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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1961)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, ORE. 72 Colorful Years Reflected in Looking Oloss Ashland Hotel r SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 19, 1981 Becomes Memory Of Halcyon Days By FAITH McCULLOUGH Mail Tribune Correspondent Ashland - "Going, going, gone! Sold for $25." The auctioneer's hammer fell sharply. A long mirror was carried to safety from the milling crowd, and the bidding on blankets, beds and tables went on. Scenes from 72 colorful years had been reflected in the venerable looking glass of the old Ashland hotel. In visibly stored within its frame were the Images of William Jennings Bryan, of Walter Damrosch, of William Howard Taft, of Eugene Debs. And some there were In the auction crowd who could see them again. Trade Memorial in Tribute The few who remembered the halcyon days traded mem ories in tribute to the ancient hostelry's passing. Only one man had personal recollection of its beginning in 1889. Clarence Lane, Ashland na tive son now 90, was one of the town's gay young blades who tripped the light fantastic toe in the gold ballroom of Hotel Oregon. He had raced marched or ridden before Its veranda grandstand on more than 70 Independence Days. He had manned a hose when the ornate cupola and turrets disappeared in flames and when the old Ganiard Opera House across the corner on Pioneer st. was destroyed by fire. "Mister Ashland," authentic compendium of local history, whose vigorous years span a near century, is philosophical as he watches the demolition crew at work. He has seen buildings and people come and go. To him it is just the natural course of' events, something to be remembered but not mourned. Purchased By Bank The hotel was purchased by the First National Bank of Oregon Dec. 22. A new build ing for the Ashland branch ol the bank will be erected on the hotel site this summer. The old hotel property totals 29,900 square feet. : The new bank building will feature all modern conven iences. Wrecking should be completed by July, according to bank officials. Still vivid in the memories of two Ashland native daugh ters are the gay parties held in Hotel Oregon when It was the town's social center. Miss Lydia McCall and Mrs. Mabel Wagner Kinney, cousins who are now living at Mountain View Rest Home, were among the young crowd of that peri od when the polka and the three-step vied in popularity witty the waltz. Building Completed It was Jan. 25, 1889, that the Imposing three-story brick building was completed by Contractor A. W. Scott, but it was not until March 27 that the stars and stripes were run up on the turret flag pole and the doors were officially op ened for guests, On that day it is reported "the handsofne buss, just ar rived from San Francisco, carried the band through the city" announcing the great event. "When twilight came the ho tel was a blaze of light from office to attic. At 7 o'clock the music of the band wns the sig nal to assemble for the cele bration," according to the lo cal paper. 400 Crowd Ballroom Approximately 400 guests crowded into the ballroom and lobby, overflowing onto the long veranda and the new board walk. Chief feature of the evening was a bountiful $1 banquet served in the "beautiful and spacious din ing room." Toasts were made by Gen. J. C. Tolman, Dr. J. S. Walter and G. F. Billings. There were recitations and vo cal music and, of course, danc ing. Guests thronged the corri dors and inspected the cham bers, marveling at the swing ing light bulbs and the elec tric "annunciator" which con nected the clerk's office to ev ery room. Electric lights had arrived in Ashland only a month be fore the hotel's complctiion and were an awesome revela tion to the townspeople. An electric fire alarm system was another of the building's mod ern conveniences, while "hot and cold water" was proclaim ed loudly at the Southern Pa cific depot by the hotel hack driver. Neglects To Mention He neglected to mention where the lodgers would find hot and cold water, nor did he give any details about other plumbing facilities or their (its) location. Old timers recall that the elegant new hotel was des cr'ned In glowing terms as "the finest in Oregon, - out '(le of Portland." and that lit ill if te-J "A , lJTlf- i7$lL I rl ill - j Wr- RAZING PROGRESSING Razing of the Ashland hotel is progressing rapidly. This view shows ihe rear of the top two floors chewed away by wreckers. The hotel has been a city landmark for 72 colorful years. The three-story build ing was completed in January, 1889. Approximately 400 accommodations and cuisine attracted visitors from all parts of the nation, most of them arriving by train. Hotel Oregon, as it was known for many years, was built by a stock company com posed of Ashland business men "to whom a bonus of $2, 500 was given by other citi zens;" The bold venture came at the close of that flourishing decade, . the , exciting 80's. when around the Plaza there arose a half dozen brick build ings and along the nearby streets new and imposing mansions were erected. The completion of the California- Oregon railroad ' triggered Ashland's boom years. Lease Hotel Drs. A. C. Helm and Charles E. Beebe were first to lease the hotel and H. B. Carter served as president of the Ashland Hotel company. Helm was vice president and W. H. Atkinson wus secretary-treas urer. On the board of direct ors were Gwlnn S. Butler, D. R. Mills, and Gen. J. C. Tol man. In addition to the hotel, there were a barber shop, a bar and a real estate office and in the rear a wash house and a stable. Helm and Beebe traveled to San Francisco and as far east as Chicago to pur chase the furnishings which filled more than three freight cars. Included were "solid onk bedroom suites, handsome flowered Brussels carpets and tapestries, marble wash stands and crockery, and a fine Math- ushek piano." Plantings of evergreens and palms gnvc visitors the im pression that Ashland enjoyed a banana bell climate where the pine and palm meet. For 72 years tho covered veranda, lined with rocking chairs and swings, has been the town's vantage point for viewing pa rades and passing traffic. No Record Available No consecutive record of ownership is available and even the best memories have failed to recall more than a few of the men and women who were hosts. Amine them were D. Perozzl and George Owens. The final owners from 1947 to 1981 were Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Green. Manager of the hotel for 10 years at the turn of the cen. tury was H. S. Sanford, whose son, Torbert, and daughters. Mrs. Ethclyndc Whitney and Mrs. Gladys Rose, still live in Ashland. They have many happy recollections of their youthful experiences while the family lived In the hotel Mrs. Whitney recalls the three-course dinners served for 50 cents by Chinese Jim, saying that traveling men would arrange their sched ules so that they might cat as many meals as possible at the Ashland hotel. Wonderful Pastries "Those pastries were won derful," declared Mrs. Whit ney, "And his custard piei were something very special." Her brother added that townspeople made a practice of eating their Sunday dinners at the hotel. He recalled that the Thomas Simpson family were "regulars." After the Chinese cook returned to his homeland he wrote frequent letters and sent Interesting giiU to the Sauford fanyjy. MA"Y MEMORIES Clarence Lane, 90, of Ashland, looks on as wrecking crews busi'y go about demolishing the Ashland hole'. Ihe 72-year-old hotel holds many mcmnric'j for Lane. He has raced, marched fecial Jfr'fi1 ; P HOTEL OREGON When the Ashland hotel was built in 1889 it was known as the Hotel Oregon. It was built by a stock com pany composed of Ashland business men. Furnishings were brought fcom places as far away as San Francisco and Chicago. In It was several years later, Pcil had to await completion oldest hotel has dispensed during the 1907 "hard times," i so they spent several weeks in warm hospitality to Chautau that needy families were giv- j a suite on the third floor west qua celebrities and railroad en a generous pail filled with i front. crews, to senators and Shakes- dinner left overs for a dime. In 1912 Ashland High school spearean actors, to salesmen First Acquaintance ' graduates felt they had reach- and overnight tourists. Mrs. Alice Applegnte Pcil. ed the ultimate of sophistica-1 Today only a front facade now a resident of the Rogue j lion when they held their sen-1 remains as final reminder of Valley Manor, tells of her first ior banquet in the. elegance i an era past. acquaintance with the hotel 1 when she was a bride in 1910. Upon returning from their honeymoon Mr. and Mrs. Kmil r, guests crowded into the ballroom and lobby at the hotel's opening celebration. One of the unusual features of the hotel in 1889 was electric lighting and an electric fire alarm system. nearly three-quariers of a century, Ashland's oldest hotel has served as a home to rail road crews, senators, Shakespearean actors, salesmen and overnight tourists. Only a front facade remains todays as a reminder of past eras. of the hotel dining room, re-! calls Mrs. Grace Milam Flint j During nearly niree-quar-1 tcrs of a century Ashland's or ridden Dcfore lis veranda grandstand on more than 70 Independence days. He man ned a hoso when the hotel was blistered by flumes many years ago. And he danced in the gold ballroom many times. To the sound of falling tiny bers and rip of the wrecking bar Ashland moves on with its business of progress. COLLEGE'S NAVY This is Oregon State colleges ocean ography research ship "Acona" after launching last week in Portland. One of the vessel's special features is an underwater port with lights so scientists can observe marine life as the ship sails. (UPI Telephoto) 'Acona' Launched for Research Projects Portland- The vessel that will unlock the secrets of the ocean off Oregon was launch ed in Portland last week. It is the quartcr-million-dol- lar "Acona" of the Oregon State college department of oceanography. It will be used by the college for the first really intensive studies ever made of the Oregon ocean. The Acona was built with a grant from the Office of Naval Research, which picked OSC two years ago as one of 10 schools in the nation to carry out a giant 10-year program of research in waters sur rounding the United -States. The schools are spaced up and down the East and West coasts and along the Gulf of Mexico. The new OSC "navy" is de scribed as an 80-foot "floating laboratory" by Dr. Wayne V. Burt, head of the college's oceanography department and the man who launched ocean research in the state when he joined the OSC staff in 1954. Special Equipment Special research equipment on the Acona will let the scientists study the ocean inside-out and from top to ocean floor, which is 3 miles down in some places off Oregon. One of the vessel's special features is an underwater port, with lights, so that scientists can observe marine life as the Acona moves along on its reg ular research cruises. A wide range of research projects is scheduled by the various OSC ocean experts, Burt said. These will include inventories of plant and ani mal life; studies of currents off Oregon and how they change; bottom sediments and the ocean floor; temperature; oxygen content, and salinity of the water; pollution prob lems in coastal estuaries; and defense-type research on un derwater factors affecting sub marine operations. Oregon has the fourth long est coastline of any state, but almost nothing had been done on research before the OSC oceanography department was organized. Sponsor at Launching Mrs. Burt was sponsor at the launching that sent the Acona into the waters of Wil lamette river. Invocation was by the Rev. Walter Frutiger o f the Corvallis Federated churches. Members of the official par ty that witnessed the launch ing .included OSC President A. L. Strand, Dr. John R. Richards, chancellor of the state system of higher educa tion, and some members of the state board of higher edu cation. The name Acona is an In dian word for Yaquina. New port, on the Yaquina Bay, will be home port. Before the Acona goes to Surgical Diseases of Heart Subject of Show "Surgical Diseases of the Heart" will be discussed on "Adventures in Medicine" at 4 o'clock this afternoon over station KBES-TV. Appearing on the medical panel will be Dr. Thomas E. Upton, anesthesiologist. Dr. James W. Quinn. chest sur geon, and Dr. William Miller, pediatrician. They will be as sisted by Herbert Hunter, medical illustrator. Normal heart functions and causes of malfunction will be described with accompanying sketches. The difference be tween open and closed heart surgery will be explained, and some of the more common heart conditions treated by surgery will be described. The physicians will note! also the important conlribu-l turns made by anesthcsia.ini r 4 aiHPWwSPwwW l ' i , i I EXPLAINS EQUIPMENT Electronics equipment as Naval Reserve Electronics Technician Second Class Charles Parlier, Division 13-5 honored families and friends Medford, explains to a group of interested of the civilian-sailor members Valentine's onlookers the operation of a piece of radar Day night. Reserve Holds Valentine Party Mcdford's Naval Reserve had a Valentine party Tues day night. It marked a special occa sion honoring the families and "sweethearts" of members of Electronics Division 13-5 ad judged one op the "nation's best" during national competi tion last year. After witnessing the open ing ceremonies and personnel inspection, the large crowd settled back while Command ing Officer R. A. Schuchard gave a detailed explanation of the Naval Reserve training program as offered in an elec tronics division. Later, the audience saw a special colored slide presenta tion by Radioman Seaman Alec Gercn, Medford, featur ing pictures of his recently completed two-week cruise to South America. Newport, however, a good deal of outfitting still remains. The ballast, winches, and other special gear must be put into place. Formal commissioning will come when the Acona is ready for its ocean duty. At that time, open house will be held for those who want to see the vessel and watch demonstra tions of research equipment. In adition to the funds from Office of Naval Research, OSC has received substantial grants for ocean studies from the U.S. public health service and the National Science Foundation. modern heart surgery, and ex plain some of the newer sur gical techniques being used. Mrs. C. Ivan Burton, director-moderator of the Tubercu losis and Health association's bi-weekly program, presented in cooperation with the Jack son County Medical society, said this is the sixth year in which a program on heart disease has been presented during National Heart Month. She added that, although the association's first concern is the eradication of tubercu losis, many other chest condi tions are found through the case-finding program - the weekly chest x-ray clinic, op erated at Sacred Heart Hos pital. Many of these condi tions, including heart, are re ferred to the patient's own physician for further stuoV. I mam uu. - - - u . . l . ( i i imM Demonstrations in electron ics and radio were given by petty officers of the unit throughout the evening. Refreshments consisting of Mortuary Cemetery Mausoleum Crematory Columbarium Only Complete Funeral Service In ONE Location In Southern Oregon O "3 a IT) Joe Hosick-Funeral Director-Monager SISKIYOU And SISKIYOU MEMORIAL PARK t. G. (Lew) Miles, Mgr. SP 2-2344 lea 3 O - 11 o o 605 specially decorated sheet cakes and "good old Navy mud" were served by the wives of the division staff officers. INVESTIGATE and SAVE 1 with One Ca In One location SP 2-5488 5 Minutes from Riverside & 8rh or 10th Streets Highland Dr
