Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Page A-3
Minerals and timber resources
were ignored by the Commission
Cave Junction
By Elwood Hussey
March 31, 1960 Bulletin
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a
series of articles by Elwood Hussey, First
Mayor and “Father” of Cave Junction.
The Illinois Valley News feels honored to
present these exclusive articles about Illinois
Valley by Mr. Hussey which we believe to
be invaluable from a historic standpoint.
One of the things that caused me to
locate in the Illinois Valley was the mining.
The C & O C Railway that was, I understand,
surveyed and built by the City of Grants
Pass as far south as Waters Creek, was then
operating trains that hauled copper ore,
mined at Takilma, from the mine to Waters
Creek, the operating terminal of the C & O C
which had been hauled by truck at that time.
When I later questioned the operator of
the Queen of Bronze mine, John Hampshire, as
to how he could operate on 19 cent copper and
ship it to the smelter at Tacoma, Washington,
when copper mines with high grade copper,
in Utah and other states, were shut down, he
informed me that one ton of his copper would
smelt 10 tons of that high grade copper. When
I asked for further details, he said, “Well, the
flux they have to buy to smelt their copper is
expensive, ours is free smelting, and then we
get enough gold to pay the transportation costs.”
(Courtesy Photo for Illinois Valley News)
C
&
O
C
Operation
S u s p e n d e d
However, with the
improved highway
the lumber haul
from Swede Basin
was taken over
by trucks and for
some reason the
Queen of Bronze
and
Cowboy
mines
closed
leaving only the
limestone tonnage
from
Mooney
Mountain and this
was soon taken
over by trucks,
causing the C & O C to suspend operation
of trains to and from Grants Pass.
Some time later a date was set for a hearing
before the Interstate Commerce Commission,
asking that a Certificate of Necessity and
Convenience to build the C & O C to Crescent
City, be granted. Henry J. Kaiser, a well known
contractor had agreed to build the railway on to
Crescent City, if the Certificate were granted.
Henry J. and representatives of the Chamber of
Commerce and our attorneys, among them Niel
R. Allen, presented arguments and facts as to
why the railway should be completed. During
the hearing one man sitting alone at the end
of the long table would once in a while, very
politely, interrupt with some question. When
the hearing recessed for lunch I met Mr. Kaiser
in the hall and remarked that it looked to me
like our showing made it a cinch for us to win.
His tone of voice when he answered me with
the remark, “Don’t be too sure of that”, made
me wonder how to classify him, optimist or
pessimist. However, the final result convinced
(Courtesy Photo for Illinois Valley News)
me that he knew more than any of our delegation
seemed to know about that lone man at the
end of the table who opposed us so mildly.
Thumbs Down on C & O C
Result of the hearing: a railroad that would
have served Southern Oregon and Northern
California , partly built and one that would
have developed our minerals and timber
resources was ignored by the Commission and
a Certificate granted to construct a railroad
from Leland to Port Orford, based on nothing
more than a reconnaissance survey. The
lone man at the end of the table was Gilbert
Gable of the 49th state, the State of Jefferson.
Completion of the Railroad at that
time through the Illinois Valley would have
gone a long way to develop its resources.
However, at this time, I feel that railroads as
we know them today have seen their day and
we will have to develop other methods of
transportation more efficient and less costly.
This
is the 6th of a 7 part series.
Local group raises
funds to replace
Waldo plaque
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
Members of the Illinois
Valley clampers organization
raised $280 last Saturday,
Feb. 5 to repair damage at the
old Waldo monument from
past vandalism and theft.
E Clampus Vitus, a
fraternal organization more
commonly known as the
“Clampers,” have a local
group in the Illinois Valley
who met at Sportsman’s bar
in Cave Junction, with the
goal of replacing the plaque
that has been stolen more
than once from Waldo road.
Valley resident Terry
Frank, who knows a thing or
two about the Clampers, said the
response from the community
was “excellent” on Saturday.
“We’ve got some people
interested in joining [the
clampers] now,” Frank said. “I
think it was a good time for all.”
Sportsman’s
and
McGrew’s are considered
the local watering holes
for the Clampers, where
members
sometimes
meet for group events.
The clampers keep much
of their traditions somewhat
secret, but the organization
has been known for its study
and preservation of Western
heritage. While calling itself
a fraternity of sorts, it often
lightly pokes fun of other
exclusive
organizations,
giving members titles such
as “Noble Grand Humbug.”
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
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Members of the Southern Oregon-area Clampers raised money to replace the Waldo plaque Saturday, Feb 5.
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