Page A-4
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Whose riches?
Court to rule
This article first ap-
peared in the April 3,
1935 Grants Pass Daily
Courier.
“Last week the south wind
wafted a call to Jed Hittson
and he’s going back – back
to the Siskiyous, where he
kicked some rocks around and
in three months harvested a
crop of gold quartz, which put
$16,500 to his credit in a Med-
ford bank.
“Once before he heeded
the summons from the south,
thereby accumulating a poten-
tial fortune and a flock of law-
suits. But Hittson is not wor-
rying about lawsuits just now,
though they have succeeded
in tying up his Medford funds
until the courts decide whether
they belong to him or some-
one else. Jed (christened Wade
E.) says the money is his and
there’s lots more where it came
from.
“Owners of the Ruby
claims, not far across the Cali-
fornia line, say Hittson’s rock
kicking was done on their
property, but Jed pooh-poohs
this statement. He retorts that
he has his own group of 16 fine
claims, which he has worked
off and on for six years, and
that these are the Golconda.
“Hittson crashed the front
pages of newspapers far and
wide when the story of his find
became known. It matches the
most glamorous imaginings of
fiction writers, B.E. Harader,
Medford banker, revealed it
last week.
“A couple of months ago,
so Harader said, Jed appeared
at the bank, lugging a bat-
tered suitcase from which
he dumped quartz and nug-
‘Sky’s the Limit’ for IV
gets worth $4,000. Harader
nearly had heart failure as he
piled up the rocks, each of
which seemed richer than the
first. The lot was dispatched
to the mint and presently a
sizable credit was posted
opposite Hittson’s name on
the records. Then the visitor
and his suitcase disappeared
from town.
“A few weeks later Hitt-
son turned up again, stagger-
ing under a heavy load. He
mopped his face, caught his
breath and unloaded. This
time the dilapidated suit-
case disgorged a real heap of
gold. It too went to the mint,
and when the report came
back $12,500 more was on
the book for Mr. Hittson.
“Now Jed and his wife,
the Lucky 13 claims which
Hittson says he bought be-
cause his original holdings
surrounded them, and the
bank are defendants in an ac-
tion designed to show where
the Medford man got his
gold.
“George M. Roberts, half
owner of the Ruby group,
contends it came from the
Ruby. He asks half the
$16,500 which reposes in the
bank and three other men,
owners of the other half of
the claims, want the rest.
“According to these
men, the credit at Medford
is only part of the story. At
Yreka, Cal., a close outlet to
the fabulously rich diggings,
are 25 sacks of ore held for
Hittson’s account. This ore,
not improbably a hundred
times as valuable as what
was brought to Medford,
have been impounded by the
courts pending decision on
ownership.”
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
Many Josephine County high-
school students are noticed for their
exceptional academic and athletic tal-
ent.
Not every student, though,
maintains a 4.0 grade-point average
or becomes a team’s MVP. But some
students, who have gone through con-
siderable obstacles before earning a
diploma or GED, still deserve to be
recognized.
The Josephine County Commis-
sion for Children and Families started
the Teen Awards Celebration in 1993 to
direct attention to those who achieved
high-school diplomas or went back
and earned their GEDs despite poverty,
family troubles or behavioral setbacks.
On Tuesday, April 5, ten students
in Josephine County high schools were
honored at the 19th annual ceremony
at the Bear Hotel in Grants Pass.
Ericka Dean, Winona Gallegos,
Rhiannon Quall and Breanne Smith
represented Illinois Valley High School
in the ceremony. According to Bell,
the event was held off and on when it
first began, but later became an annual
event.
“There are awards for youth who
have wonderful talents or can accom-
plish great things in academics,” said
commission director Janet Bell. “On
the other side, it takes a lot of effort
when you might be facing homeless-
ness, or you got in a scrape and ended
up in juvenile justice, or you lost a
family member.”
Bell stressed that the ceremony
intended to recognize the students
in a positive light, showcasing their
achievements instead of focusing just
on the hardships.
As part of the application process
for the ceremony, Bell said students are
Meth materials found in CJ
The Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office received a
report Saturday, April 9 of
a backpack with suspicious
contents in the 400 block of
North Sawyer Avenue in Cave
Junction.
Two locals walking
along the street found a worn,
black backpack with tan
patches lying on the side of
the road. Deputy Cory Krauss
responded and recognized
the contents as liquid and
dry chemicals, reportedly
associated with producing the
drug methamphetamine.
Local resident Carol Valentine is producing a
concert to benefit the Dome School featuring world-
renowned musician and storyteller Kevin Carr.
The event, “Stories from the Musical Realms:
Inspiration and the Music Between the Notes,” will
be held 3 p.m. Sunday, April 17 at the Takilma Com-
munity Building.
According to Valentine, Carr has played music
with traditional musicians from the former Soviet
Union, Spain, France, Quebec and others, and has
picked up several tales along the way.
At the benefit, Carr is scheduled to tell some of
his folk tales and perform music from his upcoming
Brandy’s Boutique
25
E
off
vErything i n S torE
L aSt D ay - a priL 30
Josephine County Commissioner,
Simon Hare.
CD, “Fiddle Fables” using fiddle and traditional instru-
ments from France, Slovakia and Galicia, Spain.
“When I was very small, the whole family would
gather on a Sunday afternoon to hear my grandfather tell
tales about life,” Carr wrote on his website. “My par-
ticular love is in finding stories that weave together with
the music I make on fiddle and banjo, and on a host of
rare and exotic bagpipes from all across Europe and the
Middle East.”
Admission is on a sliding scale at $10 to $15 for
adults, $5 to $10 for ages 10 to 17, and under age ten by
donation.
For more information contact Valentine at 597-2839
Bills propose Monument expansion
On Friday, April 7, Oregon lawmak-
ers introduced legislation into the House
and the Senate that includes preserving
4,000 acres into the Oregon Caves Na-
tional Monument.
Peter DeFazio, Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley proposed three bills to expand
the monument, designate Devil’s Stair-
case near the coast and Umpqua and Smith
rivers as Wilderness, and prevent suction
dredge mining along the Chetco river in
Brookings, Ore.
According to Senator Ron Wyden’s
website, the Oregon Caves bill would
transfer 4,000 acres in the Caves National
Monument from the National Forest Ser-
vice to National Park Service, designating
the land as a natural preserve.
“These areas are among Oregon’s
most prized possessions and they deserve
protection,” Wyden said in a news release.
“Between the Oregon Caves and Devil’s
0295
n Ext to t ruE v aLuE
now and have jobs already. It’s really up-
lifting and encouraging.”
Bell said students got up to speak
at the awards celebration and one student
stood out to her in particular by directly
addressing fellow nominees.
“One youth was speaking with other
students saying, ‘We’re here, we can do
this. Congratulations to you too; let’s go
forward and be role models for others,’ ”
Bell noted.
For Bell, the support from the local
community of businesses and individuals
was a central part of the event’s success.
Classic Catering, a group of Grants
Pass High School students in the culinary
department, collaborated by serving food
at the ceremony.
“We couldn’t do it without the con-
tinued support of community businesses,”
Bell said. “With limited resources on our
part, even through economic hard times
businesses in our community continue to
support teen awards throughout Josephine
County. That is just wonderful.”
Dome School event lands big headliner
After officials took
samples of the chemicals,
tests by a hazardous waste
cleanup team from confirmed
red phosphorus, acid and
solvent chemicals reportedly
connected to manufacture of
meth.
The Sheriff’s Office
asks anyone with knowledge
of the backpack owner or
related information call the
tip line at (541) 474-5160.
A photo of the backpack
can be found online at http://
www.co.josephine.or.us/
News.asp?NewsID=246.
%
nominated by an adult mentor such as a
teacher or counselor who has seen them
grow and progress towards their goals
regardless of what they might have gone
through.
“I’m thinking of a couple of people
who nominate from the Illinois Valley
such as [IVHS Principal] Mrs. Bethany
and Monet Talty from the College Dreams
program,” Bell said. “They truly under-
stand the purpose of the teen awards, so
they also do an excellent job being in-
volved with their youth and knowing what
these awards are about.”
Local businesses in the county also
donated prizes for the award winners. But
one of the more unique prizes included
letters of congratulations and recognition
from elected officials, Bell said.
“As an employer, you’re looking
for someone who can accomplish some-
thing,” Bell said. “There may be some of
those letters that they can use, or it can
just be for themselves.”
Josephine County Commissioner Si-
mon Hare, who also chairs a committee
for children and families, said members of
Senator Jeff Merkley’s office went to the
April 5 ceremony along with other gov-
ernment officials.
“It was a great opportunity to recog-
nize [the students] with their friends and
family and community support,” Hare
said. “There were at least three elected of-
ficials…from the local, state and national
levels.”
Hare said IVHS principal JoAnn
Bethany nominated Smith and that Ni-
cole Rensen-Brink, who works with local
youth, nominated Quall.
Students from other Josephine
County high schools including Hidden
Valley, Grants Pass, Gladiola and alterna-
tive private school Inn Sight also received
awards.
“These kids [at the ceremony] are
exceptional especially considering their
circumstances,” Hare said. “A lot are go-
ing through Rogue Community College
Staircase legislation more than 34,000
acres of Oregon land will preserved and
protected for future generations to en-
joy.”
Wyden believes setting aside ad-
ditional land will increase tourism and
encourage ecological forest restoration.
According to Wyden’s website, the legis-
lation would also designate the River Styx
traveling through the caves as scenic.
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