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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 29, 2009
It always seems interesting to look at old newspapers,
especially the ads listing prices. This came to mind be-
cause Ron Fratzke brought us a yellowed, tattered copy of
Illinois Valley News dated April 4, 1968. We have bound
volumes of the “Noose” from its beginning in 1937, through
1996 before we switched to electronic storage.
But we don’t often look through the volumes, although
it could be fascinating. Maybe in my old age I’ll find the
time. Anyway, Fratzke said that he found the 38-year-old
newspaper wrapped around some records he purchased
during a sale at the former James Boys Home on Holland
Loop.
The most obvious difference in the “News” of yester-
year with now is the size. The pages then were 15 inches
wide; they’re at 12-1/2 currently, a continuing trend in the
newspaper industry. Also, the type size that Bob & Jan
Grant used for stories looks like 9 point. We use 10.5
point. (Yes, Bob & Jan Grant sold to Bob & Jan Rodriguez
in February 1986 in one of those odd name coincidences).
Another also: the makeup is, well, it’s like a patchwork
quilt. We try to be more rectangular. And on page 1, Bob
Grant used a floating, flexible-size flag (the name of the
publication) whereas we keep it at the top of the page and
the same size.
The ‘68 black-and-white issue has an ad from the for-
mer Forest Lodge Café that was across from what was
known as Woodland Deer Park. The ad offers Sunday din-
ner of roast pork or roast beef for $1.70. The minimum
wage then was $1.15. There’s also an ad for the former
Ghost Town at the north end of Sauer’s Flat, offering steak
and chicken dinners, with the notation that customers
could broil the meat themselves. And there’s an ad for
Country Kitchen “8 miles out Caves Hiway.”
It’s an eight-page issue, although the pages aren’t
numbered. And, of course, right there on the left side of
page 1 is Bob Grant’s trademark column, “Cabbages and
Kings.” That has evolved into our page 3 “Here, There &
Everywhere.”
The back page contains a large ad from the former
Gibbons Market, which became Fire Mtn. Gems, and until
recently was used by I.V. Fire District as its HQ. Among
the grocery offerings: 4 dozen small eggs for 95-cents;
bananas, 2 pounds for 25-cents; 13 oz. cans of B&M
baked beans, 5/$1.00; and 16 oz. bottles of R.C. Cola, 6
for 49-cents plus deposit. Folger’s ground coffee was sell-
ing for 79-cents for a 1 lb. can. Wow.
The real estate ads include 20.5 acres with a small fish
pond and a fenced pasture for $10,500 with terms. There’s
also a three-bedroom home on 6.6 acres, available for
$10,400.
And, oh man, someone was selling a 1953 Ford pickup
truck with chrome rims and a “hot” V-8 engine for $250!
Dang. Where was I? Let’ see, I think that was the last year
I worked for the San Diego “Evening Tribune” before mov-
ing to NCR Corp. in Rancho Bernardo.
That’s the only problem with looking at old newspa-
pers. Too many “If only” comments.
(The preceding originally was printed in the issue of
April 5, 2006.)
Illinois Valley News
www.illinois-valley-news.com
An Independent Weekly Newspaper
Co-publishers: Bob & Jan Rodriguez
Editor-in-Chief: Michelle Binker
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at
321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com
Volume 72, No. 7
Staff: Zina Booth, Brenda Encinas, Scott Jorgensen and Millie Watkins
Advertising sales: Kenny Hix
Website design and maintenance by Ashgrove Visual Arts
Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
DEADLINES:
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(Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be
accepted until noon Fridays with an additional charge.)
POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they
are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using
complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. Gener-
ally, one letter per person per month at publisher’s discretion. Letters are used at the discretion of the
publisher. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be
levied if a letter is inordinately long in the publisher’s opinion.
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NOTICES: All submissions must be hand-delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publication.
Submissions must be resubmitted weekly if the item is to run more than one week.
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POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to
P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction OR 97523
(Editor’s Note: Views
and commentary, including
statements made as fact, are
strictly those of the letter-
writers.)
* * *
Typed, double-spaced
letters are considered for
publication. Hand-written
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be considered. “Thank you”
submissions are not ac-
cepted as letters.
Fed to blame
From Dominick Odorizzi
Porter Ranch, Calif.
The U.S. Treasury used
to mint gold and silver into
coins. Later, when paper
money was issued by the
Treasury, it was backed by
gold or silver.
In 1913, Congress cre-
ated the unconstitutional Fed-
eral Reserve. Today, our cur-
rency is not backed by any
precious metal. It is fiat
money made legal tender by
federal law.
The Federal Reserve
decides how much money the
Treasury needs to print. The
fiat money stimulus packages
will cause large-scale infla-
tion that always follows fiat
money. Our government will
probably tell us that we can
avoid inflation by joining the
International Monetary Fund,
or some other international
group, thus destroying our
dollar.
The Federal Reserve is
not accountable to anyone. It
has never been fully audited.
If we want to preserve our
dollar, we need to get Con-
gress to stop the printing of
fiat money. We citizens need
to contact Congress to vote
for the Federal Reserve
Transparency Act of 2009
(H.R. 1207 and S. 604) to get
the audit we need.
Otherwise, our dollar
may soon become as worth-
less as the German Mark after
World War I.
Comments on E/W Plan
From Grace Brookman
Cave Junction
I attended the recent
scoping meeting for the
BLM’s E.W. Vegetation
Treatment Plan.
I found four poster-style
maps, two of proposed har-
vest areas, with a host of
BLM specialists on hand who
had little concrete informa-
tion on what this project
might actually do.
Harvest prescriptions
were still completely vague
and, according to conversa-
tions I held with specialists at
the meeting, actual plans ap-
peared to be held captive to
the current political will. For
the moment that was some
good news, anyway.
One specialist candidly
told me that anything done in
the way of “restoration” or
thinning for fuel reductions or
road repairs (within the sale
area) would only be paid for
through the sale of large-
diameter trees. While this
doesn’t come as a surprise, it
does seem like the means is
negating the purported end.
The vegetation specialist
I spoke with seemed con-
cerned about prospects of
catastrophic wildfire on the
valley floor. However, if log-
ging is required of what little
older or late-successional
reserve forests remain, the
value of thinning other, over-
grown, younger forests to
remove fuels will be lost.
It’s been well established
that forests of older trees pro-
vide breaks that slow fire,
cool fuel temperatures and
provide reserves of moisture
that dampen intense fires
(Greenlee and Sapsis, 1996,
Agee et al. 2000). Removing
older trees adds more small-
diameter, flashy fuels to the
fire and increases the likeli-
hood of severe or catastrophic
wildfire.
Ironically, the vegetation
management specialist
seemed to agree that doing
nothing in this scenario might
be better, but she wasn’t em-
powered to make any kind of
significant change to what, at
the very earliest scoping
stages, sounded like a done
deal. It’s disturbing to me
how little incursion from the
real world and even science is
actually allowed to infiltrate
BLM working plans.
If doing something is
required, then what is done
should at least help the situa-
tion rather than make it worse.
Solutions to fire concerns in
the valley should include
plans to effectively close roads
in the areas of concern from
casual use by people in off-
road and other vehicles. This
would end some of the horri-
ble abuses that occur in this
area, including trash dumping,
off-roading, illegal road build-
ing, squatting and meth pro-
duction.
It’s been established that
there’s a strong relationship
between fires and humans in
vehicles, whether by throw-
ing a cigarette out a window
or igniting dry grass with an
exhaust pipe. Getting rid of
vehicle access would help the
erosion problems that exist on
these lands as well.
There are numerous
natural fire breaks in this area,
including wide stretches of
gravel and river bar along the
East and West Fork Illinois,
and Hwy. 199. It seems likely
that any fire within the plan-
ning region will be somewhat
confined by these natural and
unnatural boundaries. Where
people interface with the dan-
ger zone, it’s critical that they
be responsible for creating,
clearing and maintaining fuel
breaks for their own safety.
Help from the state al-
ready exists for creating these
fuel breaks. Where BLM land
is involved I strongly support
the idea of using thinning and
sound scientific application of
forestry to decrease dangers.
The lowland forests in-
side this planning area are
unusual in that they sit at the
center of our valley; they are
super easy to access; they’re
low elevation; and provide a
huge reserve of cool tempera-
ture climate mediation for
those living around them.
They provide wind
breaks, shade breaks and a
place to recreate. They also
provide some of the basis for
the healthy salmon runs in the
West Fork Illinois.
Management of these
forests probably is unavoid-
able at this time because of
past damages inflicted by less
than ideal practices. I support
a management strategy that
helps return these forests to a
healthier state by doing some
thinning on previously logged
and over-stocked, young
plantations, leaving the lar-
ger-diameter trees alone.
This could be done by
selling small-diameter trees
for poles, firewood or use in
making value-added forest
products. Over most of this
area that could be cost-
effective due to the ease with
which these areas can be
reached. No road building is
required, and few seasonal
restrictions are likely to exist.
As for erosion problems
and other restoration, a full
review of all the resources
available might open some
possibilities. Grants, commu-
nity work projects that in-
volve volunteers and other
low-cost and low-tech solu-
tions might present them-
selves if BLM will seriously
consider finding solutions to
these problems.
In a paper released in
February 2008 by University
of Oregon’s Climate Leader-
ship Initiative, Preparing the
Pacific Northwest for Climate
Change A Framework for
Integrative Preparation Plan-
ning for Natural, Human,
Built and Economic Systems,
climate researchers suggest a
strategy for dealing with the
effects of human induced
climate change and forests in
the Rogue River Basin.
Included is the comment,
Mature forests are better able
to withstand large climate-
induced disturbances such as
heavy rainfall or wildfire.
Conversion to even-age plan-
tations should be avoided,
and low-intensity forestry
should be practiced to mini-
mize soil disturbance and
introduction of exotic species.
For grasslands and prai-
ries, strategies include land-
scape-level land use planning,
slowing or preventing invasive
species proliferation, reducing
road impacts, implementing
science-based adaptive live-
stock management, and restor-
ing historical grasslands.
Yet another benefit of
these valley bottom forests is
that they lessen the likelihood
of and effects of flooding,
something hugely important
to me as a land owner with
property adjoining the West
Fork Illinois.
Appreciates RADE
From Carol Dickson
Cave Junction
I would like to express
my appreciation for the detec-
tives from the Rogue Area
Drug Enforcement Team for
their work on the overwhelm-
ing task of arresting drug
dealers all over the county.
With resources in short
supply, I appreciate that two
big dealers from the Illinois
Valley area have recently
been apprehended. We know
the valley could easily be
overlooked and your work
has not gone unnoticed.
Illinois Valley
Children’s Fair & Pet Parade
Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Jubilee Park
FUN ACTIVITES &
GIVE-AWAYS
F a c e P a i nt i n g
F i s h i n g B oo t h
Annie the Clown
Seed Planting
I . V . Li o n s T r a i n
P l a y D o ug h
Ring Toss
Free Snacks
Salmon Tent
D o g T r a i ni n g I n f o
Fish Printing
WOW Wagon
Lots More
P E T P A RA D E
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
REGISTRATION
10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Dress up your pet!
Don’t forget your leash!
SMALL PETS ONLY
No Large Animals
CAR SEAT SAFETY
I.V. Fire District will be on site
to check car seats and boosters
for proper installation.
Car Seats available at $20 and
$10 for Booster Seats.
Proudly Sponsored by
Josephine County Commission on Children and Families
Siskiyou Community Health Center
Southern Oregon Goodwill Industries * Head Start * Early Head Start
Jo. Co. Health Dept. * Early Childhood Services * Dome School
Boys and Girls Club * IV Lions Club * I.V. Fire District
I.V. Family Coalition * Aflac
Info call Laura (541) 659-8132