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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1957)
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE KINB 161 Residents of Happy Camp Sign Petition for Incorporation Sunday. April SI. 1IB7 ir Community Lists 1,500 People in ; logging Season By ROSIE BOLEY Mail Tribune Staff Wrifer One of northern California's most colorful and isolated com munities may soon become a city. 4 total of 161 residents of Happy Camp, located about 75 miles west of Yreka, have signed a petition requesting incorpora tion. The petition was approved Tuesday by the Siskiyou county board of supervisors, an admin istrative body corresponding with Oregon's county courts. The Siskiyou county assessor is now checking the signatures with property ownership records. Only property owners may have a voice in the incorporation is sue. In the 1920's, Happy Camp was a relatively quiet commun Hy with about 350 residents. Min ing was the economic backbone of the area. But in 1950, several sawmills moved to Happy Camp, and the community began to boom. In the winter, the popula tion ij about 2,000. In the sum mer, when logging and sawmill operations are in full swing, the population swells to about 5,500 Temporary Residents "Old timers," or people who have lived at Happy Camp for many years, comprise about half the population. The remainder consists of temporary residents, who come and go, depending on availability of employment At the present time, there are about eight major mills in the Happy Camp area, including the Happy Camp Lumber company. Yellow Fir company, the Wil lamette company, Yreka Veneer and three Siskiyou Willi plants, Considered the most important mines In the area are the Gray Eagle chrome mine and the Sis kon gold mine. Faced With Problems As population statistics con tinue to increase, residents of Happy Camp are finding them selves faced with many serious needs. Among them are improved sanitation and water facilities, paved roads, local police and fire protection and hospital facili ties. The Siskiyou county board of supervisors has long been aware of these problems. Since Happy, ' Camp Is not eligible for state j funds, and county funds are not sufficient to provide the needed improvements, the board came up with an alternative plan. About four weeks ago, two mem bers of the board petitioned the state to create a service area at Happy Camp. Under the state's provisions lor service areas, it would be possible for the county to install improvements in water sewage and similar facilities. The board of supervisors would administer t the program and would be auth ' orized to levy a tax in the area to finance it. Against Service Area However, many residents of Happy Camp do not favor this plan. In fact, Don Avery, a mem ber of the board of supervisors, says the - incorporation move gained impetus from strong op position to the proposed service , area. A hearing on the service area is scheduled to be held next Tuesday night. If 50 per cent of the property owners sign a petition against its creation, the program can be blocked. Meanwhile, several residents got the ball rolling for incorp oration. Dr. R. E. Graun, Happy Camp's only physician and sur geon (and the only one within a radius of 150 miles), has been a leader in the movement. ' Mrs. Gladys Cook, Charles 'Card and Judge Phil Tolman began circulating petitions for incorporation. In less than a week, they obtained 161 signa tures. If all signatures are found to be valid, they will represent more than 25 per cent of the property owners, the number required before incorporation proceedings can begin. Sanitation Most Serious Of all problems facing the area, sanitation is probably the most serious. Sewage is now be ing disposed of by septic tanks. Dr. S. E. Lamb,, Siskiyou county health officer who has been studying Happy Camp health problems for about five years, savs soil in the area is not well adapted to this, type of sewage disposal. Dr. Graun, agreeing with the health officer, added . that sewage trequently backs up. "When that happens, you walk around with a clothes pin on your nose, ne comment ed. Dr. Lamb says setting up a central disposal unit is the only answer to the problem. He est mated cost of such a unit would be about half-million' dollars. Happv Camp's water system was seriously undermined about four weeks ago, when the water ditch was washed out during a storm. The area was without pure water for several days. Get Pipe Line The county negotiated with the Federal Civil Defense agency to obtain about 8000 feet of alum inum pipe line with which to H ... "3 r'i- .....A-... -aS tKft if:-,. I LUMBER INDUSTRY STRONG An estt- ed at the east approach to Happy Camp. Min- mated 90 per cent of the population at Happy ing is next in line as a source of employment. Camp are employed in the lumber industry. Mining onca was the backbone of the area's There are about eight major mills, including economy. Yreka Veneer (shown above) which is locat- fj v fit; 1 t 4 Si- ., il,..-lTnr,n. HAPPY CAMP Already like a lively town ration. Population of the community varies is the community of Happy Camp, Calif., lo- from about 2,000 in the winter to about 5,500 cated 75 miles west of Yreka. A total of 161 in the summer when logging operations are residents have signed a petition for incorpo- in full operation. . . restore the system. But the pipe line was given on a loan basis and must be returned soon. Right now it seems unlikely enough funds could be raised in Happy Camp to replace the line. The community's water sup ply is brought from Elk Creek, south of Happy Camp, by ditch and pipe line. An increase in diarrhea type diseases during summers and in periods of heavy rainfall is "directly attributed by both doctors to inadequacy of the 'present water system. Dr. Lamb also pointed out there is a high potential for typhoid epi demic if a carrier were to come into the area and germs get in to the watershed. Estimates Differ Dr. Lamb estimates enlarge ment of pipes and completion of a water system would cost about $133,000. However, Dr. Graun estimates the cost about $40,000. The present water system is owned by property owners and called the Happy Camp Improve ment Association, Inc. It is ad ministered by a volunteer board consisting of Charles Card, chair man, and Merle Reed. Sociologists say anyone who looks for trouble can find it in any community. Happy Camp is no exception. Siskiyou County Sheriff Al Cottar discribes Hap py Camp an one of the county's heaviest areas for complaints and calls for assistance. Most of the calls, the sheriff says, are for assistance in deal ing with offenses involving liq uor. This includes drunk driv ing, drunk in public and disor derly conduct. Happy Camp also has its share of major offenses. Two years ago, according to the sheriff, a California highway patrolman was fatally shot there. Other shootings have occurred since then. Burglaries are among other common offenses. Stationed in Community There are two resident sheriff's deputies, a highway patrolman and a constable re gularly stationed in the com munity. Still many residents say there is need for more police protection on a local level and incorporation would make this possible. Sheriff Cottar, how ever, says he doubts that in corporation would make any dif ference in the Happy Camp law enforcement problem. The community's fire protec tion is now supplied by a volun teer crew. Two county-owned fire trucks are kept in a central ly located fire hall, where some one is on duty most of the time. Much of the land in and around Happy Camp is federal forest land and fire protection for those areas is provided by the forest service. Many residents would like to strengthen their local fire protection facilities and this is another reason they are ad vocating incorporation. Dr. Graun, who has been prac ticing medicine in Happy Camp since 1952, says a hospital dis trict is vitally needed in the com munity. Residents needing hos pital care now must travel 75 miles east to Yreka, or 75 mile west to the Hoopa Indian reser vation. Most of them go to Yreka because hospital facilities at Hoopa are limited. Distance Could Be Fatal This distance could well be fatal in a case of emergency. The Klamath river road between Happy Camp and Highway 99 is winding, rough and narrow in many places. It is heavily travel ed by large trucks, especially while mills are in operation. Thus, extreme caution and re duced speed are essential par ticularly when approaching cur ves. Normal driving time from Happy Camp to Yreka is about two hours. There are times when the Kla math river overflows its banks, making driving hazardous or impossible. Happy Camp is also in an area where deep snow of ten makes the road impassable. Even during heavy rain storms, rock and earth slides frequently block the road. At the present time, Mercy Flights, Inc., non-profit air am bulance service, is about the only salvation for anyone in the Hap py Camp area needing immedi ate hospital care. (Dr. Graun has a Mercy Flights subscription poster in his office window.) But the doctor says the real answer to this problem is to establish a hospital in Happy Camp and that is next on his list of intend ed campaigns. Not All Favor ' But not all residents are in favor of incorporation for vari ous reasons. Some fear higher taxes. Dr. Graun says the city tax, plus whatever levy is im posed, would probably not sig nificantly exceed the present county tax. However, much of the land in Happy Camp is fed eral forest land and therefore tax free. This would tend to re duce the tax base for the area, and high levies might be neces sary if all the desired improve ments are to be obtained. If the area does incorporate, there would be a possibility for some federal assistance, but Dr. Lamb indicates the amount of federal aid would be small. Also, the aid would not be forthcom ing until at least a year and a half after the incorporation is completed. Happy Camp already has the appearance of a lively town. From the road at the east ap proach to the city, a tourist can see mills, a modern elementary school, high school, churches, .a theater, a moderate selection of stores, several cafes, taverns, a grange recreation hall and a wide variety of homes large, small, modest and elaborate, There is also a busy airport in which the county and federal government have invested 75 000. But Happy Camp is far from being self-sufficient. Residents Isolated No doubts many residents still have nightmares about be ing isolated without food sup plies electricity, telephone ser vice or heat for 19 days after a snow storm in 1952. There were five feet of snow on the ground and no traffic was mov ing to, from or within the com munity. ' In a few days, most people had used up their individual food supplies and stores, too, had bare shelves. Finally, a group of wo men in the neighborhood opened some canned food, heated it on wood stoves and distributed it throughout the community. Dr. Graun took his medical instru ments to the home of a neighbor and sterilized them on a propane stove there. Needless to say, it was a great day when the snow plow was finally able to get to the area. Behind the plow was a caravan of trucks laden with supplies. Maintenance and repair trucks came soon afterward. At that time Happy Camp was served with only one power line. A year ago a second line was in stalled. Improved municipal power facilities is another hope of those advocating incorporation. Word Easter Derived From Teutonic Goodness Eostre By FAY BENTLEY Life, slowly bursting forth anew In fields, in woods, in gar dens, loo; ' With overhead the birds en wing Produce a symphony of spring. Ancient people in joy over the season's rebirth held a festi val each year in honor of Eostre or Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon god dess of light or spring, to whom a month corresponding to our April was dedicated. The word Easter is derived from the name of this goddess, famed in old Teutonic mythology. Christian observance of the Easter festival is an outgrowth of the Jewish Passover, concern ing which Bede says, "The old festival was observed with the gladness of a new solemnity." Although the Christian churches have observed Easter from a very early period, seri ous disagreements over the ac tual dates of this festival have arisen. Council of Nicaea In the year 323 the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter should be held on Sunday and on the same Sunday throughout the entire world. As Alexandria, Egypt, was the home of astrono mical science at that time, the correct date for this festival was to be calculated in this city and announced to the other churches. Easter was to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal or spring equinox. .This results in a mov able festival and Easter may be on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25, a span of 35 days. It is said that the early Chris tians worked out this method of fixing the date so pilgrims trav eling to various religious shrines would be aided by the moon light. Early Easier Last year Easter was early, falling on April 1. This year it is late, occurring on. April 21 Five years from now, it will be one day later, April 22. In the year 2000 Easter Sunday will be April 23. In 1818 Easter fell on its earli est possible date, March 22. This will not happen again till the year 2285. In 1943, Easter Sunday was April 25, the latest date possible. Not till the year 2038 will this again take place. The earliest Easter since 1900 fell on March 23, 1923. In the year 2008, Easter Sunday will again be March 23. After Full Moon A full moon on the 15th of March this year made an early Easter impossible, as the vernal equinox did not -take place till March 20. In April, the moon be came full on the 14th, which happened to be Sunday. There fore, Easter falls on April 21 which is the first Sunday after the full moon after the vernal equinox. The inconvenience caused in the . commercial world by the movability of Easter was dis cussed at the International Con gress of Chambers Commerce in Rome in 1923. In an effort to stabilize the date or at least re duce the 35-day span, the mat ter was presented to the League of Nations, but little progress was made. An early Easter means grief for certain merchants as the weather is usually unsuited to Easter apparel, and if Easter is late the spring st6ck is on hand when dealers have to move in their summer' goods. As most people are more in terested in the religious signifi cance of Easter than' in the com mercial aspects, there seems lit tle chance of changing this cus tom which as prevailed for the last 1,632 years and Easter will still occur on the first Sunday after the first full moon follow ing the vernal equinox. ilia Tribe Offers Scholarships Rendieton U.R) The Uma tilla Indian board of trustees Friday announced that 16 schol arships of $500 each- are being offered to students from the Umatilla tribe. The offer is the highest amount made available by the tribe since the scholarship plan began three years ago on the reserva tion. The scholarships come from the interest accrued from $50, 000 held in trust by the tribe for educational purposes. Missouri Man Jailed On Weapon Charge Elbert Dean Kelly, 24, Neo sho, Mo., was lodged in the coun ty jail Friday on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon, He was arrested by state police on Highway 99 north of Med- ford. Police said a hitchhiker noti fied them shortly before noon that a man he had been riding with .was carrying some rifles in the back of his car and had a revolver concealed in the front of the car. Police found the re volver hidden in the front seat, MOVING? Save by Renting a BEE HIVE U - DRIVE Vans Stakes and Pickup Trucks Also Avis RENT-A-CAR SIGNAL TUNE-UP & REPAIR erti & Grape ' Phone 3-3261 We'll move your furniture any direction There's a Bekins Vanliner going your way wherever the destination. Vanliners cover all 48 states and return with responsible drivers in charge. Telephone the Bekins agent below for rates and information without obligation. Regular moving service north and south. DAVIS Transfer & Storage Co. 139 So. Fir Ph. 2-6273 i . 1 u Three Arrested in Connection With Theft Three Medford men have been arrested on charges of larceny in connection with the theft of several articles from" a Medford residence March 15, according to Medford police. Police said Alva Allen Doty, 21, 324 Mae St., Medford; Eu gene Allen Crandall, 22, 209 North Grape st, Medford; and Donald Babcock, 27, 1427 Lawn ridge drive, Medford, were ar rested on the charges Thursday. They were lodged in county jail, Officers reported. . ,- out of Of the men and women aged 65 and over in our country, less than one out of five is able to retire. Where will you be at 65 ? Will you be one of those who planned their future wisely? Remember, se curity tomorrow means planning today. A John Hancock Retirement Income Policy ensures the independence you want Let us show you how. mutuallife insurance company S IOSTOS. MASSACBUSETTI ROY SMITH Room 27 Goldy Bldg. Phone 2-9133 Newest Ever . . In Advanced Features! Modern Styling! 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