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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2006)
Page 14 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 21, 2006 A nugget! Libby Goines has begun stripping a wall for a mural with help from some I.V. High School students, but more volunteers are needed. (Photos by ‘Illinois Valley News’) Mural needs strippers of the wall-scraping variety Libby Goines, of Singing Loom Studio, is ready to an- nounce a design depicting Oregon Caves National Monument for the Downtown Cave Junction Mural Project 121 S. Redwood Hwy. Her mother, Wanda Burch Goines, is the artist. Wanda, who is a professional artist, said that her daughter kept telling her about the mu- ral project and how she still needed a design that would have significant meaning for the whole community. It wasn’t until Wanda had the inspiration of doing a painting of the Caves that she got involved in the project. The mural design shows Elijah Davidson discovering the entrance to the Caves in 1874 and modern people leaving at the exit. It also depicts some of the famous formations inside the Caves, like Miller’s Chapel, Angel Falls, and Paradise Lost. The Oregon Caves de- sign has been encouraged and supported by many valley residents and organizations including Matt Dutson, owner of the building; the patrons of Jeanette Bosch’s state liquor store, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, Oregon Caves National Monument/ National Park Service, city of Cave Junction, and the boards of directors of Illinois Valley Community Development Organization, Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Illinois River Valley Arts Council. Libby is ready to put out a call for donations and volun- teers who would like to help prepare the wall of the build- ing for the mural. “Because this is weather- dependent project and we can theoretically have the mural up on the wall by this fall,” she said, “work will start im- mediately to gently strip all the old paint off the wall. “Then the bricks will have to be thoroughly cleaned, followed by apply- ing a thin cement wash to the surface to fill in any irregu- larities such as pock marks left from sandblasting the wall in the past. “Once this is done, a special primer will be applied before painting the mural can actually begin.” She added that she has been extremely fortunate to recently have met a new arrival to Illinois Valley -- J.B. Palasini -- a young woman who found her way here after all her posses- sions and her abode were destroyed in Hurricane “Katrina” last year. “She is an accomplished artist with her bachelor of fine arts degree from the Univer- sity of Mississippi and five years of hands-on experience painting murals in the New Orleans area,” said Libby. “She has agreed,” she said, “to bring her extensive expertise to the project by working closely with Wanda to create a paint-by-number design, and then will guide the community artist volunteers to paint the mural.” A fine art mural of the quality and size that these three artists want to render on the wall of Dutson’s building is esti- mated to cost around $12 per square foot. At 1,800 square feet that comes to $21,600. “However,” said Libby, “this expense can be reduced significantly with the help of a dedicated group of community volunteers. Funds are needed to buy the special mural paints and to pay the professional artists involved in this project. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization is being pursued to take responsibility for the project, be the fiscal agent and ensure the long-term maintenance of the Down- town Cave Junction Mural Project. Cash donation jars will be placed at various locations such as the I.V. Visitor cen- ter, the liquor store, and Ore- gon Caves to continue to col- lect the money needed for the mural. Bosch has already col- lected over $1,100 toward the project from the patrons of her liquor store. Why is Libby Goines organizing all of thi? Because, she noted, she wants to do something special for her hometown -- some- thing that will create a posi- tive effect on the community -- and because she wants to learn how to paint murals. To find out more about volunteering for the project contact Goines at her Singing Loom Studio, 592-6484, or libbygoines@gmail.com; or visit www.singingloom.com. God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should I? - Samuel Johnson - By ROGER BRANDT For IVN The largest gold nugget in Oregon history was discov- ered in 1859 on Althouse Creek, located on the east side of Illinois Valley. Discovery of the nugget was welcomed, but not unex- pected, because miners had been looking for gold along this creek since 1852. We can only imagine what it must have been like to discover a 17-pound nugget. And such a discovery makes it easy to understand why the town of Althouse quickly grew and assumed an importance almost equal to that of Jacksonville. Althouse Creek was named for Philip Althouse, one of the first prospectors to find gold on this stream. In a very short time a large num- ber of miners had arrived, and hundreds of claims were staked out on 10 miles of the creek bed. By 1853 it was estimated that nearly 1,000 men were mining there. The town of Althouse was the main community, but others sprang up along the river including Browntown, Hogtown and Frenchtown. Browntown was one of the larger communities and was reported to have had from 300 to 500 inhabi-tants dur- ing the peak of the mining boom. Most of these towns were later abandoned and then de- stroyed as miners excavated the gravel under the buildings looking for gold. In essence, the entire history of the place was washed through a sluice box. The largest mining op- eration on Althouse Creek was the Enterprise Mine, lo- cated 3 miles east of Brown- town. Mining at this location began in 1860. But within seven years, the claim was abandoned. During this time, the min- ing company built a small, five- stamp mill at Browntown with water power to drive all the equipment. At one time, miners at- tempted to completely drain Althouse Creek by diverting the water into Democrat Gulch near the present-day location of the Holland Store. The first drainage system was installed in 1871 and included a diversion ditch 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep; and a 1,200 foot tunnel that was declared to be the most noteworthy engineering accomplishment in Oregon at that time. A second drainage sys- tem with a diversion ditch and tunnel was installed ap- proximately half a mile above the other and also emptied into Democrat Gulch near Holland. The road to Althouse Creek is less than 10 miles from Cave Junction. To get there, follow Holland Loop to Holland Store. Turn and drive past the store as if you are going to Foris Vineyards. When you get to the fork ap- proximately half a mile past the store, stay left. The paved road goes over a small hill and into Althouse Creek. The site of Browntown is some 4 miles above Holland. POTTSVILLE NEAR Grants Pass was the site for the 20th annual an- tique tractor and engine show Saturday and Sun- day, June 17-18. Numer- ous attractions including tractor pulls, wagon rides, live music and the Illinois Valley Lions Club train were featured. (Photos by Dale & Elaine Sandberg) Fireworks safety can prevent injuries What would the 4th of July be without fireworks? A little less busy in hos- pital emergency rooms. Each year medical per- sonnel see nearly 10,000 fireworks-related injuries in the nation’s emergency rooms, with nearly half of the injured being children. The American College of Emer- gency Physicians (ACEP) is urging everyone to be ex- tremely careful with fire- works this 4th of July, and reminding patriotic celebrants that there is no such thing as completely “safe” fireworks. “I think the safest and best way to enjoy the 4th is to watch a professional display," said Dr. Rick Blum, ACEP president. “For those folks who can buy legal fireworks in their community, I recom- mend extreme caution, espe- cially if children are present. “I ’ v e s e e n c a s e s where a few minutes of well- intentioned fun has resulted in lifelong disabilities,” the doc- tor said. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that eight people died and 9,600 were injured during 2004 due to incidents involv- ing fireworks. More than two-thirds of those fireworks injuries oc- curred between June 19 and July 19. Most of the injuries involved burns. Hands and eyes are the most common parts of the body injured. “Parents have to realize that fireworks aren’t available to children only on the 4th of July,” said Blum. “Fireworks stands are open a large part of the summer in many commu- nities -- and emergency phy- sicians see fireworks injuries for many weeks.” For those with legal fire- works in their communities, ACEP strongly suggests that they not be used at home. If you do use fireworks, how- ever, the following will help make it a safer experience, ACEP said. DO: *Buy fireworks from reputable dealers. *Read warning labels and follow all instructions. *Keep a bucket of water or fire extinguisher on hand. *Light fireworks one at a time. *Dispose of all fireworks properly. DON’T: *Give any fireworks, including sparklers, to small children; older children should be supervised by an adult. *Light fireworks indoors or near other objects. *Wear loose clothing while using any fireworks. *Set off fireworks in glass or metal containers- the fragments can cause severe injury. *Try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. ACEP, a national medi- cal specialty society repre- senting emergency medicine with more than 23,000 mem- bers, is based in Dallas, Texas. 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