Potpourri
One by one they are passing
the colorful men and women
who lived through the interest
ing and exciting times which
made early-day history for Jack
son county and the rest of south
ern Oregon. One of these was
Charles Francis Skeeters, who
died not long ago at the age
of 85.
Charles Skeeters was known
far and wide in the county in
earlier days as one of the best of
the county's fiddlers. With Mrs.
Skeeters, (the former Julia
Scran ton) who accompanied her
husband with either the organ
or piano, the two played for the
parties and dances which were
one of the main diversions of
county folk, and at such festive
. occasions as the annual Fourth
of July celebration.
Marjorie Skeeters Hopkins,
Mr. Skeefers' daughter and only
child, cautions that such players
as her father was should not be
referred to as "violinists." They
were the old-time fiddlers,' "
she says. "They knew not a note
of music, and played only by ear,
holding the instrument low and
loosely and using the very short
bow movement. Always they
tapped a foot to keep time."
Mrs. Skeeters, who "chorded
on the organ and piano for her
husband, also played "by ear;
a familiar . expression of that
time little heard in these days,
but could follow easily. the mu
sic of the fiddlers, learning by
natural musical instinct the vari
ous major and minor chords re
quired.
So together the two provided
the lively music for dances,
mostly square dances which the
grandchildren of the pioneers
have now revived with such en
thusiasm. They played the Lanc
ers, the French minuet, the Tux
edo, La Mode, the polkas and
chottisches and all the other
gay dances for the enjoyment of
their friends and neighbors. Of
course, Mr. Skeeters also often
served as caller, as did most of
the old-time fiddlers.
Mrs. Hopkins, who all her life
has both performed and studied
the square dances, says that
years ago the movements were
slower and , more stately, and
that the dances as now revived
' are performed at a much faster
tempo.
In addition to playing in lodge
and Grange halls, the Skeeters in
the early 190Q's played in the
large community hall which was
known as the Angel Opera house
in Medford. This hall, now used
as a storage room by Burk's, was
often the scene of community
dances, Mrs. Hopkins recalls.
"That was before the days of
the new two-step," she remem-
bers. "Of course, the waltz was
always a part of every evening
of dancing, as well as the square
dances."
After a time Mr. Skeeters be
came interested in making fid-
dies, as well as playing them.
During the years he served as
superintendent of a placer mine
on Forest creek, he experiment
ed in using the different Oregon
woods. The backs of the instru
ments must always be of hard
wood, such as oak, local walnut
or manzanita, and the soft woods
were used for the remainder of
the violin.
Mr. Skeeters even wondered
what changing the shape of the
violin would do to the tone of
the instrument, and so he made
a square violin. This he decided
had. nothing to do with the tone,
since the square one sounded
much like the others.
The square violin, by the way,
is now in the Henry Ford collec
tion. Mr. Skeeters gave it to the
late Henry Amidon, father of
E. C. Amidon of Medford, who
came out from Michigan on a
visit, and the visitor took it back
for the Ford collection.
StQl playing for dances and
entering contests (he at one time
held the title of county cham
pion fiddler) Mr. Skeeters made
dozens of violins in his spare
time which he mostly gave
away. He also repaired instru
ments for' other musicians, and
worked at re-hairing bows.
Almost half a century went by
and Charles Skeeters and his
wife were still generously pro
viding music for programs and
dances, usually without pay, and
it has not been more than five
or six years since they last play
ed in public. Of course, the two
could no longer play for an en
tire evening, since it is exhaust'
ing work.
Charles Francis Skeeters was
a native of Jackson county, hav
ing been bora August 11, 1866,
in a home near what is now the
401 ranch, near Medford. In his
boyhood days he must have
heard many exciting tales of gold
rush days and pioneer adven
tures, for he was the son of Isaac
Skeeters, a sort of "Daniel
Boone" character who had come
west by wagon train to see what
the new Oregon territory offer
ed. His mother was the former
Grace Simpson, whose family
settled in Portland in the early
days. Simpson descendants are
still living in that. area.
One of the stories which young
Charles often heard was the tale
of how Crater Lake was discov
ered, for his father had been a
member of that historic party.
Isaac Skeeters, because of his
wide knowledge of the country
and his skill as a woodsman,
was asked to guide a party of
gold hunters into the hills in
June of 18S3.
One of the pack mules wan
dered away one day, it is said
and a member of the party went
in search of the animal. While
hunting for the lost mule, the
miner suddenly came upon a
body of water, a take so beauti-
Fno PoffucJc Dinner
Planned in Shady Cove;
To Hold Dance Serht
Shady Cove Plans for the
final potluck dinner of the
school year for the Shady Cove
Parent-Teacher association were
made at a meeting April 1.
Shady Cove Grange has donated
$27 to the group for new chairs.
A p re-school clinic will be
held April 21.
Mrs. Delbert Spain, the in
coming president of the group,
will attend the state PTA con
vention to be held soon in Pen
dleton. A series of square dancing ses
sions in the school gymnasium
for children of the school begins
soon. Mrs. Al Peele, Mrs. Ralph
Lane, and Mrs. Jerry Hicks will
be chape rones. Parents must ar
range transportation home for
their children after the dances,
those in charge explained.
Mrs. Conway's room at the
school won a prize for having
the most parents in attendance
at the April 1 meeting.
ful and with such blue water so
far below the lake rim that the
discoverer was amazed. When
the gold seekers, later called by
historians "the John Hillman
party" returned to the valley,
they talked far and wide of their
discovery. Later the beautiful
blue lake was named "Crater
Lake."
Charles must also have heard
many stories of gold rush days
in the Sterling district, for his
mother's parents had operated a
hotel at Sterling at a time when
it was said some 10,000 miners,
their families and camp follow
ers swarmed in that territory in
search of the precious metal.
Charles was one of 12 chil
dren, but like so many pioneer
families, some of the 12 died at
infants or young children. Mrs
Hopkins remembers that whoop-
ine cough was said to have caus
ed many deaths in those early
days, and was a dreaded disease.
Of the original 12, but one
now survives, Mrs. Leo Martin
of Waldport. Mrs. Martin has
carried on a lively war with map
makers who insist on changing
the name "Skeeters" to "Mos
quito " perhaps thinking that
the old timers didn't know how
to spell. As a matter of fact, the
name "Skeeters" is said to be a
corruption of the French word
for mosquito, and the Skeeters
family was originally of French
descent.
Because of his pioneer back
ground, and because he had
been a part of the early-day pic
ture in Jackson county, Mr.
Skeeters family asked at the
time of his death that friends
make contributions to the South
ern Oregon Pioneer society
rather than sending flowers for
the funeral. Mrs. Hopkins and
her mother also hope to present
one of Mr. Skeeters hand-made
violins to the Jacksonville Mu
seum where it will be a remind
er of the days now gone. O. S.
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