When I moved to Boring, Oregon, 46 years ago, it did not take long for all my friends who lived in other places to ask with a smirk, “Is it boring in Boring?” I soon tired of the plethora of jokes and puns about Boring—some of them not printable in a family newspaper like the Northwest Connection.
So I developed a few stock replies to such absurd questions. “It’s exciting in our end of Boring” and “Not since we moved there” and “It’s a name, not a condition.” They were neither very imaginative nor very well received, and I despaired of finding a way to make my friends take Boring seriously.
Now comes Bruce Haney with his book just published by The History Press in Charleston, South Carolina: Eccentric Tales of Boring, Oregon (127 pages, $21.99). While it is not a serious book (after all, it’s full of Eccentric Tales) it contains well-researched and attested accounts of true events in the history of Boring, and is well worth reading, including a pictorial record of some fascinating stories.
From secretly hiring an up-and-coming boxer to fight the town bully to the time firecrackers were blamed for burning down half the town, memorable moments abound. You may discover the story of the wild man who lived in the woods and the attempts of prohibition-era moonshiners to evade the law.
Haney uncovers the true identity of “The Wild West Gang” and the real story of the runaway train loaded with potatoes. Although not a native—or even a resident—of Boring, Haney’s interest in its history began several years ago when he took a job in one of Boring’s businesses. He looked into the history of some of the old buildings and soon became fascinated with learning about the history of some of the peculiar tales of its residents, past and present.
The more he dug, the more obsessed he became. He created a Facebook group to share his findings, and to urge people to share their stories, comments, and personal memories. The group grew like Topsy, and soon Bruce was asked to attend monthly meetings of the Boring Community Planning Organization, where he could share each month a “Bit of Boring History.”After painstaking research, interviews with ancient citizens, and hours of visiting local museums, Grange records, and Odd Fellows archives, it seemed only natural to compile his findings in a book, and he has done just that with Eccentric Tales.
Whether you prefer to sit down and read it straight through to get a taste of what life was like in the Old Northwest early days, or just to keep it handy to dip into from time to time for some amusing yarns, even legends and fables, you’re sure to enjoy Eccentric Tales of Boring, Oregon, by Bruce Haney, available at fine bookstores everywhere, even at Amazon.com, and especially at the Sandy Historical Museum. In my personal rating system, I’d give it five out of five stars.
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