Wildfire swept by historic high winds raced up Rock Creek Road the day after Labor Day, destroying everything in its path, including the place Dan and Sue Meyer called home for 37 years.
It was a place where a couple of high school sweethearts raised their three children, and where everyone was welcome. Just knock, and walk in the back door.
It was also the home of Dan’s passion and career: raising fish for Oregon’s nearby North Umpqua River.
It was a tight-knit community — home to three other families too — called the Rock Creek Hatchery and located in a tiny place known as Idleyld Park.
Nothing remains of the homes or hatchery buildings but ash-covered rubble, and amazingly, the newest structure on the campus, the Rock Education building.
The devastation has yet to sink in for the Meyers. Friends have taken them in temporarily, so they’re fed and sheltered.
But everything familiar about their surroundings is gone.
They won’t sleep in their own beds again. They won’t sit by the cozy woodstove in their living room, where the unique artwork depicts salmon, steelhead and trout. That’s how Sue decorated their home, in honor of her husband’s career.
The sun won’t reflect in the vintage colored glass and collectibles Sue had acquired over years of antiquing excursions.
Every little thing is gone.
Yes, they are just things, and the Meyers are so grateful to have survived the raging blaze that forced them to evacuate the entire fish hatchery and their home within a couple of hours.
It’s the rest of us — their long list of friends and family members who want to do something to ease their stress while they wait to rebuild their lives. I'm one of those friends. I met the Meyers more than 25 years ago, when our families meshed through work, preschool, mutual friends and community. I live in Portland now; otherwise I would have been among those who were evacuated by the Archie Creek fire.
I want to thank them for the many meals, the overnight stays, the tours of the hatchery, and the unending friendship we’ve shared at their former home. I know there are others who want to show their support. This seemed to be the way to offer that opportunity.
Insurance will come through eventually to cover their belongings. It’s too soon to know if the hatchery and homes will be rebuilt and what will become of Dan’s job. That’s up to the state of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One of the amazing traits of the Meyers is how meticulously they cared for their home – when they didn’t even own it.
They weren’t building equity they would eventually recapture. They were just taking care of it for the people of Oregon.
Sue also waits to see if she will return to work at Steamboat Inn. The famed fly-fishing lodge on the North Umpqua River sits at the edge of the wildfire where firefighters are attempting to hold the blaze.
Selfless individuals like Dan and Sue would never ask for help. They will always think of others who need more.
While the goal is to give them some temporary relief from financial worries, it’s very possible they may use your donations to help other victims of the 2020 Archie Creek fire as well.
The communities of Glide and Idleyld Park thank you for any generosity you’re able to share.
If you’d prefer to remain offline with your donations or want to offer good wishes, please send them to Dan and Sue Meyer, c/o M. Meyer, 6104 NE Sumner St., Portland OR 97218
It was a place where a couple of high school sweethearts raised their three children, and where everyone was welcome. Just knock, and walk in the back door.
It was also the home of Dan’s passion and career: raising fish for Oregon’s nearby North Umpqua River.
It was a tight-knit community — home to three other families too — called the Rock Creek Hatchery and located in a tiny place known as Idleyld Park.
Nothing remains of the homes or hatchery buildings but ash-covered rubble, and amazingly, the newest structure on the campus, the Rock Education building.
The devastation has yet to sink in for the Meyers. Friends have taken them in temporarily, so they’re fed and sheltered.
But everything familiar about their surroundings is gone.
They won’t sleep in their own beds again. They won’t sit by the cozy woodstove in their living room, where the unique artwork depicts salmon, steelhead and trout. That’s how Sue decorated their home, in honor of her husband’s career.
The sun won’t reflect in the vintage colored glass and collectibles Sue had acquired over years of antiquing excursions.
Every little thing is gone.
Yes, they are just things, and the Meyers are so grateful to have survived the raging blaze that forced them to evacuate the entire fish hatchery and their home within a couple of hours.
It’s the rest of us — their long list of friends and family members who want to do something to ease their stress while they wait to rebuild their lives. I'm one of those friends. I met the Meyers more than 25 years ago, when our families meshed through work, preschool, mutual friends and community. I live in Portland now; otherwise I would have been among those who were evacuated by the Archie Creek fire.
I want to thank them for the many meals, the overnight stays, the tours of the hatchery, and the unending friendship we’ve shared at their former home. I know there are others who want to show their support. This seemed to be the way to offer that opportunity.
Insurance will come through eventually to cover their belongings. It’s too soon to know if the hatchery and homes will be rebuilt and what will become of Dan’s job. That’s up to the state of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One of the amazing traits of the Meyers is how meticulously they cared for their home – when they didn’t even own it.
They weren’t building equity they would eventually recapture. They were just taking care of it for the people of Oregon.
Sue also waits to see if she will return to work at Steamboat Inn. The famed fly-fishing lodge on the North Umpqua River sits at the edge of the wildfire where firefighters are attempting to hold the blaze.
Selfless individuals like Dan and Sue would never ask for help. They will always think of others who need more.
While the goal is to give them some temporary relief from financial worries, it’s very possible they may use your donations to help other victims of the 2020 Archie Creek fire as well.
The communities of Glide and Idleyld Park thank you for any generosity you’re able to share.
If you’d prefer to remain offline with your donations or want to offer good wishes, please send them to Dan and Sue Meyer, c/o M. Meyer, 6104 NE Sumner St., Portland OR 97218