The Indian hostilities on Rogue River still continue to cause us much anxiety, and the life of a settler is one not merely of hardship and privation, but it is now beset with constant peril from treacherous savages--death stares him in the face by night and day.
    The Indians made another outbreak about a week ago, on Rogue River, and during the night some 20 or 30 warriors surrounded and attacked a house some 15 miles from the mouth of the river. A man and two boys were sleeping in the house, of whom two escaped, while one of the boys was killed. The Indians then burned the house and laid waste to the ranch. Thence they went down to the Whale's Head Mountain, some ten miles below Rogue River, and burned two houses. The inhabitants fortunately escaped, and arrived safely in Crescent City.
    The people on the river have formed a small company of volunteers, some ten or twelve men to fight the savages, and have applied to the Governor of Oregon to be recognized and supplied by government. Meantime private subscription supports them.
    No small anxiety is felt hereabouts regarding the conduct of the Indians this summer. This is the second murder they have committed this season, and although they only number some 40 warriors, still they are out in open war against us. Now it is seriously apprehended that the Indians from the Umpqua Reserve will break away, as they have repeatedly threatened to do, and return to their old hunting grounds. They say they would rather fight and die here than live there. If they succeed in their plans, we shall be reduced to the melancholy necessity of renewing the scenes of 1851 and '54, and shall commence a war of extermination.
    Meantime, what a disgrace to our government that such a beautiful country as the valleys about here present should be sealed to all honest, peaceful settlers, by the lack of a little energy on the part of government.
    As an offset to your Fraser River excitement, I will tell you that the mines on Sixes River have been doing well, and now diggings of great richness have just been discovered on the Coquille.
    We have the Colorado fever here, and some fifteen or twenty of our best population are up and off for Arizona. What a queer idea for such a disease to rage in such a place! It is too bad, for we can ill spare them. Goodbye!
Daily Alta California, San Francisco, May 3, 1858, page 1


    We have been favored with the following important particulars by a gentleman of this city, to whom they were forwarded by his brother, postmaster at Port Orford, a source entitled to the fullest credit. In reply to some interrogations from his brother in this city, he writes: We are on the eve of another Indian outbreak; and, let me assure you, that the next one will not be like the last. It is not nearly a week since all the settlers on the Coquille River,> and between that place and Port Orford, abandoned their homes and came in here (Port Orford) for safety. Captain Tichenor and others, who were engaged in conveying Indians to the Reservation, came back some days before their time, and reported that the Indians intended to break from the Reserve in about two weeks, and gave the whites on the Reserve notice to that effect. The next we heard was the sudden influx of the settlers above mentioned, who reported the following: A white settler on the Coquille, named Kitchen, married a squaw the day before the people started for Port Orford; the squaw's brother came to the house at night, and told Kitchen and his wife that some 200 Indians had already abandoned the Reserve, and carried their squaws to a place of safety, between the south fork of the Coquille and the road leading to Roseburg (some 40 miles from this place), and warned him and other whites to leave this country, as the Indians intended to come en masse, and retake possession of their old homes. He also stated that the Sixes, Rogue River and Port Orford Indians would join those leaving. The whites on the Coquille, and those between the Coquille and this place, left immediately, and arrived about the same time. The stampede was general. The Chetco Indians located below Rogue River have been lately actively engaged in murdering the whites and burning their houses in this locality, so much so that they have been compelled to seek the settlements for safety. Since then, nothing of consequence has been heard from the Indians but we are daily looking for them on their way down. Our fort has been cleared up, guns and ammunition looked to, and all the necessary orders given and preparations made in case of an attack. Mr. Packwood, lately a resident on the Reserve, says that there are but 25 soldiers and 10 white men on the Reserve, and that the Indians will find no obstacle to prevent them coming down the coast, until they meet with some settlement. We number now about 30 men in Port Orford. At Coos Bay, 50 miles north, there may be 100, but I think that too large an estimate. At Somer's and Johnson's diggings, 30 men; on the Coquille, Sixes, and Elk rivers, some 20 more: these are all between the Umpqua River and this place. The Indians number 2,000 some odd hundreds, and if any considerable number of them break out the rest will follow. That they will come before long I do not for a moment doubt, and am making preparations accordingly. No one here for a moment doubts that a serious Indian outbreak is at hand, and we are truly in a defenseless condition. Should a war ensue, you may expect one of a more terrible character than any that has preceded, for the Indians that will engage in it are those who have already tried the United States Reserve, and no argument strong enough can be urged to induce them to return again to the Reserve, which they would be necessarily compelled to do were they again to conclude a peace. They are infuriated to madness, and declare that they prefer death to remaining on the Reserve.
The Argus, Melbourne, Australia, July 29, 1858, page 7


    The fire in the Coast Mountains has been the most terrific and destructive known to the whites. The densest and most impenetrable woods and brush are swept away as with a besom of destruction. One old hunter in Curry County states that he found the charred remains of a large band of elk that had apparently been surrounded by fire and unable to escape. All the houses, fences, barns, etc. at Port Orford, excepting the residences of Capt. Tichenor and Mr. Burnap, were burned. Mrs. Tichenor is now in a critical condition from burns received in saving her house. With no one to assist her, and alone; with the angry flames roaring, crackling and hissing all about her--burning the yard fence within a foot of the house; and though several times her clothing was on fire, this spartan-hearted woman saved her home from destruction by sacrificing herself.
    Important discoveries of ores are being found in various localities of Coos and Curry counties. Quite an excitement is now agitating the people of these counties, in consequence of the discovery of a rich gold-bearing quartz ledge at Salmon Gulch, 45 miles northeast of Port Orford. A rival company, supposed to be in the interest of San Francisco capitalists, are pretending to claim the ledge as a spur from an unknown and imaginary one of theirs, which will probably lead to litigation. Some silver and copper ores have been found in various localities of Curry County, which will ultimately prove a fine field for the miner and the mineralogist.
Oregon Sentinel, Jacksonville, November 7, 1868, page 2

 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE OREGONIAN:
    The trip across that portion of the Const Range known as Curry County to the coast is one of deep interest. The bald or prairie hills are covered with rich grass, interspersed with delicious clover. Some parts of the country do very well for sheep. It is, however, too mountainous, and they require shepherding from wild animals; but it ranks among the finest pasture for cattle that can be found on the Pacific Coast. The fattest cattle and the most delicious meat that can be raised are fed on the prairie hills of the Coquille, and that part of the Coast Range embraced in Curry County. The milk, cream and butter raised by the settlers from cows fed on the same grass cannot be surpassed for richness and delightful flavor. This Coast Range--240 miles long by 75 miles broad--from the California boundary in the south to the Columbia River in the north, will be, one day, one of the most valuable grazing districts on this side the Rocky Mountains. From the dairies of the settlers of the Coquille and the adjoining districts of Curry County will be sent as delicious butter as ever was made, and in quantities equal to the wants of Coos Bay and a portion of the Portland and San Francisco markets.
    The whole of the Coast Range is well supplied with water. Besides innumerable springs and streams, there are the Rogue and Umpqua rivers in the south, that have their rise in the Cascade Range, the district of which is so admirably adapted to sheep. The Elk and Sixes rivers, Floras Creek, the New and Coquille rivers, as well as their numerous branches that have their rise in the Coast Range, and that water the more northern districts of Curry and Coos counties, are unsurpassed for raising fine stock to advantage.
    The bottom lands of the rivers and creeks are nearly all made soil, and are rich and productive almost beyond credit. Cereals, vegetables and fruits can be raised in immense quantities in proportion to the extent of the soil available for such productions. Stock men can get as much land as will supply all their wants of this kind in abundance. On the rivers and creeks mentioned, particularly the Coquille and its forks in Coos County, the Elk, Sixes, and New rivers, and Floras Creek in Curry County, there are numerous places that are adapted to and can be taken up by settlers of small means, that, if industrious and economical, and know how to use the ax, spade, shovel and rifle, can build up comfortable homes and live as independent as lords.
    Nothing astonishes the visitor so much as the apparently inexhaustible quantity of the forest timber of the Coast Range. The amazing quantity of white, yellow and red fir and sugar pine of the slopes and high mountains; the vast belts of white cedar, ash, maple, myrtle and alder in the lower slopes and bottom lands, from Coos Bay to Rogue River, would seem to meet the wants of the Pacific Coast till the time that Gabriel blows his trumpet. There seems to be no limit to the profitable employment of cutting down timber, saw and planing mills, shipbuilding and all the industries connected with these important interests. The soil is so rich to the top of the highest mountains that the moment the timber is removed and the brush burned, orchard and other grasses can be sown at once and fine pasture cultivated.
    From the Coquille to the Pacific across the Coast Range the scenery for fifty miles is bold and grand beyond any adequate description. Although the trail is, in many places, rough, narrow and not free from danger, the ascent and descent of the mounts very great, tedious and tiresome, yet the path runs along mountain ranges from which magnificent views of mountain scenery come into full view that fill the mind with admiration, and make one feel that the Almighty has left in a striking manner the prints of His fingers and the evidences of His power when forming this part of the globe. No less beautiful and charming are the valley and river scenery that intervene and that go to make up a panorama of sublime grandeur and rare beauty that set at defiance all imitation.
    What adds to the pleasure and enjoyment of the scene is the untiring industry, the prosperity, the real comforts and the general hospitality of the settlers. There is not a hotel in Portland that sets a more comfortable table than do the majority of the settlers from the Coquille River to the ocean.
    When the heights overlooking Port Orford are reached, and the Pacific Ocean, with its deep blue waters, comes into view, and the invigorating breeze from its mighty bosom is felt, the effects are inspiring and invigorating to wind and body. The headlands are bold and grand, and can be seen from Cape Blanco to Hunter's Point, a distance of 40 miles. The beach for the same distance is one of rare beauty, and its adaptation for safe and comfortable bathing at Port Orford is not surpassed on the Pacific or Atlantic coast. It is equally well adapted, when the tide is out, for delightful walks, drives or rides for many miles. It is destined, at no distant day, to be one of the most valuable and attractive watering places on the Pacific Coast. In addition to its healing waters, invigorating breeze, delightful atmosphere and grand scenery, supplies of the choicest cream, milk, butter, honey and berries can be had to any extent required, as well as meats, game, fish and vegetables in great variety and of the best quality.
was once a place of considerable size and importance, principally as a center for supplying the miners on the beach and the Sixes River. These mines were once quite successful, but as mining became less valuable, the town gradually declined, and was finally burned down in the fall of 1858 by a destructive and extensive forest fire in the rear of the town. Since then it has had to contend with difficulties that are being gradually surmounted. At present there are two general stores, owned by Mr. A. D. Walcott and Mr. C. Zumwalt. Mrs. Knapp keeps a small hotel. She is a woman of a large heart, remarkably kind and attentive to visitors; keeps a comfortable house and a good table. She is a German lady of the true type, and is a striking example of what industry, economy and integrity can accomplish. From very small means she and her family have risen to comfort and independence. T. W. Crock, the sub-Collector of the port, resides here, and is quite a favorite with the public. Captain W. Tichenor is the proprietor of the town. He is a gentleman of large property, great experience, mental energy, and is taking an active part in pushing forward the great improvements that are in contemplation at the port. Mr. R. W. Dunbar is stopping at the hotel for a short time on account of his health. He was employed by the government to organize the customs department at Port Orford in December, 1855, and filled the office of Collector for a number of years. He is part owner of what is expected to be a valuable quartz mine on Salmon Creek. He is an intelligent and well-informed gentleman, and a favorite with his friends. There are at present just ten houses at the port, including stores and private residences.
is what gives the place its chief value and importance in a commercial and maritime point of view. It is situated midway between San Francisco and Puget Sound, and is specially adapted by its large bay and deep water for a harbor of refuge. It only requires the building of a breakwater to protect it from the southwest gales that prevail in the winter time to make it a safe and reliable harbor of refuge for the shipping trade of the entire coast. Major Robert's official report to the Secretary of War in February last is to the effect that Port Orford is the only bay on the coast, from San Francisco to Puget Sound, adapted for a harbor of refuge, and that a breakwater, such as he describes, is essential to make it so. The Major recommends a breakwater of 1,500 yards in length, to be built in ten fathoms water, so as to make it ample for coming time; but he states that "five hundred yards would be sufficient for the present wants of commerce," the cost of which he estimates at $2,902,000. That this breakwater will be built there is no doubt in the minds of those best capable of giving an opinion on the subject. An appropriation would have been made during the last session of Congress for commencing the work, if all the necessary information had been forthcoming in proper time. It is one of the most popular and desirable objects that has ever engaged the minds of the vast majority of the people of Southern Oregon. Mr. Mitchell has given solemn pledges that he will press the claims of this important work in the United States Senate the coming session, so energetically and successfully introduced by Mr. Corbett, late United States Senator. If Mr. Mitchell is faithful to his promise on this subject, it will greatly enhance his popularity in this section of the state, and add immensely to the rapid development of its vast and varied resources.
    The knowledge of an appropriation being made by Congress for the building of this breakwater will secure, beyond doubt, the commencement of the construction of the
This contemplated railroad will connect with the Oregon and California Railroad at Roseburg; with steamers at Port Orford running to Puget Sound, Portland, San Francisco and elsewhere. It will drain as fine agricultural, mineral and timber country as on the Pacific Coast. If managed for the interest of the public, and for the development of the material interests of the country, it will be a very popular and successful railroad; its freight and passenger traffic will exceed the expectations of its most sanguine friends. Close observation and minute inquiries confirm these conclusions beyond successful contradiction. The town of Port Orford will become the center of a large population; stores, hotels and private residences will be numerous; property will advance in value; shipping will be extensive and travel will be great. It will be a popular and delightful watering place and summer residence for many families from Portland to Jacksonville. As an evidence of the reasonableness of their statements, a leading merchant visited Port Orford this week, to examine its adaptation for business in the event of the breakwater and railroad being built. So satisfied was he with the reasonable certainty of the two latter being accomplished, and of the desirableness and success of the former, that he purchased an entire block of land on which to erect a store and warehouse at the time.
    On the rocks in the ocean between Port Orford and Cape Blanco, a few miles from the beach, are thousands of
    They are now taken in large numbers by a company organized by Captain Tichenor, at Port Orford. They are shot while resting on the rocks, brought on board the company's schooner, skinned, and the fat or blubber taken off. These are the valuable parts of the animal. The skin is coarse and heavy; it is dried in the sun and sold for making glue. The fat makes a valuable oil which is manufactured on shore, barreled and shipped to San Francisco. Some of these sea lions weigh two tons. Although they are clumsy and unsightly brutes, they move with great rapidity both on the rocks and in the sea.
    The number of wild and other animals killed by the soldiers that trade at Port Orford may be inferred from the fact that 2,000 hides and skins were shipped from this port last year. One settler killed 17 bear, 22 elk, 11 deer, 1 panther, 1 wolf and 15 lynx.
in considerable numbers, of great variety and beauty, are got on the north beach at Port Orford for a number of miles. Seaweed of every variety is in abundance. The ladies on the coast excel in making ornamental work from these two sources of supply, which go far to make home life beautiful and cheerful.
Oregonian, Portland, July 8, 1873, page 2


    The earlier attempts to secure a mail service by the way of the Umpqua were a failure, on account of an imperfect coast survey and the bad character the entrance had obtained by the loss of the Bostonian on the bar in 1851. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company about this time instructed Captain William Tichenor of the Sea Gull to look for some other harbor along the coast of Southern Oregon, and when one was found to place there a colony of pioneers, who should commence a settlement and explore a route to the interior. Accordingly, in June, 1851, nine men, under the command of J. M. Kirkpatrick, were left at a small bay previously discovered by Tichenor, under the shelter of a point of land known as Point Orford, a few miles south of Cape Blanco, the most westerly land in Oregon or the United States. They were furnished with the necessary stores, arms and ammunition, and a four-pound cannon mounted on what was supposed to be a defensible position --a high rock, sloping on one side to the sea, and cut off at high tide from connection with the land.
    The steamer had been but two days gone on her voyage to Portland, when the natives in the neighborhood assembled for a war dance, after which they began moving upon the fortified position of the settlers. Not desiring an encounter,
Kirkpatrick motioned them away, and endeavored to intimidate them by gestures towards the cannon, which they probably did not understand, for they continued to advance, and finally swarmed into the fort, seizing the arms of the men. At this moment Kirkpatrick touched off the cannon, and brought down a number who were
still approaching.
    The men, who were struggling for the possession of their arms, now discharged
them, killing six of the attacking party, and, clubbing their guns, fought hand to hand. In a quarter of an hour there were twenty Indians dead, and almost as many wounded. The weapons of the natives, being bows and arrows, were less fatal, and of the four settlers wounded none were killed.
    The Indians retired, carrying off their slain, but at the end of five days reappeared, and, finding the settlers still occupying their fort, held another war dance. Unwilling to risk a second attack, the settlers decided to attempt a flight, although it was also attended with great danger. Carrying nothing but their arms, the little garrison, taking advantage of the temporary absence of the enemy, sought the cover of the forest, and traveling as rapidly as they were able struck the beach again six miles above Point Orford in the night, avoiding the village of the Coquille Indians near the mouth of that river. Keeping in the woods by day and traveling by night, crossing rivers on rafts, living alternately on berries and mussels, the fugitives reached the Umpqua River at the end of a week, and were kindly cared for at Umpqua City.
    Great was the surprise and consternation of Captain Tichenor, when, on his next voyage up the coast, he called at Port Orford, as the bay was now called, to find the place deserted, and the plain evidences of a terrible conflict. The only clue to the mystery was a diary picked up on the ground, the last sentence of which spoke of the Indians at close quarter, and seizing the men's guns. It was taken for granted that the men had been killed, and the facts and conclusions were so published in
the California and Oregon newspapers. This report was soon after corrected by a letter from Kirkpatrick, who claimed the discovery, during his wanderings, of the Coquille River and Coos Bay, although the Umpqua Company had before been aware of the existence of the latter.
Frances Fuller Victor, "A Province of California," Overland Monthly, July, 1893, pages 99-100


    Capt. E. B. Burns, of Curry County, who has been engaged in the fishing industry and mining for several years past, has organized a toll road company with a capital stock of $100,000 to build a toll road from Leland to Port Orford in Curry County. The road will pass through the following mining districts: Mt. Reuben, Galice, Yank, Lower Grave Creek, Whiskey Creek, Mule Creek, Big Bend. All but Galice are without wagon roads. The route of the road from the mouth of Grave Creek will follow Rogue River to Illahe and from thence it will go northwesterly, passing south of Copper Mountain to Port Orford. Port Orford is the only deep-water harbor on the coast between the Columbia and San Francisco, having a depth of fifty feet at the entrance. It is exposed to the southwest, but the U.S. engineers have declared it to be possible to make an excellent harbor by constructing a breakwater on the southwest, and have repeatedly recommended that this be done to make it a harbor of refuge.
    The intention of incorporation of the toll road company is to construct the road on a grade suitable for an electric road, and use automobiles in the beginning, to be followed by an electric road as soon as traffic will justify it.
Medford Mail, April 6, 1906, page 1


    Sixty-four years ago, William H. Packwood landed on the Oregon coast, or to be more exact, he was washed ashore in the Lincoln, which was wrecked near the mouth of Coos Bay. From about January 3, 1852, to May 9 they lived in tents made of sails from the wrecked schooner. In speaking of life at "Camp Castaway," Mr. Packwood says:
    "We were at Camp Castaway over four months. During that time there was not a white woman nor an Indian woman in our camp, nor was there any trading done with the Indians, except for fish. I think only two or three men visited our camp during the winter. As to amusements, we could go over to the bay fishing or hunting. Sometimes of an evening we held a police court or kangaroo court. We elected a judge, the police brought in the prisoner, charges were made, the jury empaneled and counsel for prosecution and defense selected. The witnesses were sworn and testified. The charges were often of a fearful nature. Generally the side telling the most plausible lies won the case. Some of these trials, if reported, would have made interesting reading, showing how economical men could be with the truth. All these things helped to pass the time.
    "Now, after four months, we were bidding the camp farewell. We were glad to do so, and yet I have a thankful feeling for Camp Castaway, as it was the place where we all escaped from what seemed a watery grave.
    "H. H. Baldwin and Phillip Brick, both of whom now are dead, who were both on the wreck, have given an account of the wreck.
    "Baldwin speaks about men coming to our camp, James and Pat Flanigan and Ed Breen. I remember hearing of some men coming to camp, but I did not see them. H. H. Baldwin wrote a song about the wreck of the Lincoln which went like this:
    Harry Baldwin, who wrote this song, came across the plains in 1849 with Colonel Loring's command. He served out his enlistment and at the breaking out of the Civil War he reenlisted, serving through the Civil War. He was a cousin of the Earl of Bandon and settling near Bandon, the town of Bandon was named at his suggestion.
Oregon Journal, Portland, January 15, 1915, page 4


    Port Orford, picturesque pioneer port of the Pacific, is on the eve of an era of development. Port Orford, with its deepwater harbor, claims to be the key to unlock the vast natural wealth of Southwestern Oregon. Port Orford is in Curry County, is on the Roosevelt Highway, and is on the map, and will be more so if the plans of the promoters of its progress are perfected and carried out.
    Port Orford was founded by Captain William Tichenor, commander of the steam propeller Sea Gull, and on June 9, 1851, eight men from Portland, first installment of colonists, landed on the beach near what is now known as Battle Rock, to build houses, start a town, and cut a road to Jacksonville to make Port Orford the trading and distributing point for Southwestern Oregon. The eight Portland men--J. M. Kirkpatrick, J. H. Eagan, John T. Slater, T. D. Palmer, Joe Hussey, Erastus Summers, James Carrigan, George Redoubt and Cyrus W. Hedden--mounted a small cannon on the rock on which they were camped, and loaded it with two pounds of powder and a pint of sheet lead cut into chunks the size of a half-dollar. Next day, June 10, more that 100 Indians, led by a Russian sailor who had left his ship and joined the Indians, attacked the Portlanders. As the besieged party only had enough powder to fire the cannon three times, they held their fire till the Indians were 10 feet from the cannon. Seventeen Indians were killed and many more wounded, while many leaped off the rock into the sea. It was this baptism of blood that gave Battle Rock its name.
    George W. Soranson, editor of the Port Orford News, took a day off to take me in his car to the beauty spots in and about Port Orford. We drove to the Headlands, from which a wonderful view can be had for miles up and down the coast. Just to the eastward lies historic Battle Rock. Nearby is Agate Beach. Garrison Lake lies far below to the north, gleaming in the spring sunshine like a warrior's shield thrown upon an emerald-green meadow. Below is Nellie''s Cove, a knife-like cleft in the green-gray, wave-worn rocks. Offshore are numerous massive monoliths. The sea, with its changing shades of green and blue, looks like an opal with a heart of fire. The sun gleaming on the surface of the water is broken up into innumerable scintillating flashes that look like flashes of flame. On the soft turf of the headland are untold violets abloom, as well as wild strawberry blossoms, trilliums and spring beauties.
    From the Headlands we went to the 188-acre auto park, passing along the pebbly beach of Garrison Lake, where the wily speckled beauties lurk, waiting to match their wits with the angler's, and on to the beach, where the lapping waves broke on the sand, making a filmy, lacelike border on the shore. We sat down by an old kitchen midden, a relic of long-gone potlatches of the Coast Indians, and Mr. Soranson picked up among the clam shells a stone skinning knife. We visited the old Indian graveyard, with its grass-grown mounds, where the Indians lie within sound of the sibilant sound of the sea, lulled to their last, long sleep by the song of the surf. We walked along an old trail through sand pine and spruce, hemlock and alder, myrtle and madrona, white cedar and yellow fir, to the cabins where each year several Portland families come to spend their summer vacation.
    "For years Curry County, like Korea, has been known as the 'Hermit Empire,'" said Mr. Soranson, as we sat on the velvety turf overlooking the sea, with its dimpling smiles and multitudinous laughter. "The Roosevelt Highway is going to change all that, and the Port Orford Chamber of Commerce is going to do its share in bringing to the attention of the tourists the recreational advantages of Curry County. I have traveled pretty well all over the United States, and I know of no place where there are greater opportunities than right here in Curry County. Take Port Orford, for example. Land values were ridiculously low 10 years ago, and they have not as yet advanced. We have tributary to Port Orford more than 15 billion feet of standing timber, 60 percent of which is old growth yellow fir. About 20 percent is Port Orford cedar and the rest is tanbark oak, alder, hemlock, myrtle and yew. We have been shipping our timber in the form of logs. You saw down on the dock huge piles of Port Orford cedar logs three to six feet in diameter. Those are for export, going mostly to Japan. There is no reason why we should not manufacture our logs into lumber right here.
    "I need not tell you about our deep sea fishing, for the halibut banks off Port Orford are well known. We also have offshore here wonderful sport in catching ling cod, bluebacks, red snappers, silversides and chinook salmon. Tourists greatly enjoy the crabs, clams, rock oysters and mussels to be found here in abundance.
    "Claude Inman will take you to his camp on the Sixes, where the most extensive placer mining in the West is carried on, and where, if you are there when he makes his cleanup, you may see literally quarts of the yellow metal. He took out more than $2000 in nuggets and coarse gold from a crevice in the river bed in his last cleanup. This is a highly mineralized country, for we have coking coal in large seams, untold quantities of chrome ore, tin-bearing ore, platinum, iron, copper and limestone. Someday we hope to have a smelter here to handle our iron, chrome and copper ores.
    "Curry County is a hunter's paradise. Our hills are full of deer and bear. Our streams abound in trout. With sea fishing, and our lakes and streams stocked with gamey trout, with our crabs, clams, rock oysters and mussels, the summer vacationist will find that time will not hang heavily on his hands.
    "You know all about the proposed bronze monument of heroic size of Theodore Roosevelt, to be erected on Battle Rock beside the Roosevelt Highway.
    "I want you to see a tract of land between the highway and Battle Rock that can be acquired by the state highway commission for around $3000. It lies between Deady and Jefferson streets and affords an unobstructed view of Battle Rock and the ocean. The Chamber of Commerce and the Port Orford Civic Improvement Club are vitally interested in this matter. We do not want to see these lots bought and used for commercial purposes. To shut off the view of Battle Rock with a lot of hot dog stands or other shacks would be a calamity. We are planning to incorporate the town, so that private individuals cannot dump sewage, garbage or other unsightly matter at or near Battle Rock.
    "Before you leave, interview a number of old-time citizens here, and some of the progressive newcomers. Claude Inman, a hustler if there ever was one, will tell you more about our plans for Port Orford."
Oregon Journal, Portland, April 16, 1927, page 4


    The city of Port Orford may well be proud of its fine high school. The building, which occupies a commanding position on a hill, is built of white stucco.
    The three classrooms, only two of which are used, are steam heated. The woodwork is fir, stained rather than painted, and the walls and ceilings of all rooms are white plaster with not a crack or mark visible anywhere. The light walls add greatly to the brightness of the rooms.
    The classroom used for an assembly hall contains a piano and enough desks to seat the whole student body, which is about thirty-five.
    The desks of the other rooms are individual, like those used in the lecture halls of large schools, and there is hardly a scratch on any desk.
    The library is as large as the classrooms and besides a numerous assortment of books, the New York Times and such magazines as the National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, etc. may be found there. Around the walls are interesting maps and wonderful pictures, besides show cases containing coral and any number of agates and sea shells. There are also seven guns presented to the school by World War veterans. In the library are displayed a basketball presented to the high school basketball team for the best sportsmanship at the Ashland tournament and various trophies of victories which have been obtained in both track and basketball in spite of the fact that the team is trained by a man from town who receives no salary for his services.
    The gymnasium is very spacious and is used not only for athletics but also for school dances. At the end of the building is the stage.
    The course of study is somewhat limited since only two teachers are now employed. The periods last forty minutes. There is no commercial department and no modern language, although both Latin I and Latin II are given. The classes which have finished their work are reviewing by means of eighth grade exams or taking college entrance exams.
Gold Hill Nugget, high school newspaper section of the Gold Hill News, May 15, 1930, page 2


    The tide was low, so my wife and I scrambled up the precipitous face of Battle Rock, at Port Orford, and I told her of that heroic fight of the nine white men left on the rock by Captain William Tichenor to settle Port Orford. We watched the sunset from the top of Battle Rock and then made our way down the rock and along the shore to the Knapp hotel. A car bearing a Michigan license and one with a New York license stood in front of the hotel. We went into the front room and Mrs. Knapp introduced us to her guests. They were there investigating the prospect of doing development work in mining on Sixes River and elsewhere.
    "The fact that boats leave Port Orford rather irregularly changed the course of my life as well as that of my husband," said Mrs. Knapp. "I came from Minneapolis to visit my aunt, Mrs. Joe Haines, who lived at Eckley, on Sixes River. As you probably know, Eckley is about 22 miles south of Myrtle Point, and the principal industry is mining. When I had finished my visit I came here to the Knapp hotel to wait for the steamer for San Francisco. I was here some days waiting for the steamer, during which time Lewis Knapp persuaded me to stay in the country awhile and to continue my visit with my aunt. He came up to the Salmon Mountain mines and stayed at my aunt's house, where we got better acquainted. We were married on October 18, 1893, by Charley Zumwalt, the justice of the peace there.
    "I was born at The Dalles on November 8, 1867. My father, Nicholas Stagg, was killed when I was 5 years old. My mother's maiden name was Adeline Chaffee. She was related to General Adna R. Chaffee of the United States army, an old-time western Indian fighter. When Father died Mother was left with seven children. I had five brothers and one sister. There are only two of us now living--my brother, who lives at Dillon, Mont. and myself. Mother could not care for us all, so she sent the children to various relatives. I was sent to Minneapolis to live with my father's brother.
    "It was the failure of a steamer to arrive here that also resulted in my husband's staying in this country. He was with Binger Hermann's colony. My husband was at Port Orford when the Hermann colony landed there. In May, 1859. He went with them to Coos County. He took up a place there, lived on it a week, became disgusted, and came back to Port Orford by the old Indian trail to catch a sailing vessel for San Francisco. The boat failed to come. After waiting a considerable time and not being able to learn whether there would be any boat for several months, he decided to go to San Francisco overland; so he went up the coast to the mouth of the Umpqua River and went inland by way of Scottsburg and Elkton to Drain to catch the stage. At Drain he ran across a man who hired him to help drive some horses east of the mountains. When he had completed this job he got work on the ferry at The Dalles.
    "My husband was a very quiet man and didn't like the wide-open methods at The Dalles. He didn't like the roistering whites nor the drunken Indians, so he quit his job at The Dalles and came down to Portland, where he learned that there was a vessel due in Port Orford soon that would be sailing for San Francisco. The fare from Port Orford was considerably less than from Portland, so he struck out afoot, went to Drain, then on to Scottsburg, and on over the trail to Port Orford.
    "George Dart ran a store at Port Orford at that time. He persuaded my husband not to go to San Francisco, where his mother and half-sister were, but to get a job, take up a place and send for his mother. He put up a frame building and sent for his mother, and when she came they started a hotel. He took a contract to furnish the lumber for the building of Cape Blanco lighthouse. He made good money on this contract, so he took the contract to deliver all of the freight landing in Port Orford that came in from the boat from San Francisco.
    "By 1856 the beach mines had been pretty well worked, so most of the folks went away. At one time there were eight or nine hotels, a number of saloons and a good many stores here. Finally the town dwindled down till only three families remained--Grandma Knapp, who kept her hotel; Captain Tichenor and his family, and the Burnap family.
    "In 1868 occurred the big fire from which history in this county was dated for many years. The only two houses left at Port Orford were the Tichenor house and the Burnap house The Knapp hotel was burned and everything in it. It also burned a large amount of timber in and around Port Orford.
    "This hotel has been running continuously since 1859 with the exception of the time when it was burned in 1868 and they had to build a new hotel.
    "My oldest son, Lewis, who served as representative from Coos County in the legislature recently, is running a ranch. Oris, my next son, and his wife are going to run the hotel."
Fred Lockley, "Impressions and Observations of the Journal Man," Oregon Journal, Portland, September 16, 1932, page 10


    Much general interest has been exhibited toward the anchor which was found several weeks ago in the Port Orford Harbor. Claims have been put forth and many interesting stories have resulted, tell of the time when Port Orford was frequented by sailing vessels.
    Just to whom the anchor belongs remains a mystery, although G. C. Tichenor seems to have the strongest claim. Mr. Tichenor believes that the anchor originally came from the Seagull, a boat that was used in coast trade, and the same one that landed the nine men on Battle Rock where the famous Indian battle took place.
    Much general information has been received from Frank B. Tichenor, now residing in San Francisco. He is well acquainted with the history of Port Orford, and his explanations have proved interesting.
    According to information from the oldtimers, in the early days many sailing schooners called at Port Orford, and when the mill was running at Hubbard's Creek the boats arrived at regular intervals. The method of loading these freighters is of great interest as compared with modern methods now used.
    The lumber was taken from the mill on cars pulled by horses or mules to a large rock just north of the creek. At low tide a reef may be noticed running out to the rock where the runway formerly was located.
    The wide ledge around the rock from which the ships received their cargo is still prominent.
    No anchors were lost here as the boats were anchored on sandy bottom, but when transient captains, who were not acquainted with the harbor, became worried at the first sign of a southerly breeze and began to pull anchor, the chains were often cut and the anchors left for future residents of the port to worry about. Captains familiar with the harbor never anchored where there was a rock bottom that might hang up the anchor.
    Mr. Tichenor states that he has seen 28 ships anchored in the harbor at one time. He also tells of a few instances when anchors have been lost. The schooner Moose, which wrecked off Fort Point, lost two anchors. The Pelican lost one anchor in 1881 and the Ryerson lost one in 1856.
    In the olden days George Forty made a business of fishing for anchors. He was the first known professional anchor fisherman.
    And anchors are still being found.--Gold Beach Reporter.
Gold Hill News, June 22, 1933, page 2


    "When my father died, in Salem, in 1890, my mother was left with seven children to look out for," said Captain C. H. Tichenor, head of the Sunshine Division. "My brother John, the oldest child in the family, is a streetcar man here in Portland and has been for the past 37 years. Frank, my next brother, is at Port Orford. My sister, Anna, now Mrs. Thomas Guerin, lives at Myrtle Point, and Mother lives with her. Herbert lives in Illinois. Grover is at Port Orford, and Leslie at North Bend. Recently Frank ran across a bunch of old letters written by my grandmother, Mrs. William Tichenor, to my father.
    "My father's sister married Anson A. Dart. My uncle, Anson Dart, came out from Wisconsin in 1850 as Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
    "During the mining boom, when fortunes were being made by washing dust from the black sand up and down the beach, there were six hotels, nine stores and a considerable number of saloons at Port Orford. Ellensburg, located at the mouth of Rogue River, was the county seat. It was named for my aunt Ellen Tichenor. Pack trains ran between Crescent City and Gold Beach, but during the Indian troubles of 1855 and 1856 the Indians burned P. H. Pratt's store at Ellensburg, and during the Indian troubles 41 white people were killed. Twenty-two were killed on Washington's Birthday, 1856. Most of the women and children gathered at Port Orford for safety. Here is a letter, dated May 12, 1856, at the time the Indians were on the warpath. It is written to my father, who was away at school."
    The letter from Captain C. H. Tichenor's grandmother to her son Jake reads in part as follows:
    "Port Orford, May 12, 1856. My Dear Son: I received your letter by the last mail and also one from your sister and one from Mr. Dart. They think it best for you to remain in Newark at school this summer. If they do not send for you, do not be disappointed, but stay and be contented, and I will try and come early next fall and have you at home with me and have you and your little sister both at the same school. Your father would have written to you before he left home the last time, but is so engaged in the Indian war that he does not take time for anything. He wrote to Mr. Dart and Anna, thinking you were there. Your father left a week ago but did not know whether he would be absent six weeks or two months. He is guide for Colonel Buchanan's command and has been engaged ever since the outbreak at Rogue River, which was the 22nd of February, of which I gave you full particulars in my last letter. There is nothing left at Rogue River but the fort. Mr. Lundey had built for himself a nice house, which is destroyed. He had 20 tons of potatoes, but they have been destroyed. He saved his life by getting aboard the Nelly, which was lying in the slough, and which ran up to Port Orford. Lundey joined the volunteers called the Crescent City Rifles.
    "We have a good fort, and feel safe should the Indians make an attack. Sis and I slept at the fort every night for more than four weeks. Since then I have lived in the garrison, in Sergeant Kelly's house. Your father wishes me to do so for safety. He feared the Indians would burn the town. I was sick nearly all the time I was there, so I moved home again last week. The Port Orford Indians are peaceable as yet. They are still kept up above the quarters and not allowed to come in town at all.
    "An Indian was hung on Battle Rock last week for murdering two white men at Coquille. Two other Indians were hung at Coquille for the same murder. Being concerned in it, your sister and some other little girls went up on the rock to see the Indian hung. I did not go, nor did I wish to. I had not seen one of the men who was killed by the Indians, since he went to Lundey's to live. I heard he was killed by some Rogue River Indians who were lying in ambush for some whites, and as they came near him he rushed out and ran toward them, when the Indians shot him.
    "Do not be uneasy about it, but we do not fear the Indians now. The superintendent is expected by the next steamer to take the Port Orford and other friendly Indians to the reservation in Oregon. The hostile Indians were driven up into the mountains. I would like to have you here with me, but I know it is for your benefit to be where you can be educated, my boy, and I hope you will be contented to be a good boy and study hard. I will come soon if the Lord is willing, but I never want you to come to this country again, where there is so much wickedness. I have a nice garden in the front corner lot, where our turnips were last year. It was made late, on account of the Indian trouble, but looks well. I always think of you, Jakie, when I work in the garden and how you used to help me last summer. We will have to do without huckleberries this summer, for we will not have the Indians to gather them.
    "Sis says to tell you she has had her ears pierced and is going to have some nice earrings when she returns to the States. Your mother, E. Tichenor."
Oregon Journal, Portland, December 15, 1933, page 8




Last revised October 15, 2024