Frank DeLong Colvin was born on Hunter Creek in Curry
County, Oregon on September 1, 1882, and lived in or near the Gold Beach for
most of his life. His father, Henry "Sam" Colvin was
born in Washington County, PA, in 1830. "Sam" came to California in 1852 and
then moved to Oregon in 1857. Frank's mother, Miriam Dougherty,
was born in a covered wagon near the Idaho-California border while her parents
Nathan and Lydia Ann Rickard Dougherty were on their
way from Indiana to California in 1850. The Doughertys later moved to Tillamook
County, OR, and from there to Curry County where Miriam met and married "Sam"
Colvin in 1867. Dougherty Slough, just north of Tillamook, is named after her
family.
Frank was one of ten children born to "Sam" and Miriam Colvin. He had 4 brothers and five sisters born from 1868 to 1890.
His early life was spent on Hunter Creek, first on the lower part, and later about three miles up the creek at the "Old Home Place", which later became known as the "Leith Place". Between the ages of seven and eleven he lived part of the time with his family and part of the time with an old homesteader by the name of Jimmie McMonies. Between McMonies and Frank's mother, Frank learned to read, write, and do arithmetic. He never attended school a day of his life, yet he later became a successful fish hatchery operator, rancher, and sporting goods store owner and operator.
During the early 1900's, Frank worked for R.D. Hume in the salmon hatchery business in Gold Beach and later went to Bonneville, OR, where he continued to work in the hatchery business.
Returning to Curry County in 1910, Frank worked at many different jobs. He was a cook at the Gauntlett place, a timber faller, a fence builder, and finally a rancher, after purchasing a 160 acre farm from Phil McManus about two miles up Hunter Creek.
In June, 1917, he was married to Estella Jane Miller, daughter of another Curry County pioneer family. They had four children: Aina (Mrs. Ralph) Deo, of Crescent City, CA; Juanita Bauer (Mrs. Chet) Johnson, of Gold Beach; Marjorie (Mrs. Clifford) Moore, of Crescent City; and Edsel Colvin, of Gold Beach. Frank's wife Estella died in 1924.
In 1921 he purchased the Gold Beach Confectionary and operated this business as a confectionary and later as a sporting goods store until 1949, when the building he occupied was torn down due to new highway construction through Gold Beach. He then operated the business from other locations in Gold Beach and finally from his home.
It was during the years that he ran the sporting goods store that he gained a world-wide reputation as a fisherman. Fishermen from all over the world came to Gold Beach and the world-famous Rogue River, and most of them sought out Frank for advice. He won many trophies and prizes in national fishing contests and had articles written about his fishing expertise in national magazines and books. If he had a desire to be remembered for anything, it would be fishing, which occupied a major portion of his life.
In 1952 Frank married Inez Hayes and until her death six years later, they spent many hours fishing, hunting, and gardening. In his last days, Frank resided at 330 Colvin Street (now a parking lot for the County Courthouse) in Gold Beach, the same house he lived in since the 1920's. Until his death on September 22, 1974, his home was always open to visitors to whom he enjoyed showing his collections of Indian artifacts and old photograph albums.