ti' .TO;; - 'U VOL. XX. GRANTS PASS, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4. 1904- No. 35- fvK? fr ...... , ..- ... : . . . .... . ' THE ' CLIMATE OF The Average Rainfall of Grants Pass Is Less Than That of Many of the Kind Reader: lam asked by the publisher of tlio Courier to give you a description of the climate of Southern Oregon aud I commence the tai-k, realizing tbat it in one that has its difficulties. It is a simple matter to write a description oi oor climate, that is, ooe of (lie dry, matter of lact kind, one sees so often, bat to write so that yon will see things as they are, see them through the eyes of the , , A iKOGUE KIVFR YLLEY'VIN'EYARD. writer, so to fp'.tfc, is what is needed aud is difficult. Any person who had aKwivs lied east of the RocHcs, mi.st understand at ihe outset thai "coining to Ore gon," will he like landing uOiia new plant t, so f ir :;s w rath, r condi tions aro comvr'i.d, I liuvu l.nown farmers from K tsii rti slut s to n .aeh here in the full or spring, liny or rent a farm and iniaim liny would have no difficult, h nra 1 1 1 j- h id followed farming all Iheir live s. in going right ou with em-tern methods. They had -read many times that Oregon has, roughly speaking, but two sea sons, a wet and dry, but they had not grasped tli meaning cf the ex pression and whim, us they were rushing their v k along, tliey all at once realized that it hud not rained a particle in four or live weeks, tiny began to look serious und unsioo. ly search the sky Cor signs of lain. They wore simply learning by ex perience, the lesson that should have been learned by" accepting the ex perience of othu s. Life in Oregon is pleasant aud profitable when mmmmm I'.irrilANY PRESBYTERIAN' CHURCH. you search out the loiation and conditions tliat are a dupted to your occupation. While ill Eastern slates the soil freezes solid from two to four or more feet in depth, here in Western Origin, it is very seldom that yon cjnnot force th" Made cf a spade into the ground its full length any day throughout the winter. Of course this is not an invariable rule, i but as stated it is nearly always true. I No instance has ever come to my kuowledge in the !." y ars that I have lived in Jonjliine county where farming or other t-ut i rites were de layed at any time of the year, by jro.t. An individual, to thoroughly appreciate this fact, has cu'.y to have lived in any of the Ft.it es east of the Rockies from IVli rado to Maine, where it l gunrtlly imjins.-itilo to stir the 6oil for any purnse what ever, from November to Apri'. Another peculiarity of the climate lure is the fact that, no matter bow warm it has been in tire most sultry snmruer day, the thermometer gener- I ally shows a rapidly cooling tem perature a night approaches. Memory carriies me back to the time of mi boyhood i n Eastern New York and the years I have sjieiit on the frontier in Nebraska; and the recollection of A sic i-r1 OPERA HOUSE BLOCK. SOUTHERN OREGON Eastern Cities. those torturing hours of early night, when one cau but roll and tumble, sweltering with the heat, seeking rest but finding none, ia simply an. agony resurrected. Through the summer months from June to September or October, we generally bare no rain worth mentioniug. Pasture, 1 un less irrigated, naturally or artifi cially, dries op toward the end of the season and lies dormant until the couing of the fall rains, when nature puis 011 her coat of green and in a few weeks one can bar t ly bolieve it is tin' sunn) luiidrcnpo that greeted the eye in Augut. The tamnus "Oregon rain" thut casern people have been led to lie li ve keeps pouring constantly from the liiuvm?. is h bupbrar that vanishes on nequaiutiuice will) this bi nutiful region. We have rain hero, sun ly, couldn't do business without it. but the popular belief ninny have concerning the mattir, is a fallacy. We very seldom have such long and severe storms as are seen every year in the state of New York. I am jot ling down these items on the even ing of Nov. It, and 11 of these No vembe.r days have been days with no rainfall whatever. It might '09 of Interest to give the prei ipitition for the Inst few months. Heg'nuing with June we had .35 of an inch. July, .34 inch, August, a mere trace, Septem ber, .40 inch, theu in October we had 8 29 inches, and in these 14 days for November we have had .77 inch, this amount being thejjtotal ofJthe three days on which showers occur re l The average annual rainfall for Grants Pass for the last 10 years is only 32.23, while tlio annual amount of precipitation at numerous eastern jiotnts is very nearly the Mime Just to show the absurdity of the popular belief concerning Oregon rainfall or ut least that part of the state known ' as "Southern Oregon", a comparative table is given here, showing the precipitation for Grants Pass for the years 1U02 and 19o3 aud aUo that at various points through out the Eastern stutcs lor same years: iuo2 uoa Albanv, N. Y. .... R7.48 4.0! Oswego, N. Y S7.H7 Hualllo, N. Y Sitfl Rochester, N. Y 2K.73 Philadelphia, Pa 4'.l.7fl Washington, i). 0 4HS8 t'inciiiiiatti, 0 87.SO (i HANTS PASS, OR . Ml 12 37. . 2D. 44 41., V) 4.1 fw 84.B9 St) 19 37.88 3181 33.43 28 (M -n Paul, Minn 31.75 St. Louis. Ma 38.43 Omaha, Neb 30.48 Chicago, 111 37.68 These figurei! are taken from the otlicial reiort of the U. S. Weather Bureau and can be verified by calling upon any observer who has these reports. Thus it is seen that our rainfall is less than some, and slightly more than others of the cities Darned. About 13 to 20 degrees above zero T ! FIRST NATIONAL BANK. . iLLZ z-.fjia'i- w i . . . .. I GRANTS usually marks the bottom point for the thermometer during the winter and for but oue or two periods, of a day or two each, aud it is a fact that now, while the papers are telling u of a fearful blizzard raging in the East daring the past week, here everything is serene aud pleasant, showers are falling, interspersed with hours or days of sunshine, green verdure covers hill and vale in every direction and flowers are blooming upon onr lawns. Speakiug of blizzards reminds me to say a good word concerning the winds of Oregon. Southern Oregon is not a windy region. If there is a country where gentle zephyrs blow, this is the place. We have occasional high winds, lasting ou rare occasions for two or three days, but the great majority of the days throughout the year, when there is any wind, it is qnite light and too often fails to tnrn the few wind mills onr citizens have ventured to erect. Do we have snow here? Well, yes, we have suow, that is, euough to prevent eastuin fpoopte from forget ting how it looks. We have uo sleighs or cutters iu the city, bat I venture to say that we have many people in town, who, if they saw a cuiter would not know what it was. Our suow falls for the last two winters at this place have been from one inch to six or eight inches at a time, quickly melting on account of the warm earth. Tho total suowfall for last two winters combined amounts to 22 iuches, 20 inches fall ing last winter aud P4 inches the Winter before. Thu only thing lacking to make this uu ideal country, is rain through ho summer mouths. Granted this one thing mid I believe there would sot be a more perfect spot on earth. Man, however, is learning that if rain is denied him from the clouds when he sorely needs it, he must usm that which has fnlleii aud ia stored ap in the earth. Irrigation is an art that is in its infancy, but 'is today coming rapidly to the front iu im portance, even iu countries where there is usually a sulLciency of rain fall. The Rogue River (or "Gold rivr, " as it used to be called) is now crossed by two large dams, lolh on the op river side of the city and will soon be in shape to furnish water in abundance for all possible require ments, thus practically releasing us fiom the grasp of the dry season. Mauy other irrigation systems are being put in, soma deriving the water snpply by means of ditches or pumping plants, from streams that flow the year around, or from natural springs or from artificial springs made by tunneling into the bends of ravines. With these various methods, it is possible to irrigate the greater part of Rogoe River Valley and to make it one of the garden spots of tho Pacific i-oant, for its soil is fertile and the climatic conditions tfect for the growth of vi gelation. Southern Oregon's climate gives health and wealth to its people and folly deserves all the good words that is said of it, hut prospective settlers must bear in mind that it is not a perfect climate, for such an attribute of Paradise ds-s not exist ou this rugged old globe of ours J. H. PADDOCK. United States Weather liurean'ob server for Grant Pass. ,v n-r 1'-. .V! HOTEL JOSEPHINE. t . - ' -' 1 . 1 PASS - ITS Fifty years ago. Grants Pass was not A few scattered cabins dotted the valleys of what is now Josephiue connty. The red man bnilt his wig wain by the clear waters of Rogue river and speared the salmon in its shallows. Rod shirted, pioturesque miners made ''big money" with shovel, sluice and rocker iu the chan nels of Allhouse aud Josephine oieeks. Rough and ready packers transported all supplies over the trait from Crescent City. Half wild cattle grazed in the valleys and browsed ou the park like hillsides, for the timber theu was "open" with little under growth. - Thirty years ago, Grants Pass was a wayside stage statiou. Twice every day the cumbersome " thoronghbrucn" coaches rolled in drawu by six horses in charge of a daredevil driver. This was "Old Grants Pass." It was located oue milo north cf the present town site. It had a road house, a stage barn, littlo store and Inter a blacksmith shop. It was a quiet, T r :;i J- t5 VIEW OF GRANTS PASS LOOKING DOWN .TUB VALLEY. .1 sleepy plaoe, waking np twice a day, when the stage cauio in, The old stage barn is still standing. Rose burg was the terminus of tho railroad &ud supplies for all Rogue river v.il lev wero hauled from that point by big freight teams drawing two and three wagons, with jangling bells screeching brakes and shouting drivers that might be heard for miles. Deer grazed at u'gbt in grain fields aud gardens and now and then a bear would pick np a luckless shnto within ri- 15.000 BOXES J05(PHI"t ; a few hundred yrd of the home cor ral. The wild excitement of the earlier gold digging days bad p:tscdauay and so the " rush' ' had gone' to other Melds. A fe miners slill labored with shovel and sluice in the giiMns and in the crick beds the Chinaor li were laboriously wording over (lie ground abandoned by Ihe whites. The horse, the fore runi.er of tl e livdraulic giant, began to ci me into as in some instances und out lines of biug'-r placer inleip'i.es b gan to appear. A little surfuce quartz min ing was being done with arrastres. Once each mouth, preaihing was held in Ihe little away-barked school, house by a Methodist "circuit rider." The members of his flock were few bat faithful and attended the services with strict regularity. Those were quiet, peaceful, ooeveutful times and It was the popular supposition tbat the country had reached the PAST AND height of its development Now aud theu some daring prophet, speaking more iu jest than earnest, would as-' sort the possibility that So-notirue a railroad might be bnilt through the country. He was generally ridicnled iuto silence. . Twenty one years ago, this month, the present town of Grants Pass was born, a row of shacks aud tents fading a jungle of brush ; oue of the many lit tle towns springing np along tho line of the O. & 0. railroad, thou pushing through to California. As soon as the dpot site was marked out, it was aced by a line of rough, uupninted, hastily erected structures. 1 The firBt (tore iu Uraiits Pass was that of J. W. Howard, ou the southwest coruor of Sixth and G i reels. Ou the opposite coruer, tho southwest, the next store was erected by . 11. 13. Miller & Co. U. W. Riddle opvued a stock of goods in a tent further down Front street Those, wore thu pioneer uierclmutn. A row of Vioodeu shaeka sprung u,j quickly and a solid business front of r. ;.'! J -"i it ; (' - - r :,: t." ' stores, salcous, hotuls mid restaurants strutchod along Front stroet , The sidewalk in front of every building bail its own grade, unit to walk down the street at night was an undertaking full of peril to neck mid limb. A sehoolhouse nf two rooms was bnilt nnd school was opened iu the spring of 1881 with, one teacher, though thu educational force was iu cread to two teachers before the end of the term. About this time a threatening rival - . jsflfcjfc" ,-,.'."1.; I' lc4 to the town sprang into existence. Abraham's addition, nputarly known as " J.-rusab m" was opened west of Gilh.-rt creek. Stores and other l)iilin- houses were open 1 and for a time it ftppare I a though the (low of trad" would put "Jerusalem" fin the lead. f'ensid. rable factional feeli-ig between the the two laees x.s ed ut tins time. I!ut the adili tl u was finally consolidated with the o iginal townriiM sud the ha-lms-hnusep cf '' Ji-runlem" vanished me by o-e to be replaced later by ri si deuces. The original business blioi is the center of the business district of Grants I'asp today. Tbe first rews;mrer, so small In size and erratic In its times of isaue as U b ! scarcely worthy of the name, was the "Argus," pohlished by Keeler H. Gibrs-rt. It was a three column folio and what matter it contained was bright and interesting. A few issues only were published, PRESENT; Early in 1685, the Grant Pass Courier was founded, by 3. II. Stine. After a few Issue, a partnership was formed between Mr. Stine, and W. J. Wimer and the name of the paper was changed to the Rogue Rivor Courier. The Oregon Observer was founded in 1891 and the Oregon Mining Journal in KSUil Grauta Pass, was originally in Jackson county, .but iu 1885 the legislature set oft a portion of a range of townships and annexed the in to Josephine. The county scat was re moved from Keruy to ti rants Pass in June 1885l . The town at this time coutaiued some 500 or 600 Inhabitants. While some believed iua bright future for tbe place, the idea prevailed vary largely among the popolaue that It had attaiued its full growth. '" What Is there here" they asked, .''to keep up a town of this slier It will be as deud as a Cocr nail iu two years more." . ; .. , "Knockers," of whom wa still have a few, were then iu Ihe hoy-da of their ascendaucy.. The resources of ,..te'-". t?"ifi- "',''.' -1, ,t f, - it I 1 the county , wero dormant but" were discerned by. the nieu who had eyes to see. , . . . , a Tiie mining iudustiy at this time was of rather small proKrtiona. n A fuw giauts were at work, on some of the oieeks aud at Waldo and Gallon, bigger mine were oierntiiig. Quartz prospectors begun to be busy in the hills aud to bring Iu samples of rook which caused tho sanguine to pro phecy a bright future iu the quartz industry. Uuoh predictions were gen erally laughed to scorn by the know ing mossbacka i About this tinm the 8. P. D. A L. Do. was formed, absorbing the Inter ests of II. U. Miller & On, and the fouudatious were laid for a big lum ber manufacturing industry in Grants Pass and 'vllicli uow gives employment to a laige number of nieu. , . .Fifteen years ugo Grants Pass bad reac'iud the "gawky" awkward stage of lis growth. It spread out over the whole creation nnd occupied as much pace ou thu map aa It . doe today. Wide vacant sp.-es appeared between the dwellings, and street, outside the business portion, were Indistinguish able. But the youngster was begiu lug to bo strong and vigorous with thu health of enterprise. The popu lation at thut time was (omiiwbal near 1001). The mining industry at that time was the victim of the, uumoneyed capitalist, bonding pirates who held up the owner without " value receiv ed. " Hydraulic mining was well established but quartz mining was confined mainly to surface scratching, there being a luck of capital for true development. The Grunts Pass of today is a city of 4.VI0 ieople, with solid and sub stantial brick business blocks aud hiudsoii'ii residences, good sewer aud water system, elei trio lights, manu factures, and is growing with re iiarkublo rapidity. Instead of the two room K.hoolhotise of 1S84, there ire now three good school buildings, requiring a corps nf". 18 Instructors. 77T m v f tr-i--. fatter. ti THIRD WARD SCHOOL. Tbe quart Industry ha aettled to progress on solid ..foundations.-.. Moo with money have aoqulred possession of good properties and have demon strated their i. worth. Some 40 quarts mill are operating In the country and the . industry ia only in its ex treme youtu The-, possibilities are stupendous.- . , t. ,. .. :g,. With one; of . the most pleasant olimate in tbe world, the most beau tiful town ait iu Oregon, the biggest tributary . district iu Southern Ore gon, immensely rioh in mineral, tim ber and , agricultural resouroes. Grants Pas cannot be othof than the metropolis and trade- oenter of South ern Oregon. l.'" u ..lV. fJEB r '. SBrrHraraMBaranHBaxarnrnBrsrM ! '' ' t 8. , ; . ... '.' '.'' . ' I . . , ' ' ' : JOSEPHINE COUNTY HOP FIELD. Grants Pass hud a growth In 1U02 and IU03 that thu Wiseacres declared was a boom and surely would col lapse, but thu boom, ii It was a boom, did not collnpso and the town contin ued to grow nnd lt)04 witnessed a griater growth tlmu for either thn- p receding years and now it is gener ally onneedud that 11)05 will bring a III groatur growth aud a more sub stantial prosperity than that of any previous year ' In the history of the towu. ! A coutit shows more than MO build ing and residences that have been oomnleUid or aro in coarse of emotion, this year. All aro of good character aud mauy would be iu plaoo In thu better sections of any of thu large cities or this Coast. The class of bnlldiugs to be b rooted iu 1U05 Is qultu oortaiu to be of a higher character than those of previous year for a a towu grows it a'lraots large Investor and warrants largo investments 1 1 both business and residence priqierly. 1 Oram Pass 1 by the one aud two tory business-block period and now th three story blocks have eome und the several that tbe town baa are prov ing good Investment to the. owner and inch 1 the value of frontage ou the main boiinesa street and the readiness with whioh ' tenant can be had fur large, modern buildings that the four aud more 'storyblock will n , . , r . r NEWMAN M. soou be giacing the business sections ' Of Giant Pass. Iu Its public build ings, Grants Puss has Well kept pace with it business and residence growth, for IU three school build ings, eight churches and town ball are a oredit to the place, i In the public Improvements and util ities the progressiva spirit has domi nated. Grants Pass has morn miles of Street that are easily jussable to vchl oles at all seasons of the year than has any other town In Oregon south of Eugene, and their Improvement Is at tadily being carried ou. It ia down aa one of thn things to he down iu the near future that the macadam pave ment of thn main, business streets is to bo replaced with either asphalt or vitrified brick and it is qultu probable thut fullly 12 blocks of Sixth street will be so Improved next summer aud fsm pi wpmspiiwijuhj w w '' ! . 1 v-'' ' ' '',:'. . '.'.''. j. p. ; -v?. ".' j 1. 'i rs:f -4.'- '';.: )','' 'Vy' ' i ''; - f ' .'. '.'-.,'v''' :'i v i ' - - I-j"1. ,' ,.:.V. ..jvS?.V. ju!'.j-,s,"' 'V:' i-i-'. ,'.'i,'.',;7 ' .,,'.;;.' V.:-v;--- v'.'::' ;f-':':.'v--;:::"r: ' HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. several blocks of Front street may aim be repaved. - Another , improvement in keeping with a progressive town is tbe lighting of the business street with aro electrio light, tbat needed Improvement having been ordered at the last meeting of the city oounoll and within the next moutb the pre- , ent Incandescent light will be re-, placed with 2000 candle power aro. light. . The street lightlug in tbe res idence districts, . uow "covering more than a mile square of territory, 1 to . be extended, giving the oitr a street lighting system not excelled by any , other towu of 50CO population on the Pacific -Coast The water system covers the eutira city and give ample - service for" flro protection, domestlo and irrigation use and for the steam plants of factories. The telephone flourishes In Grants Pas as In bardlr another town In Oregon of its size. aud all tho' business blocks and most of tho residences are supplied with this modern necessity. Thn religious, fraternal, educa tional and social life in Grants Pass is strong and exerts a wholusome In fluence for tho upbuilding of the town along lines that tend to give a spirit of morality, brothathnod, Intellect uality and couteutuieut that makes this city a most desirable place of res idence. Iu the ambitious, energetio hustle, laudable persistence and publlu spirit of its cltlzons, Grant Pass has beeu likened to Spokane, aud well it deseves the compliment for no town on tho Pacific Const is more alert and progressive thau is this oity and tint determination to fully utilize all of its many advaitages, and not to ' a't down oomplacnntly and wait for its natural advantages to build ap the town, has placed Qrauts Pas at the head of the Rogue Rivor towns and will make It the big city of Southern Oregon. 1 Commercially Grant Pass has been making most rapid stride In the last five years and it volume of trade far exceeds that of any other town In Southern Oregon. In the high qual- E. CHURCH. ity of goods carried and in the variety and com pie to selection the store of Grants Puns ure qultu metropolitan and the days of thu country are post In this city, but it is not a false pride aud. unwarranted rivalry that ba brought this mercantile evolution to Grants Pass, but rather the demands of a large and growing trade that makes It possihlt) for the local mer chants to carry stocks such a are only found in cities. And the trade zone of Grants Puss has beeu steadily extending until It covers a ter ritory beyond thu limits of Josephine ! county and goods are sold for poiuts tin and 80 miles distant. With the I building of thu branch railroad to , Crescent (J'ty, thus giving ocean freight comiB-t Ition, thn commercial 'supremacy of Grants Pass twill be ' still further extended and this I not an idle dream, but a reality that will bo brought to pi.s within the uext I five year. vt,-vw4Ma .w Nfc : ) J I.''.-, . - . ' , -i