Bill Moss

A quiet man with a gentle smile; he reminisces about the beginnings of our Timber Valley Park. Bill Moss was born in Oklahoma in 1929. He ran an Auto Parts store in Roseburg and then retired to go into Real Estate in Sutherlin. He was on the original list of owners and also on the Land Search Committee entrusted with finding a home for Chapter Nine members. He was in Yuma when Roy Adams called and asked his help in getting money back they had put down on Oakland “flood plain” land and buying Sutherlin property instead. Bill says they looked all over and here was this wonderful place “right under our noses.” Bill went to the Sutherlin Planning Commission and helped put together 6 or 7 parcels to make up our 90 acres.
We’ve written about “ Leisure Valley”, the park planned here before it became Timber Valley .Fred Harrington “was a manipulator” who dreamed it up and made a presentation of “Leisure Valley” to all the important people he could round up (including Bill Moss) It was complete with models of the proposed nursing home, residences, motel, golf course etc. etc. Fred Harrington died in debt to the Federal Land Bank for over $300,000 (The purchase price of this property.) The property lay dormant for several years and the City of Sutherlin wanted it sold.
Bill suggested they offer $80,000 and it was accepted! After fees, right of way etc. it cost a little over $90, 000. It was March of 1988 that Chapter Nine approved purchasing the land and October 1988 when it was finalized. Bill has a copy of the “waiting list of August 8, 1988”; it has 350 names on it.
During the construction of the park, Bill ran a back hoe putting 10 yards of gravel on each lot. He’d start at 7 am and work until “finished”. There was only one driver for the 5 yard dump truck. So the truck would go to Roseburg for gravel, dump it on lot 121 and Bill would pick it up and dump and back blade it. They found springs on some lots and had to use extra gravel.
Numerous SKPS worked on the construction of the park; Bill says he counted as many as 30 SKPs working in “clean-up mode”. We owe Bill Moss a big thank you for his far-sightedness in helping to purchase and to build our wonderful park. Thanks, Bill, from all of us!