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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Or.) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1937)
Supplement To Illinois Valley News A LIVE WIRE NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE ILLINOIS VALLEY AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS V olume I No. 31 80th Anniversary of THE TRAIL BLAZER Foreword In 1857 a far seeing pioneer blazed a trail over the mountains that there might be a highway from Illinois Valley to the sea. In 1937 the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce sponsors a fitting observance of the 80th anniversary of that now historic event. The purpose in the December 15th celebration is two fold: to memorialize the trail blazer and at the same time honor the high way builder. Niether the trail blazer nor the highway builder is complete in himeself. There must always be sight and insight for construc tive building. And God has so made man that there is a bit of both in each one of us. The man with mostly insight may become a dreamer while the man with sight alone tends to be come a drudge. Happy are the people in any com munity in w’hich sight and in sight are evenly matched. And blest beyond measure are we in Illinois Valley since the blazer of the trail in the last century has his counter part in the highway builder of this. ♦ * ♦ The urge in all pioneering spirits impelled many man to make their way over the high hills which encircle Illinois Valley. The paths and bypaths were numerous in deed. Then came the doing dreamer, the man with both sight and in sight. It was he who blazed the trail which brought about a road from Illinois Valley to the sea. For a road is simply a traveled trail. This road of the long ago TRAIL BLAZER became the forerunner of the REDWOOD HIGHWAY, the far famed and monumental achievement of pres ent day HIGHWAY BUILDERS. The Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce wishes to honor, to highly honor them all. ♦ ♦ ♦ The General Committee in charge of this 80th Anniversary Jubilee is under a lasting debt of gratitude to a host of people who believe, with an unshakeable Cave Junction, Oregon, Thursday, December 9, 1937 faith in the intermountain area which reaches from the California line to Hayes Hill; and from the Oregon Caves to the coastal range: an area of some thousand square miles, well watered and wooded ; an area with the rarest wild flowers, the rarest to be found anywhere: an area we know and love as Illinois Valley. Among the many notable local and state leaders whose respon sive interest makes possible the far reaching importance of the December 15th pageant or pro gressive development, the follow ing men may be listed with the departments of government and the institutions they represent: His Excellency, Hon. Charles H. Martin, Governor of Oregon to whom the Committee is greatly indebted for his unfailing kind ness and appreciative interest, an interest not only in the plans for the Jubilee but an even greater interest in the high hope the Com mittee entertains for the ripened development of all Illinois Valley. Judge N. G. Wallace, Public Utilities Commissioner of Oregon. Mr. T. O. Russell, Chief En gineer, Public Utilities Commis sion of Oregon. Mr. Rufus C. Holman, State Treasurer. Mn J. C. Boyle Vice-President, California Oregon Power Com pany. Mr. Earl K. Nixon, State Dir ector Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. Mr. G. E. Mitchell Forest Super visor, Siskiyou National Forest, United States Department of Agriculture. Mr. M. M. Nelson, Redwood Highway Station, Forest Ranger, Siskiyou National Park. Mr. A. C. Fleury, Chief, Bureau of Plant Quarantine, State of California, Sacramento. Mr. E. A. Breech, Bureau of Plant Quarantine, Redwood High way Station, State Line, Califor nia. Dr. Geo. W. Peavy, President, Oregon State Agricultural College. Professor Wm. L. Teutsch, Co operative Extension Work in Agri culture and Home Economics, Oregon State Agricultural Col lege. Mr. R. H. Baldock, State High way Engineer. Mr. K. D. Lytle, Division En gineer. State Highway Commis sion. Mr. J. G. Bromley, Division En gineer, State Highway Commis sion. Dr. Bruce Baxter, President, Willamette University. Mr. George R. Riddle, Presi dent, Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce. Mr. J. R. Harvey, Secretary, Grants Pass Chamber of Com merce. Mr. Hugh C. Earle, State Fire Marshail. The Committee desires to ex press again to Gov. Martin its sincere appreciation of the favor he conferred upon the Committee not only in his approval of all plans for the observance of this 80th Anniversary Jubilee but in his fulfilment of the Committee's eager desire to recognize one of the devoted projectors of the Red wood Highway system through his appointment of Mr. O. S. Blanch ard as his official representative at the Jubilee. ------------- o-------------- LIGHTS! The building of the Redwood Highway opened new areas in Illi nois Valley. The survey could not follow the trail road. The wonder ill the present traveling of the hifhway is the ease with which the climb over the Siskiyous is made. What required several days to cover in the orderly fash ion of travel of the country folk in the highly treasured days of the stage coach, now can be made in a single hour. And why? There is with us still and we hope for all years to come the man who discovered the present pass and lowered the grade some eleven hundred feet. The Redwood High way made possible the present im provement of altogether hitherto unused sections of Illinois Valley. And this new section lacked all modern conveniences. That is why there is a beautiful story, one of those stories which once heard can never be forgotten. It is a story of the working to gether of the new settlers along the Redwood Highway and The California Oregon Power Com pany, which everybody in the Northwest knows as Copco. During a period of more than five years permanent residents building just beyond the reach of the light line entreated Copco to extend their line. The Company was ever eager to meet this de mand. But not until in the recent months has there been even a re mote possibility of their being able to do so. The promised revenue could not be assured. Another factor enters in to all public utility advances. By a sheer stroke of genius a wise bit of legislation has created the Public Utilities Commission of Oregon— a department which does two great things: Directs approvingly the activities of all public utilities and at the same time in assuring their orderly development safe guards the vital interests of the citizens of the state. On September 15th a delegation from the then Cave City Chamber of Commerce called upon the Pub lic Utilities Commissioner in his offise in Salem, conferred with both Commissioner Wallace and Chief Engineer Russell: and out of that conference came the pub lic hearing in Cave City at which time Mr. Russell and Mr. Boyle of Copco appeared. They practical ly assured the extension of the light line from Cave Junction to O’Brien—ultimately to be extend ed to the State Line. And out of that conference on September 15th between the dele gation from the Chamber of Com merce and the ranking officials in the Public Utilities Commission came also the present program for the 80th Anniversary Jubilee of the Trail Blazer for December 15th. In the meanwhile the pow er line is being constructed through to O'Brien and because of this truly significant improve ment in the Valley and what it means, the chief speakers at the celebration in both the luncheon in Legion Hall, Cave City, and in the dinner at the Redwoods Hotel in Grants Pass, will be Hon. N. G. Wallace, Public Utilities Com missioner of Oregon, and Mr. J. C. Boyle, vice president in charge of operations of The California Oregon Power Company. The following letter which was addressed to members of the dele gation which met in the Commis sioner's office on what is now a date to be remembered is of more (Continued on Page Ten>