Hello All,

I just wanted to share with you how proud I am of my son Nathan. He has completed the requirements of the rank of an Eagle Scout since he began his journey to this rank in grade school so many years ago. I could not be any prouder of him. Please take a moment to read his article. Of course there is much more to the story than what is written. Nathan overcame many obstacles along the way. He was able, in a very short time, to manage the difficult task of acquiring all of the donations 100%, coordinating the all volunteer crew, learning what it took to complete the task ahead of him, managing it and making sure that it was accomplished in the time frame set. Through this he was also going through his senior finals at high school and he even marched several miles in the Starlight Parade one night of the workday. Needless to say his energy and enthusiasm never fell short. The last work day on this project was my Birthday, June 3rd. This was the day when the project was completed. Nathan chose that day because he wanted to give me that honor as a birthday gift. I have never had a better birthday gift then this, to see the look of contentment and accomplishment on my son's face.

All of you that know Nathan are aware that he is not a BIG talker, and never boasts about himself. Please allow me to do that for him and share in the excitement with him.

Also a HUGE THANK YOU to those of you that helped Nathan with his project. Especially you Terry!!! His Eagle Court of Honor will be sometime early next year so that it does not interfere with the holidays. Invites will be sent out as the date approaches.

His Mom, Theresa

Spotted: at Parker's Landing

Wednesday, August 15, 2007
BY KIM JARVIS, Columbian staff writer

Nathan Slagle, a recent graduate of Mountain View High School, decided to put his fondness for history to use when he chose his Eagle Scout community service project.

He decided to spruce up the Van Vleet Plaza at Parker's Landing Historical Park by putting in a walkway of brick paving stones around an old grain silo base.

He enlisted the help of architect Terry Harder and recruited a crew of volunteers who spent two weekends in June putting in the labor. He also obtained all of the necessary materials through donations by local businesses, as per the Eagle Scout requirements.

The crew removed approximately 10 inches of old soil, sand and gravel and then leveled out the whole area so that it would be less of a hazard. The volunteers put in approximately 400 man-hours on the project.

"Some of them had blisters on their hands afterwards, but it was a wonderful community effort," said Theresa Helsing, Slagle's mother.

The Van Vleet family were early settlers in the area, and Lewis Van Vleet bought some of the land from the landing's namesake, David C. Parker, after Parker's death. Van Vleet also ran Parker's ferry business and filed a second Parkersville town plat on April 18, 1878.

Van Vleet's daughter, Louisa Van Vleet Spicer Wright, was Clark County's first woman doctor. In fact, she was only the second physician in the county of either sex to have earned a degree from a medical school, according to The Columbian's online history.

The land on which the park is located was given to her by her father and stayed in the Van Vleet family until 1968, when is was purchased by the Port of Camas-Washougal.

- Kim Jarvis