In regard to who owned the first store, opinions differ; some state that Mr. Wm. McKinney was the individual, others that Mr. E. Woods, having sold a steer for $75, started a store with the proceeds.

     “Among Scio’s ... manufactures are the flouring mills of Mr. R. Pentland, (1878) ... it has two runs of burrs, with a capacity of one hundred barrels per day; ... the mill cost about $6,000.”

     O. B. Cyrus of Scio writes of Scio early days (89): “My father was William Cyrus who came to Oregon in 1847, second settler to take up land in the ‘Santiam Forks’ region — the first being John Crabtree. Father’s claim was five miles farther east on Crabtree Creek.

     “William Cyrus was born in Granger County, Tennessee, in 1820 and was twice married, his first wife being Mary Deakin who came to Oregon with him and their three children; his second wife was Jan Briscoe, who also has been previously wedded, and who was born at Greencastle, Indiana in 1826, and had three children by her first husband. She and William Cyrus had three more children.

     “My father was elected State Senator in 1866; he was also Linn County Commissioner at a later date.

     “When I was a boy I first went to school on my father’s claim. My first teacher in the school there was E. B. McInnish, State Representative in 1858 and County Commissioner in 1857. The school, probably started in the early 1850’s was in Linn County district No. 1. Later I attended school in Scio, then district No. 8, but now (1940) district No. 95.

     “Before there was any town of Scio the community center was on the hill close to where the Franklin Butte Masonic Cemetery is now located. At that place there was a blacksmith shop and a store. I do not remember if there was a school house there, but there was a post office probably called Franklin Butte. The store was run by Jimmy Curl.

     “I do not know how Franklin Butte got its name. There was no settler by the name of Franklin. (Benjamin Franklin Munkers?) Franklin Butte is all that group of hills from the point where the cemetery is located to the larger hill just south of Scio. Beyond that tallest hill of the group is the abrupt Richardson’s Gap, named for the family that settled there. Beyond the Gap eastward is the peak old settlers called Mt. Perfect, sometimes —nowadays - called Rodger’s Mountain, after an early settler. Rodger’s son owns most of the hill at the foot of which his father settled, and lives there.

     “The region hereabout was first known as McDonald Precinct, named after Nathaniel Green McDonald who settled on the Santiam near the present town of Shelburn. The wife of McDonald was Rebecca Jane Munkers, daughter of Benjamin Franklin Munkers. In 1856 McDonald Precinct was divided to form the precincts of Franklin Butte, Scio and Rays.

     “My father built the first frame house in the Forks of the Santiam. He brought the lumber for it from Oregon City, as there was no sawmill closer. He took at least a week to bring a load - a long, slow trip.

     “The name ‘Hungry Hill Road’ was adopted because the land on the hill in that locality was very poor, rocky and shallow.

     “Franklin Butte cemetery where my people lie buried is not very old. Probably dates from the l870s. Before that there were a few older burials just south of Scio, but all of them, I think, were removed to Franklin Butte cemetery.

     "Morris, who died on March 27, 1859. She probably was removed from her original resting place on the Morris donation claim.”

     Scio was incorporated in 1866 and had an amended charter in 1891 (90). In 1880 Scio is credited with a flour mill, two hotels, two saloons, two blacksmith shops and two stores, besides dwellings, etc. (91). In 1886 there was still the flour mill run by water power, and four churches, a school, several stores, dwellings and the usual small town structures (92). By 1891—92 two planing mills were added, and run by water power; a sash and door factory; a paint mill and a weekly paper — while the town had five churches, two schools with three teachers, a hall seating 200, water works, a fire department, and an electric light plant (93). About the year 1890 there was added a flax fibre plant and quite a few new brick buildings. This was the period in which Scio reached its greatest development and had its greatest population.

     Lewis McArthur states about Scio that (94): “It was named for Scio, Ohio... Henry L. Turner and William McKinney built the flour mill and when the work was completed Turner suggested that McKinney give the new community a name. McKinney chose the name of his former home in Ohio. Another version is that Mrs. McKinney named the town.  Scio post office was established October 3, 1860, with Euphonius E. Wheeler first postmaster.”

     A copy of a manuscript written by Riley Shelton states about Scio (95): “Prior to 1847 there were four settlers in the Forks of the Santiam Country near Scio, John J. Crabtree wife and 13 children settled on a Donation Land Claim in 1846, 3 miles south of Solo, Frederick Thomas and 10 children settled on a Donation Land Claim, about a mile east of Scio, Nathaniel G. McDonald wife and 8 children settled on a Donation Land Claim in 1846 on the North Santiam River north of Shelburn, and one bachelor Horace M. Brown and he settled on a donation Land Claim in 1846 Southeast of the Masonic Cemetery South of Scio. Many settlers come from Missouri in the fall of 1847, including, families of William Cyrus, Haman Shelton, William Deakins, James Curl, and families, in 1852 many settlers came from various states.

     “Elija F. McKinney and wife took up their Donation Land Claim of 320 acres of land on the North and South side of Thompson Creek, the North portion of this Claim is where Scio is located being in the Northeast part thereof, in October 1855 Mr. McKinney deeded 128 acres of the claim being all of the land he had on the North side of Thomas Creek to William McKinney and Henry L. Turner, of the firm of McKinney and Turner, and this firm laid out and platted the original town of Scio, in 1856, and that year they built the first flouring mill at Scio, but this firm never lived in Scio, and a few years later E. E. Wheeler and William Bilyeu laid out and platted Wheeler’s Addition and Bilyeu’s Addition, to Scio on the South side of Thomas Creek.

     “In 1889 Edward Goins re-platted Bilyeu’s Addition naming it South Addition to Scio, and platted Goins land plat at the some time into acreage adjoining said South Scio,

     “Matilda McKinney the wife of William McKinney named Scio, and she said the definition was peace.

     “Mr. McKinney sold his interest in the flouring mill to his partner Henry Turner, Turner sold the mill to Irvine & Morris.

     “First store and post office was in the Masonic Cemetery, (about two miles south of Scio, what is called the Franklin Butte cemetery) post office operated by James Curl, a Mr. Howe operated the store, about the same time E. Woods had a store at the foot of Munker’s Hill North of Scio, later moving his store to Scio.

     “Turner and McKinney had first store in Scio, selling to E. E. Wheeler and Mr. Wheeler was first postmaster in Scio, Fred Hill had first drugstore and Ed. Grimes built and opened first hotel, Jacob Boice in 1849 or 1860 taught first school in Scio.”

     Mrs. George Rodgers, of Rodgers Mountain, writes about early—day Scio in the Scio Tribune (98): She says in part that E. Wood started a store on the hill near the old Munkers orchard, afterward moving it to Scio in a building where the drug store now stands (1939); that Turner and McKinney also had a store and E. E, Wheeler bought it of them. Opinions differ as to which was the first store started. Previous to the building of the mill and these stores, Mr. Howe had a store where The Masonic (Franklin Butte) cemetery now is situated, Ed Grimes built and operated the first hotel in 1858. Jacob Boice taught the first school in 1859. The school house stood where Dr. Prill’s residence is situated and is the reason for McKinney street being closed through that block. Dr. Boice was the first physician and Fred Hill the first druggist. E. E. Wheeler was the first postmaster and the post office stood between where the bank and the Cyrus garage now stand. The City Hall was directly across the street from the post office.