CHAPTER ONE

C HAPTER O NE

Salem, Oregon Sixty Years Ago

F ifteen-year-old Milton Spangler came home to a wailing mother, a hysterical sister, and a phone ringing off the hook. “Papa is dead!” the thirteen-year-old girl shrieked. Milton stood in the doorway with his mouth agape.

“What are you saying?” He ran over to his little sister and placed his arms on her shoulders. “What do you mean Papa is dead?” He looked at his mother, who was too bereft to speak.

“Papa! Dead!” She continued to sob as the phone went on ringing.

He gently released her and lifted the receiver. “Spangler residence. This is Mill.”

“Oh, dear. I am so sorry to hear about your father.” A woman’s shaky voice sounded on the other end.

“Your father. There was an accident. At the mill.” She was gasping between sentences.

Mill turned to his mother for a clue, but she was sobbing into an already soaked kitchen towel. “Aunt Jill? What is going on?” He tried to remain calm, but he knew he was going to hear nothing good.

* * *

It was right after World War II when Josephine met Harold Spangler at the Geiser Creek Sawmill outside of Salem, Oregon. Josephine worked in the back office, posting invoices into the company ledger. Harold worked in the mill, debarking the trees after the loggers brought them in. Two years later, they were married and had their first child. They named him Milton. They decided that since they’d met at a mill, it was an appropriate name for their son, who was affectionately called Mill. Two years later, they had their second child. A girl. They debated as to whether or not they should call her Milly, but then thought it might be too confusing. They decided on Helen, after one of the magnificent volcanoes in Oregon. Little did they know, Mount St. Helens would explode twenty-eight years later, killing fifty-seven people, making it the deadliest eruption in U.S. history.

Harold had an impeccable work ethic and never refused overtime or to cover for his coworkers. He made what some considered “decent money.” Even with Josephine being a stay-at-home mom, they were able to pay for a modest three-bedroom ranch, albeit with only one bath, an automobile, utilities, and to put food on the table. Family vacations were trips to national parks, and the kids got new clothes each school year. Purchases were made out of necessity rather than luxury, they were never indulgent. Life was good. Calm.

But just after his fortieth birthday, a careless mistake took the life of Harold Spangler and changed the course of his family forever.

* * *

It had been a typical day at Geiser Creek. The flatbeds were delivering the newly felled timber to the debarking area. While Harold was waiting for the all-clear signal, one of the fasteners holding the logs on the flatbed snapped, causing the load to tumble off the truck, crushing Harold to death. Some said it was Harold’s fault. Some blamed the crooked foreman, who was rumored to overlook the well-being of the employees. But it wouldn’t be for another six years that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) was formed, establishing safety standards for workers.

The Spanglers had no life insurance to speak of. A mere $2,000 barely covered Harold’s funeral expenses. The company took no responsibility, but offered a job to Mill as a consolation. Josephine vehemently protested, but Mill had no choice. The family needed to eat and pay the bills. The company compromised with Josephine and promised her that Mill would be out of harm’s way. They gave him a desk job doing similar work to what his mother had done before she decided to stay at home and raise her family.

Josephine was also adamant that Mill was not going to drop out of school, and she got no argument from either Mill or Geiser Creek. They didn’t want to look bad to the community and made concessions to the grieving family, proposing a late-afternoon and weekend schedule. It wasn’t quite a full-time job, but it helped the family make ends meet.

With two teenagers, it was time for Josephine to get out of the house and find a job. She couldn’t expect Mill to be responsible for all the household expenses. The mill offered Josephine her old job—another consolation prize—but Josephine wanted no part of Geiser Creek Mill, and she took a part-time job at a local dress shop as a seamstress during the day while Helen was at school. Thanks to Mill’s keen eye for finances, he and Josephine paid their bills with a smidgen left over to put in a savings account. This routine went on for three years, until Mill finally graduated from high school, with a bright future ahead.