Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1959)
Modi rv n n .? n o: mora Railroad Engineer Provides Name of New County Seat (Ediior't note: This ii another In Ihe series of arti cles on historical facts about rarious Jackson county subjects. Today's article is on Medford. It is one of a series of folders published by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. . (Information in the folder came from "A History of Medford." by Jane Snedicor, 1935; "Oregon Geo graphic Names by Lewis A. McArihur. 1944; "The history of Jackson County, Oregon." by William Pierce Tucker, 1931; Jackson county court records and board minutes, Medford Commercial club, 1920.) In the very heart of the beautiful Rogue River valley, the railroad planned to start a new town. The name first selected was Middle-Ford, as David Loring, the railroad engineer, claims because Bear creek was forded at this place. Loring had lived in Medford, Mass., and so he shortened the name of the new townsite to Medford. Peo ple in Jacksonville were not enthusiastic about the new com munity and referred to it as "Chaparral City." The land selected for the new townsite was .owned by C. C. Beekman, C. Mingus, C. W. Brobeck and Ira J. -Phipps. These four men on Oct. 27, 1883, agreed to convey to the Oregon California Railroad company a tract not exceeding 20 acres for a depot and other railroad purposes. By the spring of 1884 the railroad was completed as far as Phoenix and the first week in. January, 1888, found trains running south over the Siskiyous into California.' As soon as the railroad reached Medford, the government established a post office. Early equipment consisted of a cigar box, later discarded for a soapbox provided with nine com partments. Still later a case was built with 30 compartments. J. S. Howard served as postmaster for 10 years. , Western Town ' Medford was a typical little western railroad town in those days, with a few wood en store buildings and a great many saloons, some of them occupying tents. Frequently the more hilarious men rode up and down Main and Front sts. firing revolvers. Occasion ally tempers flared and a hooting scrape occurred. Being a late comer, Med ford's wild west days were short lived. The town matured quickly as citizens bent their efforts toward organization for the responsibilities thrust upon them by an approaching 20th century. During its first winter (1883-84) 40 wooden buildings had been' erected. Population in 1890 was 967. By 1910, it was 8,840. voted a $2,800,000 bond is sue providing a second line from Big Butte Springs and doubling the supply. Ts Articles of incorporation for the town were signed by Governor Moody on Feb. 24, 1885, and adopted by Medford leaders March 11.- On March 28, the board of trustees met at the office of J. S. Howard and elected of ficers: J. S. Howard, presi dent; R.-T. Lawton, recorder; J. H. Redfield, marshal; Charles Strang, treasurer; E B. Hurt, street commissioner; I. J. Phipps, A. Childers, Dr. E. P. Geary and W. H. Barr, trustees. Early Improvements Ordinances were passed. The first provided for punish ment of individuals guilty of disorderly conduct, riots and disturbances. Ordinance num ber two prohibited "minors from loitering about the de pot." Hogs were not to run at large after Oct. 1, 1885. In August, 1886, three doz en pails, two good ladders, two hooks, and 200 feet of manila rope served as fire equipment. In 1908 a fire hall was constructed at the south east corner of Sixth and Front sts. A team and wagon were added, and Mr. Amann be came fire chief. Sept. 7, 1886, the county court was petitioned for $1,- j 600 to build a bridge across J Bear creek. Medford agreed j to pay the remaining costs. j Early in 1884 the first j school was held in a one-room I building on South Central at j the present site of the new i Franklin building next to Ward's store. A Mr. William son was the first teacher. It was a subscription school and each pupil paid $8 per year. ! In May, 1884, the Medford ; school district was organized, j A school was built at the present site of the court j house. During 1891 it was j moved to West Tenth st., just back of the Catholic church. Today it serves as an apart ment house. Another large building was built on the property vacated in 1891. This burned in 1895. It was replaced by the Wash ington school in 1896. In 1931 the building was razed to make way for the present county court house. The first hotel was the Tor- rey House, on the northwest corner of Riverside and Sev enth sts., where Hubbard Brothers store is now located. It was remodeled and called the Roxy Anne Saloon. Next was the Cunningham . hotel, built on the northeast corner of Central and Main early in 1885. The first brick building in Medford was one story with two rooms located on the corner of Main and Front sts. It was started in May, 1884, and later converted into a hotel. In 1892 when M. Purdin and Harris leased the proper ty, it became the Grand Cen tral hotel. Under different managements, , the hotel changed its name often, being known as the Riddle House, the Grand, and Medford. In 1895, it was purchased by Captain Nash and became "The Nash." In 1927 if chang ed hands and was named the Allen Hotel. Today it is known as the Robinson hotel. Mountain Water In the early days Medf ord's water supply was a serious problem. The first six years each family was dependent on its well or that of a neighbor. About 1890 an open ditch three miles long was dug from Bear creek and the water pumped into two wooden tanks each with a capacity of 32,000 gallons. These stood on the property now occupied by the library. In 1902 the old ditch, was abandoned and a pumping plant established on the west bank of Bear creek. By 1908 it was necessary to find a larger supply of water. In De cember the city contracted with the Fish Lake Water company, agreeing to pay $254,100 for the construction of a gravity pipeline from Little Butte creek. By 1919 this was outgrown and a city water commission was appointed. In July, 1927, water from Big Butte Springs, 31 miles away, flowed through the city facilities and the million-dollar system was completed. Medford has reason to be proud of its unusually pure and almost limitless supply of water. In 1950 the citizens Organization, Communication The first civic club, known as the Ladies Aid Society, was organized the summer of 1884. Nearly all the ladies be longed to this civic and social group. On Sept. 25, 1903, the Medford Library association was formed. A library was started in Haskins' Drug store with Leon Haskins as librar ian. March 14, 1895, the leading business men of the town met and organized a board of trade. Captain W. S. Crowell was elected president. This was the forerunner of the Medford Commercial club, or ganized in the summer of 1902 with C. I. Hutchinson as the first president. The Commercial club occu pied an exhibit building by the railroad on the northwest corner of Main and Front sts formally opened May 13, 1905. In 1920 the club's name was changed to "Medford Cham ber of Commerce." In 1935 it was again changed to "Jack son County Chamber of Com merce." The Medford Mail Tribune is Medf ord's oldest newspa per. It was established Feb 20, 1885, when McGinnis started the "Medford Moni tor." The following year Ira A. Phelps bought the paper, changing the name to the "Medford Advertiser." H e sold it to T. Harlan who changed the name to "South ern Oregon Mail." George Putnam came to Medford in 1905 and began publishing "The Tribune." In October, 1908. A. S. Bliton sold the "Medford Mail" to Putnam who consolidated it with "The Tribune" calling it "The Medford Mail Trib une." ' In 1919 Putnam sold his interest to S. Sumpter Smith, manager, and Robert Ruhl, editor. In 1926 the county seat by vote of the people was moved from Jacksonville to Medford The cement building on the northwest corner of Fifth and Central served as a court house. This became the city hall when the new court house on the northwest corner of Oakdale and West Main sts was completed in 1933. The radio broadcasting sta tion KMED was established in the Sparta building by W. J, Virgin on Dec. 26, 1927. As early as 1922 he had opened a radi station, KFAY, at the fairgrounds and later moved it to the Sparta building. Aviation Although the railroad gave Medford its start, aviation captured the community's imagination early. In 1920 the chamber of commerce voted $300 to equip a land ing field at the fairgrounds according t o specifications from the war department. Medford was the first com munity in Oregon to have reg ularly scheduled air mail serv ice, provided in 1926 by Pa cific Air Transport (now United Air Lines). In 1929 the citizens voted $120,000 bond issue to es tablish an airport north of town. A $60,000 bond issue was voted in 1940 to match Federal funds for further im provement as part of the na tional defense program. In 1947 West Coast and Southwest Airways (now Pa cific Air Lines) both estab lished additional air service for Medford. Citizens voted a $250,000 bond issue to provide a new air terminal building, Today the Medford airport is the second most active in Ore gon, serving over 80,000 pas sengers per year. Jackson County Chamber of Commerce We Hare Every Kind for Every Type of Building Commercial or Residential Come in and meet Ray Morris, our roofing depart ment head with years and years -of experience. He will be happy to help you select the type roofing you need and will furnish expert installation men . . . economically. FREE ESTIMATES UU I GH Construction 111 North Fir Phone SP 2-2461 lllllilltllllll Four Teenagers Injured in Crash Four teenagers were taken to Rogue Valley hospital about 1:15 p.m. Saturday after the sedan one' was operating struck a tree at 200 Valley View dr. Investigating Medford po lice officers said Ronald Duane Roberson, 17, of 312 Perrydale ave., driver of the car, told them he was driving at 25 miles per hour when "all of a sudden the tree was in front of him." Roberson and William Gail Crowl, 18, of 111 Chestnut st., were treated for injuries and released. Elaine Da .'is, 16, of 1093 Brookdale rd., was ad mitted to the hospital and later released, and Clifford Albert Coiner, 16, of 129,Taft st., was confined to the hos pital. Police said Coiner com plained of pain in the shoul der, back and legs. MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Or. Sunday, May 17, 1959 ROYAL TONER DIES Rockville Centre, N. Y. -(CPU - Royal Toner, 65, former president of the National Fisheries Institute, died here Friday. Fuscias & African Violets FREELAND'S Tropical Fish 2958 Freeland Read (West End Beall Lane) f.. himii.i -- ----- , ...STiSSfMJ Centennial Day Set In Grants Pass Grants Pass-The southwest Oregon city of Grants .fass will open its Centennial cele bration with a Memorial Day parade May 30. The parade will include historical exhibits, the earli est automobiles, trucks and old firetrucks and buggies. Marchers will be in Centen nial attire. There will be mounted units, bands and the well-known Oregon Cavemen of Grants Pass. A Rogue River Boatnik will start at 1:30 p.m. from city park. Powerboats will com pete on a roundtrip over a 25-mile stretch downstream through dangerous riffles and rapids to Galice. A barbecue will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at city park. The host will be Glen Wooldridge, a boatman who has been plying the treacherous Rogue for many years. Beef and bear meat will be served. The day will include a boat and water show, a hole-in-one golf tournament and a donkey baseball game. Edwin Abbey, noted Amer ican painter who died in 1911, became a member of Brit ain's Royal Academy in 1898. WHOOSH-A spectacular splash was created at Medford air port Friday when nearly 1,000 gallons of water were dumped from a new tank plane that will be used this year by the for est service in "bombing" forest fires. On an actual fire, a soupy mixture of borate, which serves to coat combustible material, is used, according to USFS Fire Control Officer S. T. (Tenny) Moore. The test drop was to check release mechanism and determine coverage. The plane, as well as two others contracted by the forest service, are owned and piloted by Medford Air Service., Last year, 10 fires in this area were effectively controlled by the 'bombing" method, according to Moore. ' EAST EVANS CREEK Family Moves to GP By NELLIE BERGMAN East Evans Creek-Meadows -Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Allen, who have been living in a trailer house in the Meadows, have moved to Grants Pass to be near his work. The. meadows are getting a long wished for rain. Hermon Gerhardus has re turned from a visit at Port land. ' Mrs. Mamie Archanbeau has returned to her home at Milo after a week's stay at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bergman. . Mrs. Curt McRea and chil dren have returned from a visit with her family' in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Le Vasseur of Myrtle Creek visited the Carl Bergmans recently. Mrs. Lily Harth and Mrs. Ben Dawson were visitors at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Bishop Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. A. Singler and daughter, Norma Jean, have moved from Rogue Riv er to their ranch in the mea dows. ARTERIES BLOCKED Frankfurt, Germany - (UPD -The Institute of German In dustry said yesterday the East German Communists had blocked 200 railroad lines, highways and canals which formerly went through the 900-mile-long border sep arating West Germany from the Soviet zone. ' The National Automobile club estimates that traffic ac cidents in the United States in 1957 took one life every 13 minutes. Our -ONE-DAY S IS THE BAY! ALE Is Now Under Way- IFUBIEIE RECLINER CHAIR With Purchase of ANY Living Room Suite Valued from $188.00 or more -ALSO FREE- Courtesy Gift to Everyone Who Comes in the Store Today! Stands MANY ITEMS SELLING BELOW COST Any Bedroom Set On Our Floor $17550 YOUR CHOICE: Up to $349.50 Values INCLUDES: Bookcase Bed, Chest, Double and Triple Dressers, Night Check Last Friday's Paper for the Other Outstanding Bargains Ask About Our SKIP PAYMENT PROTECTION Ga-OHTeoeaERY' 1640 Hiway 66 Ashland Phone MU 2-4351 I wards! p M O N T G O M E R V WARD t f V'a f top i k 111 m m dak ' i fjifyf Regular 2.98 Each tun injl'wt5y 1 1L 9 L3 00 Vi Dul) : J ' ' . : -. llrSlll easy care fabrics need little or no ironing... many new automatic wash 'n' wear items too! SALE! Men's cool 2-way shirts can be worn for dress or sports Most versatile shirt in your wardrobe! Wear collar open for sports, or with tie for dress up. Automatic wash V wear cotton con be tumble or drip dried . . . Sanforized. Vented short sleeves. Hurry in now! SALE! Regular 1.98 boys' new foulard print sport shirts Sizes 6 to 1 8 Wash V wear! Wonderful new blend of 65 Docron and 35 cotton in new foulard prints or handsome plaids. Machine washable. Man tailored 2-way collar, short sleeves. Hurry in and save now! - ' Vry ' i iiiiiSiptaii rajs Children's Usual 1.59 wash V wear play slacks MEN! WASH IT WEAR SLACKS Tumbl. or Hp dry. Smooth poTuh- . oft 1.7B SALE! MEN'S 2-WAY SHIRTS Reg. 1.98. Wo V wear San for- . ized cotton. XJo MEN! WASH WEAR JACKETS Combed polished cotton, choice of short or long- "I QO length. ' "70 I0YS' 2-PIECI SPORT SETS Wash 'n wear cotton pants and shirt. 6. 8. O QQ 10, 12. , J'7 BOYS' WASH V WEAR SHIRTS Don Rhrar cotton ging hams or sofids. . 6 to 18. 1" Polished cotton, machine washable, no ironing needed. 2 front pockets, elastic boxer waist. For boys or girls. 94c Sixes 2 t. 6 3QQGD (It a A4) ttrrnriTTrfl (ftaHSXB S3 OS
