FRI., FEB. 27. 195$
ROGUE NEWS
PAGE THREE
In an interview with Mrs. eluding a sawmill and a flour
Alice Applcgate Peil, a relative mill. The woolen mill operated
of Jesse and Lindsay Apple- for 32 years and employed 32
ponderance of men over wo
men during the 1800 s.
Women had a scanty value,
exagerated respect and court
esy, with the exception, of
course, of the painted women
with blonde dyed hair. Some
people believed that women
were too pampered and thus
neering. At any rate, the fair
sex was given early privileges
in education and voting.
An effort to supply the fem
inine shortage was undertaken
by Asa S. Mercer, who brought
parties of New England girls to
Oregon in 1864 and 1866. The
"Mercer girls" came as teach
ers, but were dn even greater
demand as wives.
gate, who found the famous men. It 1889 a fire broke out wePeJ Qften Seated with
Applcgate Cut-off Trail to Ore- and it burned to the ground,
gon. Rogue News reporters re- It was the most costly fire Ash-
ceived some valuable informa- land ever had, believes Mrs.
tion on the history of Ashland. Peil.
"The Applegate family is The first church to appear
credited with discovering the was in 1864 consisting of the became headstrong and domi
to live," she said. byterian followed later with an
In 1846 a dispute over the organization in 1875.
Oregon Territory broke out as The Ashland Daily Tidings
to who owned Oregon, England was founded in 1874, under the
or the United States. At this ownership of Mr. Sutton and
time Lindsay and Jesse Apple- the editorship of O. C. Apple
gate set out for far, horizons gate.
and discovered the Rogue Val- By 1874 there were 300
ley. At this time Ashland was people in Ashland and the
merely an Indian water hole, to,wn was incorporated.
Mrs. Peil related. The most important event in
In 1852 Ashland was settled Ashland's history, Mrs. Peil
by the Applegates, Barrons, said, was the coming of the
and Butler families. In 1859 railroad in 1887. One end of
Jesse and Ivan Applegate the track started at San Fran
bought the toll road from the Cisco and the other at Portland.
Indians and opened the first When they met at Ashland,
road over the Siskiyou's, she there were over 2,000 people
said. to see the tracks meet and to
Mrs. Peil recalled that as see the golden spike driven.
Ashland was rapidly becoming "The 'mile-high' celebration,
settled, the pioneers realized which was the completion of
the needs for schools. In 1860 the road over the Siskiyous,
the first public school build- came in 1914, and later in
ing was built. Before' that, 1924 the road over the Green
classes were held in 1854 to springs was opened," she said.
'57 in the pioneer home of Eber Editor's note: Mrs. Peil has
Emery with Miss Lizzie Ander- figured in the historical news
son as the teacher. In 1857 Mr. of Ashland's schools. She was
W. D., Pittinger was hired to the principal of the teacher
teach 20 pupils. training school of the old
In 1858 a woolen mill was Southern Oregon State Normal
established and now Ashland School. She was appointed to
had three main industries in- this job in 1898.
n trtA.:----
Mr. Bob Garrett ihown as the driver of the stagecoach which
ran from Athland io Klamath Falls. Chris Slade is the guard
shown beside the driver. Mrs. Fred Engle of Ashland is the
daughter of Mrs. Slade.
Courtesy of Glen Simpson Collection
Ashland Settlers Start
Industry in Plaza Area
This picture was taken hi September 1887, at White Point,
a mile south of the Summit on the Siskiyou Mountains at
the south portal of the Siskiyou tunnel. The Southern Pacific
was then building its railroad connection. The picture shows
six-horse stages, four from the North and four from the
South. The stage was called the O & C Stage Company, go
ing between Oregon and California.
Stage Line Comes
Finally to Ashland
In 1859 a mail and passenger
coach line was put on the road
from Salem to Eugene, and
shortly after extended from
Eugene to Jacksonville.
This was the extent of the
accomodations until 1860. In
June 1860, the California Stage
Company placed its stock on
the line from Red Bluff on the
Sacramento River to Oakland,
in Douglas county, Oregon,
where it connected with the
line of Chase and Company.
This stage line ran in front
of the Hugh Barron's place on
the Old Highway 99 South. Mr.
Barron's place was once an
old road house or stage house,
where food was served and the
horses were changed before go
ing over the mountains.
Fancy yourself in the Mount ed. For him it was a safe occu
Shasta region of Northern Cal- p&tion.
ifornia three-quarters of a cen- His routine was finally up
tury ago. Imagine you are a set by a boy with a Henry rifle,
stagecoach driver for Wells Under gunfire he got rattled
Fargo. and left a laundry-marked
The Oregon-California stage handkerchief behind. This en
had made it safely over the abled him to be traced and he
high Siskiyous. southbound to was sentenced to six years in
Yreka. Five miles before reach- San Quentin.
ing the town of Cottonwood, it After getting out of the
slows up to climb Bailey's Hill, penitentiary he was in San
It is a June day in 1976. Francisco for a few weeks.
A man jumps out of the Then he disappeared. He was
brush and you soon find your- charged with holding up stages
self looking down the barrels again, because some Jobs were
of a double-barrel shotgun.-You being done by lone highway
throw the strong box and mail men, and in one case poetry
tack down to your offender was left behind. He was report
willingly and drive on. The last ed to have gone to various
you see o fthe robber he is lum- places and various countries,
boring off into the brush with but nobody really knows
his plunder. where or how the last of his
This event and several of the days were spent,
like is typical of the many (Authority: Alfred Powers'
tmcs Black Bart succeeded in True Adventures on Western
robbing a stage. Trails.)
Black Bart prepared for his
holdups very carefully. He al
ways wore a flour sack as a
mask and carried his sawed
eff shotgun. He was an edu
cated man and his English was
flawless. He seemed always to
wear a linen duster and man
cgrd to be carrying an old ax.
Black Bart had a system
which various minor bandits
tried to copy. He was a stage
coach specialist and never rob
bed anything else. He robbed
2 a s-tages over a period of 8
years. Most of the stage drivers
of Northern California were
held up by him but never the
same one twice. During all that
time he was the most famous
robber on the Pacific Coast,
without being hurt, being
caught, or even being suspect-
Continued from Page 1
soared in 1852 to a dollar a
pound in Jacksonville.
Two farmers in the Talent
area, E. K. and J. F. Anderson,
were trying out small grains,
and, they sold it at $8.00 a
bushel.
Helman and three associates
established a flour mill on Ash
land Creek in 1854 using the
power of the creek to run the
mill. It attracted trade among
the whites and Indians for
many years.
Poit Office Established
On May 17, 1855 a new
post office was established and
it was called Ashland Mills.
Abel D. Helman was postmast
er. Many say the name Ashland
Mills, came from Helman's
birthplace in Ashland County
in Ohio.
Many establishments grew
up around the Plaza including
a blacksmith shop, Eber
Emery's Ashland House hotel,
R. B. Hargadine's General
Store, Marion Westf all's butch
er shop, Buckingham and Wil
liams' cabinet shop, and John
Sheldon's wagon shop.
Woolen Mills Built
In 1868 the water power in'
Ashland Creek brought in an
other firm, The Rogue Manu
facturing Company, later
known as the Ashland Woolen
Mills. A stock company was
formed and the firm made
socks, blankets, and flannels.
It did an annual business of
$50,000.
Say the
ROGUE NEWS
Sent You
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369 Ear.t Main
SHORT'S
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Prescriptions
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HOUSEWARE
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SPORTING GOODS
9
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Needs
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842 Siskiyou - Phone 5841
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