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Medford in 1935
Medford's Praises Sung by Expert in Municipal Plans, Administration
Foresight in Adopting Definite Objective Declared an Important Factor Department Heads Lauded
    The following address was given by Professor Charles McKinley of Reed College in Portland over radio station KOAC as a part of the radio series on municipal affairs, sponsored by the League of Oregon Cities and the Bureau of Municipal Research. During the summer of 1934 Professor McKinley made a study of the city administrations of Hood River, Oregon City, and Medford. This is his report regarding this city:
    "Medford is the largest of the cities studied, and I cannot do justice here to its many interesting and significant enterprises. It has a much larger variety of functions, because a city of 12,000 must have its government do many things that Hood River could not afford and does not need so acutely. For example, it has a complete code of regulations governing the erection of buildings and a competent engineer to see that these are observed. It has an excellent airport with ample provision for hangar and administration services.
Saw Opportunity.
    "But I wish to speak in more detail of its city planning work. Medford was the second city in the state to create a city planning commission. It began its activities in 1923. The need of a planning agency was particularly acute in Medford, because important sections of the town had been given street plans that did not match, and that impeded through traffic. This was not the only reason why the progressively minded people there demanded the creation of a planning commission. They saw the opportunity awaiting the city to secure an unusual playground and park development by utilizing the delinquent lots that had fallen into the possession of the city after the collapse of the pre-war real estate boom. They also wished to save the city from the blighting effects of mixing commercial and business uses with residential development. And they were keen about creating a beautiful civic center in which the leading public buildings would be beautifully and conveniently grouped about the central park blocks.
Aims Realized.
    "All of these purposes have been realized in large part as a result of the strenuous and intelligent effort of the Medford commission. After years of careful study of their situation their work was brought to culmination when they secured the services of Jacob Crane, a nationally famous planner, to help them revise their zoning act, and develop their setback line controls, their street plan and the park and civic center plan into a comprehensive and definite city plan. This study was embodied in a special report which was presented to the city council in March, 1931, and which was adopted as the official city plan for Medford.
    "Another example of foresight shown by Medford officials is the acquisition and development of the beautiful Prescott Memorial Park, which lies on top of Roxy Ann mountain some seven miles from the heart of Medford. For a very small sum of money the city acquired 1700 acres of the crest of this peak, most of it covered with beautiful pine forest.
    "On a summer day, as one drives up the 6 percent grade on the road now being constructed from the valley to the mountaintop, one gets a thrilling airplane view of the lovely valley, with its dark green pear orchards and its lush clover and alfalfa fields encircled by the lofty peaks of the Siskiyou and Umpqua mountains. And when the road reaches the timbered crest, with its grassy, spring-fed open spaces, the visitor discovers a summer climate sharply contrasting with that which he left in the city below.
It's Hot in Summer.
    "It must be conceded that during July and August the Medford days get hot. Here on the mountain, in Prescott Park, however, it is delightfully refreshing, since the cool air currents from the Pacific Ocean play upon this summit and give it the coolness of the coast. This is a very unusual kind of park for a city in a warm summer climate to possess. Medford has the opportunity of developing it in a manner similar to that found in some European cities. but rarely used in America.
    "It can use it not only for the customary picnicking and evening driving, but for overnight camping for boy and girl camping groups, and for the development of cottages by Medford residents on sites leased from the city. To be able to select either of two climates by a 15-minute drive is an opportunity given to very few cities, and this is something that the Medford people may now do.
Health Officer Lauded.
    "Medford is one of the few cities having as health officer a man who, in addition to his medical training, is specially trained and experienced in both public health administration and bacteriology. As a regular part of his work in the control of contagious diseases the health officer, Dr. Inskeep, offers free diagnostic service to any physician who has a patient whom he suspects to be the victim of a contagious or communicable disease. This service greatly facilitates the early discovery of such diseases.
    "The Medford physicians show an excellent spirit of cooperation, particularly by giving free examination for contagion to every child who is absent from school for one day. Dr. Inskeep has devised an ingenious but simple calendar system for keeping accurate check on all quarantine cases so that maximum safety to the community is assured with a minimum of inconvenience to the patient and his family
Scheffel's Office Unique.
    "But I must say something about the unique office known as that of city superintendent, and ably filled by Mr. Fred Scheffel. This is an incipient city managership, for to this office are entrusted the street, sewer and engineering work, the care of parks and playgrounds, enforcement of building regulation, the supervision of garbage disposal and street cleaning, the custody of all public buildings, the purchase of supplies for all departments except for the water service (which is under a separate board), the maintenance of the airport, the making out of the payroll, and the looking after the odds and ends of city affairs.
    "He does not have control over the health, police, fire or water departments; but for all the other administrative functions he is the responsible officer. The recorder and treasurer are independently elected officers, but their work ties in very closely at many points with that of the superintendent, and the latter is most heavily relied upon for budgetary advice and general administrative oversight by the city council. I have little hesitation in saying that if the charter were changed to make the superintendent a full-fledged manager with full control over all these agencies, he could render better service, much duplication of bookkeeping could be avoided, and a considerable reduction in overhead costs could be secured."
Medford Mail Tribune, January 24, 1935, page 5
As Others See Us
    As everyone knows, this is ''a great country," and we are proud of it. Medford is ''one of the biggest little cities on the coast," and we are proud of that, too. Woe to the one who steps on the tail of our civic-pride coat--he will immediately have a fight on his hands and a real one.
    All of which is natural enough and not to be deplored.
    But what do others think of Medford and the Rogue River Valley? That is more important, is it not? We have no monopoly on civic pride--every up-and-coming community has a good opinion of itself. What Medford thinks of Medford is not nearly so important as what the rest of the state thinks of it.
    Well what DOES the rest of the state think of Medford? Judging by the last issue of its business survey, ''Commonwealth Incorporated" of Portland thinks very highly of this little city, its present, past, and particularly its future.
    Starting with the announcement that in few states does one city dominate statewide trade as Portland does in Oregon, nevertheless it declares ''certain trading centers in this state show signs of growing importance." We quote:
    "Next to Portland, Medford shows the greatest concentration on trade. Medford dominates easily in Southern Oregon east of the Coast Range, and its fruit business pushes up its wholesale volume tremendously. Important cities such as Grants Pass and Ashland are in its territory as is southern Douglas County and Siskiyou County in California. Salem and Eugene follow in order, with the Willamette Valley their plum. Both have larger dollar volumes than Medford but a smaller per-capita business and a smaller proportion of their populations in trade activities.
    "Roseburg lacks importance as a distributing and retail center because it is the only city in huge Douglas County whose population is predominantly rural. Part of Douglas County business goes into Medford, part into Eugene and part to the mail order houses. Grants Pass is too close to Medford, as is Ashland.
    "It can be expected that the leaders in trade will continue to lengthen their lead as their merchants look further afield and new highways are built. Salem, Eugene, Medford and The Dalles appear to have especially bright futures in trade."
    Not bad! And this is an impartial business survey, from Portland, which can't be accused of any partiality toward Medford and the extreme southern portion of the state.
    In concentration of trade, which from the standpoint of general prosperity is the important factor, Medford is second only to Portland, throughout the state.
    The present is good, but for Medford and the Rogue River Valley, the future looks even better.
    Many thanks to Commonwealth Inc.! That has been our own opinion for some time; we are glad to have it confirmed, by an authoritative, outside, and impartial source.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 23, 1935, page 4



Last revised May 15, 2025