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The Infamous Black Bird Southern Oregon History, Revised


Jackson County 1894




    Grants Pass, Oregon.--Grants Pass, the judicial seat of Josephine County, has a population of about 2,000. It is located in the heart of the valley of the Rogue River which has its source in Jackson County, flows through Josephine and Curry counties and empties its waters into the Pacific Ocean. Grants Pass is the largest town in the Rogue River Valley. It is supported by the rich mineral, timber and agricultural resources of the country adjacent. It is located on the main line of the Southern Pacific, 296 miles south of Portland and 476 miles north of San Francisco. The merchants here have the benefit afforded by the competition of the Portland and San Francisco wholesalers to sell goods in this field. The town is the end of an important division of the Southern Pacific, and a round house and railroad repair shops are located at this point. The principal industry of Grants Pass is the manufacture of sash, doors, blinds, moldings and boxes. A company with a capital stock of $125,000 is engaged in this business here and about 100 men are employed in the factory. Other smaller factories at Grants Pass are a brick-making plant, planing mill and broom factory. Several fine brick blocks have been erected on the main business street of the town and one bank looks after the financial affairs of the business community. A large ten-room brick school building occupies a prominent site in the city and eight teachers are employed in the public schools here. The number of scholars in attendance is about 350. There are seven churches located here, four of which--the Methodist, Presbyterian, South Methodist and Baptist--own their own buildings. A circulating library, free reading room and a new brick opera house, with a seating capacity of 1,000, are located at this point.
    The Rogue River Courier and Oregon Observer, two weekly papers, are published at Grants Pass. Grants Pass annually ships a large amount of fruit, lumber and brick, and about $100,000 in gold annually reaches this point from the rich placer deposits of the valleys adjacent.
    Josephine County, Oregon.--Josephine County lies to the east of Curry, south of Douglas, west of Jackson and extends to the California line on the south. Its area is about 1,800 square miles and its present population is about 8,000. Until the completion of the Southern Pacific railroad through the southern part of the state comparatively little was known of this rich part of Oregon. During the past ten years however, wonderful strides have been made here, and this is now classed among the most prosperous portions of the Northwest.
    The soil of the lands of Josephine County is of remarkable fertility and will produce almost anything grown in the temperate zone. Cereals and fruits of all kinds grow in profusion here. Snow seldom falls in the valleys of the county, but on the higher elevations, which are covered with valuable forests of fir, cedar, oak, pine and other timber, the snowfall is sometimes heavy. The valleys of Josephine County are now practically one vast fruit garden. Peaches grow here in size and flavor equal to the most luscious of the New Jersey peach crop, and the tons of melons raised here which are annually shipped to the Portland and other markets to the north are not excelled in quality by the melons raised in the most favored parts of the United States. All varieties of fruit do well on these lands and the vineyards and orchards of Josephine County will someday rival those of the famous California fruit belt.
    The entire area of Josephine County is well watered, numerous creeks of the clearest water flowing down the mountain sides and traversing the land in all directions. These streams also furnish fine water power at convenient points. The mountainous districts of the county contain rich deposits of gold quartz, silver, copper and other metals. Widespread attention is just at the present time being attracted to the mineral wealth of this county and the mines here someday will rival those of Eastern Oregon or of the Coeur d'Alenes in Northern Idaho.
    Medford, Oregon.--Medford is one of the comparatively new towns of the southern part of the state. It is located in the Rogue River Valley, on the line of the Southern Pacific railroad, and is 328 miles south of Portland and 444 north of San Francisco. It was established about 10 years ago, and now has a population of some 1,800. Medford is four miles east of Jacksonville, the judicial seat of Jackson County, the two towns being connected by a steam-motor line.
    The country in the immediate vicinity of Medford is devoted almost entirely to the raising of corn, wheat, rye, barley, fruits and vegetables. Almonds, grapes, figs and fruits of a semi-tropical nature are raised here to perfection. The melons and peaches of the Rogue River Valley are renowned for their size and quality, and the fruit industry here is conducted on a scale that has made this one of the best known fruit-producing belts on the coast.
    Medford supports a number of manufacturing industries, among which is a distillery, with a daily capacity of 25 barrels, two pork-packing establishments, a sash, door and planing mill, a flouring mill, with a capacity of 100 barrels a day, and a brewery and an ice plant. The distillery has been in successful operation here for more than two years past. The inducements offered for the location of this plant at Medford were a liberal bonus by the people of the place and the special adaptability of the soil of the tributary section to the raising of the finest quality of corn. The farmers in the immediate vicinity of Medford, and in Klamath and Lake counties, in the extreme southern part of Oregon, have found a valuable market for their hogs at the pork-packing establishment established at Medford. The manufacturing industries located here have done much to advance the interests of the town, and it is significant of the enterprise of the people here that increased interest is yearly being paid to manufacturing at this point.
    Medford boasts of a number of fine brick blocks, which line the main street. The business community is generally prosperous, and a number of the leading stores carry very heavy stocks of goods. Good public schools are maintained here. A new frame six-room school building has recently been erected at Medford, at a cost of $10,000. This building is well ventilated, it is heated by hot air, and is perfect in all its appointments. Six teachers are employed in the public schools at this point, and the average daily attendance of scholars is about 500. Seven churches are maintained at Medford. These are the Presbyterian, Episcopal, Christian, two Methodist, Baptist and Catholic. All of these religious organizations own church buildings of their own. Medford contains one bank, and one weekly newspaper, the Mail, is published in the town. Medford also boasts of a fine opera house, with a seating capacity of 500. One hotel and two livery stables furnish ample accommodations to the traveling public. The assessed valuation of city property at Medford is $262,413, and the only bonded indebtedness of the municipality is that incurred for the construction of the city water-works plant, which involved an outlay of $20,000.
    The motor line which connects Medford with Jacksonville makes three round trips daily between these two points. Work has actually been begun on the extension of this road to tap an unrivaled sugar pine district, 25 miles distant from Medford. This road will ultimately be extended to Klamath Falls, 75 miles southeast of Medford. Klamath Falls is the center of a wonderfully rich farming district, and will prove a most important point on the completion of the road there. It is estimated that 50 miles of the proposed route of the new road lies through an inexhaustible forest of sugar pine timber belt, and the opening of this timber belt to the markets of Medford will do much to add to the solid prosperity of the latter place. That the people of Medford appreciate the benefits of the extension of the road is attested by the statement that they subscribed a bonus of $40,000 to the company building the line.
    If the resources of the tributary country and the prospective development of this district are duly considered, the prices asked for farming lands in the immediate vicinity of Medford are not unreasonable. Messrs. Hamilton & Palm, the leading real estate firm of Medford, quote the price of property adjoining the city limits at $75 per acre. This price decreases as the distance from the town limits increases. Messrs. Hamilton & Palm are thoroughly conversant with both city property and farm values in this part of the state, and information furnished by them on this section can be regarded as strictly reliable.
    The Hotel Medford, of which M. Purdin is proprietor, is conveniently arranged for the accommodation of commercial travelers, for whom free sample rooms are provided. This popular hostelry is located directly opposite the Southern Pacific Company's depot. The building is constructed of brick, it is two stories in height, and is comparatively secure from all danger of fire. The rates per day, at the Hotel Medford, are from $1.25 to $2. Courteous treatment of guests and an excellent table service are prominent features connected with the management of this hotel. Traveling men, and tourists especially, have found Medford's hotel accommodations better than the average, probably for the reason that the location of the town is such that a large surrounding country is more accessible from this point than from any other.
    One of the prominent citizens of Medford, and Jackson County, is D. H. Miller, who has lived in the Rogue River Valley since 1876. Mr. Miller, although a comparatively young man, is the pioneer merchant of Medford, having been the first man to engage in business at this point. He first opened a store here nearly 10 years ago. He is a prosperous hardware merchant, and seems to have the utmost confidence in the future growth and development of Medford and the Rogue River Valley.
    The present postmaster at Medford is J. S. Howard, who has lived in Jackson County since 1860. Mr. Howard is a civil engineer by profession, and he made the preliminary survey through Southern Oregon and Northern California for the Southern Pacific railroad. Jackson County was but sparsely settled at that time, and Medford had not yet been heard of. Mr. Howard thinks, however, that the development which this section of the country has had during recent years will be greatly increased in the future, owing to the natural resources of the district that, until recently, have been scarcely known.
    Jacksonville, Oregon.--Jacksonville, the seat of Jackson County, is the oldest town in Southern Oregon, and one of the oldest established places in the state, having been first settled in 1851. It is five miles west of Medford, the nearest point on the main line of the Southern Pacific railroad, with which place it has direct connection by means of a steam-motor line. When the Southern Pacific railroad was being built through this part of the state, 10 years ago, the people of Jacksonville refused to raise a bonus of $25,000 demanded by the railroad company to ensure the main line of road passing this point. [See the page on the bonus myth.] In refusing to accede to the demands of the railroad company at that time, the people of Jacksonville missed the greatest opportunity that was ever afforded them to advance their town's interests, and the result of this refusal was a general decadence in Jacksonville's former prestige in favor of Medford, which is now one of the most prosperous towns of Southern Oregon.
    The present population of Jacksonville is about 900. The main dependence of the town for support is on the agricultural and mineral resources of the country adjacent. This part of the state has long been noted for its heavy output of gold, and while mining is not today carried on as extensively here as it was before the era of railroads, the gold output of the mines here is still heavy. During 1892 the bank at Jacksonville handled about $150,000 in gold dust. The Sterling Mining Company has put in a plant at a point seven miles distant from Jacksonville, and the output of this company's mine is reported to be very satisfactory. Placer mining claims the principal attention of the miners of this section, the quartz veins here being but little worked up to the present time.
    The business interests at Jacksonville are principally in the hands of the men who settled here many years ago. The people lead a happy and easy existence, and no great disposition is shown here to encourage immigration. The country around Jacksonville is rich and is capable of supporting a much larger population at this point than is now found here.
    Public school at Jacksonville is taught in a four-room building. Four teachers are employed in the school, and the average daily attendance of scholars is 175. In addition to the public school, the Catholics conduct a private school which is attended by about 40 scholars. The Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic denominations own church buildings at this point. The Jackson County courthouse, erected at Jacksonville about 10 years ago at a cost of $40,000, is a large, handsome and conveniently arranged structure, and it is one of the finest buildings in Southern Oregon. Jacksonville supports one weekly newspaper, the Times, one hotel and a single livery stable. The assessed valuation of town property is $150,000 and the bonded indebtedness is less than $10,000.
    Jackson County and the Rogue River Valley, Oregon.--Jackson County is bounded on the north by Douglas and Josephine counties, on the east by Klamath, and on the south by the California state line. Its total area is 1,809,200 acres, all but 200,000 acres of which is surveyed land. The population of the county at the present time is about 11,500. The surface of the county may be divided into three great divisions, as follows: the mountainous, the hilly and the level lands contained in the valleys. The higher elevations of the county, embraced in the mountainous portion, are of value principally for stock grazing. The lower elevations contained in the hilly portion of the county are covered with dense forests of timber, and the low lands contained in the valleys are highly fertile and will produce anything indigenous to the temperate zone, and all fruits or plants of a semitropical nature attain the highest state of perfection in these rich valley lands. The character of the soil varies in different parts of the county, and it is not an unusual thing to find several different kinds of soil on a farm of even 160 acres in this part of the state.
    The best part of Jackson County is contained in the famous Rogue River Valley, the most productive part of Southern Oregon. This valley is about 35 miles in length and maintains an average width of about 20 miles. It occupies the central part of the county and is crossed by the main line of the Southern Pacific railroad, which furnishes excellent transportation facilities to the farmers of this section. The valley derives its name from the river of the same name, which flows through it. Other important streams, which drain a large area of the valley, are Bear, Little Butte and Sams creeks. The soil of the Rogue River Valley is especially adapted to diversified farming. The climate is practically the same as that of Northern California, the frigid winter blasts which sometimes sweep down over Eastern Oregon being tempered here by the warm moist breezes constantly blowing here from the ocean.
    The Rogue River Valley is essentially a fruit-growing belt. All kinds of semitropical fruits do well here, and the Portland market is principally supplied with peaches, melons and other fruit of this nature from this famous fruit district. Near Jacksonville are a number of very fine vineyards that are kept in a high state of cultivation, and wine made from the grapes of Southern Oregon vies in quality with some of the best productions of California wine producers. All the cereals, including wheat, rye, oats, barley and corn, yield large crops on the lands of the valley. The bottom lands of the valley are used largely for the growing of timothy, clover and blue grass. Alfalfa produces here from two to four good crops without replanting.
    For the past 30 years gold hunters have found the mountainous districts of Jackson County attractive fields for prospecting. Placer mining claimed the whole attention of the early miner in this section. Valuable discoveries of gold quartz ledges have recently been made in the county. Capital has been interested in these mines, and large stamp mills are now being constructed to work the mines on an extensive scale. The future of the mining interests of Jackson County, as of all of the mining centers of Southern Oregon, seems brighter today than it has ever been before.
    Ashland, Oregon.--Ashland is the largest town in Jackson County, the population of the place today being a little more than 2,000. It is picturesquely located near the southern extremity of Rogue River Valley. South and east lie a high range of hills, while north and west of Ashland extends a second elevation, which contains some of the most fertile patches of Southern Oregon. The town itself conforms to the general unevenness of the surface of the land at this point, and the irregular streets of the place, lined on both sides with handsome structures and substantial brick business blocks, impart to Ashland an appearance as unique as it is interesting to the visitor. On the slopes of the hillsides adjacent are many pretty villa residences, and from these sites a view of Ashland and the Rogue River Valley is commanded that shows this section to the best possible advantage.
    Ashland is on the main line of the Southern Pacific, 343 miles south of Portland and 430 miles north of San Francisco. It is the central division station between the two largest cities of the Pacific Coast. Ten miles south of Ashland the Siskiyou Mountains rise abruptly to an elevation of 8,000 feet. Ashland Creek has its source in these mountains. It is a stream which carries a considerable volume of water, and rushing down the mountainsides with irresistible force, it furnishes ample power for all manufacturing purposes in the city itself. Water for domestic use in the city is taken from this creek, and this water is of the purest quality. This stream already furnishes power for running a five-stamp quartz mill, a large flouring mill, two sash, door and blind factories, and the electric light plant at Ashland. All classes of mercantile business are well represented here, and the local houses carry stocks of goods larger and more complete than are usually found in a town of the present population of Ashland. The large dry goods store of Messrs. D. R. & E. V. Mills, and the furniture store of J. P. Dodge, the latter of which carries a stock of goods valued at about $6,000, are notable examples of Ashland's activity as a business center.
    Ashland takes a pardonable pride in the excellent system of public schools maintained here. Three well-designed school buildings furnish ample accommodations for school purposes. Two of these buildings are located respectively in the north and south end of the city, while the third provides room for the scholars of the central district. The schools are divided into primary, secondary, grammar and high school departments. The schools are in charge of a principal, under whom are nine assistant teachers. All of the teachers in the public schools here hold the highest grade of Oregon state school certificates.
    The people of Ashland enjoy the benefit of a perfect system of arc and incandescent electric lights. The city also has a good water-works system, and a well-organized fire department. Prominent among the fine buildings of the city are a new two-story brick city hall, a three-story brick opera house, and the Hotel Oregon. This latter building is a handsome three-story brick edifice, constructed at a cost of $30,000 by a local stock company. Ashland, in addition to the Hotel Oregon, contains two other large hotels, and three hostelries of a less pretentious character. A free reading room is maintained here, as well as a gymnasium. The town supports two good weekly newspapers, the Ashland Tidings and the Valley Record. Handsome church edifices are owned at Ashland by the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational and Catholic denominations, and the churches here are well supported.
    The country in the immediate vicinity of Ashland is especially adapted to the raising of fruit. Peaches, prunes, plums, pears, apricots, apples of the larger varieties, and blackberries and cherries, of the smaller fruits, do the best here. The Rogue River melon crop has attained a widespread reputation. Hundreds of acres of fine peach orchards are within plain view of the people of Ashland, and every year notes an increase in the acreage planted to peaches in this section. The demand for Jackson County peaches increases with the supply of this fine fruit, and Ashland, as the center of the great fruit industry of the county, has earned the sobriquet of the "Peach-blow Paradise."
    The mining interests of the section of which Ashland is the trading center are worthy of special mention in the present article. For many years past the rich placer gold fields of Southern Oregon have attracted widespread attention. Recently valuable discoveries of rich mineral-bearing quartz have been made near Ashland. The Patton ledge, three miles distant from the city, is now being worked by a party of Portland capitalists under the name of the Ashland Mining Company. A five-stamp quartz mill has been in successful operation at Ashland since November, 1892, and the gold brick turned out of this mill each month since it was started has represented a value of between $6,000 and $6,500. Joseph A. Wilson, of Portland, is superintendent of the mine, and this gentleman is authority for the statement that the width of the vein near the surface of the mine was 18 inches, while at a depth of 385 feet the vein had widened out to 8 feet. This tendency to an increase of width of the vein is noted as the depth of the shaft increases. The Patton ledge is but one of the many paying veins of quartz that have been discovered in the vicinity of Ashland. Near Ashland are also vast mines of granite and sandstone, especially valuable for building purposes. Six miles south of the city a sandstone quarry has been operated for the past three years. Stone from this quarry has been shipped largely to Portland, and much of it has been used in the construction of some of the finest buildings of Oregon's metropolis.
    In the immediate vicinity of Ashland are located a number of mineral springs. A value attaches to the waters of these springs second in importance only to the famous Apollinaris. Ten to fifteen miles distant from Ashland are numerous soda springs whose well-known curative properties have justified the expenditure of large sums of money in establishing comfortable places of resort in their vicinity. Within the corporate limits of Ashland are located the White Sulfur Springs, at which large bath-houses have been erected, and these baths are regularly patronized by large crowds of Ashland's people. The citizens of Ashland are thoroughly awake to the many advantages which their city enjoys, and they are making every effort to build at this point one of the most prosperous centers of population in Southern Oregon.
    The Bank of Ashland, an illustration of which is shown on this page, is one of the strongest financial institutions in Southern Oregon. The bank was established in 1884, with a paid-up capital of $50,000, which amount was increased, in 1889, to $100,000, all paid up. The officers of the bank are: W. H. Atkinson, president; F. H. Carter, vice-president, and E. V. Carter, cashier. The bank does an increasing business with each successive year, not only with the mining and agricultural interests of Jackson County, but it also enjoys a large patronage from the Klamath Lake country, which is 60 miles east of Ashland. Letters of inquiry concerning Ashland, and Jackson County, addressed to the Bank of Ashland, will be cheerfully answered.
    The Ashland Flouring Mills, located at Ashland, have a daily capacity of 75 barrels. These mills are run by water power, they have a full roller process, and the grade of flour manufactured is considered the best in the market. Besides supplying almost the entire local market, the Ashland mills ship a large part of their product as far north as Roseburg, and as far south in California as Redding. The proprietors of the Ashland Flouring Mills are W. E. Jacobs and W. J. Virgin, both of whom are thoroughly practical flouring mill men.
    Real estate in Ashland, and farming lands in the immediate vicinity, are held at reasonable prices when the natural advantages and developments already made are considered. Mr. G. F. Billings, an enterprising real estate agent of Ashland, is authority on realty values throughout Jackson County, and he is a thoroughly reliable gentleman from whom to obtain information concerning this section of Southern Oregon.
    Klamath County and Klamath Falls.--Klamath County in Southern Oregon is a very interesting section of the state. It maintains an average elevation of about 4,000 feet above sea level. It is situated 130 miles from the Pacific Ocean, on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range of mountains. It has an area of almost 6,000 square miles.
    The resources of Klamath County are varied and abundant. The timber land, which is covered with a dense and valuable growth of sugar pine and cedar, comprises about 1,500,000 acres. The area of the grazing lands of the county is over 500,000 acres, and that of the agricultural land is about equal to that of the grazing district. The Klamath Indian Reservation situated in the northern and western portions of the county contains 500,000 acres, which is about equally divided between timber and grazing lands. There are about 1,000 men, women and children in the Klamath tribe, which is one of the most intelligent and industrious tribes of Indians on the continent. On the reservation are two well-conducted schools in charge of the United States government. A complete survey of the lands of the reservation has just been made, and the people of Klamath County are exerting every effort to have the lands allotted in severalty to the Indians by Congress and the remainder thrown open to settlement. When this is accomplished the agricultural and timber wealth of Klamath County will be materially increased.
    The three most important valleys of Klamath County are the Great Klamath Basin, at the head of which is situated the county seat, Klamath Falls, until recently called Linkville, Wood River and Sprague River. Each of these valleys is coursed by a river which bears the name of the valley through which it flows. Klamath Basin is a magnificent stretch of agricultural land. It presents an interesting view when first seen from the summit of the hill near Keno, on the road to Klamath Falls from the Southern Pacific railroad at Ager. It has the appearance from this point of a great basin, all but round and almost surrounded by hills which seem to form its sides. The area of Klamath Basin is almost 100,000 acres. The land here is as level as a floor and is coursed by the beautiful Klamath River, which from Klamath Falls to Keno is navigable for vessels of light draft. A short distance below Keno the river reaches the Cascade Mountains, and from this latter point the river begins a rapid descent into the Pacific Ocean. Klamath Basin, as before stated, is a fertile belt of agricultural land. The climate and soil of this basin are admirably adapted to the raising of cereals of all kinds, grasses, vegetables and fruits of the hardier varieties. The Wood River and Sprague River valleys are smaller in area than is Klamath Basin, but are similar in characteristics.
    Klamath County contains several lakes, the most important of which are the Upper and Lower Klamath. The former is 30 miles long, with an average width of eight miles. It is navigable for its entire length. The latter is approximately the same in dimensions and extends south into the lava beds of California. Crater Lake, situated in the mountains to the west, is probably the most remarkable freak of nature of the kind in the world. It is situated at an altitude of 6,300 feet above the level of the sea. It is eight miles long by six miles wide. Its depth is 1,996 feet. It is enclosed within vertical walls which vary in height from 1,000 to 2,200 feet. The water of this weird lake is clear, cool, pure and sweet. It has neither visible inlet nor outlet. It occupies what is the crater of an extinct volcano. The climate of the section of country in which the lake is located is perfect. It is a section of great scenic attractions. It is a sportsman's ideal paradise. Trout in the neighboring streams are abundant, good deer hunting is found in the surrounding hills, and large numbers of tourists are now annually attracted here every summer. Klamath County is well supplied with water. This is invaluable to the interests of a section where stock raising is the principal pursuit of its occupants. In addition to the rivers already mentioned are a number of smaller streams which drain the less important valleys of the county. Of these streams, Lost River is perhaps the most important. It heads on the southern boundary line of the state, makes a circle of 80 miles and empties into Tule Lake, but 12 miles distant from where it takes its source. Tule Lake has no surface outlet. It is from this that Lost River derives its name.
    The population of Klamath County is about 3,000. For lack of rail communication the farmers of the county have been compelled to devote their principal attention to the raising of stock. This industry here, however, has proved highly profitable. It is estimated that the present number of cattle in Klamath County is 20,000. In addition the county contains 7,000 sheep and from 6,000 to 7,000 horses and mules. California furnishes a good market for the stock raised in Klamath County. The drive to the Southern Pacific railroad from the stock ranges of the county is less than 75 miles. This is over a well-watered and good grazing country, so that cattle do not suffer the least in making the trip.
    Klamath Falls, or Linkville, is a town attractively situated in a sheltered cove of the foothills on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains and on the banks of Link River. In front of the town flows the Klamath River, which at this point has widened out, giving it the appearance of a lake. For many years the settlement of Klamath Falls was a mere government trading post for furnishing supplies to the troops of the government stationed at Fort Klamath, now abandoned. The old fort was 25 miles west of the present town of Klamath Falls. The town has now attained a population of about 700. The location the town occupies is one of many natural advantages. It is the natural gateway to all the vast territory known as Southern and Southeastern Oregon. Link River, on the banks of which it is located, affords a magnificent water power for manufacturing industries. The extent of this power is better appreciated by the statement that the river has a fall of 60 feet here in a distance of less than three-fourths of a mile. At present this power is utilized only for running one flouring and one sawmill.
    Klamath Falls is an incorporated town and is a prosperous center of population. There are two large general merchandise stores established here, one of which is conducted by Messrs. Moore & Martin, and the other by Messrs. Baldwin & Reames. These two stores do a business amounting to from $60 000 to $75,000 a year. Every line of mercantile business is represented at Klamath Falls, and the town bears every evidence of thrift and enterprise. The public schools are conducted in a large handsome frame building, and the best of discipline is maintained in these schools. The best of instruction is provided. The school is in charge of three competent teachers. The number of scholars enrolled during the past year was 120. The Presbyterian is the only religious denomination owning its church building at Klamath Falls. A well-drilled company, Troop B, of the O.N.G., is maintained here. Two sprightly weekly newspapers, the Klamath Star and the Klamath Falls Express, are published at this point. The Masons and United Workmen are the secret orders which maintain chapters at Klamath Falls. Two hotels and two livery stables furnish good accommodations to the traveling public here.
    The assessed valuation of property at Klamath Falls is $150,000. A natural attraction that is found in the vicinity of the towns is a series of hot mineral springs. One of the largest of these discharges 800,000 gallons of water daily, of a temperature of 200°. These waters have been analyzed by an expert chemist and found to possess the following mineral properties: bases--soda, lime, magnesia and iron; acids--sulphuric, muriatic and silicic. The waters are effective in diseases arising from impurities of the blood and for various other complaints. A bath house has been erected near Klamath Falls and it is liberally patronized. The climate of Klamath County is equable, no extremes of either heat or cold being experienced here. The physicians of Klamath Falls are authority for the statement that it is the most healthful portion of the state. The people of the town are progressive. They invite immigration of a desirable class. The man of small means will find no trouble in providing himself with a productive farm in the county with the outlay of a very small amount of money. Lands here are cheap, and Klamath Falls people take pleasure in aiding the stranger in seeking a desirable location here. The town is at present 55 miles distant from a railroad. A daily stage line is in operation between this point and Ager, on the Southern Pacific railroad. This line also extends beyond Klamath Falls to Lakeview. The town of Klamath Falls can also be reached from the Southern Pacific railroad at Medford or Ashland, Oregon. It will not be long in the future until Klamath Falls will have the advantages of direct rail communication with the rest of the world. A project is now on foot to build a road to this section from the Southern Pacific railroad at Medford. This line would tap rich forests of sugar pine, a most valuable timber, and it would open one of the finest parts of Oregon to settlement. The project of building this line has already assumed something of a definite shape, and that it will be built is a certainty in the minds of those who know anything of the varied resources of Klamath County and the many inducements for building a railroad into this favored part of Oregon.
Edward Gardner Jones, ed., The Oregonian's Handbook of the Pacific Northwest, 1894, pages 208-220
ARE RICH IN GOLD
MINES OF SOUTHERN OREGON
Diversified Industries of That Section--The Business Depression
Is Not Felt--Output of the Mines.
    Mr. J. T. Flynn, who has just returned from Grants Pass, says that Southern Oregon has suffered less during the present industrial depression than any other section of the state. The prosperity of this section he attributes to the great diversity and high-grade character of its products. In speaking of Southern Oregon yesterday, he said:
    "The winter apple crop, amounting to over $300,000, and averaging nearly $200 per acre, goes to foreign markets, principally Japan and Australia. The Bartlett pears have been shipped in carload lots as far east as New York at good profit to the grower. The sugar pine and other finishing woods are sold in Los Angeles, Denver, Salt Lake, Omaha and other points east, and bring as high as $75 per 1000 feet. This lumber is cut at a cost but little in excess of that of the low-grade product of Puget Sound, and yet it brings from three to five times as much money in the Eastern markets. The culling from this lumber is used to make fruit boxes, and finds ready sale as far south as San Diego. Another growing and very important industry in Southern Oregon is hops. The climate of this section is peculiarly adapted to hops, and so far the growers have met with flattering success. The average value of the crop the past year, with hops at 75 cents, was $250 per acre. Southern Oregon products an excellent quality of wheat and corn, but no attempt is made to ship it out of the country. It is fed to hogs, and instead of the grower getting 30 or 35 cents per bushel, as is the case elsewhere, he gets about $1.30. Hogs have found ready sale at the Grants Pass and Medford packeries this season at 6½ and 7 cents on foot. These packeries are supplying the local market with bacon, hams and lard, which means an annual saving on the transportation of raw material one way, and the refined product the other, of about $150,000. We have made up our minds in Southern Oregon that the only way to enrich a country is to sell more than we buy, and we are doing that now to the extent of over $1,000,000 a year. Such a course as this, if followed more generally throughout the state, would soon make Oregon a lender, instead of a borrower, of money."
THE MINES.
    In speaking of the mines of that section, Mr. Flynn said:
    "Southern Oregon is today the best gold mining region in the United States. Jackson and Josephine counties produced last year nearly $1,000,000, and there is no reason on earth why the output should not be five or even ten times that amount. These two counties contain more auriferous gravel of an accessible nature than any other known section of the mineral world. The country is not only supplied with what is called 'old channels,' but contains more ledges and ledge croppings than any other section of equal area in the world. During the past 40 years these two counties have produced over $40,000,000 worth of placer gold, and yet the source of that wealth is comparatively untouched. If this ground were located in South Africa or up around the North Pole, where hardship or expense was incident, people would flock in there by the thousands, but because it can be reached by a Pullman car it is looked upon with suspicion. I know of 20,000 acres of ground in these two counties that will prospect and pay from $1,000 to $10,000 per acre, with water on it. And the beauty of the thing is that the water is there in abundance. All it requires is capital to develop it. In proof of the assertion I make that Southern Oregon is the best placer mining region in the world, I need only refer to the fact that C. W. Ayres of Siskiyou County, California, who is the mining commissioner from Oregon at the Midwinter Fair, is securing his gravel for exhibition mining purposes from Southern Oregon to work under a California banner. This is the old story of placing Oregon products under a California label. His mine is in California, but his pay dirt is in Oregon. Southern Oregon, in addition to having unlimited 'pay dirt,' has a debris outlet in the Rogue River which will never be hampered by legislation, such as the California miner has to contend with. One thing that has retarded mining development in Southern Oregon more than any other is its accessibility and the hospitality of its people. It has been possible for the modern 'Jim Crow' mining expert to get in and out of the country and air his opinions without protest. We have had too many of these so-called experts already. What we want in that country is men of capital and brains, men who would manage a mine as they would any mercantile enterprise, and to such men success is as certain as it would be in a bank. I am confident that the time will come, in a few years at most, when single mines in Southern Oregon will employ more men than any other single industry in the state. Every mine in Southern Oregon today that is being worked under intelligent and honest direction is paying handsome returns on the outlay. Among those who have made a success of mining I might mention James and Vincent Cook, who clean up from $10,000 to $30,000 a season; Captain Sturgis, with $20,000; John C. Lewis, cleaning up from $1,500 to $3,000 per week, with a two-stamp mill; Penumbra Kelly's mine, which has averaged $6,000 a month for more than a year; the Wimer Bros.' mine, near Grants Pass, from $20,000 to $100,000 per season; Simmons & Co. of the same place, about $25,000; Ennis & Cameron, on Rogue River, from $20,000 to $35,000 a season; Hull & Beck of Grants Pass, from $6,000 to $10,000 a season; William Bybee, from $5,000 up, and many others of lesser note. These mines are all paying well, simply because they are well managed. Besides those already mentioned there are several large enterprises under way. John C. Lewis of Portland has 250 men at work on a ditch in Josephine County. Captain J. A. Brown of this city has another nearly as large, while a Chicago company has just completed the largest pumping outfit in the world for the same purpose."
Oregonian, Portland, January 10, 1894, page 8


From Medford to Applegate.
    Editor Medford Mail. Dear Sir.--Our first day out from Medford we found the road in a fearful condition, it seems to one from the East, and especially to one who for years has been in the habit of traveling good roads, and in a country where the cost of good roads must be double, as it seems at least, to what the cost might be in your beautiful Rogue River Valley. Not saying that I presume to know, however, all about your financial situation, but with a bird's-eye view of the surrounding mountains covered with fir, pine, madrona, ash, oak and various other kinds of timber, which seems so accessible to, and yet your roads are in a deplorable condition. It does seem to one just out from the East, and whose lot may, in the near future, be cast with you, that your business men of the valley should take some interest in this direction, surrounded as you are by so many gold mines, and the opportunity of working them, that if there was nothing else to attract the attention of capitalist and immigration, this mining industry alone should--or ought to at least--create a desire for good roads.
    To us who have just been out skirmishing throughout the county, especially the mineral belt, we are somewhat surprised at the vastness of your gold mines. Our first introduction after leaving Medford, on the 8th inst., was the celebrated placer mine, owned and operated by Mr. Sturgis, who has had forty-five years experience in mining. This gentleman informed your humble servant that he refused seventy-five thousand dollars for his mining property this spring. After leaving Mr. Sturgis' mine, we were next ushered to the home of Mr. Dunlap. Here we enjoyed a pleasant afternoon--Mrs. D. guessed our capacity for delicious edibles and prepared dinner accordingly. Long after our appetites were appeased, our eyes still gloated after the refreshments that were left. Mrs. D. understands how to prepare a meal for a lot of hungry miners. After dinner we took in the mines owned by Mr. D. This mine is not worked successfully on account of scarcity of water. One of our number asked Mr. D. what he would take for his mine. His reply was, "This mine is not for sale, for this is what gives us our bread and butter." The mine is situated on Poor Man's Creek about eight miles south of Jacksonville, one and a half miles south of east, and in sight of the famous Sturgis mine. At half past 4 p.m. we started on our journey down the Applegate. Here the mining scenery was lost sight of, and another industry, more generally indulged in, preyed upon our vision. Here and there along this beautiful river is dotted with farms, with orchards, and vineyards that defies the Pacific Coast to excel. At 6:30 o'clock p.m. we found ourselves at the beautiful farm residence of Mr. Benedict, an old timer of Jackson and Josephine counties. After partaking of a sumptuous supper, and talking of commonplace things, Mr. E. T. Johnson made his presence known. After the usual course of introductions, and how is everybody in Medford? and Mr. York has surely brought a better half back with him, etc., we repaired to the parlor and enjoyed a musical entertainment for a couple of hours. Mr. Johnson sang several fine solos, Mr. Simmons, the gentleman who keeps the second-hand store in Medford. proved his musical skill by playing a violin--with three strings--Mr. Morris talked on the silver question. Mr. Phillips was nodding and dreaming of home and loved ones, and I slid off to bed--thus ends our first day's journey out from Medford.
J. R. Hardin, Medford Mail, April 20, 1894, page 4  Continued below.
From Medford to Applegate.
(Continued from last week.)
    Our second day out finds us still at Mr. Benedict's. Leaving our team and wagon we started out on foot, headed by Mr Johnson, who led us across Applegate over the bridge, and up Thompson Creek about one mile, then across the creek to the south, thence up a narrow trail which meandered through the brush, till at last we ran square into the mouth of a tunnel. Here, Mr. Johnson informed us, was his mine. We unloaded our packs and explored the excavation made with picks and shovels. Mr. Johnson and his partner, Mr. Cramer, have performed [a] considerable amount of labor. They have another ledge one mile from this one that assays far better than the one they are now working, and a much larger vein. We leave these men at work on their ledge, and start out to hunt pockets and grouse. Three quarters of a mile of climbing and clinging, to keep our equilibrium, we made a halt to pan out some dust, which we thought looked favorable for gold. One color we found in our pan; this gave us encouragement to continue prospecting, so we climbed up the side of the mountain, only to stop at intervals to catch breath and examine the formation--the forenoon was spent thus--just before lunch however, mine host, Mr. Phillips, stumbled onto a ledge of quartz, which proved, after a careful assay, to contain 25 percent hard luck and 75 per cent sulphurate of perspiration and toil, then we adjourned for lunch. While refreshing, Mr. Morris gave us a lecture on the Queen's palace in England, and wound up on the silver question. After dinner we separated; Mr. Morris and Mr. Simmons started off together to prospect for trout, and we, Mr. Phillips and I, kept on prospecting. For three quarters of an hour we climbed up and up, slipping, to find ourselves crawling on our hands and knees, perspiring and puffing, until finally we reached the summit of the mountain. Stopping to rest and survey the general surroundings, we finally espied, square in front of us, to the eastward. across a fearful chasm, on the side of the mountain, two tunnels. Mr. P. looked at his watch and then at the sun, to see if the regulation was right, and concluding we would have plenty of time to make the journey, we gathered up our tools and made off. One hour found us at these tunnels, which proved to be the place where Mr. Wells took out a pocket about a year ago. This was no small pocket, by any means. Just now a similar one would make us smile all over. Mr. Wells found one slug in this pocket that weighed over seventeen hundred dollars. We found his son and another man digging among the manzanita, searching for pockets. By this time we concluded to go and hunt our two partners. At the crossing of Thompson Creek we found their coats, which apparently had become a burden to their owners while they fished in the sparkling brook. I remained nearby, but Mr. Phillips skinned out for camp. After waiting some little time Mr. Morris made his appearance, disgusted with the results of his afternoon's experience. Well he might be, for later on he informed us that a large mountain trout took his hook, and in his excitement he fell into the stream. From his own remarks, I suppose it would have been hard to discriminate between the two--which end of the line the fish was on. On our way back to the home of Mr. Benedict, we stopped at the residence--or bachelor hall--of Mr. E. T. Johnson, and rested our weary feet for a short time. Three hundred yards brought us to our lodging house, where a bountiful supper awaited us. This morning finds us all fresh and ready to start up the Applegate. Eight or nine miles brings us to Uniontown, situated at the mouth of Little Applegate. We crossed the Little Applegate and followed up the Big Applegate to Mr. Swain's place of abode. This gentleman is the owner of a farm of two hundred acres of land; about seventy-five acres are in cultivation, ten acres are set out to fruit trees. Mr. Swain showed us some very fine specimens of gold that was panned out of the dirt which came out of the bottom of his well, at a depth of twenty feet. Mr. Morris asked his ownership, what would be the least amount of money, cash down, without grumbling, that he would take for his 200 acres. Mr. Swain informed him that nothing short of eight thousand dollars could touch it. He said it was not worth that price for farming purposes, but for placer mining. We bid the kind gentleman a pleasant afternoon and retraced our steps back to the Little Applegate, thence up this stream to the mouth of Sterling Creek. Here we stopped at a farm house for dinner. Here a young damsel, a beautiful mountain maid, fresh as the breeze of a mountain, fair as the bright, sparkling dew, and as pure as the spray of a fountain, and her little brother, were all alone, but that little mountain angel prepared a nice dinner, served on short notice, that would have done credit to a king's dining palace. The boy soon had our mules unhitched from the vehicle and provided for their wants. After dinner we again started out for the celebrated Sterling placer mine, which is carried on quite extensively. We made a short halt at the mine, asked a few questions, and again started on our way rejoicing, headed for Medford, following up Sterling Creek to summit of mountain, thence down Poor Man's Creek to junction, thence across over a divide to Griffin Creek, thence down said creek to valley. Here we got stuck in the mud, and had to tear fences down and get inside of some man's ranch in order to get through; the lane was impassable. Suffice it to say we got back to Medford, but not to stay; we will soon start out again for the mines.
J. R. HARDIN.
Medford Mail, April 27, 1894, page 4
A TRIP EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS.
    In company with Mr. Mentz Stene (a visiting friend from Sioux Falls, South Dakota) I left Talent Wednesday, August 1st, bent on seeing the country and scenery of Southern Oregon. We had a horse and buggy, and supplies and outfit for camping.
    We went eastward as far as Yainax Indian agency--going via the Rogue River route, we took in the grand scenery of the falls of Mill Creek, 175 feet perpendicular and Rogue River rapids, which fall 300 feet in one-quarter of a mile, and if utilized would furnish power sufficient to run all the machinery of the country.
    At Prospect we found a fine property of a sawmill, a large hotel building nearly completed, a store of assorted merchandise, a good school house, a post office, several dwelling houses and as beautiful a site for a town or city as one could wish to see. Mr. Stan. Aiken aims to keep a hotel and supplies of all kinds for sojourners to that health resort and enchanting locality. I take Mr. A. to be a business man and a gentleman.
    For the next twelve miles we pass through as fine a body of sugar pine and fir as the world affords. For miles one can scarcely see the sun in midday, for heavy timber. The soil is rich and the surface gently rolling. Beyond Union Creek we find an undulating valley more or less timbered for seventeen miles, when we commence to rise steeper until we come to a guideboard which directs to the left two and one-half miles to Crater Lake. We followed an old road and a fresh buggy track, until we concluded to leave our horse to rest while we went up afoot to view the lake. My companion gave out before reaching the lake, and he was satisfied to take my word for the balance. We, however, had a magnificent view of mountain scenery, and Klamath marsh, which, at present, is an immense lake. Leaving an altitude of 7000 feet we drove twenty miles, gently down 4000 feet, to old Fort Klamath. There remains nothing of the wonted grandeur of ten years agone, except two of those large "officers' quarters" and the magnificent grounds and spring of Coldwater. In a five-mile drive, on a road fit for a city park, we reached Klamath agency. All of a sudden off to our right we noticed several new three-story buildings, then the lake about one mile off; but close to our right we suddenly came in view of a spring of water from which flows a stream of cold, clear water with volume and fall sufficient to run almost any amount of machinery or supply a city of 100,000. It all runs to waste except running a small sawmill occasionally. There is a fine school-house and two boarding houses, with 110 Indian students--fifty-five of each sex--in attendance. We attended chapel service at 11 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 5th. Rev. Father Starnes and wife, the missionaries, are well liked and doing much good. It did me good to hear the Indian choir of twenty voices singing of their Redeemer. We concluded that Jesus had conquered those one-time savages, and the "mission" is a success. Prof. Paine as superintendent, and Mrs. Paine as matron, are the right people in the right place.
    We camped Sunday night on the bank of the Williamson River, near the bridge on the Yainax agency road. The place is famous for fishing, but my friend soon lost our hook in the vain attempt to "land" a rock. Reaching Yainax agency Monday evening we were hospitably entertained by Prof. Terry, acting superintendent in the absence of Superintendent L. F. Willetts, who is visiting in Jackson County during vacation. We learned that the school is making satisfactory progress, with ninety students in attendance. These teachers govern by kindness and teach etiquette by example. All orders are indicated by taps of the bell, and the students and laborers act in uniformity--words being superfluous. The impressions left with strangers are that those Indians are nearer civilized now than the average white citizens' hoodlum children around our country schools. The Indian police patrol at all public meetings and keep perfect order throughout the reservation.
    Wednesday we visited with my brother, in the Alkali Valley, where he has a fine ranch, well improved for the time (three years) since settlement. He has twenty acres of the heaviest rye I ever saw. It grows on a dark, sandy soil--is seven feet tall and will make fully four tons of hay per acre.
    My friend liked the Sprague River Valley, and he stopped at the Shook ranch to work and take time to select a claim on the surplus of the Indian reservation, while I reached Talent Saturday, Aug. 11th.
S. SHERMAN. [Salisbury Sherman]
Medford Mail, August 17, 1894, page 4
From Eagle Point to Lakeview.
    Thinking some of our kind friends would like to know about our trip, I thought your valuable paper a good medium of distribution. I therefore send you the following:
    On Monday, Oct. 7th, about 10:15 a.m., we climbed into our hack and bid goodbye to the friends gathered at our gate and drove away. We took dinner with Brother L. E. Land, whose wife had prepared exceedingly fine repast, to which we did justice. After about 2 p.m. we proceeded on our journey, bringing up at Rev. Ira Wakefield's a little after 4 p.m. who told us to alight, unhitch and unharness our mules and be entertained for the night. Tuesday morning at 8:05 we were again seated and holding the strings of our mules facing toward Ashland, where we attended to some business and pushed on to Mr. Homes, where we were nicely entertained and given some fine apples which quenched our thirst many times while on the road in the dust, and few of which we have left. A little after 2 p.m. we started after buying a bushel of oats of Mr. Foster, passing Mr. Shepherd's, with whom we had an acquaintance and after a few minutes' chat we jogged on to Mr. Tyler's, at the foot of the mountain, where they were butchering, not a chicken but a beef; leaving somewhat weary we proceeded to ask permission to camp for the night, and being answered in the affirmative we alit and got supper and went to bed. Morning bright and clear, we started our climb; getting dinner at Naylor's we brought up at Parker's for the night, at which place we fared very nicely. Cold and frosty this a.m., we continued our journey, taking dinner at Spencer Creek. Plodding along we reached almost Klamath Falls, stopping with Mrs. Lewis overnight, and in the morning one of the formidable things met us--our bill. But we had the lucre and shelled out and proceeded to town, when, in the good hands of Mr. Fountain, we found our old, respected friend Prof. Parrot, who is an artist and spoke words of encouragement and cheered us on our way. We had scarcely got out of town when we looked ahead and saw a team headed toward us. Of course no one we knew. A girl in black hat, clothes and wore glasses; a young man in the seat with her, Hush! See if they know us. How are you, Gladius [Fryer], and Charley [Thomas]? When the spry old lady in behind jumped out, grasping our hands warmly, proved to be Mrs. [A. M.] Thomas. A kind word and we pass on to Baxter Grigsby's, where we partook of an elegant dinner and had one of those indomitable fellows, an insurance agent, in the person of Mr. Presler to liven us up and help plow some of the dust out of our throats. Pressing on, we came to Dairy, where we met Mr. Donnell, whose magpie laughed and talked for us. Night finds us at Mrs. Nye Drews. All is bustle and stir, school exhibition, Oh! and we are introduced to Miss Watters and Mr. Breese. Going to the place of exhibit we were tucked in behind, and lo! the violin in a blanket to keep it warm is placed in our hands for safekeeping and after the exhibition is over, we find we have actually carried the violin for a dance. Poor dog Tray. The morning finds us away for Bly and first we meet about 500 beef cattle for Gazelle, and then came three little "injuns" arriving at "Dick Brown's"' (Indian) for dinner and at night fetched up at Mr. Wells', where we were royally entertained. A slight innovation occurred here. Mr. Wells thought we had better put our hack in yard by itself, as his jack mules had an aversion to preachers' things and he, Mr. W., did not care to replace them for fun. Sunday morning we start for our last drive, passing through the "Devils Garden," a fitting place to pass on Sunday. We broke a buggy spring there, but reached our destination in safety, taking lunch at Mr. Howard's.
RICHARD FYSH,
    Lakeview, Ore
Valley Record, Ashland, November 1, 1894, page 1
FROM THE PACIFIC SLOPE.
Another Entertaining Oregon Letter from the Pen of R. L. Andrus.
    ASHLAND, Oregon, Nov. 7, 1894. . . . The stranger here is struck with the number of people who spend large a part of their time in wagons. At this time of year and earlier they are making their way south. The old time canvas-covered lumber wagon, drawn by anywhere from two to six horses, and followed by as many more, containing a dirty woman or two, and and few or many dirty children, the same, more or less, of dirty men, is the sight many times a day. Some of them have cattle ranges in the mountains where they spend the summer and drive in for the winter, others work a farm in California for a season where they conclude it is too dry and so go up into Oregon to spend a year, and by that time they conclude it is too wet there and in the fall start back for California to winter and get a ranch for the next season. At night they camp by the roadside and sleep in their wagons. Many ride on horseback here and it is a common sight to see a farmer and his wife or daughter jogging into town on their horses. The horses are all broke to gallop, and when the boy gets on they "git."
    Chrysanthemums are just nicely in bloom here now and neatly every place is decorated with them. A chrysanthemum show was held here last evening by the young, people of the Epworth League. The decorations, all of these flowers, were superior to anything I have ever seen in extent, beauty and variety. We noticed a bouquet, arranged in a large basket containing sixty-seven varieties of them. The hall, a good-sized one, was a literal bank of flowers, arranged in figures and wreaths. Representations of fans, bicycles, pillows, anchors, harps, "the gates ajar," new moon, etc., were among some of those we can remember.
    The season of roses has just passed and some may be seen in the yards yet, but they are about gone. The people take [pride] in their flower gardens and in the fact that they can raise them in such profusion and beauty.
    This is a beautiful valley lying at the foot of the Siskiyou Mountains, about forty miles long and five or six miles wide. It is in about the same latitude of Bolivar, and about sixty miles from the Pacific Coast. The climate is like that of California, dry in summer with rains through the winter. There is usually a few weeks in the winter of snow but it does not freeze, enough to make sleighing. Peaches, apricots, prunes, almonds, and all kinds of berries grow abundantly, and it is a natural apple country. The people at present are greatly discouraged over the pests that trouble the fruit, scale, moth, etc., but are investigating and trying all known methods to destroy them. They have also the discouragement of having to pay four cents a mile railroad fare and freight rates to correspond. Monopoly seems to curse this country in more than one respect. The millers of this valley buy the wheat of the farmers but refuse to grind it for them, and then charge them fifty percent, profit on the flour. They pay less than a cent a pound for wheat and sell the flour and graham for about twice that amount. If a dealer attempts to import flour they drop the price until he has to quit the business, and then put it to the former price. But the farmers are getting waked up to business, and that state of things cannot exist long. They have already a mill of their own in the lower part of the valley, but where relief will come from on transportation is a problem, for railroads cannot be built through these mountains, except with a great amount of capital.
    Gold-bearing quartz is found here in the mountains, but the uncertainty attending the development of a prospect and the expense of reducing it keeps men of ordinary means out of the business. A stamp mill is owned and operated here running night and day every day in the week. Ten horses haul the quartz to the mill and about thirty men find employment. The amount of ore produced is not published, so the profit is unknown.
R. L. ANDRUS.
Bolivar Breeze, Bolivar, New York, November 30, 1894, page 2


THE ROGUE RIVER VALLEY.
The Garden Spot of Southern Oregon--Important Fruitgrowing Section.
    The valley of the Rogue River vies with the famous Willamette valley in extent, and it is second to no other part of the Pacific Northwest in its productive powers and its attractive surroundings. It is situated in that part of Southern Oregon lying between the Cascade and Coast ranges of mountains. The verdure of this valley is always green, and is in sharp contrast with the parched appearance of the soils of northern California, just across the Siskiyou Mountains to the south. The soil of the Rogue River Valley is of such depth and so heavy in the deposits of centuries of decayed vegetation that it never dries out during periods of even the most protracted drought, and in its productive capacity it is the husbandman's paradise.
    The Rogue River Valley is about 40 miles in length, with an average width of 20 miles. It is watered by the river of the same name, which flows through it. The valley extends through the counties of Josephine and Jackson. Its soil is disintegrated basaltic rock washed down from the adjacent foothills, alluvial deposits and decomposed vegetation. Its fertility is remarkable, especially in its adaptability for diversified production. In color this soil varies from a black loam, shading to a brown on the hillsides, to a reddish, almost brick color in certain parts of the valley. This soil is of great depth, and, from the experience gained by more than 20 years of farming here, cannot be worked out. Basaltic rock is the base of the best soils of the Pacific Northwest, and where the disintegrated rock is found in such quantities as it exists in the soil of the Rogue River Valley it is the opinion of the scientific agriculturist that a century of constant cultivation will not lessen its productive capacity.
    In the high elevations of the mountain ranges encompassing the Rogue River Valley, snow lies on the ground throughout the winter months. Although these snow-capped mountains are in plain view of the residents of the Rogue River Valley, a snowfall in the valley itself is nearly as much a phenomenon as it would be in the streets of San Francisco. The soil is easily cultivated, and it is the ideal fruit growing section of the state. While fruit culture is the principal pursuit of the agriculturist of this section, the lands of the valley are especially adapted to diversified farming. Wheat grows as well here as it does in the famed Willamette Valley, and all the grains, hay and garden truck are raised in prodigious quantities. Corn does especially well here, owing to the richness of the soil and the warm, dry temperature of the summer and early fall months. Timothy, clover, bluegrass and alfalfa yield crops which impose on the credulity of Eastern visitors. Alfalfa in the Rogue River Valley has yielded four abundant crops during a single season. in the vicinity of Grants Pass, Woodville, Phoenix and the Applegate country, all situated within the valley, hop culture has received special attention, and the quality of the hops grown here is equal to that of the hops of the Puyallup Valley of Washington, and the yield in all cases is large.
    It is as a fruitgrowing section that the Rogue River Valley has claimed the most attention from visitors during the past few years. There is no fruit of the semitropical variety that does not do well on these lands. Peaches grown here are not excelled on the coast, while grapes, apricots and melons are of the same rich flavor as is noted in the best productions of southern California. The Rogue River Valley peach is the pride of the Portland markets, and Eastern visitors say that none of the primest varieties of the Delaware peach belt surpass it in quality. Melons from the Rogue River Valley are annually shipped to Portland and all the Willamette valley points in carload lots. The Portland markets are practically supplied with melons from this source alone. These melons are giants in size, and they possess the sweetness only found in melons raised on soils especially adapted to growing this fruit to its greatest perfection. Among the other varieties of fruits grown here are apples, pears, cherries, prunes, berries of all kinds, nectarines and grapes. The Oregon Bartlett pear brings a higher price in the markets of the coast than the California product, it being especially noted for its size, its abundance of juice and its remarkably rich flavor.
    Next to the peach, grapes have long been the most staple product of the rich soils of the Rogue River Valley. Experts pronounce the grapes of some of the Jackson County vineyards superior in quality to the finest grapes of California or even of the renowned vineyards of France. Time and experience alone are required to make the Rogue River Valley one of the greatest wine-producing sections of the coast. There is even today considerable wine made in this part of the state, but it is principally handled in a desultory way, and the output is not yet sufficient in quantity to insure the proper attention to storing it which alone will produce the
quality of wine demanded by the best markets of the coast.
    The productive capacity of the soils of the Rogue River Valley can be appreciated from the statement that figs, almonds, and even walnuts, are successfully grown here. While the cultivation of these products is not carried on to any extent, for the reason that other branches of fruit culture and agriculture have promised more profitable returns here, it may be well to note that a country which can successfully produce the diversified crops mentioned above approaches as closely to the limit of an ideal agricultural section as is reached by any of the most favored spots of the United States.
    The shipments of fruit from the Rogue River Valley today are heavy. These shipments are made principally in carload lots, and they find a ready market in nearly all parts of the Northwest. It is the quantity produced for shipment that is often the determining quantity in the success of the fruitgrower. A section that produces sufficient fruit to enable shipments to be made in trainloads will usually command a better price for its output than the community that is only able to offer sufficient fruit for shipment to fill a single car. Fruitgrowing will always be the principal industry of the Rogue River Valley, and, with the great demand that exists for fruit of the quality raised here, the returns from the industry will always be profitable.
    A demand exists at the present time in the valley for encouragement of fruit drying as a leading industry. Certain varieties of fruit can be sold more profitably in their dried state than they can in a fresh condition. Dried fruits are as staple as sugar or coffee in all the markets of the world. Fruit drying affords a profitable field for the investment of capital in the Rogue River Valley, and it is an industry that is certain to be largely developed in this section within the next few years.
    Southwestern Oregon is not a treeless waste. The hills surrounding the Rogue River Valley are covered with a dense growth of fine merchantable timber. Many varieties of timber are found in the counties of Josephine, Jackson and Curry. The most valuable wood of this section, however, is the sugar pine. Forests of this wood are found in large belts, principally in Josephine County. As a finishing wood it is unsurpassed. A large factory for the manufacture of doors, sash, moldings and blinds has long been established at Grants Pass, and during the last year a branch factory has been established at Medford.
    The Rogue River Valley is worthy of the attention of immigrants who are in search of a rich farming belt where a mild climate predominates. Even California is not more favored in the matter of climate than is that part of Oregon embraced within the limits of the valley, and the remarkable growth this section has made during the past few years correctly forecasts what is in store for the community within the next decade.
HAMILTON & PALM.
    For full information concerning town property in Medford, or choice improved farms and orchards in the Rogue River Valley, communications should be addressed to Messrs. Hamilton &. Palm, at Medford. These gentlemen have for sale fine fruit orchards within easy distance of the town at low valuations, and these are offered for sale on the remarkably easy terms of $1.25 a week installments. The profits from these orchards accruing to the purchasers during the period that the installments must be paid will not only meet the purchase price, but will insure the purchaser a fair living at the same time.
Morning Oregonian, Portland, January 1, 1895, page 15




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