowers continued to bloom each spring for many years. Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, Oregon. Copied and submitted by Earline Wasser "Don't judge each day by the harvest your reap, but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson Researching WASSER, GOAR, JOURNEY, HAMM, VINZANT, McNEAL, MATHIESON