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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1959)
10 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford-, Orejon, Monday, April 20, 13 Covered Wagon Train Crew Dncludes Same Type People as 100 Years Ago Editor's not: The article , and pictures of the gala covered wagon train in In dependence, Mo., during the week end were written and taken by the Mail Trib une City Editor Earl H. Adams. Independence, Mo.-Today's covered wagon train, which left here yesterday morning on its 2,020-mile trek to Inde pendence, Ore., has among its personnel many of the same typ people which would have made up such a train 100 years ago. Among the 14 men, seven women and five children are a wagoner, a farrier, a wran gler, a carpenter and harness repairman, and all the men have had experience in han dling horses. Wagonmaster Gordon (Tex) Serpa, who has owned the Walking "S" Ranch south of Ashland for seven years, has had some experience as a wagonmaster on a train tak ing people on excursion ride around Reno and Virginia City, Nev. Served in Cavalry An experienced horseman, Serpa once rode a horse from Carson City, Nev., to Oak land, Calif., in 57 hours. His experience with horses start ed when he was 17. He joined the U.S. Cavalry and served with it as long as there was a cavalry. Later, Serpa was a partner in a horse-training stable in Wisconsin, but had to give up his end of the business when that section of the state ran out of horses which . needed training. After leaving Wisconsin, he moved to Nevada, where he worked as a cowhand on var ious ranches and picked up jobs as a movie stunt rider. George McUne, driver of the Jackson county wagon sponsored by the Medford Trail Riders, is a hunter, fish erman and horseman as well as a wagon maker. In Medford 33 Years McUne grew up in the tim berlands of Washington and moved to Medford 33 years ago. The past 15 years he has owned and operated the Court Street Repair shop. A tall, soft-voiced man, he has brok-en-in many horses, and has constructed three wagons ont covered, one logging and 4 freight wagon. Q0i wagons, however, are lot in the cavalcade, but have fjfsan used in various activi ties for the Centennial in the (iledford area. Wagons used in the .caval cade were built by Roy Brab ham, driver of the . Oregon wagon, who will supervise re pair and maintenance along the route. A native of the r f' r,f -r fT "Tim i whim mmrnttfrifm nMiiriniiiiiir hiimiii SmiiiS TRAIL RIDERS WAGON-The covered wag on sponsored by the Medford Trail Riders is shown in the parade in downtown Inde pendence, Mo., Saturday morning. George McUne, Medford, is driving the wagon, and holding an old muzzleloader is Gary Car nine, 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Gail Carnine of Camas Valley. Since the train left yesterday morning, word has been re ceived in Medford that the canvas cover with "On to Jackson County" printed on it had arrived. The plow, a replica of an 1840 type implement, was donated by the John Deere company. Eugene area, he has been a farmer, mill worker and log ger all his life with his spare time being devoted to out door sports activities and han dling horses. Lowell Blair of Sheridan is driver of the Lane county wagon. An experienced horse man, he has spent most of his life breaking, riding and driv ing horses. He is an experi enced farmer, carpenter and harness repairman and has had some mule-driving expe rience. Daughter of Settlers Mrs. Blair is one of the cooks on the expedition. Par ents of both Mr. and Mrs Blair were among the first settlers in .Oregon. Farrier on ttte trip is Wal ter Hilliard, who with his wife moved to Oregon in 1946. In their early married life they toured the country showing horses at fairs and stock exhibits. He was jockey in his youth, and joined the cavalry when he was 19. Born in Wisconsin in 1905, he moved to a homestead in Washington with his parents by covered wagon. The Independence, Ore., wagon is being driven by Ben Griffith, Salem real estate man and former farmer. The wagon, which carries the sou venir illustrated envelopes, is being pulled by four mules. Griffith was born in Gene va, Neb., where his parents IP YOU BUT SHOES THAT DONT FIT . . , moved by covered wagon in 1879. In 1906, . the family moved to Aumsville, near Salem. Griffith started farm ing near Independence in 1929. He is an experienced teamster and stockman. Weaver (Pop) Clark at 66 is the oldest member of the train. Born in Gates, Ore., at 16 he was driving a four-horse freight team for a mining company there. In 1922, the family moved by covered wagon to Vernonia. Clark moved to Hillsboro in 1942, and with his sons operated a sawmill for 12 years. He now operates a leather goods store there. Clark will drive the Hillsboro wagon, with relief work from his grandson, Robert W. Fine- out, Hillsboro. Fineout is an experienced teamster and mechanic and has learned some leather work from Clark. He was born in Vernonia and . has worked at the family's saw mill for three years. Sports Beard R. R. (Rudy) Roudebaugh, Drain, who sports one of the more heavy beards among men on the trip, is driving the Drain wagon accompanied by his wife, Kiwanda Mae (Ki) Roudebaugh and their 11-year-old daughter, J a n e 1 1 Mae. Roudebaugh was born at Lexington, Neb., one of the towns along the Oregon Trail and moved to the west coast during World War II while serving with the Coast Guard. Mrs. Rodebaugh and their daughter are native Orego- nians. , Dave Gastman, Cottage Grove, is the wagon train's wrangler. An employee of the Weyerhaeuser Timber com pany, he was an Indian pack er and guide in the Olympic mountains in the early 1930s. During the winters he logged for pulpwood with horses and bought and broke-in horses. Security Officer Traffic control and security officer on the expedition is Gail Carnine, a member of the Douglas county sheriff's department and Roseburg city police. Accompanying him on the trip are his wife, Palma, and their two children, Cheryl and Gary, who plan to keep individual journals of the trip to show classmates at school next fall. Mrs. Carnine is assisting in cooking. Her grandparents moved to Oregon about 100 years ago by covered wagon to become some of the first settlers along the coast. The Carnines live in Camas Val ley. ' Others on the trip are Jean Marshall of Roseburg, Va- loyce Johnson of Portland, and Mrs. Thyrba Pelling and two children, Rodney and Trevor, of Oswego. Covered Trail by Car The Fellings know some thing of the Old Oregon Trail because last year they cov ered 1,500 miles of the Trail by car. The boys will join the group in June when school is out. Members of the wagon train were screened with particular regard for outdoor experience with stock, their health condi tion and a desire to share the problems along the way as well as the enjoyment of the trip. They cooperate in doing chores along the route, with even the children doing their share. '. ' Serpa, Brabham and Hil liard are the only salaried members of the train. The others are taking tine from business and donating . their time and effort to make the expedition a successful one. Kansas Town fo Greet Train; Serpa 'Scalped' Olathe, Kans. - (UPD - The people of this western Kan sas town got ready today to welcome Oregon's covered wagon train which Sunday started a 2020-mile recross ing of the route of the pio neers. It was cold and rainy this morning when the train left Red Bridge Farm for Oiathe. A surprise "Indian" attack was launched by a lipstick - warpaint besmear ed party from the Kansas City Star and wagonmaster . Gordon (Tex) Serpa, Ash land, was found asleep and "scalped." The train con- iinued to be an object of in terest and almost every in tersection was tied up as the wagons rolled by. " Tests on commercial jet en gines are powered by old-fashioned kerosene. It works just as well in tests as the conven tional JP-4 jet fuel, and is more conomical. DISCUSS PLANS-Gordon (Tex) Serpa, Ashland, (left) wagon master of the Oregon train, and George McUne, Medford, discuss final plans for the 2,020-mile trip across country. The picture was taken at the wagon train campsite Saturday morning. To the left rear is the trailer truck' which will haul food for horses and mules. Modern Covered Wagons Have More Problems Than in 1859 Getting a covered wagon train in operation today prob ably presents more problems than it did some 100 years ago. By the same token, there were more problems en route 100 years ago than there are in today's expedition which left Independence, Mo., for Oregon Sunday morning. A century ago, when a group decided to head west, plans were made, volunteers sought from all walks of life, wagons repaired and when things were ready, the party left. The people, with deter mination for a new start, were not serened. The type of ex perience needed for ' such a trip prevailed in every mid western locality. Take Chances They knew they would have to take chances -. on finding sufficient food supplies along the way, suitable drinking water, encountering hostile Indian tribes, diseases and ceath. They knew, 100 years ago, that it was a long hard jour ney through tall prairie grass weaving like ocean waves in a strong breeze, across vast expanses of plateau land al most barren of vegetation, and into the mountain country with its almost impassable ranges. But they had one thing in mind: to reach the lush green valleys, clear rushing streams, and the fertile lands and un limited opportunities of the isolated Pacific northwest. Today, the picture has & ti''''' changed considerably. Among the problems en countred to get the present day covered wagon train start ed were the wagons them selves, the people who would TRAIL'S START-Medford Mayor John Sni der and a member of the Oregon Centen nial commission reads the granite markers noting the start of the Oregon Trail. Cere monies Saturday marked the start of the expedition, which left about 8:30 a.m. yes terday. The marker is in front of the Jack son county, Missouri, courthouse, from where the train started. Quarters of Beef Found Here S :nday Two hind quarters of beef were found near tne oamp White drag strip Sunday by Jack Vernon Cummings, 1200 Fortune dr., according to a re port made to Jackson county sheriff's deputies. Investigating officers said they are considering the pos sibility that the meat was from steer belonging to Kenneth Muse, route 1, box 455, Cen tral Point, which was report ed sto'len and butchered last week. Manitoba waters produce an annual commercial fishing catch estimated to be worth more than $6 million. About six tons of coal are required in the manufacture of one automobile, inclding all required materials. If you buy a pair of shoes that don't fit, you have lost only the cost of the shoes. But if you buy poorly fitted insurance you could be out thousands of dollars in case of loss. Proper insurance "protection requires careful, studied ; personal fitting". Never buy it without the skilled advice of a trustworthy, independent local insurance agent. . We have a professional knowledge of all of the varied types insurance available for your protection. We rec ommend policies best fitted to your own individual needs and insure you in the strongest capital stock insurance companies. Has ndependent 8 YOUR 1 Insurance JJ AGENT w,f,ii!i" DON STATINS, INSUROR Professional Insurance Protection 220 South Central - Medford PHONE SP 2-2677 HUGE BARGAIN FRIGIDAIRE SHEER IOOK - 9 cu. ft. 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Famous "Gofcen Throat" Tone Nw Crystal Pickup Ftathfwight Tone Arm Seporofe Tone Control TIME PAY PLANS ON PHONOS kiramjMiM meto mkomT A CHARGE PLATE STORE Local officials of the Medford Trail Riders', sponsors of one of the cover ed wagons which left Inde pendence, Mo., yesterday for Oregon, learned today that the canvas cover for the wagon had arrived. Earlier it was reported that the cover had been sidetracked somewhere be between Salt Lake City and Denver and only a tempor ary canvas cover was being used. Literature for the wagon, to bo supplied by the Jack son County Chamber of Commerce, is expected to arrive this week, Don Mc Neil, manager, reported this morning. He explained that the colored folders about Jackson county will be sent to the wagon train as soon as they arrive here. McNeil stressed that other litera ture is being distributed by the wagon until the more recent folders are available. Driver of the local wagon is George McUne, Medford. accompany them, the route, drinking water, food, and the traffic situation. The wagons, made by a Eugene man who is driving one of the wagons, looked sturdy and capable of making the trip without major break downs. Personnel to man the ex pedition was screened from a great number of applicants; they were screened for their knowledge of horses, ex perience with horses, and ex perience in outdoor living. They had to be in fine phy sical condition. Own Water and Food Rather than take a chance on contracting contagious, di seases, the group is taking its drinking water. No longer can a pioneer approach a stream and count on getting good water, nor can stock on such a trip depend on food along the way as oxen, horses, mules and cattle did a century ago. Thus a large truck U carry ing food for stock. The roufee itself is perhaps the greatest concern of many of the wagon train members. Much of the route, the Old Oregon Trail, was used as a basic route for modern high ways. About half of it still is unpaved county road, and a portion of that is nothing but wheel ruts across private property. Motorists today present perhaps a worse problem than, did the Indians of a century ago. Determination But whatever . the prob lems, Wagonmaster Gordon (Tex) Serpa and the entire party has determination; de termination that even todajr a covered wagon can make it across the vast .plains and mountain ranges to Oregon. They will be met in towns across the country by groups of people who wish they had the courage and determina tion to take such a trip; they v will be met by town officials and chambers of commerce, and Oregon will benefit from the idea which was initiated by Dick Smith in Roseburg last year. We take our hats off to a group . of people who are making, and reliving, history. In ancient times in Greece, cooking was one of the highest paid professions. Cooks trained for years and any cook worthy of the name had to be also a poet, philosopher, scholar, psychologist, connois seur of music, dietitian and doctor. Buffalo steaks and buffalo burgers are common items oa menus of restaurants in the Black Hills of South Dakota. One drive-in features buffalo chow mein. ... A Cherry Fudge Ice Cream Monkey On Your Back? Delicious ly Hlabit li-rtrminnl Taste buds jump for sheer oy, boy, just as the mere thought of Cherry-Fudge ice cream. Most people addicted to this scrumptuous stuff eat it three timeia day and twenty times on Sunday. Dutch chocolate ice cream laced with juicy red cherries and jammed chock full of delicate tips of roasted almonds. Guaranteed non-fattening IF you leave it in the refrigerator, (which you can't). A Snider Cow
