Bly, Oregon

Family Roots and Early Life

Ruth Obenchain (Campbell) was born April 26, 1912, into a pioneering Klamath Basin family. Her mother, Eva Drew Campbell, came from one of the first settler families in nearby Langell Valley - the Drew family, who moved from Jacksonville to Langell Valley in 1879. Ruth's father Walter Campbell was a cattleman, and the family ranched in Langell Valley for over a decade. In 1940, the Campbells bought the Bill Finley ranch (also known as the Merkley place) and relocated to Bly, bringing Ruth's childhood to the upper Sprague River country. This move set the stage for Ruth's lifelong ties to Bly.

Marriage into a Pioneer Ranch Family

Ruth married Frank Obenchain in 1933, linking her life with one of Bly's founding ranch families. Frank's grandfather, Madison Obenchain, had homesteaded along Merrill Creek about eight miles north of Bly in the 1870s. Madison and his wife Minnie (a German immigrant) settled there in 1881 and built the nucleus of what became the Obenchain Ranch. Their only son Frank Obenchain, Sr. (born 1877 in Jacksonville) carried on the ranch, expanding it to over 2,000 acres of meadow and cattle range. Frank Sr. and his wife Carrie Wendt raised four children - Marie, Madison "Matt," Frank Jr., and Harry - in the ranching tradition. Ruth's husband Frank Obenchain Jr. was part of this second generation. After marrying, Ruth and Frank Jr. made their home on the Obenchain Ranch near Bly, where Frank ran cattle and even worked briefly at a local mill. Ruth quickly became integral to the extended Obenchain clan, absorbing the rhythms of ranch life from haying season to winter feeding. Her children Carolyn and Margaret grew up as the third generation on the ranch, and Ruth took pride in the family's deep roots in Bly's soil. The Obenchain family's early letters and recollections have been preserved in local history archives, providing firsthand insight into frontier life in the Sprague River Valley. Ruth herself would later contribute to documenting these local stories, bridging past and present in Bly.

Longtime Teacher and School Principal

While embracing ranch family life, Ruth Obenchain also devoted herself to education - a role in which she left an indelible mark on the Bly community. She began teaching in 1931 and worked at schools across Klamath County (including Henley, Sprague River, and Altamont) during the Depression. In 1937, she accepted a post at Bly, just as the local school was reopening, and found it "a very nice experience." Ruth taught 5th and 6th grades initially, later taught high school classes, and eventually served as the 7th-8th grade principal for about seven years. In an era when few women held administrative roles, she became a steady guiding hand at Bly School. Former students recall that Mrs. Obenchain ran a strict but caring classroom. Donnie Wessel, who attended Bly in the late 1940s, remembered Ruth as "the best teacher I ever had" - demanding but utterly dedicated to her students. She set clear expectations yet gave her pupils a well-rounded education, teaching (as Wessel put it) "the full circle" of subjects. Other alumni from the 1950s similarly credit "Mrs. Obenchain" with instilling discipline and community pride in Bly's youth. Beyond academics, she involved herself in school activities - for example, acting as adviser to the Bly Girls' Athletic Association. In 1959 the girls honored Ruth with a floral bouquet at their Mothers' Tea, recognizing her guidance and support. By the time she retired from teaching in 1970, Mrs. Obenchain had educated generations of Bly children over nearly four decades. She was known to be firm but fair, and deeply "thankful" for the chance to shape young lives. In March 2018, the Klamath County Historical Society's Women in Local History program profiled Ruth as "a ranch woman who taught at Bly," underscoring her dual legacy in education and ranching.

Community Involvement and Legacy

Outside the classroom, Ruth Obenchain played an active role in Bly's church and civic life. She was a longtime member of the local Christian church (later known as the Standing Stone Church), which she saw rebuilt after a fire in earlier years. For decades Ruth could be found at community events, card parties, and dances, or lending a hand at ranch brandings and 4-H fairs. As a ranch wife she joined organizations like the Klamath County Cattlewomen, staying involved in agricultural youth programs. In fact, the Klamath County Cattlewomen's Association later established a scholarship in Ruth's memory in 2002, helping future generations pursue education just as Ruth had encouraged. Ruth also took it upon herself to chronicle local history. In 1983, she authored a retrospective article on the Bly Country Store, detailing that it was built in 1938 and recounting its many proprietors over the years. Her write-up preserved anecdotes that might have been lost, reflecting the same storyteller's instinct that led her to record oral histories in her later years. (Ruth was interviewed in 2000 as part of a Bly history project, where she shared memories of everything from one-room schoolhouses to cooking for ranch crews.)

Ruth Obenchain passed away in 2002 at the age of 90, but her influence remains firmly woven into Bly's fabric. For many years, each spring at Bly School's promotion ceremony, a deserving eighth-grade girl received the Ruth Obenchain Award, an honor recognizing outstanding character and achievement. (A companion Mike Mansfield Award for boys was named after one of her former students.)

Today, Bly is served by an elementary school through sixth grade, and while the award is no longer given, Ruth's legacy endures in the town's memory and its ongoing commitment to education. In the center of town, the community gym - once known as Gearhart Gym - has been revitalized and renamed the Ruth Obenchain Recreation Center in her honor. Today this center hosts local events, sports, and gatherings, a fitting tribute to a woman who spent her life bringing people together. Ruth's legacy also lives on in the many former students who became lifelong friends. As Donnie Wessel reflected, Ruth stayed in contact with her pupils well after they were grown - a testament to the personal care she invested in her community. Whether in the schoolhouse, the church pew, or the hayfield, Ruth Obenchain committed herself to Bly's people. She is remembered for her tireless service and the remarkable way she bridged two worlds: educating the town's children on weekdays and ranching the high country alongside her family on weekends. In the story of Bly, Ruth Obenchain stands as a symbol of the town's pioneer spirit, community values, and dedication to future generations.

Sources

Local oral history interviews and family memoirs (collected in Klamath Echoes and the Klamath County Historical Society Trumpeter) provide much of the detail on Ruth Obenchain's life. Her own 2000 interview offers first-hand recollections of Bly's mid-20th century life, while newspaper archives and school records chronicle her teaching career and community honors. These accounts, along with memories shared by former students, paint a comprehensive picture of Ruth Obenchain's enduring contributions to Bly, Oregon.