Medford mail tribune., May 12, 1957, Image 12

TWELYE MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday. Mar 12. 1937
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POKEGAMA CHUTE Traveling as much as
90 to 100 miles an hour, logs streaked down
the greased Pokegama Chute into the Klam
ath river. The Chute was 2,650 feet long, and
it took a log about 20 seconds to reach the
river. In the above picture, a log shoots water
into the air. Light patches along the Chute
are where logs smoked on their way down.
KIVER CREW After logs arrived at the
river from the Chute, the river crew, shown
above, herded yellow pine logs for the ride
down the Klamath river to Klamathon, which
was then a booming lumber town east of
Hornbrook. The river was made a public
highway for floating logs by the Siskiyou
county board of supervisors in 1889.
EVAN D. PRUITT
Chief Transmission Man
Two Promotions for
New Offices Listed
By Pacific Telephone
Mrs. Agnes Ackerman, 12
Tripp st., and Evan D. Pruitt,
formerly stationed at Roseburg,
have been promoted to newly
created positions at the Med
ford office of Pacific Telephone
and Telegraph company.
Mrs. Ackerman has been pro
moted to business office super
visor. She will share with Miss
Constance Ames the supervision
of service representatives in the
business office. Miss Ames has
been business office supervisor
We've Arranged for
OFF-STREET
PARKING
as a convenience to
you while attending
funeral services
. PARKING j . f ,
SERVICE
STATION
MAIN STREET
Parking your car it no problem at
Conger-Morris. Here, you can park
right next door, just a few steps
away from our easy, convenient
sidewalk-level entrance.
WEST MAIN AT SIXTH
Cotzger-NLorrs
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
Conger-Morris S
"YOUR TV WEATHERMAN"
KBES-TV MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 6:1 S P.M.
ASHLAND MORTUARY 4th and C Strt.ls . A.hland
Member National Selected Mortician by invitation
at Medford for the past 10 years.
Pruitt has been promoted to
chief transmission man. He will
share with Cal Webber the du
ties of operating and maintain-
jj
AGNES ACKERMAN
New Office Superrisor
ing long distance equipment in
the Medford area. Webber has
had this responsibility since
coming here in 1948.
SeTYice Representative
Mrs. Ackerman started with
the company in 1947 as a service
representative at Klamath Falls.
She was transferred to the Med
ford office in 1948 and was pro
moted to the job of commercial
service observer in 1955.
Pruitt will have supervision
over long distance equipment
outside the Medford central of
fice. This s includes the micro
wave radio relay stations at Mt.
Baldy and Siskiyou summit, the
voice "repeater" stations along
the coaxial cable route, and the
repair center for the microwave
radio relay station.
A native of Riddle, Ore., Pru
itt has been with PT&T since
1947. He started with the com
pany as a frameman at Port
land and was transferred to
Roseburg as a chief transmis
sion man in 1955. His wife, Ruth,
and their four young children
Townsife Surveyed
In 1888; Destroyed
By Fire in 1902
By MRS. H. H. CHAPMAN
Mail Tribune Correspondent
''The bridge over the Klamath
river to Klamathon was reopened
to travel last week after having
been closed for repairs for the
past six weeks."
. This little item appearing re
cently in the Hornbrook column
of the Medford Mail Tribune
probably carried little or no sig
nificance to most people whp
read it. Time was, however, when
the name "Klamathon" was
synonymous with the early day
logging industry at its peak.
Snuggled on the bare slopes
of Black mountain, on the far
side of the Klamath river, this
little town was once the hub of
the mighty logging industry
along the river and in the south
ern Oregon-northern California
area. First known as Klamath
City, later as Po-keg-a-ma (a
Chippewa Indian name), and last
as Klamathon, the townsite was
surveyed out in 1888, following
completion of the railroad, by
the Klamath River Lumber and
Improvement company, com
posed of men from Michigan and
Oregon. The following year they
erected a log dam and started
work on the construction of a
sawmill.
Financial difficulties and the
vagaries of nature combined ,to
prevent the mill from being
placed in operation until the
fall of 1891, when other inter
ests purchased the townsite, milL
and 27,000 acres of timber lo
cated on the upper Klamath.
Development of Timber
Now began the development of
a timber industry different from
any other in the history of the
country. Work was started, too,
on rebuilding the dam (which
had been washed out by the high
water of 1890) and completing
the mill. And Klamathon began
to grow. Soon it boasted a popu
lation of more than 1,000 people
with two hotels, several board
ing houses, a drug store, a livery
stable, school, post office, Metho
dist and Congregational church
es, confectionery store, grocery
and clothing stores, lodge hall,
and the ever-present saloons
five of them.
On the up-river side, known
as "Nob Hill," were some of the
finer homes, the mill, business
district, . and later the box fac
tory. On down the river were
more homes. The mill com
menced sawing in 1892. The late
Gene Dowling of Hornbrook, in
the 1948 yearbook of the Sis
kiyou County Historical Society,
provides a graphic picture of the
mill and logging operations. "A
mill pond," he wrote, "had been
created by damming the river
with log cribs filled with rocks.
Boom timbers diverted the logs
over to the mill where an end
less chain carried them up the
log way into the saw. The mill
was equipped with a steam 'nig
ger' for kicking the logs onto the
carriage, a band saw with a ca
pacity of 50,000 feet of one-inch
lumber each 10-hour shift, 'live'
rolls between the carriage and
the edger and trimming saws,
and also saws with which to
make laths and shingles. The
mill was well equipped and de
signed. "In April, 1899, the Siskiyou
County Board of Supervisors, by
ordinance had declared the
Klamath river to be a public
highway for the purpose of float
ing logs, from the Oregon line
to Klamathon. Many people
doubted the feasibility of driving
the Klamath, but the river men,
most of whom were experienced
drivers from the East, insisted it
could be done. By July, 1892,
110 men were employed in the
will join him here soon.
Creation of the new positions
was caused by increased tele
phone business in this area, ac
cording to Jack Creager, local
PT&T manager.
Editor's Note: The pictures
accompanying the story by
Mrs. H. H. Chapman were fur
nished by Alfred D. Collier,
president of the Swan Lake
Moulding company, Klamath
Falls, and curator of the Col
lier Stale Park Logging Mu
seum. The pictures of the Poke
gama Chute and the River
Crew are from the Ogle-Baldwin
collection in the Museum.
All three were printed in
"Glory Days of Logging," by
Ralph W. Andrews and pub
lished by Superior Publishing
company of Seattle.
' Several photographs in the
book were furnished by A. A.
Lausmann of Kogap Lumber
industries, Medford.
Andrews also is author of
"This Was Logging." and "This
Was Sawmilling," both of
which deal with the early his
tory of the lumber industry in
the northwest.
woods and on the river and logs
had been arriving at Klamathon
for some time.
Company's Holdings
"The logs which supplied
Klamathon were cut from the
company's holdings, some 20 odd
miles up the river. Shortly after
the commencement of logging, a
wagon road was completed up
the north side of the river. Sme
logging was done above Hes
sig's but soon a chute made out
of hand-hewn logs was construct
ed on the north side of the river
about a mile below Shovel creek.
Here horse drawn 'big wheels'
brought the logs to the head of
the chute which extended down
the hill 2,650 feet to the river.
The vertical drop was 834 feet.
"From the time the logs were
released into the chute, it re
quired from 18 to 20 seconds for
them to reach the river at an
average speed of 90 miles an
hour, trailing behind them a
cloud of smoke. Frequently the
chute itself took fire from the
heat created by the friction. The
impact of the logs striking the
water drove spray from 75 to
100 feet into the air and occa
sionally split the logs in two.
Midway down the chute and also
near the river it flattened out
and 'diamond spokes' were
driven into the chute logs in an
effort to slow the passage of the
saw logs and hold them on the
chute. At both of these points
the logs frequently 'jumped' and
tore out sections.
"As the logging operations ex
tended back on to the Pokegama
Flats toward and into Oregon, a
railroad was built at the chute
head, finally reaching a length of
four or five miles. Eventually the
logging camp at its end came to
be known as Pokegama, taking
the former name of Klamathon.
The locomotive was a small en
gine hauled in by wagon teams."
Birth of Industry
A backward blance at the birth
of the logging industry often pre
sents a distorted picture of glory
and glamor, excitement and
thrilling adventure. "Blood,
sweat and tears" had a part, too,
and often stark tragedy. Many
were the lives claimed by the
treacherous current of the Klam
ath, as the log drivers fought to
break her spirit.
Nor was the river the only
enemy of the log men. Indians,
too, resented the intrusion of the
white men, and strove to halt
the operations. A few miles be
low what is now known as Copco
lake, considerable difficulty was
often experienced by the drivers
in negotiating the "Big Bend."
Here at one point a rock reef ex
tended almost entirely across the
river. It was here in January,
1854, from the bluffs above, that
Captain Smith and a detachment
of regulars from ft. Jones fired
with howitzers upon some In
dians who had entrenched them
selves in a cave on the north
side. The bodies of five volnteers
killed in the preceding and en
suing fights now lie buried in
the Henley-Hornbrook cemetery.
During its short period of ex
istence, Klamath was like other
lumber towns even those of this
present day. It had its home and
social life, its churches and
school and it had its "seamy" j
side. The arrival of the river j
OLD BLUE' BALDWIN The first locomo
tive in Klamath county was brought in by
John Cook in 1891. The track extended about
four or five miles and the logging camp at its
end became known as Pokegama, the former
name for Klamathon.
men was generally a signal fori
a "celebration." The two to four
weeks required for them to com
plete their drive, daily risking
their lives, camping out where
ever night overtook them, eating
their meals irom a cook wagon at
temporary camps along the river,
their pent-up emotions reached a
peak, petty grivances and short
tempers exploded when they
reached Klamathon, their pay in
their pockets and their spirits
high.
Drinking and fighting was pre
valent, and stealing, too, but let
an "outsider" start a fight, the
river men formed a solid front
and the "outsider" was in for
trouble.
On the brighter side of "cul
ture," besides the churches, was
Niles Orchestra with a harpist,
one Angelo Yeargo, the Black
Mountain Dancing club, the
Pokegama Baseball club, which
in June of 1896, in horse-drawn
rigs journeyed to Yreka and
there, in a game pitched by Gor
don Jacobs of Hornbrook, defeat
ed Yreka by the impressive score
of 39 to 17. ,
But, as they did to many in
those days, hard times came to
the head of the logging company,
and in 1894, although logging op
erations continued in the woods,
the river drivers were compelled
to quit, because the hotel men
at Klamathon, and at Klamathon
Hot Springs, refused to board
the crew any longer. The com
pany owed them about $2,500
Soon, arrangements were made
with the creditors for continued
operations, and the Pioneer Box
factory was built at Klamathon
by Sacramento interests. It had
a capacity of about 30,000 feet
per day. This was purchased from
the mill and remanufactured.
Heavy Demand
Hundreds of men were em
ployed at the time in rich placer
mines along the lower river, and
this created a heavy demand for
lumber. The complete lack of
roads, or the inadequacy of what
roads did exist, again pointed to
the river as the answer. In June
of 1896, and during the preced
ing season, over 600,000 feet of
lumber were rafted down the
river. In the Yreka Journal of
May 5, 1896, this operation is
described:
"The maner of rafting lumber
down the raging Klamath is
more exciting than chuting the
chutes at San Francisco, and
very dangerous. A raft of about
10,000 feet is fastened together
to float like a barge, leaving
the top about five feet above
the water waterline. Four or1 five
men with long sweeps manage
the raft and keep it from dashing
against the rocks or running into
the banks at crooked turns. They
seem to have no difficulty until
reaching Lime Gulch below the
mouth of Humbug Creek, where
the rafts sometimes strike dang
erous rocks, to be broken to
pieces, causing the men to swim
ashore or be saved the best way
possible."
Klamathon suffered several
fires previous to 1902, but the
one occurring shortly after mid
night on Oct. 13, 1902, spelled
death to the town. Fanned by a
strong west wind, the fire spread
rapidly, and by morning, a pile
of smoking ashes was all that
remained of . 8,000,000 feet of
lumber, two, box factories, the
sawmill, some 25 or 30 business
buildings and many residences,
with an estimated loss of $500,
uuu. a lew residences escaped,
ai)d here some families remained,
hoping eventually the town
would rise again from its ashes.
A few years later these homes,
too, were burned.
Now all is quiet .along the
Klamath: Only a few piles of
rock in the river' remind one of
its rock cribs. They remain as
monument to this once noisy,
boisterous, colorful town.
(Acknowledgement is made for
assistance to the the Siskiyou
County. Historial Society Year
book 1948, to Gordon Jacobs and
to Mrs. Emma Parshall.
William Oyler Among
Those Returning for
1957 Festival Plays
Ashland Eight states and Haverf ord college, Pennsylvan-
every geographical section of the
nation' are represented in' this
year's scholarship winners at the
Oregon Shakespearean Festival.
Fifteen persons have been se
lected from a list of hundreds of
applicants, festival officials re
ported. Winners will join the
rest of the 17th annual company
when it convenes here Thurs
day, June 13, for a three-day
casting session prior to the start
of rehearsals.
-Many new faces will be seen
on the festival's Elizabethan
stage this August, along with
familiar names from past pro
ductions. Oyler Returning
William Oyler, a favorite with
festival audiences, is returning
on scholarship. Oyler played
Aaron . in "Titus Andronicus"
and Cloten in "Cymbeline" dur
ing the 1956 season.
David O'Brien of Evanston,
111., who last' year played the
title role in "Cymbeline" and
Mercutio in "Romeo and Juli
et," is also returing as is Rosa
lyn Newport of Wichita, .Kan.
Miss Newport was seen in 1956
as Juliet, and as Katherine in
"Love's Labour's Lost."
New names on the scholarship
list include Ray . Bevliacqua ' of
Hollywood, Calif., who appeared
last season as Bottom in the San
Diego Globe - theater's produc
tion - of "Midsummer Night's
Dream." He is now acting at the
Ebsen theater, Pacific Palisad
es. Others are Carole Cox, Atlan
tic City, N.J., a student at Car
negie Tech; William Crossett,
S e a 1 1 1 e, Muriel . Eisenberg,
Brooklyn, N.Y., also a student at
Carnegie Tech; Kenneth Geist,
ia; George P. Hitchcock, an ac
tor with the San Francisco In
terplayers, and a playwright
whose works have seen several
Bay area productions; Jerry
Michey, Spokane, a student at
Carnegie Tech; Mary Jo Ran
dall, College of St. Teresa, Kan
sas City; William L. Sharp, pro
fessor of drama, TJniversity of
Califo-nia; Jim Sheldon. Holly
wood, Calif., a professional actor
seen, recently on CBS-Television;
Jerry Turner, instructor in
speech and drama at Washington
State college; and George Va
fiadis, San Antonio, Tex.
The Oregon Shakespearean
Festival opens a month-long run
Aug. 1. "As You Like It,"
"Othello," "Henry VIII," "Two
Gentlemen of Vernonia" and
"Pericles, Prince of Tyre" are
scheduled for production.
InJoT Health. Rest, Comfort
' and Hospitality at the
Buckhom Mineral
Springs Sanitarium
Get a new en
life through t
a of our famous
mineral waters.
1 Sot Klaml
ad Hud Batfca
for Rheumatism
. ArthrittK. Xenritip
ServouBnefB. High and Low Blooa
Pressure and Skin Eruptions.
CarboB Dioxide Tape Baths for
Asthmas Eczema, Colds. Sinus and
Bronchitis.
"You Health la Out Baslaoaa"
For reserratlons or detailed In
formation address
Backhern Mineral Soring
Sanltarism. Boekhern Springs
Koad, Ashland Ore.
Or phone Ions; distance
Be Inau Waaler, Director
Chiropractic Physician
COMPARED TO MOTHER LOVE,
A MOUNTAIN IS BUT AN ANT HILL,
AN OCEAN A CUP OF WATER.;;
HOTEL MEDFORD Dining Room
Open 8 a.m. Until 8 p.m.
CANDLE ROOM
Open 2 p.m. Until 10 p.m.
Always a quality of good food
Efficient service.
Gleaming silverware, linen napkins and cloths.
Moderate prices.
Children's portions.
DINING ROOM
Open 12 Noon
Until 7 p.m.
to the
Holland Hotel
WDXD)JIDIEM
snnapiE ,
Mother's Day Menu
$2.00
CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
. TOSSED SALAD
YOUR CHOICE OF:
ROAST YOUNG TOM TURKEY
(WITH OLD FASHIONED, STUFFING
VIRGINIA BAKED HAM .
(WITH FRUIT SAUCE)
ROAST LEG OF LAMB
(MINT JELLY)
ROAST PRIME RIBS OF BEEF-AU JUS
FRESH ASPARAGUS
SNOWFLAKE POTATOES
HOT ROLLS BUTTER
SHERBET OR ICE CREAM
TEA OR COFFEE
Starting at 9 p.m. for your dancing pleasure Barbara & Bob