The Siuslaw Pioneer was a publication of the Siuslaw Historical Society. The following story appeared in the 1949 issue.

Pioneer School Children’s Lunches

“The best eeling grounds were up in the river above Head of Tide back of Bricker’s store.  [The area now known as Brickerville]. The Indian women and children waded into the river and gathered the eels up in baskets and took them home to be smoked.  The children carried them to school for lunch, but were cautioned not to give them to the white children for they would laugh.  But the white children had already had some, and would trade cake, pie or cookies or anything else they had to get the eels.  It soon got so that the white children were eating the Indian children’s lunch and the Indian children ate the white children’s lunch.”

Note:  Copies of this and other Siuslaw Pioneer publications can be found in the Siuslaw Genealogy Room at the Siuslaw Library.