Illinois Valley news., November 16, 2016, Page 9, Image 9

Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Page A-9
Winding Trails: by Al Hobart
Thursday, November 17, 1966
Illinois Valley News
Hike to Whisky
Creek
When leaving the broad
Grants Pass valley area, the Rogue
River winds its devious way to the
sea, flowing variously to numerous
points of the compass, for a long
distance mostly north, but generally,
necessarily, in a western direction, to
final extinction in the Pacific at Gold
Beach.
At Hell’s Gate the higher
mountains begin closing in to form
the famous Rogue River Canyon, one
of the West’s greatest attractions to
sportsmen, boatmen, hikers, nature
lovers, and thrill-seekers. These last
are given the ride of their lives over
the many hair raising rapids, through
the swift narrows between towering
rock cliffs and down the few “falls”
where the river drops away so abruptly
the floater seems to be flying through
space, his flat-bottomed river boat
being hurled perilously close to the
rock bluff at times, or skimming
within inches of great midstream
rocks projecting ominously above
the surface, the practiced river guide
battling constantly to take you over the
exciting course in relative safety and
with maximum thrilling enjoyment.
Beginning at Graves Creek,
some distance downriver from Galice,
the Rogue canyon is at its loveliest
and best, and continues thus for many
miles toward Agness on the lower
Rogue. Here, just below the Grave
Creek Bridge, on the north bank is an
improved boat landing and is the usual
take-off point for the professional river
guides. Here too is the beginning (or
end, depending on which way you’re
travelling) of the beautiful Rogue
River Trail, about 35 miles of foot-
path that takes you through some of
the finest, most rugged scenery to be
found anywhere.
When Charles, Dean, and I, a trio
of odd-balls who would rather clamber
up high mountains or go clomping
along forest trails with backpacks
than travel by any other means, hiked
down the Illinois and up the Rogue
this summer, we were stopped by trail
reconstruction from doing the last four
miles of the Rogue River Trail below
Graves Creek. And so, our horoscopes
simultaneously concurring, we decided
to do something about that earlier
omission.
We couldn’t have chosen a
lovelier time for our outing. The
hills on both sides of the Canyon are
painted with the many bright colors
of autumn foliage. Add to this the
vast dark-green expanses of the great
conifers, interspersed with massive
gray-brown outcroppings of rock that
look down on the river from both
sides, and you see a gay panorama of
natural beauty that should satisfy the
grumpiest of Nature’s critics.
Saturday, at Dean’s invitation,
I went to Grants Pass and stayed
overnight at his house for an early start
down the Rogue on Sunday morning.
Our day began with an added zest
when we discovered next morning
that the knob-robbers, on their pre-
Halloween rounds, had during the
night pilfered all our gearshift lever
knobs. Dean’s Datsun had only one
to lose, but my jeep had four, and the
little cluster of bare stripped levers
reminded me of a group of snags left
standing after a rampaging forest fire.
Of course we just laughed off the
incident as an innocent little prank,
Dean’s laughter noticeably more gusty
than mine–about 4 times more, in fact.
After an early breakfast the four
of us, including Dean’s brother, Neal,
crowded into the doodlebug and drove
down to Grave Creek. The new 4-mile
section of trail, much of it carved out
of solid cliff rock sometimes high
above the river, is a hikers’ delight.
Two of the gang carried fishing
equipment (I won’t name the two
because one of our basic club rules
demands that all members share our
failures equally). Now and then where
the trail approaches the river we’d go
down and ply the rushing, fish-loaded
waters with soft rubbery angleworms
that no fish in his right mind would
ignore. With every cast, the instant
the delicacy-laden hook hit the water
steelhead of all sizes began jumping
around. But, whatever the explanation,
they did ignore our delicious offering
and were merely poking fun at us by
leaping out of the water and mirthfully
thumbing their fishy noses at us.
At Whisky Creek, where we
ended our long river hike in June, we
had a pleasant visit with our old friend
Lou Martin, an old-time Canyon
dweller. And once again we were
treated to a delicious cup of Lou’s
special nail-floating coffee. Lou is
the gentlemen (who we discovered
last June), uses a scoop-shovel in lieu
of a teaspoon in transferring instant
coffee to your cup. And if you timidly
suggest, about the second scoop, that
that should do, Lou, continuing to
shovel, sarcastically snarls, “Did you
want coffee or water?”
The weather and trail were
perfect for our exhilarating 8-mile
river hike. And we found that the lure
of the saucy, finicky steelhead, the
cool but sunny weather and special fall
scenery had drawn many others into
the celebrated Rogue Canyon.
Despite the social indignity
of being snubbed by the hoity-toity
Rogue steelhead–and the loss of a few
gear shift lever knobs–our outing was
the kind that adds an important bit to
our personal records for enjoyable
future reference.
Civil war soldiers celebrated Thanksgiving in the field
By Tom Emery
As in most wars, the
men of the Civil War found
it excruciatingly difficult to
be away from loved ones at
holiday time. Thanksgiving
was no exception.
The holiday itself
has its roots in the Civil
War. The first official
proclamation declaring
Thanksgiving as a national
day of remembrance was
issued by Abraham Lincoln
in 1863, partly in honor
of Northern successes in
the war that year. Lincoln
designated the last Thursday
in November “as a day of
Thanksgiving and Praise.”
That year,
Thanksgiving fell on the
day after a crucial Union
victory at the battle of
Chattanooga. The previous
year in late November,
armies were on the march
during the Fredericksburg
and Vicksburg campaigns.
Around Thanksgiving 1864,
some Union forces were on
the cusp of the bloody battle
of Franklin, while others
were marching to the sea
with William T. Sherman.
Due to their harsh
surroundings, many Civil
War men in the field
enjoyed only the most
spartan of celebrations. In
Kewanee, Illinois, teenage
sisters Tirzah and Sarah
Vaill received a letter from
their older brother, an
Illinois infantryman, after
Thanksgiving 1861 that
described his holiday meal,
“hard bread” and salt pork.
He added that “during the
day I thought of you at home
having your nice dinners”
and “wishing maybe that
you might present a plate
to some of us soldiers filled
with your own goodies.”
From his camp in
Virginia that same year,
Private Zebina Bickford of
the 6th Vermont Infantry
made the best of his day.
In a letter home, he mused
that “you may think we are
homesick today but it is
not so,” mainly because of
a care package sent from
loved ones back in Vermont.
The goodies consisted of
“a box of clothing and a
few nicknacks consisting of
eatables” that made “a very
good thanksgiving for us.”
With tongue in cheek,
he wrote that “you can’t
imagine what a lot of fine
things we had for supper…a
piece of sour bread and
salt pork.” However, he
gleefully noted that “some
of mother’s cookies and
doughnuts that came
in our box” made the
evening memorable. It
would be Bickford’s last
Thanksgiving, as he died the
following April 30.
The following year,
Asa Bean, a doctor in the
114th Ohio, enjoyed greater
tidings. On Nov. 27, 1862,
he wrote that “there has
been a surprise party here
today for the benefit of
soldiers and nurses.” The
feast included “roast turkey,
chicken, pigeon, and oysters
stewed” along with “baked
chicken, boiled potatoes,
turnip, apple butter, and
cheese butter.” Bean,
though, lamented that he
“cannot eat much without
being sick.” He, too, would
die months later.
Elsewhere that year,
Federal soldiers stationed at
Fort Pulaski, Ga. held their
own “fete and festival.”
The day’s events included
target practice and a rowing
match, foot race, and hurdle
sack race. Competitions
involving a greased pole
and a greased pig were also
on the agenda, as was a
“burlesque dress parade.”
In some cases,
Thanksgiving was a time of
spiritual reflection. On the
first official installment of
the holiday in 1863, Sewell
Van Alstine, a soldier in the
95th Illinois, wrote in his
diary that he “went to town”
and “heard an excellent
discourse by an army
chaplain at the Presbyterian
Church.” He also wrote
there was “no drill today,” a
welcome respite.
In 1864, the Union
League Club of New York
City pleaded for donations
of “cooked poultry and other
proper meats” as well as
“mince pies, sausages, and
fruits” for men in the field.
The call brought in some
$57,000 in cash donations,
as well as nearly 225,000
pounds of poultry and
large quantities of cakes,
gingerbread, pickles, apples,
vegetables, and cheese. One
appreciative soldier saw the
deeper meaning, writing that
“it isn’t the turkey, but the
idea that we care for.”
Others received far
less. That year, Lewis Crater
of the 50th Pennsylvania
recorded in his diary that
the Sanitary Commission
“issued three fine apples
to every man.” Despite the
middling fare, Crater and
others likely gave thanks
that they had survived to see
another Thanksgiving during
the four bloodiest years in
American history.
Tom Emery is a
freelance writer and
historical researcher from
Carlinville, Ill. He may be
reached at 217-710-8392 or
ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.
SAVE $ 60
MS 250 CHAIN SAW
NOW JUST WAS $ 359.95 SNW-SRP
$
299 95
Offer valid through 11/27/16
at participating dealers
while supplies last.
18” bar
†
“It is VERY EASY to start.
GREAT SAW. A JOY to own and operate.”
MS 170
CHAIN SAW
179 95
$
16” bar †
– user bsk713
“I’m glad I went with the 170--the
price and reliability are outstanding.”
– user prutsmanbros93
SAVE $ $ 20!
20
BR 200
BACKPACK
BLOWER
SAVE $ 20
NOW JUST
SH 86 C-E SHREDDER VAC/
HANDHELD BLOWER
NOW JUST WAS $299.95 SNW-SRP
$
HARD TO WRAP. EASY TO GIVE.
STIHL
THE OFFICIAL
HANDHELD OUTDOOR
POWER TOOLS OF THE
279
Offer valid through 11/27/16
at participating dealers
while supplies last.
279 95
WAS $299.95
SNW-SRP
Offer valid through 11/27/16
at participating dealers
while supplies last.
“Vacuum has plenty of suction
and mulches leaves and small
twigs very well. Blower is great
with plenty of power.”
“I use this constantly. It is lightweight,
easy to start and has plenty of power.”
– user Paul C56
– user ElaineB
Whether Battery or Fuel, STIHL Makes a Powerful Gift.
Dave's Outdoor Power Equipment
287 Hamilton Ave. | Cave Junction
541-592-3416 | DavesOpe.com
All prices are SNW-SRP. Available at participating dealers while supplies last. † The actual listed guide bar length may vary from the effective cutting length based on which powerhead it is installed on. © 2016 STIHL SNW16-1421-131506-7
Indicates products that are built in
the United States from domestic
and foreign parts and components.
95
$
Check out these reviews and others on the product pages at STIHLdealers.com.
STIHLdealers.com