ROGl'K RIVER COU 'I .R, GRANTS PASS. ORKGON, DECEMBER 18, 1908
PllOPKSSIOSAL OA HPS
, C. F1NDLEY, M. D.
Practice- limited to
EYE FAR, KOBE and THROAT.
Glaiws fitted and furnished,
efflos ho-.irs 1 to II; 2 to 6; o ap
pelntmMut Telephones 201 and 77.
Oka NT. Pass, OkkO
s
ge LOUGHRIDGE, M. D.
PHYSICIAN AND BURGEON
Re. Phone 714
City or country caUi attended right
or day t'iuvn and li, Tuff's building.
Oltice Phone 2K1.
GRAHW Pa88 - . OltTOON.
OUR MERLIN DEPARTMENT
R. C A. CAMPBELL
ObTF.t'I'ATIIIO PHYSICIAN
Graduate Ann-neari tichool of Ostriopulhy,
Kirknville, Mp.
Clironlc Dim-aien nd Disraw of Women
mill Children a upecialty
CONHULTATION FUEE
Koomi 1. 2, 8, First National Hank Hid.
I'lionm: Olllce 771, Res. T.C
Chants 1'ahii - OaEooit
F. DeVore, M. D.
PHYSICIAN AND BURGEON
City and Country calls promptly an-
wrd. Offlos hours 9 to 13 a. tn.
and 2 to 6 p. m.
Rdi. Phone, Mala 478. Office, 641
Rooun I, 3, 8 Shallnoru Bldg.
Grants Pass, - Okb.
The Popular Barber Shop
Get your tonsorial work done at
IRA TOMPKINS
Oo Sixth Street Three chairs
Hath Room In connection
N. E. McGKEW,
PIONEER
TRUCK and DELIVERY
Furniture and I'lano
Moving
GRANTS PASS, OREGON.
JJ, D. NORTON,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
Practice In all State and Federal Court.
Orllce In Opera Ilouae Building.
Grants Pass, - Okeuok
QLIVliR & I1ROWN,
LAWYER.
Office over Dixons Store
Grants Pass, - Okkoon
II. B. HENDRICKS
COUN8ELLOR8-AT-LAW
OW11 and criminal niaitxra attendad to
lit all the court.
Real estate and Insurance.
Ofllce, 6th street, oppoeite Pontoffloe,
O. S. ULANCIIARD,
Attornhy-atLaw
Practice lu all State and Fedriral
courts. Banking and Trmt Co. Bldg
Grants Pass; - - Ouk;on
WILLIAM P WRIGHT,
L'. s. DEPUTY SURVEYOR
MINING ENGINEER
AND DRAUGHTSMAN
(till St., mirth of JiiBcptiine llotfl.
Grants Fans, - - Okkoon.
TREES!
Fruit, Shade
Ornamental
Hedge plants, Cypress ami Privet
Horry Plants
ToKay Grapes
s.s well as other kinds of first class
Krape roots Apple, Pear, Peach,
Cherry and other trees at reasonable
prices. It will pay you to see me
lieforc buying.
Let tne have your orders before
the assortment is broken. Some
kind-- ate M-aree already.
I. T. Taylor
Office iu brick near Court Houne
CEMENT
CLIENT
R. H. Gilfillan
PHONE 744
Grunts Pass, Oregon.
Of Interna to the Public.
In the llHt of opportunities that
are open to the present generation
Merlin, and the adjacent district oc
cupies an Important position. Situ
ated at the northern end of the
Rogue River Valley, nestled In
among the foothills and surrounded
by a large area of fertile orchard
land, the town is getting ready to
lunge into the ltst of things that are
moving.
Doing in the Rogue River Valley
nothing need be said of its climate
Its fruit-ripening propensities are
recognized in the markets of the
world and the knowing ones re
ulize the value of foothills as a pro
tection from frosts and a conserva
tor of the moisture of the winter
rains and the heat of the summer
sun. The soil varies from the rich
est river bottom sediment, through
the black sticky und the preferred
rod soil, to the white granite. The
latter Is Just coming to be recog
nized as choice for grapes, It being a
familiar thing during the past sea
sou to hear some fruit raiser say:
"If you want to see what white gran
ite will do, Just come up and look at
my vineyard." II. L. Keyte, who Is
probably taking more Interest In
Tokay grapes than any other of the
old-timers, had that for the burden
of bis song for several months.
Noah Sluipklns, an old-timer, be
lieves In red land with a north
slope, and arrogantly defies the
world to show anything In the line
of apples, peaches, pears or grapes
that are even equal to what he pro
duces. "Not as good, but better,"
Is the way he puts it. E. A. Shat
tuck, A. C. Ford and T. J. Everton,
the men who have made Merlin
famous for Its peaches, will tell you
that the river bottom Is the only
place to produce that luscious fruit.
II. E. Gale, who recently came down
from Portland and purchased a
large tract on the river, which com
prises all kinds of soils and slopes,
Is preparing to take the advice of
all of them, planting his orchards
and vineyards In a symmetrical man
ner without regard to existing con
ditions, feeling It Is not so much as
to where you set them ub It Is to set
them, and take care of them after
wards. To make a list of those who
are making a success under varying
ondltlons would require more space
than is pcrmlsHablo In an article of
this nature, but an observing one
can boo that where a man adapts
himself to his surroundings there is
but little doubt of Its success.
I'll" Merlin district comprises
something over 50,000 acres of
land adapted to fruit and alfalfa.
It has never boon boomed and prices
are still within the bounds of reason,
unimproved land usually selling for
about $l!i per acre, while several
parlally Improved places can lie had
for a trllle more. Of course, this
does not apply to the well-Improved
tracts. We have a record of an offer
of J 1500 per aero for one tract be
ing made by a man who has rented
It for three years and who therefore
ought to be in a position to know
Its value. The offer was refused,
and his attention was called to the
fait, that it will pay 10 per cent In
terest mi $5000 per acre. When we
take Into consideration that It was
fur u peach orchard 25 years old, we
v. hill one lust coming Into
hearing would lie worth yet simi
lar land can be bought for $25 per
ace unimproved. The reader will
asiv why this man does not buy the
cbeuper land and Improve It. He
answered this question by saving.
I am going to, but if 1 could get
that I could make It pay for Itself
lu the four years necessary to
bring the new land Into bearing and
put from $5000 to $10,000 In the
'; ! -s'd.'s," He estmates that
this orchard will be good for 50
years yet as long as he will want
to raise peaches
Mr and Mrs. It. O. Garroutto of
Montague I'al., former residents of
this place, are visiting with friends
here.
Of Local Interest Only.
The bridge over Grouse
has been lowered so that It
longer an ohsruction to travel
form r
almost
loud.
creek
Is no
Its
elevated posH o ; made it
Impossible to uosi with a
Charles Crow, having completed
tne construction or his new hout-e,
has accepted a position with tle .VI
meda smelter at Calico Ho lakes
considerable pride In the fact that
he Is the possessor of the finest res
idence in Merlin and Joins heartily
In the slogan: "There will be some
thing doing In Merlin very soon "
Burley Green, one of the leaders
of our social sot, who hat been with
the Gold Road mine at Galice for
the past few months, has been spend
ing the week with his mother here.
He has accepted a position with
Cory Mattlson, the Galice mining
king, and will assist In the develop
ment of properties . on Howard
Creek.
.irry Messier of Medford, who
noticed a yellow ribbon attached to
the wheelbarrow of Colonial Jack,
bearing the legend, "There'll be
something doing in Merlin very
soon," came up to get In line and has
concluded to remain here. He has
taken a lease for two years on two
store bulldngs with the Intention of
starting a temperance saloon in one
and an up-to-date cafe n the other.
What Harry starts In to do, he does
right, so look out, there'll be some
Steps are being taken to have the
Agricultural Exhibit train Btop a
day In Merlin when It passes through
Southern Oregon in February, and
also to have Prof. O'Gara of the U.
s. Agricultural Department, ad
dress us on matters pertaining to
'he raising of fruit some time early
in Januarv.
That Merlin is Improving In a re
ligious way Is evinced by the fact
that the Methodist church
which has remained unoccupied the
past two years, will hereafter have
the services of a minister for two
Sundays each month. Rev. Cary, a
man of considerable ability, will be
In charge. Rev. Jacquemln, of the
Baptist church, will hold services
once a month on the second Sun
day. Some one always profits by an
other man's failure. The dredge
that refused to work has enabled the
residents on the west side of Rogue
river to convert the scow Into a
ferry boat and thus gain access to a
good road to Merlin. It will oper
ate between the Booth property on
the east side of the river and the
VanDorn place opposite. This gives
a large mining, timber and fruit
raising district direct connection
with the town that all roads lead to.
"Merlin Acres," the tract of land
idjoluing Merlin on the ;as'.. which
was recently platted Into small tracts
!' A. litjnolds of Portland, U I e
glt.nini. to attract h r'.lention of
prospective Investors, it Is a plen
did piece of property and e expect
to see many nice homes In that vi
cinity in the next few years. It is
offered for sale on the Installment
plan, Improved or unimproved.
We are pained to see that Adah
Brockman, Merlin's randidate In
The Courier's Golden Eagle Con
test, has her name so far down the
list, and believe that If she wou'd
get out and put a little Binder ilo
the contest there would be enough
doing In Merlin to place her well
within reach of the $20. None of
our young ladles are held in higher
regard than she, und we are adverse
lo teeing a Merllnltt start out n ur
eov.plish anything and not met
with success.
There Is a general movement on
all sides toward getting ready for the
winter placer season. A party of
miners came down from Hoseburg
Tuesday morning to start the work
on the Taylor Creek mine. The
Swastika mine op .lump-off-Joe has
already done enough work to fill the
creek with mud. Anbury Bros,
have taken charge of the Hell
Gate mine and C. E. Emerson has
the Emerson-Flanagan property In
shape for active operations when a
little more water comes. From
Galice creek comes the report that
the Old Channel and Lewis mines
are In position to move more gravel
this season than ever before.
Melvin Culp, an aged resident of
this town, was killed Tuesday morn
ing by the tirst section of train No.
15. south hound. He was going to
his work in the woods and had
reached the center of the trestle
over Jump-off-Joe when the train
rounded the curve a short distance
ahead and he started to run back.
The train was coming down a stoop
grade and could not be controlled
and ho was struck within a few feet
of safely. Death was instantaneous.
He leaves a wife ami a largo family
of children. The burial took place
at Pleasant Valley cemetery on
Wednesday.
V. C. Fry, our efficient road sup
ervisor, thinks that good roads occu
py a prominent place among our ur
gent needs, and we agree with him.
Just as soon as we get a now school
house a number of ug are going to
rally to his banner and see what can
be done In that line. The recent
hauling of the heavy machinery of
the Almeda smelter has almost put
the Galice road out of cofmnission,
and as this will now become a very
Important highway, It is necessary
that it be kept in good condition.
Nor is this the only road that de
serves attention. A town that ex
pects to have something doing very
soon mus see that all highways
leading to It are kept in good idiape.
Probably the most Important or
last week's real estate transfers was
the purchase of two of the i-iueipal
business lots in the town by John
Twohy of Spokane, Wash. Mr. Two
hy Is connected with the Old Nation
al Bank of that city and is a promi
nent railroad contractor of our sister
state. He intimated that there would
be something doing on that particu
lar corner sometime between now
and spring. Mr. Twohy spoilt con
siderable time In the Medford (iis
trict looking over what it hd to
offer, and his choice of Merlin Hid
vicinity as a field of this ind other
Investments Is a matter of tM ctlt
congratulation on our part.
A concerted movement Is btin,:
made to stop the wanton destructo:
of property'that has long been goin.j,
on by the rowdy element of tlu
younger generation. They hav;
long considered any unguarded
building as their legitimate re.
and were satisfied to stop now hen
short of absolute destruction. Th'
new galvanized iron warehouses re
cently constructed by Barlow & Mat
tlson has been punctured full oi
holes, both sides and roof, and the?
have ofTered a reward of $20 foi
the conviction of anyone throwing
a rock against it in the future. Ra
Colby has taken It upon himself tc
see that there are no more windows
broken in the school house and eve
ry other property owner has con
cluded that It is time an example is
made of some one. So look out,
there'll be something doing in Mer
lin very Boon.
An amusing real estate transfer
was consummated In Merlin last
week. B. A. Williamson traded a
horse for 40 acres of land three
miles north of town a couple of
years ago and has put in his Uiiv ov
er since trying to trade it to Charles
E. Short, our real estate man. This
week the trade Bprouted up again,
and the entire town took a hand In
the deal. Mr. Short started In by
offering eight head of cattle, then
raised It by adding 30 head of goats,
finally throwing In a pig, some barb
ed wire and a bunch of groceries.
Ths latter offer something that
could be eaten cinched the deal.
Immediately a discussion was start
ed as to who got the worst of the
proposition, and sympathy was gen
erally extended to Mr. Short, but
when ho pointed out the fact that
hay was selling for $20 per ton, food
clear out of sight, and told them
that such land around Medford was
worth $100 per acre and Intimated
that "There'll be something doing in
Merlin very soon," they came to the
conclusion that he was not looking
for consolation.
Lou Gibson, who has handled
enough dynamite to blow up all of
Southern Oregon and considers it
us harmless as a small boy's top,
came near meotng with a fatal acci
dent in the tunnel of the Mammoth
Copper mine last Saturday. He was
preparing a shot and entered the
tunnel carrying a stick of dynamite,
a cap and fuse in his left hand and
a candle in his right. Needing a bar
he transferred the candle to his left
hand and stooped over to pick It up.
He forgot that he wanted the liar
however, in the commotion that
followed. When he recovered his
wits he found himself still hanging
on to the fuse and candle, but the
'cap and dynamite were gone. The
dynamite was later recovered with
the paper in which it was wrapped
mostly burned off, and Lou only has
a row small punctures in his breast,
and a lacerated knee and thumb to
remind him that there is a difference
in the explosive power of a cap and
a stick of dynamite. Just why the
dynamite did not respond to the cap
wih Its attendant tire and Jolt, is a
matter of much discussion between
the old minors, but Lou is satisfied
to let the question remain unsolved.
He reports that the work already
done on the Mammoth Copper tun
nel shows that property to be one of
the most promising prospects In
the district. About 200 feet of tun
nel has been completed
Something of a Joke crept Into the
Courier last week. In the plate mat
tor under the heading of "Farm,
From Now Until
Christmas
ah
SUITS
and
PANTS
At Harth' the Clothiers'
will be sold for
Less Than Cost
All other goods in the store
will be sold at prices in
proportion
Just the place to buy a
suitable CHRISTMAS Gift
and save money
Hartfo's
&c Clothiers
w
I Santa Glaus'
COPYRIGHT
City Meat
Vain Search
The old patron Saint of
Christmas time cannot
find in all his travels a
better meat or poultry
mart than at Ahlf's City
Meat Market.
MarKet
J. H
ww
Phone 144
AHLF, Prop.
GRANTS PAS.-
ORE.
ur.hard and Garden," edited by
some knowing individual back in
Iowa, there was an article which ad
vised against the purchase of land
for agrlcultlral purposes anywhere
west of the 99th meridian, which ex
tends north and south through North
Dakota ana Texas. It is wonderful
how much Intelligence some of these
agricultural writers can accumulate.
It reminds me of a conversation
which took place on a morning train
Just as it entered Grants Pass a few
days ago. A rather sleepy individ
ual suddenly awoke at the brake
man's call of the station's name.
Ho opened his eyes and asked a fel
low traveler who had gotten on at
Merlin, "Is this Grants Pass?" Up
on being informed that it was he
said: "I had a friend come out here
a short time ago and start into the
real estate business." Not eliciting
an answer to this, he continued:
"He'd a done a sight better to have
remained right thers In Lee
Creek." This touched a tender
spot and the Merlinite retorted.
"Probably he took the trouble to In
vestigate a little and found pleutyof
rasons for the change." "Reaso-ii' '
he exclaimed, "Why, I'd like for you
to show me a piece of and In thi
whole country that will produce 60
bushels of wheat to the acre." ' Pld
you say 60 bushels of wheat per acre
my friend? I can show yon a num
ber of acres near Merln tbut wi"
produce $600 per acre and pay tn'
cost of care and cultivation beside
land that can be sold for $15
per acre any day and which w'11
do this while the owner Is catchinJ
trout and shooting deer. With thii
he can buy several times 60 bushel
of wheat after It is ground up in'0
flour and pay the freight all tB
way from Lone Creek," repil?d the
Merlinite. The converation stopf
with the train and the Lone Creekef
subsided, much to the amusement of
his fellow traveler.
THERE'LL BE SOMETHING DOING IN MERLIN VERY 80011