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About The news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1948-1994 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 1952)
Chief Early Railroad Project Failure By MRS. GEORGE BA-CHER In the year 1890 Roseburg was celebrating a project that promised to make the city outstanding on the Pacific Coast. That was the proposed construction of the Coos Bay, Roseburg, and Eastern Railroad, a proposition for which the city raised a bonus of $75,000. The project failed of materialization, although a considerable sum of money was expended. But some of the features of that project, as preserved in newspaper files, may .well be applied to the present day conditions. At the time when it was felt that the project was definitely as- ciirnH Rncphnrff attrnrtoH pnact. wide attention. San Francisco Ex aminer sent a special representa tive to Roseburg to report condi tions. His report was one of the most flattering articles of its kind ever carried in the San Francisco paper, and his enthusiastic report, incidentally, was one of the long est press telegrams ever sent out of this city. (Projected Lin to Coos Bay That Never Materialized Wat Oc casion for Whoopie i 1890 Ci'y Raised Bonus of $7,000 and Drift Extensive Notict, Emphlsiied by Article in San Francisco Exemin- A copy of this report is in the possession of Mrs. George Sewell and because it contains some in teresting history and comparisons, it is published in full as follows: Letter Flattering Roseburg, Oregon, May 23, 1890 Nestling among the beautiful bills of the fertile and pictures que Umpqua valley is a little city that is destined to play a most important part in the future his. tory of Oregon. Long has Rose burg gone along quietly awaiting the time when- the magnificent country of which she is the com mercial as well as the geographi cal center should have been suf- . ficiently developed to justify her in going ahead. Now the time has come, and the city on the banks of the Umpqua has thrown off the sleep and started in the race for wealth and population. The long period of comparative inaction has not blunted the en terprise of her citizens, and now that the time for progress has ar rived there are no people in the world more wide awake and keen for improvements. The whole city resounds with the noise of nam mer and saw is new houses, one after another, spring up on the gentle slopes that form the site, Every train brings new residents to the city, and on every hand one hears talk of new railroads, elec- trio lights, motor street car lines, gas-works and factories. Bustling City Projected The people resolved to have these metropolitan features and that was enough. It took no time to get the stock subscribed, and before another year is past instead of quiet country village the river will flow by a bustling city full of life and trade and industry. But despite her quietness a great deal of trade has always been done in Roseburg. She is the sup ply point of the whole great county of Douglas, and at least 20,000 people are tributary to her even now. Before another five years is gone there will be 100,000, say the people of Roseburg, and certainly the resources of the country justi fy the claim. Like all other cities of this coast, Roseburg has a pet designation, and, unlike many, it is entitled to the one that has been bestowed on it. Throughout Southern Oregon Roseburg is known as the "city of Belles," and the Roseburg man who would not fight to sustain that 11,1. 1,1. -!,.. ...A..U k otnnArl Hilt? lui ilia tiijr numu uc hujuku out of town by squadrons of rosy cheeked damsels that give the city its nick-name. Roseburg is romantically situ ated on the east bank of the south fork of the Umpqua river, at the junction of Deer Creek. It can spread in any direction, for on ev ery side are the same rows of rolling hillocks that form the pres ent sfte of the city. There is noth ing lacking to make the place an excellent residence city. The streets are well kept, the buildings v, are substantially constructed, and ' the business houses are really met ropolitan in the quality and amount of their goods. Facilities Praised It has good schools, churches, hotels and facilities for accomo. dating a large volume of business. The public buildings are new and a credit to the country. Recently a new public school building was erected at a cost of $14,000. It serves as an academy for a large portion of Southern Oregon. The principal, Professor Horner, and six teachers conduc a course of instruction that is on a high plane of excellence, thor ough and efficient. All religious denominations have congregations at Roseburg, and some of thein have as fine church buildings as will be found in any cily of the coast. In the language of President Lane of (he Roseburg Town Coun cil: "Nature did so much for Douglas County that it was years before her citizens could believe that there was anything left for them to do." The Southern Pacific Railroad passes through the middle of the counly and affords one avenue through which tie products of the rich district m?y reach the mar kets of the world. The city gels an unlimited sup ply of fine waler from the Ump qua River. The waler is pumped rlnto a reservoir in one of the over looking hills. This gives a splen did pressure, and, combined with Mace Roseburg's fine fire department, guarantees against any extensive conflagration. Roseburg has two good newspapers. Both are week lies, but the Review is soon to be changed to a daily. The Review is edited by Fisher & Floyd, and the Plaindealer by Benjamin & Buick. Surrounding Roseburg are a, number of fine towns and villages that are in a measure dependent on her and contribute to her pros. perity. The principal towns are Drain, Oakland, Wilbur, Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, Glendale, Gar diner, Scottsburg and Riddle. There are located at Roseburg a United States Signal Station and a United States Land Office. Two telegraph companies and one ex press company do business here. The site of Roseburg is 400 feet above sea level, and the records of the weather bureau show that there is less wind here than at any other station in the United States. There is a nice courthouse, and many of the business houses are fine substantial structures. Area Is Large Douglas county contains 4.500 square miles. So it is four times as large as the state of Rhode Island, nearly three times, the size of Delaware and nearly, if not quite, as large as Connecticut, While a very large part of the county is mountainous, there are many hundreds of thousands of acres of fine agricultural land. Small valleys with streams of run ning waters are so numerous that almost every farmer may have a valley to himself. The valleys are very free from timber, which is a special advant age to the farmer who comes into the county with little money for he may at once begin to plant his seed without the laborious and time-losing work of clearing the land. The low hills are covered with oak, madrone and other trees which furnish an inexhaustible sup ply of fuel, and there are fir and pine enough scattered here and there along the banks of streams ana upon the hillsides to supply any quantity of building and fenc ing material, while the mountains are covered from base to peak wim tail tirs and pines. In the mountains lying in the western part of the county the fir and pines grow to very large propor tions, and, together with immense myrtle trees, are of inestimable value for the manufacturing pur, poses of the near future. Railroad Opened Frontier The question may be asked, if Douglas county has so many ad vantages, why is she not the rich, est district on the coast? Her an. swer is for years she was without any railroad communication at all When the Southern Pacific cut through, the lock of this treasure- house was partly broken, but even that did not give an open passage. The production of fruit, in which Douglas county is unsurpassed. could not be engaged in with prof. it until railroad transportation en abled the orchardists to take' their crops to market. . Previous to the year of 1872, when the Oregon and California line was bunt, the people were compelled to find an outlet for their surplus production by water and freight wagons, which, from the nature and location of the country, was a very slow mode of transportation and correspond ingly unsatisfactory. This lack of shipping facilities was a great drawback te the raising of fruit, and many orchards which were started well were neglected when they came into bearing condition because the ripened fruit could not be handled to advantage. With the advent of the railroad to Doug las County and the extension of transportation lines in this west ern country, and the development of the mining regions of Montana and Idaho, as well as of Eastern Oregon an extensive market for Umpqua valley fruit was opened Commerce To Portland All her commerce with foreign countries, as well as the East must first go to Portland or San Francisco. With fruit this extra day or two makes all the differ ence in the world, and almost since the first settlement of Rose burg and necessity of providing her, and through that city the county tributary to her, with a seaport has been recognized. Coos bay is only 90 miles from Roseburg, and a better harbor than that does not pxist on the coast north of San Francisco. Even without railroad connection an enormous amount of shipping coos out of Coos bay Those who know now claim the aggregate of the tonnage that passes Empire City is as great as that that goes out of the Columbia River or from any of the Sound towns. During the month of April over 5.000,000 feet of lumber and 4.000 tons of coal were taken from Coos Bay Harbor by Coast steam ers. The government has improv. ed that harbor so that now ships of any draught have ample room in the bay. With such a seaport ready lo hand it is obvious that Roseburg would not have to wait long for a direct line to the ocean. Pay For Survey Th citizens of Douglas county f Palouse Tipta lasd SECOND SECTION paid for the preliminary survey that ' demonstrated that - there would be 90 miles of paying rail road, between the terminal points, with easy grade and no engineer ing difficulties whatever, all the road to pass through county re plete with great native resources easily utilized. They held mass meetings of respective men, who expedited a spirit of enthusiasm in the public that left no room for doubt that they must get the road. A company of capitalists then made this proposition: They would build the road from Coos Bay if subsidy of $150,000 was assured. Roseburg was to give $75,000 of this. The proposition was accepted by the men of the county, and the completion of the road is now assured within the next 18 months. This road is to. be called the Coos Bay, Roseburg and Eastern, for it is not going to be merely a coast line. It is to go through Roseburg and across the easiest pass in all the Cascade range. the grade nowhere exceeding 80 feet to the mile, and on across southeastern Oregon until it joins some Eastern road. The junction and the transcontinental road of which it will become a part is not as yet made public, but it is under stood that Boise City' is the place and the Union Pacific the road. Pick Up ' Lost Time When this is done Roseburg will make up for all the time she has tarried and spring almost at a bound into the position of one of the largest if not the largest, city in Southern Oregon. The construc- tion ef this road to the ocean will develop a rich country, capable of supporting an immense popula tion and many new industries, and as it will constitute the first divi sion of another great transcontin ental line to the business center of the East, it will give cheap freights and fares for the trans. Donation of the produce to a coun try abounding in an incalculable wealth of timber, minerals and other resources, and of all this country Roseburg will, ber citizens say, be the center and the metro polis. Twe Seaports Viewed Though Empire City on Coos bay will be the ocean terminus of the Coos Bay, Roseburg and Eastern Railroad, the new line will really give Roseburg two seaports, for the surveyed line runs through Myrtle Point at the head of navi gation of the Coquille river. Nothing shows how much the town has grown while it was sup posed to be plodding unambitious ly way behind its neighbors than the amount of freight handled at the depot. Four years ago the months shipments amounted to but $1,200 a month. Now the amount is over $10,000 a month. And yet with all her advantages coming and present, the real es tate In the vicinity of Roseburg is far from high. Forty dollars an PsTj .ruff &&ym -htu Established 1873 acre will buy some of the finest farming land in the neighborhood. and a considerable tract that is ! being cut up and sold in town lots j was only a few days ago purchas ed at from $100 to $150 an acre. Roseburg now boasts of 4,500 in habitants, but within ten years her people are confident that she will have 25,000. Long before the real estate will command prices simi lar to those paid in California. The city is the center of a vast fruit belt abounding in never fail ing crops of most lucious prunes, peaches, apples, pears and plums and every hillside may become a vineyard unsurpassed even in France. "Ten Acres A Fortune" With such markets as the new railroad connections will insure ten acres of improved land In this vicinity will be a fortune. Douglas county's fir, cedar, sugarpine and the far-famed myrtle are sure to win recognition in any market in the world. Hemlock, spruce, ma ple, ash, alder, willow and oak are also found. Possessing a never-failing water, vast enough to turn all the machinery of the universe, and an inexhaustible supply of choice timber, Douglas County could ship one million feet of lumber per day for centuries. In this county there are 50.000 head of cattle and as many sheep and swine. Direct communication with the sea would enable them to supply a large portion of the ban rrancisco meat market on three days' notice and that without shrinkage. Twenty thousand hors j es, many of the choicest breeds, may be found on the farms and in the pastures and barns of this section. The county, being nearly as large as the State of Connecticut, con tains a pastoral region that, when the market is opened by cheap transportation, will supply annual ly 2,750,000 pounds of butter and 170,000 pounds of cheese. 2,000- 000 dozen chickens and quite as many ducks, geese and turkeys. Douglas county wool commands the highest prices in the eastern markets. The Umpqua valley is the Switz erland of America, but the beauty of her hills is not their only value. They arc one vast mass of lime stone, marble, building stone, coal, precious melals, all awaiting de velopment. Douglas county mar ble was the first to attract atten tion in Oregon. A thousand hills of marble as white as the Italian or as rich as the clouded Tennes see are ready to supply the West ern continent for a thousand years. Limestone, going 90 per cent, is found in abundance, and is highly recommended by hundreds of master workmen, who have test ed It thoroughly. Freestone of the most durable character for build, ing purposes, standing white heat and sudden exposure to the cold without blemish. ROSEBURG, OREGON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1952 Cow Creek Scene A r I . A . . jt inuian mtcjck. During Hog Drive By B. AMES ' My mother, born Elizabeth Mc- Collum, crossed the plains in 1848 when she was 12 years old. She said she not onlv "crossed" the plains but she actually "walk ed" the entire distance, most of the time barefoot. Her first husband was Holland Bailey, who had driven oxen across the plains in 1848 with the train of which my mother was a party. He settled on 160 acres of fine land on Spencer Creek- bottom, about nine mils west of what is now the city of Eugene. He en gaged in raising hogs. There was a profitable market for hogs in the Southern Oregon and Northern California mine fields. The pioneers thought noth ing of driving a hundred or more hogs a few hundred miles. In the spring of 1853 Bailey and some of bis neighbors were driv ing hogs overland to the mines around Jacksonville. They had an ox team and wagon to transport supplies, while the hogs were driv en by men traveling on tool. Amhuihed By Indians The Darty. while in Cow Creek Canyon, was ambushed by Indians. Bailey and two others were killed. Bailey's body was horribly muti lated, his tongue- cut out and ar rows were stuck nto his flesh. It was said the hogs scattered into the hills and went wild. Pio neers later told of killing many wild hogs in that section. Bailey left his widow, a son, John, and two daughters, four and six years old.' My father married Mrs. Bauey in 1856 ana 1 was Dorn 15 years later. My mother would never talk about the massacre. She said it was "too horrible." I got the story from my half-brother, John, who, however, would seldom talk about it. My half-brother, John Bailey died 18 years ago at the age of 80 years. Mirror Routs Curious Indians By MRS. GEORGE BACHER The first mirror ever to be brought into Douglas County be longs to Mrs. Florence Aiken Banks who resides at 243 South Main street in Roseburg. It was passed down by her mother, Mrs. Dee E. Aiken. The latter's par ents, Andrew and Sarah Chap man, came across the plains by covered wagon from Johnson county. Iowa, in 1853. The mirror Is in an old clock, the works of which are all made of wood. The ancient clock still keeps good time this same old clock which saw the first religious Of HAPPY HUNTING GROUND of Chief Mace Palouse Tipton, lost chief of the Umpquos, ond his squaw, Nance, above, is this old Indian Graveyard, pictured at left. Located on the McMillen place on the North Umpqua river, this final rest ing place for some 60 Indians is secluded in a forest setting, but unkept and almost forgotten. (Pictures of graves taken by Ben Serafin, that of Chief Mace and Nance reproduced from photo of Walter Tolles) Good Indians As Well As Mean Ones Were Met By Pioneer Era Settlers By GRACE DODSON ECCLESTON ' When Samuel Houston Dodson was 14 years of age, he made the long trek across the plains by ox team with his parents. Jon and Hannah Dodson. They settled 12 miles east of Roseburg at the foot of Mt. Dodson, which was named for his father. There were many hardships those days. It would take two or three days by ox team to take their wheat or corn to a grist mill to be ground. At first, bands of wild long-horned Spanish cattle roamed every where and it was not safe for one person to be out alone. There were Indians, too, but they were friendly as Grandfather Dod son was very good to them and gave what he could spare them to eat. The women would find a few things in clothes for them. They were always very grateful as the Umpqua Indians were a very poor tribe. Some of the olhor tribes would coma in and whip them, taking most of their supplies They woulrj come to Grandfather Dodson for counsel, and in this way learned the language. There were a few renegade whites who were worse than the Indians. This one time they did not have the principle to go out and fight, but, knew where a peaceful old unarmed Indian couple were living, and before some friends could get there, rid ing as fast as they could, these men had shot the two old Indians who had no protection other than a piece of bark held up before their faces. Happenings like these were what caused some people to have their barns Durnen ana ineir siock run off. Years after the Indians were taken to the reservation, an Indi an and his wife came through the neighborhood lust on a trip. The male Indian was Jim Pierce, ana he ana my lamer narj grown up together. He told how many and who they were hid out when the others were taken to the reservation. Their purpose was to eet even with anyone who had done them wrong. Many barns were burned. In later years, my father used to hire out to a cattleman by the name of Joe Stevens. They would service ever held in this county. The service was conducted at Win chester. The -story has often been told of how Indians were frightened awav from the Chapman home stead by this old mirror. The red skins often came boldly to ine home and peered through the top half of the door. The old mirror was hung directly opposite the door, and upon seeing their re flection, they'd scamper away without doing any devilment. Sometimes, Mrs. Aiken used to say, the Indians would sleal back to the rear of the house in an ef fort to determine what the mir ror's secret was. Simple secret though it was, that mirror afford ed mora protection than a loaded rifle. Oregon's state flower is the Ore gon Grape. The slate bird is the Western Meadow Lark. The state tree is the Douglas fir. No state colors have been officially recog nized. ua Ml-52 gather cattle until there were 1200 or 1600 head and drive them out to old Fort Klamath for the summer. This time, he was going with Tom Dixon, but for some reason he did not go, and somewhere out along the route the Indians at tacked and Dixon and several others were killed. Among the list of names given in Mr. Murray's letter living in Camas Valley was my father's half-brother, Dan Anderson. Jarvis Was First Uniformed Chief ST, 5,1? A 1 Duel J. Jarvis, above, Is shown when he was Roseburg's first uni formed chief of nolice In 1902. Before his nolice job he had been a driver of horse drawn stages for several years on the run between Roseburg and Coos Bay. Jarvis had also worked as a maintenance man on the Cons Bay road at the foot of Mt. Camas After his service as police chief he opened a "gent's toggery" store on Sheridan street and later oper ated a general repair shop on Oak street. He continued In the latter establishment until failing health forced him to quit. I ,,JT j , i,f -! If. J v - liA' . i' i I ; ' I J ' " , - ! I : SA -' - J I ; T ' I .'.'':? i f ' ",,' ' A: L ? J " -?-" North Umpqua Tribe's Final Resting Place Indian Lore Recalled In Story Of Early Days In Douglas Co. By MRS. ARTHUR M. SELBY Chief Mace Palouse Tipton, the last chief of the once powerful Umpqua Indians of Southern Ore gon, is burled in the tribal grounds located on a high bench overlook ing the Narrows on the McMillen property. His grave is marked only with the official county mark er, near nis grave is tne fallen headstone of Nance, his wife who preceded her husband in death shortly after the turn of the cen tury; and, in the surrounding woods, are the unmarked graves of sixty of the Chief's cousins. During an afternoon spent in vis iting the N. W. McMillens and their daughter, Mrs. Harry Bakken, this story of Chief Mace was ob tained. There is no record of the exact date of birth of Chief Mace, but he is believed to have been more than 90 years old at the data of his death, in June 1932. Tribe Spilt Up After the close of the Indian wars in 1855, the Umpqua tribe split up, part going to reserva tions on the coast, others to Klam ath and Warm Springs, and the remainder settling in the forest lands of the North Umpqua. It was here that Mace, the future chief of the North Umpqua Indians, was born. His mother was killed by a falling tree while he was still a papoose in an Indian cradle, and the many mothers of the tribe raised him. Later, a family by the name of Tipton, who owned a large ranch in the ML Scott area, adopt ed Mace and he took their name. In the spring of the year, the tribe would pitch their tepees at the Narrows, (just above Idleyld Park) for the Chinook salmon run. At this spot in the North Umpqua, the rock walls of the canyon form a narrow gorge with the falls just ahead. When the spray from the falls was not heavy enough to cloud the water, the salmon could be seen lying in the water, noses upstream, as thick as shingles on the roof of a house. The braves of the camp hung down over the cliff on ropes, each with a horn spear, watching the spray under the falls. Aooui every len minuies, a saimon would leap about eight feet in the air to jump the falls to spawn. Become Easy Prey Not half the salmon would get halfway up the falls. Falling back hitting the water sideways, they would float helpless. Then the In dians would go to work with their spears. The spear that snagged a fish would be passed up to a squaw waiting at the top of the cliff. At that time, salmon were plentiful in the North Umpqua and the squaws smoked the fish for winter use. When the braves did not fish, they hunted deer to be dried into jerky to add to their winter provisions. In his youth, Mace according to tribal custom, purchased a squaw named Nance who spoke only a little English, paying for her with ponies. They had only one child, a daughter, who died in infancy and her grave is In the tribal burial grounds. In September, 1898, W. W. Mc Millen, a Civil War veteran from Ohio, moved to Oregon with his family and homesteaded the grounds surrounding tne triDai cemetery. Mace and Nance often visited the McMillens, camping nearby for weeks at a(time. Fabulous Gold Mine They would tell the family of a gold mine to which, Nance as a child would be taken by her moth er at night to bring back large amounts of gold for The benefit of the tribe. All the information re garding this gold mine that was ever obtained was that It was in a dark canyon some place in our present Umpqua National Forest. Although men have searched for years, this fabulous mine, today remains one of the unsolved mys teries of the western states. Mace often told of the horse races between the different Indian tribes, which were held at lUahee, near the forks of the Umpqua and Steamboat Creek and at Olalla. The Indians were great gamblers. would bet all their possessions as they followed the races from track to track. The Klamath Indians were top winners; the Umpquas would lose their horses, their win ter supplies, hides, and believe it or not, lose their squaws. During his last years, Mace liv ed in a little cabin on the slope of Nance's grave, stopping at the McMillens to receive the colorful bouquets of peonies, zinnias, and roses they had ready for him so that Mace could decorate his wife's grave following the custom of the white men. In later years. Mace became partially blind and was unable to make his yearly pilgrimage but the McMillens dec orated Nance's grave in respect for their old friend. In June 1932, Mace went to his "Happy Hunting Ground" and is buried beside his family. It is quiet among the tall pines. Over head, stretches the new power line from Toketee Falls, his grave over looks a scene of great progress new homes, markets, motor courts and a steady stream of traffic on the North Umpqua highway, trucks hauling huge logs from the forests where Mace had hunted as a hoy. This centennial year for Doug las County, the Centennial com mittee is marking spots of his torical interest. The residents of the Glide-Idleyld community be lieve that this Indian cemetery should be fenced and designated as a historical landmark.
