12 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Sunday, April 27. 1958
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SPRINGTIME Spots of water on the high
way leading to Crater Lake National park
headquarters indicate the first signs of
spring, although in lower elevations pear
NEW RESIDENCES Construction started
last year on new residences for park per
sonnel at Crater Lake National park near
headquarters. Shown above is one of the
two-family units, designed to provide living
; Av.sT- v $ ? - . I
T s :v-'-r m - War
PLOWING ROAD National park per
sonnel are kept busy all spring and into the
summer months clearing roads in Crater
Lake National park preparing for the tour
ist rush. Above equipment is shown plow
fcEi:-.xx v.v ..v .......... .. .
r ' " vjcjl fiJt " 5$
NEW CONSTRUCTION Part of the Mis
sion 66 program of the national park service
is to provide adequate living quarters for
park personnel. Above is one of the new
four-family units at Crater Lake National
trees and spring flowers are in full bloom.
The job of clearing all park highways of
snow, preparations for the summer visitors,
started recently, according to park officials.
quarters above the average snow level.
Roofs are designed to hold the snow pack.
Such design, officials said, will eliminate
moving snow from around steep roofs so
it can slide off. 1
ing the road
winter. About
ground when
national park
park. No.t yet occupied, work on the build
ings is expected to resume as soon as possi
ble, park officials said. The picture was
taken by park personnel earlier this winter.
to the rim after a storm this
13 feet of snow was on the
the picture was taken by the
service.
Prominent People
Stayed at 2-Story
Building on Rogue
By BOB VROMAN
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
One summer day, some 70
years ago, a small boy in fad
ed homemade shirt and trous
ers stood beside a trout stream
maiting ciumsy casts wnn a
willow pole, trying to get his
bait to go where he wanted
it to.
The stream was tiny Salt
creek above Eagle Point and
the boy was William Isaacs,
son of pioneer couple Mr. and
Mrs. George W. Isaacs who
operated a cattle ranch near
Brownsboro.
This was Bill's first try at
angling, but it was by no
means his last because before
the day was over he had
hooked a 14 - inch trout and
he decided right the and
there that fishing' was the
sport for him.
Name Almost Legend
Bill Isaacs, now 78, retired
a number of years ago but his
name, now almost a legend in
southern Oregon, is well re
membered by every long-time
resident of the area.
Bill was known locally as
"Toggery Bill" Isaacs, opera
tor of the "finest men's cloth
ing store between Portland
and San Francisco," but he
was more widely known as
one of the best fly casters on
the west coast and as an ar
dent, skillful fisherman who
seldom came back from the
Rogue river without a limit
of steelhead.
Whenever he had spare
time, Bill could be found
down at the river, whipping
the water "with a wet or dry
fly. Accuracy in casting and
the ability to put a fly clear
across the river' if he had to
was Bill's secret to catching
lots of fish. The biggest steel
head he ever caught out of
the Rogue river weighed more
than 20 pounds and measured
36 inches in length . i . and
he says, with a wink, that he
has two witnesses to prove it.
Operated Toggery
Isaacs operated the Toggery
from 1903 until his retirement
in 1938. The business was last
located in the building where
the U. S. National bank is now
and earlier further west on
Main street. Before he opened
the firm he and a partner
ran a small cigar arid confec
tionary store in Medford for
several years, where Bill got
the "feel" of being in business
for himself.
He was just 23 years old
when he opened the Toggery
and had little money of his
own. But he had a lot of initi
ative that enabled him to
"wangle" credit from whole
salers in San Francisco and
his business was successful
from the very beginning be
cause once he .opened his
doors he never let the people
in southern Oregon forget
that the Toggery sold men's
clothing.
He was always thinking of
new ways to get his firm's
name before the public, and
though his methods may seem
a little unorthodox now, they
certainly worked for him in
those days.
Paints Signs
He painted signs on fences
in the outlying areas reading
"Toggery Bill, the farmer's
friend," or hung signs over
the basins in wash rooms, in
hotel lobbies or any place
where people would read
them. He ran eye - catching
ads in the newspaper that
began "Toggery Bill breaks
jail" or "Toggery Bill steals
ducks."
Once he made a special
trip out to the Blue Ledge
mine on the upper Applegate
to put up a sign reading "Tog
gery Bill, the miners friend."
But his best advertising was
the fact, that he gave his cus
tomers a square deal and all
of his clothing was sold on a
"money-back-if-not - satisfied"
guarantee.
Bill was all business when
he was at the store but after
hours he could be found most
any evening indulging in his
favorite pastime fishing.
For many years he fished the
Rogue river up and down for
a hundred miles of its length
but in 1927 he built Big Rock
lodge about two miles up riv
er from Bybee bridge and
found he had all the fishing
he wanted , right at his back
door.
Sells Lodge
Just last week Isaacs sold
the lodge and he and his wife
are in the process of moving
their belongings to an apart
ment in Medford. He says that
it is with much regret that,
he leaves this rustic "castle"
on the river that was his home
for so long. '-
The two-story 'structure is
built almost entirely of peal- j
BIG ROCK LODGE This rustic log home
on the Rogue river, built in 1927 by Bill
Isaacs, housed many people of renown in
the days when Rogue river steelhead fish
ing was world famous. Ex-President Her-
FAMOUS GRIP Casting a
was the specialty of "Toggery" Bill Isaacs which called for
the powerful grip shown in the picture above. He once fought
a steelhead on light tackle for
was also an expert on accuracy and back in the 1930's
scored 98 out of 100 in a flycasting tournament in Portland.
His mark tied the national champion's score that year.
RIVER MAESTRO "Toggery" Bill Isaacs, king of the
Rogue river fishermen in the early days, is shown above
on the "beach" at Big Rock lodge where he has caught
hundreds of fighting steelhead. The trees in the background
were partially up-rooted in the flood of 1955.
ed, vafnished logs and has a
huge rock fireplace in the
living room. Bill designed the
building himself and he claims
there is no other place like it
anywhere. His favorite spot
in the house was the glass
enclosed "river room" where
he and his wife could look
out over a broad stretch of
the moody Rogue river while
they ate their meals.
Bill was one of the greatest
boosters of the Rogue river
country that this area has
ever known. He entertained
many prominent people, in
cluding Ex-President Herbert
Hoover, at Big Rock lodge
and showed them how and
where to catch the famous
Rogue river steelhead. It was
said that Bill knew every fish
in the river by its first name.
Chamber Director
He was a member of the
board of directors and vice
president ' of the Melford
Chamber of Commerce for
many years and was one of
the hardest "pushers" in get
ting a decent road to Crater
lake in the early days. He was
made president of the cham
ber in 1938 and he now is an
honorary lifetime member.
Medford Chamber of Com
merce has since combined
with the Jackson County
Chamber of Commerce, and
Bill is its oldest living mem
ber. As head of a sportsman's
group here he was instrumen
tal in getting legislation
passed to eliminate commer
cial fishing at the mouth of
the Rogue when the practice
of gill - netting threatened to
wipe out the river's steelhead
arid salmon population. As
head of Medford Merchant's
association he helped bring
about the closing of retail
stores at 5:30 instead of 6 p.m.,
but he denies that this idea
wet or dry fly a great distance
an hour and ten minutes. He
was only so he could get in
an extra half hour of fishing
each day. Bill was also head
of the music association here
for many years.
Claim to Fame
His greatest claim to fame
was his ability to cast a fly.
'He walked off with many
tournament prizes in the
early 1930's and he organized
the first fly casting club in
southern Oregon.
In a state-wide tournament
held in Medford in June, 1933,
he beat out the best fly cast
ers in Oregon by 10 feet or
more and later in Roseburg
he topped his nearest compe
titor in the distance cast by
20 feet.
In a contest sponsored by
the Western Association of
Scientific Angling clubs in
Portland he again walked off
with honors and tied the na
tional record set that year for
accuracy casting by hitting
98 out of 100. His greatest
cast was 120 feet, which he
made during a practice ses
sion below the Bear creek
bridge in Medford. Bill ad
mits that nowadays that dis
tance is not considered great
because of the new types of
line and rods in use, but it
was "way out there" in the
1930's.
National Competition
Bill never entered any na
tional competition because he
figured it would lead him too
HELP US!
We Need Clothing, Shoes,
Dishes, Furniture. We Pick Up.
HELP OTHERS!
The
Salvation Army
SPring 3-7335
bert Hoover slept three night in the right
front bedroom in July, 1928. Bill sold the
lodge recently and he and his wife now
live in an apartment in Medford.
far astray from the whole idea
fishing, and rather than put
so much importance on the
"fancy" aspects of casting he
preferred the' kind of casting
that would get results in steel
head. He caught hundreds of the
fighting fish in his day and
he either gave them away or
kept them to eat himself. His
favorite way to prepare the
fish was to cut them into
steaks and fry thehm in siz
zling fat, although he some
times baked them whole.
Bill was often called upon
to speak before women's or
ganizations, Boy Scout groups
and at various civic meetings
and was guest speaker at the
first meeting of the Shasta-
Cascade Wonderland associa
tion when it was first organ
ized.
In effect, Bill was the
Rogue valley's public rela
tions . man, promoter, idea
man, ambassador and recep
tionist for tourists without
pay.
Wanted Maps
He tells the story of a man
named Ceph Salisbury, head
of the Automobile club of
southern California who was
up in this country to get some
maps made of the area. Bill
spent several days helping
him collect data but refused
pay for it and to square things
up Salisbury offered to broad
cast the fishing conditions in
the Rogue river every week
for a year over radio station
KNX. Bill prepared the week
ly reports and Salisbury
stuck to his word. As a result,
the Rogue country received
much publicity in the south
ern California area.
Bill also relates the time
when the world's champion
fly caster, Walter Mansfield,
came here to visit him from
San Francisco. The two men
went fishing together on the
Rogue but hi spite of Mans
fields supposed "cdse"' as a
caster. Bill caught two steel
head for every one his guest
landed.
Finest Streams t
The Rogue river was one
of the finest fishing streams
in the United States until re
cent years and people like
Charles Lindberg, Flo Zicg-
Insurance Pr ograms
Are Available
to meet your particular situation in advance of need. Please feel free
to consult with Conger-Morris for your Memorial Service in advance
and avoid burdening those who are left.
II "The best costs no more, why accept less?"
Conm-Morris ssss.
WEST MAIN AT S,XTH driPl
'Your TV Weatherman" I f
ASHLAND MORTUARY rr-s B i
KBES-TV Monday Thru Friday rT r ' ' ffi H
6:00 P.M. 4th and C Streets Athkn (TP-i '''ZjL. f
Member National Selected Morticians by Invitation .jLLAL&JifikaMii
General Labor Law
Attempt Scoffed At
Washington (IP Senate
Democratic Leader Lyndon B.
Johnson dismissed as "pure
political hogwash" Saturday
a Republican drive to broaden
the senate's welfare fund bill
into general labor legislation.
The Texan made the state
ment just before the Senate
began its third successive
round-the-clock session on the
welfare and pension fund re
form bill.
The major controversy cen
tered on some 30 Republican
sponsored amendments cover
ing a wide range of labor pro
posals. Senate Republican leader
William F. Knowland touched
off the GOP drive by offering
as amendments what he called
his workingman's "Bill of
Rights." The basic provisions
of the- pending Democratic
bill would require full disclo
sure of the financial opera
tions of employee welfare
funds.
"Laughing Stock"
Other Republicans followed
Knowland's lead and Secre
tary of Labor James P. Mit
chell arranged to have the ad
ministration's own labor bill
offered as a series of amend
ments. But Johnson told newsmen
that "technical language" of
some of the pending amend
ments "would not even
work." If they were written
into the bill, he said, they
would "make us a laughing
stock" when the measure was
taken up in the house.
"If you want legislation in
field, Billie Burke, Lawrence
Tibbet and Guy Kibee made
special trips here to fish the
famous water.
Bill Isaacs was usually the
receptionist when dignitaries
arrived.
One man, Frank Dumont, a
New York artist of note, first
visited the Rogue cpuntry in
190o and was so impressed
with the fishing here that he
returned each year, skipping
only three, for the next 25
years, and Bill always ar
ranged his 'accommodations.
The fact that the fishing in
the river is nowhere near
what it used to be is due part
ly to the destruction of mil
lions of young trout in the
formerly unscreened turbines,
according to Bill. Another
factor is the increased amount
of anglers and a lack of prop
er spawning conditions, he
said. It would be almost im
possible to bring the fishing
back to what it used to be, he
added, but, he said, it could
probably be greatly improved
from what it is now with a
stepped -up fish management
program. Opening of the river
and its. tributaries for angling
later this year to save more
young migrating fish is a step
in the right direction, accord
ing to Bill.
The- old Maestro of Rogue
river fishermen, who in the
past probably caught more
steelhead than any other man,
says he is about done fishing,
and having moved from Big
Rock lodge, where the roar of
the Rogue was constantly in
his ears, he will undoubtedly
spend many hours dreaming
of the pleasant experiences
the "river" has brought him. 1
stead of an issue, if you want
a constructive program in
stead of political speeches,"
he said in a chat with news
men, the proper procedure to
follow would be to let the
senate labor committee draft
a labor bill.
That is the course which
Johnson . has been ufrgmg
throughout the three-day de
bate. He has the support of
almost all Senate Demorcats
In the proposal.
Another Labor Bill
Johnson has stated that he
expects the Senate to consid
er another labor bill this year.
Knowland was voted down
on four of his proposals Fri
day. He has served notice that
he will demand roll calls on
six more.
Johnson hoped to complete
action on the bill today, but
Knowland doubted if it could
be put to a final vote so soon.
Knowland told newsmen he
wouldn't be a bit surprised"
if he picked up strength on
voting Jests expected later
Saturday.
PATIENCE RUNS OUT
Columbus, Miss. (IP)
George Adams' patience fin
ally ran out and he decided
to wait no longer for his er
rant wife to return. He filed
a divorce suit against his
mate, whom he hasn't seen
since she walked out 40 years
ago.
Hl-Lltes
.IN THE
History
Pharmacy
by ED HALL
The Apothecaries system of
weights and measures is a
part of the English system and
has been used in United States
since colonial. times in the com
pounding of prescriptions. The
unit of weight is the grain.
Table of Weight
20 grains (gr.) 1 scruple
3 scruples or 60 gr. 1 dram
8 drams or 480 gr. 1 ounce
12 ounces or 5760 gr. 1
pound
. The unit of liquid measure
is the minim.
Table of Fluid Measure
60 minims 1 fluidram
8 fluidrams or 480 minims-
1 fluidounce
i
16 fluidounces 1 pint
2 pints 1 quart
4 quarts 1 gallon
a drop of fluid from a medi
cine dropper is considered to)
be .equal to a minim.
We af Central Rexall
Drug guarantee complete
purity and accuracy in
the compounding of your
doctor's PRESCRIPTION.
CENTRAL REXALL DRUG
Main and Central