Despite a brief burst of publicity and fame, her written works slid into obscurity and were largely forgotten. Her life is not without mystery, tragedy, and controversy. At the Church of Christ in “the mill town” (Opal’s name for Cottage Grove) she astounded the congregation by being able to recite vast quantities of scripture while attending services there with her family. She was promoted two grades in school, and was admitted to the University of Oregon at 17 based on her impressive knowledge of geology and the natural sciences this despite not having completed high school.
From a very early age she read everything she could get her hands on. “The Sunshine Fairy,” as she was known in her youth, was a prodigy. The Whiteley family moved continuously around the valley from Cottage Grove up to Star, Ore., as father Ed followed logging and mill work through the lumber camps and towns that had sprung up along the river where the rich virgin timber was being harvested.
Born in Colton, Wash., she moved to the Row River Valley at age 5.
You can’t really say Opal Irene Whiteley is from Cottage Grove.
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