Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2022)
20 Summer 2022 Applegater •••BIZ bits••• ASK THE GATER Flood-damaged Applegate Bridge in December 1955, near the mouth of Slate Creek. Photo: Josephine County Historical Society. When was the Applegate Dam built, and why? BY LISA E. BALDWIN Construction on the Applegate Dam started in 1976 and was completed in 1980, as part of the larger Rogue River Basin Project. This federally funded project authorized building three dams: Lost Creek Dam, on the upper Rogue; Elk Creek Dam, on a Rogue River tributary; and the Applegate Dam, on the upper Applegate, just north of the Oregon-California border. Lost Creek was completed first, in 1977. Applegate Dam was completed in 1980. Elk Creek was initiated in 1971 but never finished. In fact, after blocking fish runs and clogging the courts with lawsuits for more than 30 years, it was partially demolished, or “notched,” in 2008. The dams in the Rogue Basin Project were built primarily for flood control and water storage for summer irrigation and recreation. Flood control was badly needed. Our three rivers (Rogue, Illinois, and Applegate) have a long history of devastating winter floods. December has historically been the worst month for record-breaking rain and snow. These conditions led to massive flooding in 1861, 1890, 1929, 1955, and 1964. The 1890 event was particularly bad for the Applegate. In nine weeks (between December 1889 and early February 1890), 22.33 inches of rain and 50 inches of snow fell. On February 8, the peak of the ensuing flood took out every bridge on the Applegate and Rogue rivers, including the new bridge over the Applegate near the mouth of Slate Creek, which had just been finished in September 1886. The bridges were rebuilt, of course, but the new-new Applegate Bridge was badly damaged again in the 1955 flood. The Christmas flood of 1964 is well known and documented, as the entire Pacific Northwest was under water. But it was the December 1955 flooding that prompted the U.S. Congress to start working on the plans and legislation that became the Rogue River Basin Project. The project was fully authorized in 1962, and 18 years and $96 million dollars later, two dams were built and operating as planned. Lisa E Baldwin leb.97527@gmail.com Three Rivers Community Orchestra resumes performances BY COLLEEN KIRKLAND Three Rivers Community Orchestra (TRCO), with musicians from Applegate, Rogue, and Illinois valleys, is back to rehearsals and performances after the COVID-19 break. Its next concert is at 3 pm Sunday, June 5, at the Performing Arts Center of Grants Pass High School. The concert is free, but donations will gladly be shared with other community nonprofits, such as the Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, etc. The orchestra plays light classical and popular music. This concert includes such titles such as “Romeo and Juliet Overture” by Tchaikovsky, “Theme from E.T.” by Williams, “Sinfonia No. 40” by Mozart, “Across the Stars” (love theme from Star Wars) by Williams, “Finlandia, Op. 26,” by Sibelius, and “Game of Thrones” by Djawadi. TRCO is a group of musicians from the Applegate and surrounding communities who enjoy playing music together. Rehearsals are from 6:30-8:30 pm every Thursday night at North Middle School in Grants Pass. The conductor is Joe Green, a graduate of Hidden Valley High School in Murphy, who has also taught music at Hidden Valley. Many have been playing music all their lives but had to work at other jobs to make a living. Several are local music teachers, some play in other bands and churches, but all enjoy classical music! Musicians range in age from high school students to more than 80 years. TRCO is always looking for new musicians to join the group. Right now, string players are especially needed, but intermediate or better players of any orchestral instrument who are passionate about sharing music with others are welcome. If you have questions, feel free to contact Colleen Kirkland, TRCO secretary, at 541-476-0860. Colleen Kirkland kirklands@q.com Abel Quiroz, owner of Magic Donuts and Coffee in Grants Pass, announced on his Facebook page that he was relocating to a much larger space in the same Grants Pass Shopping Center. “It’s official,” he tells his eager fans: “Magic Donuts reopened Saturday, March 26, at 6 am.” Magic Donuts is locally famous for great service, friendly staff, and a wide array of delicious pastries. Abel, who has been in Grants Pass for 13 years, has run the business for four years, refining his baking skills during that time. He comes from a family of bakers and does 90 percent of the baking— sometimes 100 percent! As he says, “Late nights and early mornings are the life of a baker,” something not all workers understand before they start. He is looking for more employees and wants to settle into the new building before he brings back the tamales and burritos that are hugely popular. He still offers the breakfast burritos and tortas which customers say are the best in the area. Abel takes special orders for holidays and celebrations and occasionally offers festive specialties, such as the Rosca de Reyes, or King’s Wreath, that is a traditional Mexican treat celebrating Three Kings Day on January 6 in honor of the three wise men. He has very loyal customers who were anxiously awaiting his reopening. He appreciates them very much and wants to tell them: “Thanks, Grants Pass, for all of your support over the years and for coming to the new location!”6 am-3 pm Monday-Saturday; 8-2 pm Sunday • Grants Pass Shopping Center, 945 NE D Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526 • 541-295-8046 • • • The Doyle family, who own and operate Murphy’s Hemp and Wellness Stores (MHW), have started Murphy’s Outdoor Market, located at 6890 Williams Highway and open on Fridays, 9 am-1 pm . Opening day was Friday, April 1. Eli, Luke, Lisa, and Seraiah Doyle, who run the popular CBD store, say, about starting the market, “Southern Oregon has been our family’s home for nearly 30 years. Our friends are here, our businesses are here, and because we ourselves have The Doyle family. Photo: Mattie Ward. no plans of leaving, we figured we may as well keep working to better the community that we’ve come to love so much!” After being a part of several markets for more than 10 years, they thought it would be fun to start their very own, right here in the Applegate Valley, to provide customers with quality products from some of their favorite vendors. So they looked at their MHW storefront property right along the main highway, in the heart of Kids enjoy Murphy’s Outdoor Market. Photo: Seraiah Doyle. the farming community. “We walked outside, paced out how many spaces we could fit, and that was it! We had just discovered our next big adventure! We have enough space for over 50 booths. There’s a cute little picnic area where customers can sit and enjoy a meal from the food trucks, and we’ll soon have musicians to entertain customers while they shop.” Leashed pets are allowed. Food stamps and EBT are not accepted at the market at this time. The market has 18 active vendors, with several more being reviewed for approval. The Doyles will be accepting vendor applications throughout the summer. Some customers’ favorite vendors and products include Looney Farms’ vegetable starts and produce; Em’s Elderberries, with its organic elderberry syrup; Smalltown Flower Farm; Gather Around the Table Bakery; Brandywine Fishery; Rogue Sushi Food Truck; and Joeys Hot Sauce. Check out the market’s website (murphysoutdoormarket.com) for more information and a vendor’s application, or contact them by email (murphysoutdoormarket@gmail. com) or by phone (541-862-2244), or drop by the Murphy store (open 10 am-5 pm Monday through Friday) and ask for Seraiah or Lisa. Jeanette LeTourneux jetlet10@gmail.com BizBits highlights businesses new to the area, holding special events, or offering new products. If you are a business owner, let us know when you move into the area or to a different location, hold a special event, expand your business, or mark a milestone. Email gater@applegater.org. ► Invitation to join our choir ◄ Voices of the Applegate invites you to sing with us. We are a long- standing local community choir with members from the larger Applegate Valley. Rehearsals begin September 13, 2022, with December concerts in Jacksonville and Applegate. For more information, please contact Beate Foit at beatefoit@gmail.com or 541-226-5626.