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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2002)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523 November 6, 2002 Page 9 Resource unit meet Nov. 7 Two of our children and five of our grandkids live in Med- ford, and so we go there quite often, especially when they need some help. Every trip, on going over Gold Hill and down into the Rogue Valley, I look at Mt. McLoughlin to check out the snow level. This is the tall volcanic peak east of Medford that is indicated by a sign along the freeway. The book, “Oregon Geographic Names,” by Lewis McArthur, relates the complicated story of how the mountain received its name. The first available map of the area, printed in 1838 by Samuel Parker, uses the name Mt. McLoughlin. Later, records by Peter Skene Ogden, a trapper; and by the cartographer for John C. Fre- mont, use the name Mt. Pitt for the same peak. Because it was spelled with two t’s it implies that the name was to honor a person such as William Pitt, a famous British statesman, or an early set- tler. However, there is no record to substantiate that assumption, and there were no settlers living in that area when the name first was used. In 1855 a government railroad survey noted that Mt. Pitt was named for pits dug near the mountain by local Indians to trap ani- mals, as is the name Pit River farther south in Northern Califor- nia. Why the double t’s were used is not known. Journals of early Rogue Valley settlers showed that other names, such as Snowy Butte and Big Butte, occasionally were used, but Mt. Pitt was the most common name in printed reports and journals. This name was superseded in 1905 when the Oregon Legisla- ture designated Mt. McLoughlin to be the name, and this was ac- cepted by the U.S. Board on Geographical Names in 1912, mak- ing it official. John McLoughlin was named “Father of Oregon” in 1957 by the Oregon Legislature, and his name is found all over Oregon on streets, schools, museums, and parks. McLoughlin was born in Quebec Province, Canada on Oct. 19, 1784. Trained as a physi- cian, which occupation he followed for a time, he later joined the fur trading business. He served in various posts in Canada and then was sent by Hudson Bay Co. to be in charge of its Columbia River region. He arrived at Ft. George on Nov. 8, 1824, which was the headquarters at that time. Fort George started as Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River and was built in 1811 by the Pacific Fur Co. founded by John Jacob Astor. Astoria was turned over to Hudson Bay Co. in 1813 because its leaders were convinced that the British would capture it anyway during the War of 1812. No bloodshed was in- volved, and England returned it to the United States in 1818 as part of the final treaty of the war. One of John McLoughlin’s first duties on taking over as “Chief Factor” for Hudson Bay was to build a new fort, where they would be free of American interference. In spring 1825 Fort Vancouver was started on the north side of the Columbia River, near the mouth of the Willamette River. It became the main cen- ter for all activities in the area which included fur trapping, but also military visits, settlement attempts, missions for the Indians and natural history collectors. John McLoughlin became the benevolent dictator of an em- pire, which reluctantly allowed and even provided for the begin- ning of what is today known as the state of Oregon. Only those who risk going too far will ever know how far they can go. Riverside Physical Full Rehabilitation Services: •Physical Therapy •Occupational Therapy •Speech Therapy TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU Cave Junction Office 218 N. Redwood Hwy. (541) 592-6580 grants Pass Office 1619 N.W. Hawthorne Ave. Suite 109 (541) 476-2502 •Mike Johnson, P.T. •Jeff Wood, M.S., P.T. Meidinger Concrete Construction Serving the Valley since 1974 Licensed - Bonded - Insured Specializing in all types of Concrete and Masonry New - Foundations - Walks - Drives - Patios Mobile Home Runners and Foundations Bridges and Abutments - Slabs - Large or Small Exposed Aggregate - Retaining Walls and Basements Stamped & Colored Concrete Phone 592-4485 Mike Meidinger License #93173 The Siskiyou Resource Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Harbor Sanitary District office in Harbor. The RAC will review and recommend Title II projects for fiscal year 2003, and will be updated on projects of the previous year. The public may address the committee be- tween 11:30 a.m. to noon. Resource Advisory Com- mittees recommend projects that benefit trails, roads, forest health, fuels reduction, water- sheds, and fish and wildlife habitat on federal lands. The Siskiyou RAC recom- mends projects in Josephine, Coos, and Curry counties. For more information, contact Nancy Rose, Siskiyou RAC acting designated federal official at (541) 471-6507. SUNNY BROOK CLUBHOUSE -- Work on the clubhouse at the new Sunny Brook Mobile Home Park on Laurel Road is nearing completion. The first phase of the development, by John Con- stanzo of Aptos, Calif., will include 44 sites. Streets and water/sewer lines are installed; and landscaping is under way. Mobile home models are to be available in approximately three weeks. The 25-acre site is to be developed in three phases with a total of 120 to 125 sites. Recycle: Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.