Medford stays wet, the charter amendment is beaten by a decisive majority, W. H. Canon is elected mayor by a small majority, all three candidates on the business men's and taxpayers' ticket for councilmen are elected and the library tax carries by a good majority. Such is the result of the city election held yesterday after one of the most strenuous and bitter campaigns waged in the city of Medford.
    The feature of the day was the heavy vote polled, indicating the rapid growth of Medford. A total of 910 votes were cast for the candidates for mayor. While there is no means of establishing the actual gain in votes cast as compared with the June election for the reason that the precincts in the June election do not correspond with the wards in the city election, yet every one was surprised at the largeness of the vote.
    The vote on mayor was unusually close, W. H. Canon winning over J. A. Perry by the narrow margin of 8 votes.
    The majority against prohibition was a surprise to everyone, the "wets" having the best of the balloting by a majority of 127. Contrary to all expectations the wets carried every ward, the result being the closest in the second ward, where the vote stood 163 for and 179 against.
    On the amendment to the charter to make the local option law of the state apply to Medford a hot fight was waged, and the result shows that some of the believers in prohibition were affected by the argument of "home rule," urged by those who opposed the amendment. The amendment was defeated by a majority of 167. In the third [ward] the vote was almost two to one against the amendment, standing 356 for and 523 against.
    The charter amendment to permit the levying of a tax to support and maintain a Carnegie library was carried by a majority of 132. This will enable Medford to assist in the good work of keeping Andrew Carnegie from the disgrace of dying rich.
    Some of the features of the usual election were missing in this contest owing to a partial observance of the corrupt practices act. However, the act was violated often and frequently in a quiet way, and it is safe to say that any voter who exhibited any hesitation as to the way he would vote yesterday found plenty of assistance at hand to help him reach a decision.
    According to the charter, the new city officials will enter upon their official duties ten days after the election, unless there should be some hitch.
Medford Mail, January 15, 1909, page 1

    The Jacobsen-Bade Company yesterday shipped their trench-digging outfit back to Portland, having completed their work in this city. The company has been carrying on operations in this city for about a year, and during that time has dug 17 miles of trenches, 8 miles of which were for sewerage and the remainder for water pipe.
Medford Mail, May 14, 1909, page 5

    F. E. Berdan, the Ashland house-mover, is in Medford this week moving several buildings--mostly those wooden buildings which occupy ground upon which brick and stone blocks are to be built. Among these is the residence on Grape Street South, owned by Garnett & Corey, and upon ground where a large wholesale hardware store is to be erected and for which excavations are now being made.
Medford Mail, May 28, 1909, page 1


    All of the officers and most of the members of the Society of the Oregon Country attended the annual outing held last Saturday at Marshall Hall. A prize had been offered for the most original and toothsome delicacy, which was won by Miss Robinson Lackland of Jacksonville, Ore., for a pumpernickel sandwich.
Evening Star, Washington, D.C., June 21, 1909, page 18




    Miss Mary Couch Withington, of Greenwich, Conn., a former Portland girl, who is a great favorite here, arrived last week, and will be the guest of Mrs. W. M. Ladd for ten days, later visiting Miss Genevieve Thompson, who was a college friend at Bryn Mawr. Miss Withington is a member of one of the oldest and most prominent Portland families, who for years lived at the old residence on Salmon Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets. Miss Withington was decidedly popular when she attended the Portland Academy, and since graduating from college she has been the secretary of a finishing school in the East. She is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Withington, Mr. Withington having acted for many years as cashier at the First National Bank. She is also a granddaughter of the late Amory Holbrook, who was connected with The Oregonian in the early sixties. Miss Kate Failing will give a small tea on Monday afternoon in honor of Miss Holbrook, Mrs. Hamilton Abbot, of Vancouver, B. C, who was Miss Bess Withington, and Holbrook Withington, of Medford, are expected to arrive in Portland soon, when a reunion will be held.
"Society," Sunday Oregonian, Portland, July 11, 1909, page C2


    Col. Frank Touvelle, a rancher living near Medford, Ore., is said to have produced a deep-rooted vine that brings forth three crops of strawberries in a season. This result has been obtained by grafting alfalfa roots on the roots of strawberry vines.
Norwich Bulletin, Norwich, Connecticut, July 20, 1909


    On August 27, 1909, William H. Arundale passed away at his home, Winchuck, Oregon, after a short illness.
    Deceased was born in Albany, New York, in 1842 and in 1852 crossed the plains with his parents, locating in Jackson County, Oregon. In 1865 he was married to Paulena J. Wheeler, in Jackson County, later moving to Portland, Oregon, remaining there a short time. Leaving Portland he located in Crescent City and later moving to Ventura County, Cal , remaining there two years, then coming back to this place and later located at Winchuck, Oregon, where he made his home up to the time of his death.
    To the union were born ten children, nine surviving, namely: Mrs. Elsa Bartlett, Albany Oregon; Mrs. F. Bowie, Ventura, Cal.; Wm. Arundale, Greenfield, Monterey County, Cal.; Mrs. N. Dennis, Mrs. Laura Wykoff, Thomas Arundale, Grant Arundale, Los Angeles, Cal.; Mrs. Bella Bosch, Del Norte County, Cal.; Roy Arundale, Winchuck, Oregon.
    Besides the children there is left to mourn the wife who through all the years shared fortune with the one of her choice.
    Mrs. Nellie Dennis, Thos. Arundale, and Walter Arundale, son of Grant Arundale, were visiting the old home when their loved father was called to the Great Beyond.
Del Norte Record, Crescent City, September 4, 1909, page 2

the greatest impetus it has ever received in the West. The good fellowship dominating this meeting began even before the advance guard arrived, when the boys headed southward from the Washington-British Columbia-Oregon circuit, in a telegram handed to Herald Riehl on the San Francisco Limited at Cottage Grove, which read: "Campfire lighted; Medford awaits Chiefs, Braves and Shooters." This in a measure prepared the pilgrims for the reception which met them Saturday morning at the hands of the Entertainment Committee, wearing a bright red badge of "The First Annual Meeting, Pacific Indians." Across the main street was a great banner with the legend: "Kalaham Kloosh Tillicum Midlite," which interpreted means: "Welcome, Good Friends, While You Tarry Here," and at other points lifelike Indian figures on canvas and the wording "Kalaham Sex," "How Are You, Friend?" and other sentiments to that effect. Although the city, in the midst of harvesting a record fruit crop, was overcrowded at the time, the guests were soon made comfortable in various hotels, and a gala week was fairly inaugurated. The stranger who could not attend, but merely reads these lines, will perhaps more readily understand to what extent the preceding sentence is true when the fact is stated that the citizens raised $800 in cash, $250 added money and $550 for special entertaining on account of this meet, to say nothing of wagonloads of fruit, free automobile service, boats for fishing and other courtesies, and the elaborate fitting up of the shooting range by the Medford Rod and Gun Club. The range  was located on a large open prairie northeast of town, on the edge of a small grove of large spreading oaks burdened with mistletoe. The shooting background was of the very best, as were also the traps, in the competent charge of Charley North. Nothing, in fact, but the weather was left as an element of chance to militate against high scores.

    Medford, Ore.--A good illustration of what young pear orchards will yield when properly cared for is shown by the returns from the Hillcrest Orchard. In Bartletts, 440 7-year-old trees, covering 5.86 acres, yielded 1,489 boxes, or 3.38 boxes per tree, or 253.92 boxes per acre, which netted an average per box of $1.93, or a net return of $490.40 per acre. All expenses did not exceed $50 an acre, leaving a profit of $440 per acre.
    In Howells, 342 7-year-old trees, covering 4.56 acres, yielded 1,393 boxes, 4.07 boxes to the tree, 305.48 boxes to the acre. The average net returns were $2.35 per box, or $2.373.55, at the rate of $717.88 per acre. The cost per acre is estimated by the owner at $50, making a net profit of $667.88 per acre.
    What an old pear orchard will do is shown by the yield of the Buckeye Orchard, near Talent, owned by W. G. Estep. From 8 acres of Bartletts Mr. Estep grossed in New York and Chicago $10,750, or $7,000 net, a profit of $850 an acre.
    Fred Hopkins' Snowy Butte Orchard at Central Point is also an example of what pears will do in the Rogue River Valley. From 16½ acres $2,000 worth of Bartlett and Fall Butter pears were marketed, and $15,000 worth of Winter Nelis pears sold, a total of $17,000 for 16½ acres, or over $1,000 an acre.
    When complete records from the Burrell, Bear Creek, Gore and other orchards will be found to exceed even these figures, each having pear orchards whose net yield approximates $1,500 an acre.
    As not over 2,000 acres of the 50,000 acres planted around Medford are in bearing, and as this fractional bearing acreage is in most instances paying all expenses for caring for the entire planted acreage and in addition making money for the owners, the above figures offer a suggestion of what the profits of local fruit growers will be within a few years, but to realize the fullest returns fruit men must cooperate in all the essential details of the business. Uniform pack and systematic marketing are as essential to the pear and apple industry as to the circus fruit industry of California.
The Chicago Packer, December 4, 1909, page 5