VOLT GIVES COPCO HISTORY

    How the California-Oregon Power Company came into being is a story of numerous little power companies throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California which were combined to make possible the present Copco system. The last issue of the Volt contains a brief but interesting account of how this all came about, reviewing the early history of the company as follows:
    Obviously, the present is more important to us than the past, for it is what we of today have to deal with--that, and the future. There is, however, generally speaking, more or less interest in beginnings, particularly when they explain how things of the present came to be. On that assumption, the Volt in recent issues tracked back into geological cycles of millions of years ago when volcanoes, glaciers and other forces of nature were creating the land that is today served by Copco and inhabited by its customers.
    Once again we will backtrack, but not far; electrical development in the region, from its beginnings, is now to be reviewed. And, as will be seen, those beginnings and the development of the California-Oregon Power Company are virtually of one piece. Ours is a story of numerous little companies that became one (the California-Oregon Power Company), which was reorganized and became the present Cop-company). How much--or how little--the pioneer plant, systems and their builders had to do with the success of the present company is not to be debated here.
    In California the leading spirits in the organizing of the nucleus of the old company were the Churchills--Jerome P. and Jesse W. Churchill, of Yreka; in Oregon, the Rays--Dr. C. R. and Col. Frank Ray; the Moores, C. S. and R. S. Moore and H. V. Gates. At about the time the Rays were building Gold Ray Dam and the plant on the Rogue River, and organizing the Condor Water and Power Company, the Churchills were building Fall Creek plant in Siskiyou County, and acquiring the Shasta River plant, which had been built by James Quinn in 1891. These activities of the Churchills marked the beginning of the Siskiyou Electric Power Company, which may be considered as the parent of the Copco's Siskiyou Division.
    In 1903 the Churchills' company purchased the Ashland Electric Power and light Company. The plant thus acquired in Ashland was no bargain. Immediately following its purchase, effort was made to bring it up to its utmost efficiency. Also a steam plant was installed to help out during the winter. It was soon realized that the generating equipment could not be made to meet the demands of the rapidly growing city, and it was decided to abandon it. An agreement was entered into with the Rogue River Electric Company, which had taken over the Condor Water and Power Company, to supply the necessary electric current, and a new lighting system was installed. Most of the old lines were torn out and replaced by a new distributing system. This done, the old plant was dismantled and sold, leaving the city of Ashland with a more modern system serving the entire community with light and power.
    During the winter of 1903-1904 a transmission line was completed to Fort Jones and Etna, in Scott Valley, with branches to several active mines. During 1909 fifty-five miles of high tension lines (the present Line 2) were built from Fall Creek to Dunsmuir, where immediate steps were taken to rebuild local lines and improve the light and water service. In this connection the Scherrer Electric Light Company, Mossbrae Falls Water and Power Company and Dunsmuir Water Company properties were acquired; also two plants at Sisson were subsequently acquired and connected up with the growing system. These activities were attended by a reorganization of the Siskiyou Electric Power Company, and its name was changed to Siskiyou Electric Power and Light Company. From Dunsmuir the line was extended south to Castella, and in 1913 the plant of R. E. Cavanaugh of Edgewood was purchased. A small plant on Sulloway Creek was closed down and Edgewood connected with Line 2, as Copco knows it today. Another old line taken over was that of the Mt. Shasta Milling Company plant on Little Shasta River, which had been supplying some power to Montague.
    Meanwhile negotiations had been begun for the purchase of the Klamath Falls Light and Water Company owned by C. S. and R. S. Moore, which deal was consummated in 1911. Follows a brief history of the Klamath Company: It started with a small light plant and water system for Klamath Falls, acquired from H. V. Gates, who, upon its organization, was made president and general manager. In 1905 a new plant was completed, later to be known as the east side plant. C. S. Moore withdrew from this company, associated himself with his brother and in 1907 began construction of a hydroelectric plant on the west side of Link River. It drew on Keno Canal for its water. Transmission lines were extended to various points, including the towns of Merrill and Bonanza, and active competition entered into with the Klamath Falls Light and Power Company. In 1910 the Moores purchased all the holdings of that company, and shortly after the combined holdings were taken over by the Siskiyou Electric Power and Light Company. This latter was taken over the following year by the California-Oregon Power Company. That was in 1911, the year the old Copco was incorporated.
    During the same period of years covered in the preceding notes another electric light and power system was in the making in the Rogue River Valley, and it was destined to become an important part of the present Copco system. This has to do with the activities of the Rays, previously referred to. On Rogue River just below the present bridge at Gold Ray, Dan Condor owned a mine, which property was bought by Dr. Ray in order to get the power site. A dam--the present Gold Ray Dam--was built in 1903, also the power house, and in 1904 the first electricity was transmitted from this plant. Dr. Ray organized the Condor Water and Power Company to operate this enterprise. Lines were constructed to deliver energy to consumers, Gold Hill, Grants Pass and the Ashland Electric Power and Light Company in 1905. This proved too much of a load for the Gold Ray plant, so to cope with demands a plant was built on the Rogue River at Prospect. From Prospect to Gold Ray a line was built in 1911. It was the first 60,000-volt line on the Copco system.
    All property, franchises and contracts of the Condor organization were transferred to the Rogue River Electric Company in 1907, which company became a part of Copco at the same time the Siskiyou Electric Power and Light Company did--when the California-Oregon Power Company was incorporated. Our records give January 1, 1912 as the date of purchase. From that year until 1915 development of what is known as our Rogue River Division included the construction of numerous substations [and] distribution systems and the purchase of others.
    In the foregoing has been listed a major portion of the pioneering work that led to the organization of the California-Oregon Power Company--the old company.
    The radical reorganization of the financial setup of the company in 1920; the construction of Copco One Dam and generating plant, completed in 1916; the raising of this dam and installation of a second unit in 1922; the construction of the new east side plant at Klamath Falls in 1924; the Copco Two plant, placed in operation in 1925; the interconnection contracts made possible through the increased generating capacity of the company; the purchase of the physical properties of the Douglas County Light and Power Company (our Umpqua Division) in 1923--these are among the outstanding features in the Copco of today. To them, and a vast amount of lesser development, is Copco's present prosperous condition largely due. But they do not come under the head of beginnings, as we are considering them here; they belong to a later epoch, and so have been passed by in this narration on the history of the company.
Ashland American, January 14, 1927, page 7

DR. C. R. RAY WILL CASE SCHEDULED FOR FALL TERM

    An amended complaint in the suit of Ina E. Olwell against the executors of the estate of the late Charles R. Ray was filed in the circuit court yesterday. The latest document in the will action recites the same general facts, as outlined in the original complaint, and further sets forth that the alleged contract between Mrs. Olwell and her father, Dr. C. R. Ray, was made in writing in New York, and that the said contract is now in the possession of the executors of the will.
    Mrs. Olwell is suing on a claim for $73,000 against the estate, which the executors disallowed last February. She claims that an agreement was made by herself and father, that in return for her remaining in New York City during the life of Frank H. Ray, she was to receive one-fourth of the bequest to his brother Charles R. Ray. After the death of Col. Ray, she asserts she made a contract with her father, Dr. Ray, that in lieu of one-fourth of the bequest, she would receive $75,000, and that $1000 was paid when the contract was made, in writing, and that another $1000 was paid in allotments of $100 per month. Mrs. Olwell claims that this contract was later turned over to her father, with the understanding that the balance was to be paid when the estate was settled.
    The validity of the contract is one of the main issues in the suit.
    Col. Ray died in New York in 1925, and Dr. Ray died in Los Angeles early in 1926. Both were well-known Southern Oregon residents.
    The trial of the suit will probably be at the fall term, which because all the figures involved are well known, has attracted wide local attention. It was scheduled for the present term of the circuit court, but owing to the early setting of the retrial of the Hugh DeAutremont case, will probably be held over until September.
    The appraisement of the estate of Dr. Ray places its value at $387,028.73. Included in this was $97,722.09 on deposit in New York and San Francisco banks.
    The executors of the will are Frank H. Ray, John S. Orth and attorney T. W. Miles, who are represented in the suit by attorneys Cunningham and Robnett of San Francisco, and Frank DeSouza of this city.
Medford Mail Tribune, May 26, 1927, page 3

CHARLES RAY WEDS DOROTHY HARRISON

    Chas. Ray, son of Mr. Enola Ray of Medford, and Dorothy Harrison, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas T. Harrison of Seven Oaks, were married in Medford Sunday afternoon at the home of Frank Ray. The ceremony was performed by Rev. E. P. Lawrence of the Presbyterian church at 2 o'clock. The bride and groom left Medford immediately after the ceremony for a motor trip through Southern California. They will return to Medford the last of this month to make their home, where Mr. Ray is known as one of the city's leading realtors.
    The bride is well known and well liked in the Rogue River Valley, where she attended the Central Point high school. The Harrisons came to Southern Oregon from Santa Rosa, California, and located on a ranch near Seven Oaks two years ago.

Gold Hill News, February 14, 1929, page 1

RAY HEIRS FILE ANSWER TO SUIT OF INA OLWELL
Allege $35,000 Paid As Compromise--Ask Dismissal 'Undue Influence' Charge--Action Is Hit.

    An answer and petition to the suit of Mrs. Ina Enola Olwell, contesting the last will of her mother, Mrs. Charles R. Ray, Sr., was filed in the circuit court today by attorney Charles R. Reames. It is asked that the will and all its bequests be declared invalid, and that the suit of Mrs. Olwell, in which she alleges "undue influences," be dismissed. The answer alleges that the family paid Mrs. Olwell $35,000 as a compromise in the suit filed by her against the terms of her father's will.
    The mother bequeathed the major portion of her estate, of the estimated value of $40,000, to her daughter, Mabel R. Ray, and her son, Charles R. Ray, named as executor without bonds. Frank R. Ray, a son, and Mrs. Olwell were bequeathed $1 each.
    Mrs. Olwell seeks in her suit to have the will of her mother declared intestate and divided equally among the four children.
    As part of the answer, it is alleged that Mrs. Olwell "for many years prior to the death of her mother . . . was an undutiful daughter, and caused them worry, annoyance and humiliation." It is also asserted that the settlement of the estate was delayed 15 months by her course in the courts.
    It is further alleged and charged that through legal actions and threats Mrs. Olwell received from the estate of her father, C. R. Ray, $35,000 more than her sister, Mabel R. Ray, and her brother, Charles R. Ray, and that this sum was paid "as a compromise, so that Ina Olwell would not further worry and harass her mother." Her legal action is declared "uncalled for," and filed for the purpose of causing worry.
    A copy of the last will of Mrs. Ray is attached to the answer, with Dr. R. W. Sleeter and Charles A. Wing as witnesses. It was made February 9, 1929.
    Mrs. Olwell, a former well-known resident of this city, is now a resident of Oakland, California.
Medford Mail Tribune, May 9, 1930, page 1

FAMILY RIFT DESCRIBED BY MRS. OLWELL

    Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell, seeking to break the will of her mother, Mrs. Enola R. Ray, deceased, was the chief witness at this morning's hearing before County Judge Alex Sparrow, in probate.
    In her testimony, marked by sharp interchanges between opposing counsel, she alleged that following the death of her father, the late Dr. Charles R. Ray, when she came to attend the last rites, she was treated with cruel coolness," and studied shabbiness, "while I longed for their love and affection, which they denied me."
    She further charged that during this period Miss Mabel Ray, a sister, said to her:
    "You have your nerve coming here at this time with your sealskin sacques and diamond bracelets, while we have none."
    Mrs. Olwell also alleged that she was snubbed, and "when I went for breakfast found the food had been hidden," and that when friends telephoned she was not apprised of the call.

Mother in Daze

    She described the condition of her mother, following the death of Dr. Ray, and gave it as her opinion that she "seemed to be in a sort of daze--as if she was suppressed." Mrs. Olwell declared that she was never allowed to be alone with her mother during this period. She also described the reading of the will of Dr. Ray, the father, and the family gathering.
    Mrs. Olwell flatly denied the testimony of Frank Ray and Charles Ray that harmony prevailed in the Ray family.
    "I hate to say it, but there was almost constant quarreling in the Ray family,"
    At another stage of her testimony, she declared, "Frank did the thinking for the family."
    Part of the time Mrs. Olwell testified with tear-dimmed eyes, and at other periods flashed defiance and bitterness. She also made spirited retorts to Charles W. Reames, attorney for the defense.
    Letters exchanged between members of the family were identified by Mrs. Olwell.
    The contested will of Mrs. Enola R. Ray bequeathed the major portion of the estate, of an estimated value of $40,000, to Mabel Ray and Charles Ray, and left $1 each to Frank Ray and Mrs. Olwell. Mrs. Olwell seeks an even division.
    Mrs. Olwell is expected to be on the stand the remainder of the day, after which she will be subjected to cross-examination by the defense.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 18, 1930, page 5

WILL CONTEST STORM CALMED BY ADMONITION

    The Ray will contest hearing continued today before County Judge Alex Sparrow, with Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell on the stand, reciting more intimate details of the Ray family life, and sharp interchanges between opposing counsel and the witness.
    At one stage of the hearing, Mrs. Olwell and two lawyers were all talking at the same time.
    Said Judge Sparrow:
    "Let's take it easy. We have consumed about three weeks with this case, and there is no rush now that necessitates everybody talking at once. Beside the stenographer has only one hand to write with."
    The admonition temporarily calmed the legal storm.
    Mrs. Olwell testified, among other things, that she exacted a promise from her brothers, "on their word of honor and with handshakes," that, in the event of a serious turn in the health of the other they would advise her promptly, at her San Francisco residence.

Blame Brothers

    She charged the brother never kept the promise, and alleged that Frank Ray wrote her saying the mother was afflicted with nothing more serious than a slight cold, when "at the very time," Dr. William P. House, Portland, mental specialist, was in attendance.
    In order to obtain information about her mother's health, Mrs. Olwell alleged she was forced to write old friends in this city, and had also appealed to the Rev. E. P. Lawrence of the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Ray was a member, for tidings.
    The cross-examination of Mrs. Olwell is slated to start next week. On the stand this morning, Mrs. Olwell was composed and frank in her answers, but was apparently nettled by the frequent objections of attorney Charles W. Reames.
    During the course of the hearing, 200 exhibits have been introduced, and the stenographic report, up to noon today, consisted of 1160 pages.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 19, 1930, page 7

BITTER CHARGES BY MRS. OLWELL IN ESTATE CASE

    Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell continued on the witness stand this morning in the suit to break the last will of Mrs. Enola R. Ray. Bitterness flared at times against her opposing relatives and their counsel, Charles W. Reames, as Mrs. Olwell recited details of the decline in the health and fortune of her husband, John D. Olwell, member of a pioneer southern Oregon family, well known locally.
    At one stage she cried at attorney Reames:
    "It is most unkind to make stock of one's affliction," and at another point said: "You can't cut any deeper into my heart."
    Mrs. Olwell was called upon to identify letters she was purported to have written her mother dealing with her financial and domestic affairs, the purpose being to show they described a different condition than indicated by her testimony in the present case.
    She testified that Olwell had lost thousands of dollars in his New York operations.
    "I know what it is to be broke, and to work, and that it is more than I can say for my two big strong brothers, who have always lived on their parents, and the bounty of their Uncle Frank."
    The hearing is now in its third week before County Judge Alex Sparrow, and from present indications, it will be another week ere the case is concluded.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 20, 1930, page 2

HEART BROKEN PLEA MADE BY MRS. OLWELL
Woman Suing for Money Left by Mother, Declares Cloud on Her Parentage Cause of Hopeless Grief--Letters Are Read.

    Letters that Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell wrote to her mother, father, brothers and sisters formed the main portion of the evidence in the hearing today of the contest to break the will of her mother, the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray.
    The epistles--many of them written on a typewriter--pleaded for family harmony, funds, and "the love and affection that has been denied me and my family."
    Missives written after Mrs. Olwell learned, from a Jackson County woman, of the cloud upon her parentage, and later had it confirmed by Dr. Charles W. Ray, were the storm center of questioning by the defense. Mrs. Olwell refused to admit the contention that the letters were "hysterical," but declared "I was grief-stricken by the knowledge that the man I had always thought was my father was not, and instead my father was my Uncle Frank." She testified she asked Dr. Charles Ray for the truth when he was visiting in New York City.
    Later she wrote in a letter to Dr. Ray:
    "Please, please, don't kick me when I am down. The world has no use for the broken-hearted. I feel that something will snap in my mind."
    Financial reverses came to the Olwells during their New York City residence, and in a 15-page typewritten letter to her sister, Mabel, Mrs. Olwell begged for sympathy and "to let bygones be bygones."
    Discussing her own family troubles, Mrs. Olwell wrote:
    "I am too old-fashioned and loyal. I would have been happier had I left, when I was implored to get a divorce by those who wanted to marry me."
    The conspiracy charge in Mrs. Olwell's petition, wherein she alleges that Charles Ray, Frank Ray and Mabel Ray conspired to influence the mother in the making of her will, was broached in the questions of attorney Reames.
    "The conspiracy started, in my opinion," Mrs. Olwell testified, "when I completed my settlement with my father for his share of the will of Uncle Frank. That was the sore spot."
    Once during cross examination by attorney Reames, Mrs. Olwell replied:
    "That is a lie!"
    There were frequent hectic interchanges between opposing counsel during questionings.
    The end of the case is not in sight, though now in its fourth week of half-day sessions before County Judge Alex Sparrow. The case in the ordinary course of legal procedure will be heard in the circuit court and thence, by appeal, to the state supreme court.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 23, 1930, page 6

CLASHES MARK QUESTIONING IN RAY WILL CASE

    The hearing of the Ray will contest was resumed this morning before County Judge Alex Sparrow, with Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell on the witness stand under redirect cross-examination by her own and opposing counsel. The session was marked with clashes between the witness and attorney Charles W. Reames and attorney T. J. Enright.
    In a stormy exchange over whether a check had been paid to Dr. House of Portland for professional services to Mrs. Enola R. Ray, attorney Reames acted as witness, and testified that no check had been paid, but admitted this was hearsay.
    Demands were made by the contestant's counsel for production of a telegram and a statement of finances from the Wells Fargo Bank of San Francisco. Attorney Reames declared they had no knowledge of the telegram, and that the bank statement would be produced in due time, from the witness stand.
    At one stage the proceedings became so heated the court ordered a cessation of questioning.
    Mrs. Olwell several times accused attorney Reames of "placing wrong meanings and misconstruing my words for your own benefit."
    As a climax, she charged:
    "I heard that you said 'I don't like that Olwell woman, and I am going to put her over a barrel.'"

Court Calls Halt.

    When attorney Reames asked who told her, the court called a halt with: "That'll be enough of that."
    The examination of Mrs. Olwell was confined chiefly to previous testimony, and upon letters and telegrams already introduced. She was also questioned upon points she made during the five days she has been on the witness stand, her knowledge of her mother's illness, and the agreements she made with Dr. Ray for a share of Col. Frank Ray's estate.
    It was brought out that Mrs. Olwell's hospital bill in this city, when she was suffering from a broken arm sustained in an auto accident, had been paid by Frank H. Ray. Attorney Enright contended that the bill was afterwards collected. Mrs. Olwell said: "I appreciated this and thanked my brother Frank for it."
    In order to expedite the hearing, which has lasted nearly a month, the court will hold an afternoon session today.
    The defense will introduce three or four witnesses in rebuttal.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 25, 1930, page 3

EARLY DECISION RAY WILL FIGHT IS NOT LIKELY

    A decision in the will contest hearing, which concluded Friday noon after a month of half-day sessions, is not likely in less than a month, according to attorneys. The transposition and typewriting of more than 1600 pages of shorthand is expected to take at least two weeks.
    Arguments before Probate Judge Alex Sparrow are expected to be made within the next ten days. The issue before Judge Sparrow is to decide if the contested will has been legally and properly probated.
    Whatever the decision of Judge Sparrow, the case will go to the circuit court, and thence to the state supreme court on appeal, it is expected.
    In the circuit court, the reading of the records of the case will constitute the procedure, with arguments by counsel for both sides.
    The action, one of the bitterest in the history of Jackson County jurisprudence, involves the will of the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray, whose estate is approximated at $40,000. By the terms of the will the bulk of the estate was bequeathed to Charles Ray and Miss Mabel Ray. Frank H. Ray and Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell were left $1 each. Mrs. Olwell contested the terms of the will on the grounds her mother was not competent to make a will, and that she was unduly influenced.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 28, 1930, page 8

ARGUMENT WILL BE NEXT STEP RAY WILL CASE

    Arguments on the facts in the Ray will contest are scheduled to be made within the next two weeks, before County Judge Alex Sparrow, sitting in probate. The arguments will be made upon a day designated by Judge Sparrow. Attorney Charles W. Reames, representing Frank, Charles and Miss Mabel Ray, offered to waive the right to argue. The court declined the offer.
    Decision in the case by the probate judge will be made at his pleasure.
    Close to 1700 pages of stenographic reports will have to be transcribed ere the arguments can be made. The exhibits in the case, all documentary, numbered close to 200.
    Whatever the decision of the probate court, an appeal will be taken to the circuit court. The hearings there will be confined to the reading of the testimony given in the probate court.

Appeal Looms.

    The next step will be an appeal to the state supreme court. In the ordinary court of legal procedure it will take at least two years ere a final decision is handed down by the courts.
    The case, which attracted considerable local attention, is the suit of Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell seeking to void the will of her mother, the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray, on the grounds of undue influence and incompetency to make a will. Mrs. Olwell and Frank Ray were left $1 each and the remainder of the estate, estimated at $40,000, left to Miss Mabel Ray and Charles Ray. Mrs. Olwell seeks an equal division of the estate.
    She is represented by attorney Herbert K. Hanna and T. J. Enright.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 29, 1930, page 3

COURT HEARING ARGUMENTS IN RAY WILL CASE

     Arguments in the Ray will contest are scheduled to start this afternoon before County Judge Alex Sparrow, sitting in probate.
    The will contest was filed by Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell against the will of her mother, the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray, and seeks to break the instrument on the grounds of alleged incompetency to make a will, and undue influence. Mrs. Enola R. Ray left the bulk of her estate, estimated at close to $40,000, to her son Charles and her daughter Mabel. Frank Ray, a son, and Mrs. Olwell were bequeathed $1 by its terms. Mrs. Olwell is represented by attorney Thomas J. Enright and the Ray family by attorney Charles Reames.
    Mrs. Olwell, in a telegram to the probate court, asked that the date of the argument be postponed until December 19, on the grounds that she would be unable to attend the present session. The request was denied by the court.

Long Hearing

    Hearing of the testimony in the case--often sensational and bitter--last September required the better part of a month and aroused considerable local interest.
    No date can be forecast for a decision. Probate Judge Sparrow said he had given considerable thought to the case and expected to give considerable more.
    No new evidence will be heard, and in the event of an appeal to the circuit court it will be presented on a transcript of the testimony in the probate court.
    The testimony and exhibits, chiefly letters, were voluminous.
Medford Mail Tribune, December 9, 1930, page 3

FINAL PLEAS HEARD IN RAY CASE

    Arguments by counsel in the Ray estate contest matter were held yesterday before County Judge Alex Sparrow, sitting in probate. Mrs. Ina Olwell, contestant, was represented by attorney T. J. Enright, while the other Ray heirs were represented by attorney Charles Reames.
    The will contest action has lasted many months, and at times has been both sensational and bitter. In the event of an appeal the evidence introduced in lower court deliberations will be offered before the higher court in the form of a transcript.
    Mrs. Olwell seeks to break the will of her mother, Enola R. Ray, on the grounds of incompetency at the time the final will was signed. Mrs. Ray left the bulk of a large estate to other Ray family heirs. By the terms of the will Mrs. Olwell was left one dollar, as was Frank Ray, another heir. The vast part of the estate went to Charles and Mabel Ray, it is said.
    Judge Sparrow will consider the vast amount of testimony, and it is expected to be some time before a verdict is reached, attorneys say.
Medford Daily News, December 10, 1930, page 6

RAY WILL HELD VALID BY COURT, APPEAL LOOMS
Effort by Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell to Show Undue Influence and Incompetency Fails.

    In a decree handed down today by County Judge Alex Sparrow of the probate court, the will of the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray, pioneer resident of this city, contested by her daughter, Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell, is held valid, and it is expected that the will's bequests be distributed as provided.
    The findings also hold that Mrs. Ray was of sound mind and subjected to no undue influence in the making of the will. Mrs. Olwell in her suit to break the will set forth these allegations.
    The probate court decision also provides that the will be admitted to probate and that Charles R. Ray, a son, continue as administrator and executor.

Costs to Plaintiff

    The costs of the probate hearing are assessed, by the decree, to Mrs. Olwell.
    The estate of Mrs. Enola R. Ray is appraised at $25,544 for personal property and $6700 for real property. By the terms of the will, $1 each was left to Mrs. Ina Olwell and Frank H. Ray. The balance of the estate was distributed between Miss Mabel Ray and Charles R. Ray. Dr. R. W. Sleeter and Charles A. Wing of this city were witnesses.
    In the conclusions and findings of the decree it is set forth that Mrs. Olwell, by legal action to break the will of her father, the late Dr. C. R. Ray, "caused much worry" to the mother who was in poor health, and that by the will of Dr. Ray, Mrs. Ina Olwell received much more than her brothers and sisters and mother and that the mother, the evidence showed, did not believe she was entitled to it. It is set forth also that a compromise was effected to end the worry.

May Appeal

    It is probable that the case will be appealed to the circuit court. Attorney Charles Reames represented Charles R. Ray, and attorney T. J. Enright Mrs. Olwell in the probate.
    The probate court hearing was exhaustive, and a great mass of oral and documentary evidence was introduced. The hearing lasted six weeks of half-day sessions.
    The probate judge has had the matter under consideration for two months.
Medford Mail Tribune, January 16, 1931, page 4

Summons for Publication

In the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Jackson County.
    C. W. Palm, John R. Tomlin, B. E. Harder and George E. Ferguson, Plaintiffs,

vs.

    . . . Frank H. Ray and Marie Ray, his wife; Charles R. Ray and Dorothy Ray, his wife; Mabel Ray; Ina E. Olwell and John D. Olwell, her husband; Charles R. Ray, as Executor of the Will of Enola R. Ray, deceased; also all other persons or parties unknown, claiming any right, title, estate, lien or interest in the real estate described in the complaint herein, Defendants.
    To each, every and all of the above named defendants;
    In the name of the State of Oregon, you and each of you are hereby required to appear and answer the complaint filed against you in the above entitled suit on or before the last day of four weeks from the date of the first publication of this summons, and if you fail so to appear before the and answer said complaint, for want thereof, the plaintiffs will apply to the Court for the relief demanded in their complaint, succinctly stated as follows, to wit: That a decree be entered adjudicating any and al right, title, estate, lien or claim which you or any of you hvae or claim to hvae in, to, or upon the real property situated in Jackson County, Oregon, described as follows, to wit:
    The Southeast quarter of Section Thirty-five (35); and the South half of the Southwest quarter of Section Thirty-six (36) in Township Forty (40) South of Range Three (3) West of the Willamette Meridian; also Lots 1, 2 and 3 and the South half of the Northeast quarter, and the Southeast quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section Two (2) in Township Forty-one (41) South, of Range Three (3) West of the Willamette Meridian, and declaring any and all such claims to be null and void; and decreeing that the said Plaintiffs are the owners in fee simple of said premises, and of the whole thereof, free and clear of any and all right, title, estate, lien or interest of said defendants, or any of them, and that each and all of the defendants herein, and each and all persons claiming, or to claim by, through or under them, or any of them, be forever enjoined, restrained and barred from asserting, attempting to establish, or claiming any right, title, estate, lien or interest in or to said property, or any portion thereof, and that Plaintiffs' title to said premises be forever quieted and set at rest.
    The date of the order for publication of this summons is March 2nd, 1931. The time prescribed for publication of this summons is once each week for four consecutive weeks. The date  of the first publication of this summons is March 2nd, 1931.

HARRY C. SKYRMAN,
Attorney for Plaintiffs,
Whose Post Office address is Medford, Oregon.

Medford Mail Tribune, March 9, 1931, page 7

ORDER VACATION OLWELL APPEAL

    By an order of the circuit court issued late yesterday, the intention of appeal of Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell, former well-known resident of this section, from the decision in her contest to break the will of her mother, is ordered vacated with the right to file another appeal at a later date. The county judge in a decision ruled that the will of the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray was valid and legal. Intention to appeal was filed by Mrs. Olwell but no further action was taken.
    In the will, Mrs. Olwell was bequeathed $1 of an estate valued at approximately $40,000. She sought an equal division among the four children.
Medford Mail Tribune, June 16, 1931, page 3

COURT DISMISSES RAY WILL CASE

    An order was signed in the circuit court today dismissing the will contest of Ina Olwell against the will of her mother, the late Mrs. Enola R. Ray, pioneer Medford woman. The action is the final chapter in the litigation which attracted considerable local attention.
    In the will, Mabel Ray and Charles Ray were left the bulk of the estate and Frank Ray and Mrs. Olwell were left $1 each.
    Mrs. Olwell filed a contest alleging undue influence. The probate court held that the will was legal.
    Hearing of the testimony in the first hearing required three weeks, and the case has been hanging fire in the local courts for many months.
Medford Mail Tribune, July 9, 1931, page 2

OLD RAY RESIDENCE ON GRAPE ST. RAZED

    Another old landmark is disappearing from the Medford scene today. Work started this morning on the razing of the old Colonel Ray house on North Grape Street, located a short distance from the Farmers and Fruitgrowers Bank. The wrecking is in charge of the fire department, Chief Roy Elliott announced this morning, expressing appreciation of the cooperation extended by Frank Ray, present owner, in making razing of the building possible.
    The frame structure had been cited frequently as a fire hazard, and had been used of late only by roomers.
Medford Mail Tribune, February 21, 1934, page 3

Frank H. Ray, Retired Stockman, Succumbs at Home

    Frank H. Ray, 1013 East Main Street, a retired cattleman and resident of Medford for 54 years, died at his home last night. He was 59.
    A native of Illinois, Mr. Ray moved here with his parents when he was a child. He was a member of Masonic Lodge 103, A.F. and A.M.., Medford, and was a 35-year member of Medford Elks Lodge 1168. He was a veteran of World War I and belonged to the American Legion's Post 15.
    Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Marie E. Ray, Medford; one daughter, Mrs. Delores Ford, Medford; one brother, Charles R. Ray, Medford, and two sisters, Miss Mabel R. Ray, Medford, and Mrs. Ina R. Olwell, in New Jersey.
Funeral Friday
    Funeral services will be conducted from Perl funeral home at 3 p.m. tomorrow, with the Rev. D. Kirkland West, minister of the First Presbyterian Church, officiating and the Masonic lodge assisting.
    Active pallbearers will be Allan Perry, John C. Deaver, Elbert Lennox, Aubrey Norris, Elton Waldron and Vernon Turpin. Honorary pallbearers will be Ralph Sweeney, George Porter, Vern Brophy, Charles Boyden, Vern Johnston and William Gates.
    Interment will follow in the IOOF cemetery.
Medford Mail Tribune, January 31, 1952, page 1

MRS. INA OLWELL

    Mrs. Ina Ray Olwell, former Medford resident, died at Ft. Lee, N.J. yesterday.
    She is survived by a sister, Mabel R. Ray, and a brother, Charles R. Ray, both of Medford, and several nieces.
    Funeral services will be held at Hunt Funeral Home, Palisades Ave., Ft. Lee, N.J., at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11. Memorial services will be held in Medford with arrangements to be announced later.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 9, 1959, page 9

'The Light House'
By EVA HAMILTON
Mail Tribune Staff Writer

    It is sad to see a once-grand old house going down shingle by shingle, board by board.
    Watching its rafters and beams bared to the world seems almost indecent. It is like glimpsing a once-beautiful actress in a state of deshabille minus her makeup in the early morning light.
    For there is a definite similarity between old houses and former actresses. Each in her time has played many parts. This is so of the old Ray house now being razed at the corner of West Main and Quince sts. in Medford.
    The house was built by Dr. C. R. Ray in about 1907. [It was built in 1908.] It was purchased by the Assembly of God Church in 1950, and it is now going down to make way for a parking lot.
    Howard Commons is directing the razing, and the lumber is to be converted into a business building.
The Story of Light
    The story of the Ray family is the story of light--the kind that comes on with the pull of a switch--and its advent in the Rogue River Valley. The house, now dark except for the occasional reflection of a shingle fire in one of its many windows as the demolition continues, was once ablaze with light upstairs and down, inside and out.
    It was, with admiration, called "the light house" by many. For Dr. Ray and his brother, Col. Frank H. Ray, built Gold Ray Dam and developed the power company, which is today serving southern Oregon as Pacific Power and Light.
    They used their own product. Even the bathrooms, upstairs and down, were heated as well as illuminated with electric lights. There were eight or 10 rows of lights in the bathrooms and 12 lights to the row to generate heat.
    There were lights in handsome fixtures on the veranda which encircled the front and two sides of the house. There were many lights on the balcony, which was a second-floor replica of the veranda. There was a fireplace heated by electricity. The first electric home heating known to the valley was found in the Ray house.
    Electric power, however, was just one of the many industrial projects brought to the Rogue River Valley by the Rays.
    The dam was built to satisfy a need for power to operate the Ray mines.
    Mining brought the Rays to the Rogue River Valley. Dr. Ray left his practice in Chicago, lured to Alaska by the gold rush. It wasn't what he expected, and he decided to practice medicine in Seattle. He remained there about a year, then with his family decided to return east. His brother, Colonel Ray, convinced him he should stop off in southern Oregon and investigate the mines he had purchased in the Gold Hill area.
Stop Off and Stay
    Dr. Ray and his family stopped off and they stayed. He decided to direct the operation of the mines. Colonel Ray of New York was one of the vice presidents and organizers of the American Tobacco Company and had access to adequate capital for launching the Ray industrial projects.
    Dr. Ray furnished the creativity. He was operating the Braden mine with steam when he got the idea of putting an electric plant in the river. Bonds were sold on the New York market to raise additional capital for the electric plant.
    The stretch of water up the river from Gold Hill, now known as Gold Ray, was chosen as place for the dam when the city of Gold Hill wanted too much money for a site. The Rays, with their daughters Ina and Mabel and sons Frank and Charles, were then living in Gold Hill.
    When installation started, the Rays decided to enlarge the plant and furnish electricity to Medford, Jacksonville, Central Point, Grants Pass and Ashland. The plant was known as Condor Water and Power Company.
Coffer Dams Constructed
    Coffer dams were constructed first, to pull the water away from the area to permit construction of the permanent dam.
    High water and other problems beset the project. Several times the logs of the coffer dam went floating down the river. The project, hiring about 100 men, had to start all over again. Hay was sometimes dumped into the water to slow the washouts, and the investors began to believe the taunts of the people who declared early in the game that the Rogue would never be harnessed.
    Excitement occurred when someone, obviously opposed to the project (and there were many such people), planted dynamite at the dam site. It was found before any damage occurred, and patrols were placed on 24-hour duty. The men were again called off the job when fire broke out in the heavy timber then growing between the dam site and the lower Table Rock. Dr. Ray sent all the workmen to fight the forest fire.
    The late Chase R. Masters of Portland was contractor for installation of the coffer dams. H. C. Stoddard was the electrical engineer, and civil engineer Perm is also remembered for participation in the installation. When the water was cleared from the river bed another opportunity to mine presented itself and Dr. Ray was quick to recognize the potential.
Gold Panned, Sluiced
    Gold was panned and sluiced, and Miss Mabel Ray of Medford remembers well going to visit in the home of Dr. Joseph Hill, operator of Hill's Military Academy in Portland, with a bottle of gold nuggets from the riverbed to show the Hill stepdaughters, who were friends.
    The main dam also was constructed of logs, Charles Ray of the Ray Real Estate and Insurance agency in Medford relates. The logs were bolted down to the bedrock and the spaces were filled with concrete. There were no cement mixers then, and six or seven men would line up with shovels and mix the cement and gravel. Equipment for installation of the plant was taken across the river on barges.
    One unit of the dam was operated with what was called a rope drive, Ray said. When it broke down it was necessary to find a rope splicer quickly.
Extensive Timber Holdings
    The Rays also had extensive timber holdings in southern Oregon, and a sawmill was established in the backwater at Gold Ray to care for this timber. Logs were floated down the river from the Prospect domain and shoved along by boatmen to the log boom.
    After building the power plant at Gold Ray, the Ray interests decided to construct Prospect No. 1 plant, and the new power source was joined with Gold Ray by line 6.
    The Prospect venture was a difficult undertaking. Equipment was hauled from Medford, 45 miles down the valley, by three- and four-horse teams and wagons. There was a 200-foot drop down into the river canyon to negotiate.
    There are still persons in the valley who worked on the project and remember the period as the most exciting one in the industrial development of Jackson County.
Live Near Gold Ray Dam
    The Rays for a number of years lived in a lodge near the Gold Ray Dam, constructed by Colonel Ray as quarters for a hunting and fishing club that never quite materialized. The whole family made trips to Portland and San Francisco for shopping and later for schooling.
    Ina attended St. Helen's Hall in Portland, and Mabel went to Anna Head and to Miss West's in San Francisco.
    It was quite common to flag the train with a lantern at the dam and climb aboard the train. There are those who insinuate that the generosity of the Southern Pacific in this matter was perhaps precipitated by consideration then being given to electrifying the railroads. Anyway, a miniature depot was set up at the dam for the Ray family. Dr. Ray served on a rivers and harbors committee and made frequent trips by train to Washington, D.C.
    In about 1907 the Condor Water and Power Company became known as the Rogue River Electric [It was in November 1907.], which continued to operate in Oregon with a sister organization, so to speak, operated in northern California as Siskiyou Light and Power. It was the merger of the two in 1913 that created the California-Oregon Power Company (Copco), recent predecessor of Pacific Power and Light.
Mine Closed Down
    World War I took its toll from the Ray empire. Colonel Ray was in London when the war broke out. He had the Braden mine closed down and all the machinery taken out.
    It had been "one of the most important mines in Jackson County," according to the Oregon Metal Mines handbook. The mine got its name from Dr. James Braden.
    It was sold to Colonel Ray in 1900, but he continued to call it the Braden mine. In 1907 the mine produced more than $30,000, according to the mineral industries report of the state of Oregon.
    It was the Gold Hill mine, however, about which the fabulous mining tales were told. It was commonly called the Gold Hill pocket, and production reports vary from $400,000 to $500,000.
Brick Plant Included
    A brick plant at Tolo was another Ray enterprise. The bricks in the Alex Sparrow house on Kirtland Rd., now home of the James Firths, came from the Ray kilns. An electric train was operated to carry clay to the plant. The Ray family often rode on this train and on the electric car, which went down into the Prospect canyon. The Prospect Hotel, now operated by the James Heston Grieves, was Ray property and housed guests from many corners of the nation, brought to southern Oregon by the Rays.
    The family owned 10,000 acres of farm land in the Tolo-Gold Hill vicinity. Some of it was purchased to avoid damage suits which might develop from mining tailings or the overflow of water from the dam region. A 12-inch pipe was installed to carry irrigation water from the dam area to the McDonough farm about 1½ miles away. All the farms continued under the names of the owners from whom Ray purchased the acreages, most of which are now included in the Cal-Ore holdings.
    Also in the Gold Ray Dam area was a granite quarry operated by the Rays. The granite in the Copco building and in the Masonic building, both on Medford's Main St., came from that quarry.
Frequently Recalled Memories
    Trips to the mines are among the most frequently and intentionally recalled memories of Miss Ray and her brother, Charles. There was a French chef at the gold mine, and both Rays remember the festive meals and the table where the family and crew dined. It was a table with a revolving center (lazy Susan style), and its store of fruits and vegetables "turning 'round and 'round" gave a carnival atmosphere to dining, particularly inviting to former Chicago children.
    From Gold Ray, the Rays moved into a rented house where the Hotel Medford now stands, then to a Newtown St. residence while awaiting completion of the West Main St. house.
    A small planer was brought to the site to provide the right finish to the lumber going into the house, which became the family dwelling for many years. Then Dr. Ray died while traveling home from New York. Mrs. Ray lived only three more years.
    Miss Ray, alone, called the place home, but another war soon brought new faces to the house. The first architect-engineers for construction of Camp White and their families rented rooms. The camp was organized and five army couples rented rooms.
Real Estate Office Opened
    A real estate office was opened in the home by H. L. Cook. Miss Ray became a notary public, and the house became polling place for the county precinct. Then it was sold to the Assembly of God Church next door. It was used for various church classes and for wedding receptions.
    Its varied career came to a sudden end this summer when it was sold. It is now being torn down for the lumber that is in it, good solid lumber, sawed and planed in the mills of its original owner.
    It is probably necessary that the old house come down in just the manner it does today. But it would seem more fitting if one of the sonic booms that occasionally makes its windows clatter, as a plane goes over from Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, could raze it with one final blast.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 1, 1963, page B1