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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1955)
George Putnam Writes Of Good-Roads Fights fEditors note: Ororce -Putnam, editor emeritus of the Salem Capital-Journal and one-time editor and publisher of the Medford Mail Trib une, is now writinr a column for the Salem paper, much of it de voted to remini&censes of earlier i davi in Jackson county. He has given the Mail Tribune permission to quote from his column, and por tions of his writings of interest in southern Oreion will be printed .here from time to time. The .first of (Ikese articles appear below.) By GEORGE PUTNAM To appreciate what a magnifl . cent highway system Oregon has, one must travel over it. To more fully appreciate it one must have traveled the road in the horse and wagon days of half a century or more ago and ooly octogenarians like the writ er can do this. Saving just returned from a four-day trip with stops to visit friends the world they know so well dubs "old," old personally in years, but not in spirit, in Eu gene and Medford, thence home via Crater Lake and Bend, the writer feels qualified by past rjtperiences to form judgment. New Road The only rough section tra versed on Highway 99 between Salem and Medford was on the Myrtle .. Creek section, some miles south of Roseburg, where a new, wider road is under con struction to eliminate angles and sharp curves of the old. e Between Medford and Crater Lake, resurfacing in two small sections only slows the speeders. Between Crater Lake and Bend resurfacing and some new con struction nearing completion on a few miles makes rough going. Many long tangents make speedways. All the region traversed seems prosperous. The lumber boom ' continues in both Eugene and Medford and in central Oregon, supplemented . bys good crop yields. Harvesting of the 3Vi million box Medford pear crop got underway late because a cold spring delayed sizing but - the quality is superior. A surplus of potatoes looms in central Ore- Long Fight The fight for good roads was a long one in Oregon lasting many years against strong op position from those they meant most toA The battle for a road to Crafr Lake was a fair ex ample. In 1909 the writer and the late Dr. J. M. Keane, form erly of Salem representing Med ford, spent nearly the entire session of the 1909 legislature lobbying through a Crater Lake road bill. It provided that the state of Oregon contribute $100, 000 and the counties of Jackson and Klamath provide $50,000 each for starting such a road. The bill was jockeyed about at all sessions but was finally passed in the closing hours. Gov ernor Chamberlin . refilled to sign it saying it was unconstitu tional. Told that the attorney general had approved it, he re plied: "We call him 'Old Neces sity' because he knows no law." But he let it pass without sign ing. Bill Enjoined The bill was promptly en joined by L. H. McMahon of Salem and the supreme court held it illegal because the con stitution forbid counties to ex ceed the sum of $5000 debt. This necessitated a fight for amend ments to the constitution. Initia tive bills were passed in 1910 to allow counties to exceed the 95000 limit indebtedness when approved by vote of the people indebtedness to two per cent of assessed values. In 1919 to six per cerit. These amendments opened the way to highway development in Oregon. Governor Oswald West created a highway commission, consisting of members of the Board of Control to formulate a program. H. L. Bowlby was ap pointed first highway engineer. Jackson -county was the first county to start such a program. Under County Judge Frank L TouVelle a $500,000 bond issue was voted and first contracts let for the Pacific Highway 99, pav ing from Central Point to Ash land and grading a new high way over the Siskiyou moun tains to California to replace the old toll road. Samuel Hill, who In 1912 it was amended to limit had campaigned for the bond Is That So? Making long-range plans for next year's vacation? Perhaps including a cross-country trip, visiting the national parks? Custom, of course, decrees that you elect the months of June, July or August. And that's a downright shame. Then, al- 0 By EUGENE BURNS - Ranger-Naturalist warm in September in fact, along most of our seacoasts, the seasonal peak of warmth is not reached before early September. However, because of their lim ited size, inland lakes and ponds tend to cool off somewhat in September but even so, until late in the month most of them will still be above 65 degrees. Farther north, along the Coast of New England and Eastern Canada, September days can be chilly, admittedly but then, in this area it is not so unusual, either,- to find chilly days in both July and August. Highways Not Crowded When these areas are chilly, the air can be wonderfully brac ing. And if nights are cold, days can still be plenty warm; it is not. unusual at all for Halifax and Portland to report higher temperatures than Atlantic City and Cape Cod. Besides and I don' mean to keep belaboring this point in September highways are not crowded with teeming hordes of vacationers many made short tempered by the heat which bothers ' children particularly, travel may be cheaper because many hotels and motels have re duced their high summer vaca tion rates; waitresses, less hur ried and harried, can give bet ter and quicker service; and for me, best of all, trout fishing has reached a new peak to gether with the zest of oncoming fall, and trees afire with color. Begin to see why I like September? But then, don't tip off to many that would clut ter up the highways and beaches and hotels and cafes, and rivers thundershowers are concerned for all of us who cherish Sep- there is no argument Septem- tember vacations. ber has far fewer. (Released by For swimming, the sea is still McClure Newspaper Syndicate) most half the population is on wheels and this means danger ous highway travel, overcrowd ed accommodations, the bother with reservations, often inflated hotel and motel prices. To say nothing of bad weather. This is by way of extolling a sadly neglected month Sep tember. Not only is September one of the choicest months of the year, but, from the stand point of cooler temperature, rain fall, wind and all-around agree able weather, September is the best in over three-fourths of the provinces and states. And, hap pily, not so many people know it. Although September can be hot and humid, it is rarely hot ter or more humid than July and August. It can be rainy, too, but the chances are it will be as dry as the two earlier months and certainly as far as JOHNSTON STORES BRINGS YOU THE BIG CHANGE IN TV CONVENIENCE by rca Victor! (3 THIS otic o New tCA Victor 31 -Inch Transotte b a "Big Wheel" Rellaroundl You'll enjoy TV anywhere 'm your homel large wheels not casters make it easy to move even en thick carpets or ever a deoriilL Two speakersl Mahogany grained finish. Model 21T6225. $ $nso XL. 269 95 MONTH Otitis $08ii New RCA Victor 31 Inch Pickwick. Now n nw low oast here's TV vou can see from anywhere in the room. This set turns so you V e j .1 T t speakers one on the side one on the front. Oversixe 21-Inch picture tube. Womwt grained finish. Model 21T6256. ONLY 26995 Open Tonight Until 9 p.m. Mi 0 .1 rW MthsjiVt tCA Victor hdinr SirWtn CMtwit Come insee the Big Change in TV by RCA Victor JOHMSTONI 112 SOUTH RIVERSIDE STORES issue turned the first shovel of earth at Ashland. Eill Passed Largely through the efforts of Oregon congressional delega tion a bill was passed in 1912 for the construction of roads in Crater Lake park, which started a systematic construction pro gram which materialized through the years since with the exist ing highway 'network, while state and county were construct ing, with federal aid entrance highways. What had been Indian trails, then roundabout steep zig zag country roads were trans formed into a paved boulevard, days with horse drawn vehicle with easy grades and curves. Fifty years ago it took three to reach the rim of Crater Lake from Medford. Today it takes less than 3 hours by auto over a paved highway. , TOOK WITNESS, TOO . Newport, Tenn. U.R) Police were looking for jailer Dave McGaha today. They said he took $50, a sheriff's pistol and Leona Wardrup, 27, of Ashe ville, N.C. a prisoner being held as a material witness in a rob bery trial, and disappeared. Dead line for Sunday Classified Is at noon Saturday. - Snake River Dam Permits Requested Washington (U.R) Pacific Northwest Power company ap plied yesterday to the Federal Power commission for licenses to build two new dams on the Snake river. The firm, a combination of four Northwest utility compa nies, asked permission to build dams at Mountain Sheep and Pleasant Valley on the middle Snake on the Idaho-Oregon boundary. The two dams would cost a total of $210,000,000 and would produce 1,446,000 kilowatts of power. Plans submitted with the application said construction would begin next March with the first power to be made available in 1959. Pacific Northwest Power is composed of Washington Water Power Co., Pacific Power and Light, Montana Power and Light, and Portland General Electric company. . ' NAMED MANAGER'S AIDE New York U.R) Thomas R. Curran, vice-president in charge of South American operations for the United Press for the past 12 years, was today named as sistant general manager. Wednesday, September 7, 1953 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRfBUNE THREE A Nichol's Worth of ... Comment On This and That By HARMAN W. NICHOLS United Proas Feefar. Writer Atlantic City, N. J. (U.PJ Miss Texas, June Prichard, stole the show in the annual Miss America parade Tuesday night on a borrowed horse. The 23-year-old beauty from Seymour. Tex., brought down the house, which was consider ab le, adding up to 250,000, when she rode a palomino Herman NichcU down the famed boardwalk. , The white tail, she said later with a blush, was on lend-lease from a farm near Camden, N. J. June is a specialist at strad dling a pony. The 5-foot 6-inch cutie claims- she was born aboard a bronc, and maybe she was. Any how, she grew up to be a right fine looking blonde with' a bust of 37 inches, 37 hips that's just about right with a 23-inch middle to match. At any rate, June grew up to become known as Miss Texas in the Miss America Pageant, which gets under way here to day. You can hardly ignore the young lady from the Lone Star State. Don't be surprised if she is right up there. Today the kids will compete in three categories swim suit, evening gown and talent. In evening gown will be Miss Can ada, Miss Chicago, Miss Connec ticut, Miss Delaware, Miss Dis trict of Columbia, Miss Florida, Miss Indiana, Miss Kansas, Miss Mississippi, Miss Nevada, Miss North Carolina, Miss North Da kota, Miss Oregon, Miss South Carolina and Miss Texas. In talent we will have Misses Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Okla homa, Pennsylvania, Rhode Is land, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In the swim suit there will be Misses Arkansas, Arizona, Ha waii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachu setts, Minnesota, Missouri, 'Mon tana, Nebraska, New Hamp shire, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah. There is only one winner. The 10 finalists will be announced Saturday night From them five will be selected. And there xpu will find the kid who will pick up a $5,000 scholarship, a hat full of glory and a lot of other things. rat to "1 o the family J j?ffi &f store , Wets' Shop These Outstanding Valines ! FURNITURE O APPLIANCES O HARDWARE Upholstered Occasional Chairs & Rockers Regular $39.95 Value Oval Lyre Mahogany Tables Well made, good looking Reg. $24.95 6 Only 7 cu. ft. Refrigerators $,R995$13f95 ONLY $5.95 DOWN Box Spring & Mattress Made by Englander 510 Coil Springs In Mattress. Regular $119.95 5 Pc. Chrome Dinette Set $7995 36"x60" size Foam rubber chair sears and backs. Convenient h a n dles on every chair. 3 Only-1 0 Cu. Ft. -Fully Auto. 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