10 Summer 2016 Applegater
History: How Cantrall Buckley Park got started
Park playground:
It’s really all about the kids
BY MICHELLE LAFAVE
Years ago, when we first began
to meet at the park, moms and little
ones embraced the afternoon sun and
the cooling, calming waters of the
Applegate River. The giant metal slide
beckoned us to the shade of the big
Douglas firs and pines as the heat of
the day set in. Around and around the
playground the older children raced
from the lookout fort to the jankety
old swings and back to the slide to
climb and slide and climb again. Our
group of homeschooling families met
weekly at Cantrall Buckley Park after
Ruch Library Storytime to share in the
adventure of raising young children.
The park was our classroom, the river
our curriculum, the playground games
our recess.
We noticed the run-down
bathrooms, the broken plastic on the
newest piece of equipment (1980s), the
dilapidated swings, the sketchy nature of
the beloved giant slide, and the lack of
fall protection (wood chips) throughout
the playground.
When Tom Carstens recruited me
for the Cantrall Buckley Park Committee
in 2012, I couldn’t say no, even though I
was plenty busy with two children aged
two and five. My heart had already been
captivated by the playground’s old-school
charm and the river’s magnetic beauty.
The children proved equally enthralled.
I spent a good deal of time talking to
families about what changes they would
like to see at the playground. Repeatedly,
I heard that the children loved the slide,
the concrete tunnels, the wooden fort,
and the rockets. I heard calls for better
swings, more climbing opportunities,
artistic elements, benches, and natural
features such as logs and boulders.
Most people loved the playground and
did not want to see it wiped clean and
modernized. We decided to preserve and
Children enjoy the new playground
equipment. Photo: Michelle LaFave.
Ruch School sixth graders spread wood chips
at the new playground. Photo: Tom Carstens.
Newest addition to the playground: Carolyn and
Jerry Trottman donated their family canoe.
Photo: Tom Carstens.
rehabilitate the beloved features of the
playground. We spent a long time talking
about “naturescapes” and “playscapes”
and how to incorporate these elements
into the existing playground.
The dilapidated swings and
the old play structure have now been
replaced with upgraded models—a taller
swing set, to allow for more exhilarating
heights, and a more challenging, virtually
indestructible play structure featuring
two slides and multiple climbing
opportunities. The classic metal slide
that the park committee intended to keep
and retrofit ended up being removed by
the county, as it could not be brought
up to code. This was our greatest loss,
and I believe the children, being quite
resilient at heart, handled it with grace
and understanding when they were
presented with a new, faster metal slide
as part of the new equipment.
As for artistic elements, the
Ford Family Foundation funded an
amazing mosaic turtle with a log and
boulder playscape that now beckons
people of all ages. If you haven’t seen it,
stop by and take a ride on the turtle’s
back! As part of the bathroom renovation
project, we will be blessed with a
community mosaic mural spearheaded
by local artist Jeremy Criswell, the same
artist who designed the turtle (see his
article in the Spring 2015 Applegater).
Local support and interest
have driven the entire project and
provided over half the funding (over
$42,000), with the balance coming from
local foundations.
Applegate School students planted
western pond turtle habitat along the
banks of the river, and Ruch School kids
spread wood chips on the playground.
Jackson Soil and Water Conservation
District provided funding for educational
signage. Jackson County donated the
new swings, balance beam, and chin-up
bars, plus the labor to install the new
equipment. Carolyn and Jerry Trottman
of Ruch donated the family canoe to be
added to the playground.
Thank you to everyone involved—
we could not have done it without you!
Join us for the official ribbon-cutting
celebration on June 4.
Michelle LaFave
humbughealers@yahoo.com
Pioneers James Buckley and John
Cantrall settled along the Applegate
River in 1854 and 1865, respectively.
The Cantrall and Buckley family farms
thrived for a century in the rich soils of
the Applegate Valley.
In 1961, Neil Ledward, then
assistant director of Lane County Parks,
was hired as the first director of Jackson
County Parks. Prior to then, Jackson
County had no parks. Ledward began
perusing properties near water that
might serve as public parks. One of
those properties was a forested section
along the Applegate River owned by John
Cantrall’s grandson, Harlan Cantrall.
Local families had long used
the “Old Cantrall Swimming Hole” for
picnicking and swimming. So Judge
Earl Miller, chairman of the county
commissioners, began negotiating with
his friend Harlan to sell part of his family
land to the county for use as a park. To
entice Harlan, Judge Miller promised
to name the park “Cantrall Park.” This
was enough to bring Harlan on board,
so in March 1965, Harlan and Margaret
Cantrall sold the county about 25 acres
along the Applegate River. The price,
about $1,000 per acre, was fairly high for
those days, so the county entered into a
four-year payment agreement.
In the meantime, “Pickle” Taylor,
another county commissioner, was
working on his friend Lewis Buckley
(James’ grandson) to sell the county some
land. Separately, he made a deal with
Lewis to name the new park “Buckley
Park.” In April, Lewis and Helen Buckley
sold the county eight acres along the river
for about the same price as the Cantralls.
What to do? The park name had
now been promised to two different
families! Ledward scratched his head and
decided to combine the two, and that’s
how the new park came to be called
Cantrall Buckley. After that, Ledward
set in place new procedures for naming
parks that would reflect a park’s particular
geographical area.
Soon after, the Bureau of Land
Management leased an adjoining 12-acre
parcel to the county. By the end of that
summer, Sadie and J.J. Ossenbrugge had
sold another eight acres. And the next
January, Marion and Louise Dunlap
joined in the fun with a sale of another
1.6 acres. The county now had the
beginnings of a substantial new 54-acre
park! Ledward set about designing it,
keeping over 90 percent of the original
trees. That’s why we have such a nice,
shady park today.
Construction began. Laurence
Espey, then chairman of the County
Parks and Recreation Commission,
organized the Jackson County Youth
Work Program based on the successful
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
of the 1930s. Espey had served as the
youngest CCC
supervisor in
the nation; he
knew how to
get this done.
Twenty-
eight high-
school boys
from Jackson
County signed
up to work in
the new park
and obtain
some job skills
in the bargain.
There were
only two job
qualifications:
physical fitness
and a desire to
Harlan Cantrall, top, and
work. Besides
Lewis Buckley, bottom.
w o rk i n g
hard, Espey
wanted these
young men to
understand
the need to
protect natural
resources.
They received
classes in
construction, Neil Ledward, first director
of public parks
forestry, fire
for
Jackson
County.
prevention,
recreation, fisheries, and map reading.
They worked side by side with county
work crews.
There was a lot to do—the big
flood of 1964 had left a horrible mess.
Electrical, plumbing, water, drainage,
irrigation, curbing, and roads had to be
put in. Massive amounts of blackberries
had to be removed; new plants were
bedded. Did you know that a fishing
pond and waterfall feature were installed?
The boys earned a buck an hour and
worked eight hours a day. When they
were done, the banks of the Applegate
River looked a lot different!
The new park was formally
dedicated on July 14, 1968. George
Jess, the new chairman of Jackson
County Parks Commission, presided
over the ceremony. A local National
Guard Battalion, the 2nd Brigade of the
414th Regiment in Medford, presented
the colors and provided the music. Judge
Miller gave the address, but neglected to
mention the pioneering efforts of Neil
Ledward, who could easily be credited
as the “Father of Cantrall Buckley Park.”
Ledward took a lot of photos that
day. Nobody knows where they are, but
our beautiful park lives on thanks to the
vision of our county leaders more than
50 years ago.
Tom Carstens • 541-846-1025
Postscript: In 1970 Harlan Cantrall
sold the county another 34 acres, and the
campground was born.
Cantrall Buckley Park under construction in 1967.