MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 1961
Evidence of Prehistoric Beasts
In Valley Uncovered on Creek
By GREG NOKES
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
1 There was once a time many
years ago when huge prehis
toric beasts roamed the fer
tile lands of the then cool and
moist Rogue River valley.
They and lesser animals had
, the valley pretty much to
themselves then..
There were no barbed wire
fences to bar their way. Nor
were there any subdivisions
or farms to confiscate their
lush pastures. Men with axes
had yet to penetrate the deep
forests to turn a productive
hunting ground into a sea of
stumps.
They could wander across
the countryside without fear
of being struck by a four
wheeled piece of steel. They
could munch on a clump of
grass or lie down in a thicket
without first checking to see
if the foliage concealed a
rusty beer can.
Couldn't Last
But, like all paradises, it
couldn't last forever. An ice
age or two, a sudden change
in climate and other whims of
nature soon made the valley
an unbearable place for them.
They either died or sought
other places . of habitation
leaving the Rogue valley for
the next age to enjoy.
But. evidence that they
were once here remains.
' Several months ago Francis
(Shorty) Hibbard, a surveyor
for the city of Medford, came
upon a large tooth in an ex-
cavation in Bear creek near
the Cottage st. bridge.
Hibbard, who describes
himself as as a self-made pale
ontologist of sorts, knew that
he had stumbled upon some
thing unusual and promptly
forwarded the tooth to the
museum of natural history at
Oregon State college.
Large Bison ' '
J. A. Shotwell, curator of
the museum, wrote Hibbard
that the tooth is one of sev
eral which once adorned the
mouth of a large bison. Shot
well estimated the age of the
tooth and bison at 10,000 to
50,000 years old. This would
place it in the Pleistocene
age.
Several OSC professors
seemed quite impressed with
the discovery, and indicated
to Hibbard that they may
come down and further ex
plore the Bear creek area.
Hibbard believes that the rest
of the bison skeleton is still
buried in the creek bed.
Dr. Franklin W. Sturges, as
sistant professor of science at
Southern Oregon college who
' also examined the tooth, told
the Mail Tribune that al
though this is the first bison
tooth to be found in the val
ley that he knows of, he does
not believe it to be an unusual
find.
Evidence Has Existed
Circumstantial evidence has
existed for some time that the
bison, also known as the Co
lumbian elephant once
roamed this area, according to
Sturges.
Dr. Sturges said the tooth is
from a rather small bison for
that period, and said it would
have been similar in appear
ance and size to the nearly
extinct bisons of today.
More common than the bi
son in the Rogue valley in
those days, however, were
mammoths and mastodons,
both of which resembled the
elephant in appearance ex
cept that they were some-
Court Records
MUNICIPAL COURT
James Eaton, 39, of 326 North
Holly at., driving while license
suspended, $70.
Leora Pettfjohn, 63, of 1325
Murray St., failure to obtain Ore
gon operator's Hcense, $75.
Gary Lewis Mldwood, no opera
tor's license In possession, $5.
Mark Abner Green, violation of
basic rule, $10.
Donald Herman Bergren, viola
tion of basic rule, $10.
William Beverley Wood, improp
er riant turn. S10.
Roy Forrest Martin, violation of
basic rule, $15.
Grant Wayne Dickey, violation
of basic rule, $15.
Eva Irene Hill, violation of basic
rule, $10.
J a u J H. Sparso, violation of
basic rule,
Jerry Wayne Scarborough, vio
lation nf basic rule. S10.
Jerrald Eugene Town, violation
of basic rule, $25.
Donna Deane Smith, operating
tvithnnt hpnriliffhts. $10.
Martha Helen Donahue, violation
of basic rule, $25.
Vivian Gertrude Pierce, viola
tion of basic rule, $10.
Martha Francis V4n Duker, vio
lation nf haste rule. S25.
William Warren Brawn, viola-
tion of basic rule, $10.
Marjorie Pearl Holmes, viola
4inn nf hnnln rule. 10.
Ronald Maurice Slater, violation
of basic rule, sua.
Lawrence Richard Christean,
violation of basic rule, $10.
Robert Irvln lanham, four per-
nni in frnnt spat. 10.
LeRoy Arthur Knight, violation
oi Basic ruie,
Kenneth Wayne Sweeden, vio
Intlnn nf hasif Mil P. SIR.
Theodore Ovey Thompson, vic-
InHnn nf hnftlc rule. 10.
Betty Jane Knight, 22. of 810
Cedar St., failure to obtain Oregon
operator's license. $25.
Esther Verne Hobbs. violation
tt hAstr rule. S25.
Keith Melvin Coggins. failure to
stop oetore entering puouc aireet.
Susan Elizabeth Ross, viofatlon
of basic rule, S12.3U.
Burton Hadley, parked car in
llftv. S5 siLSDended.
Daaryl Lynn Langston, excessive
noise, $10-
Edwin Bruce Stuart, disobeyed
traffic signal, $10; no operator's
license in possessiun, a.
Mary Louise Cobert, disobeyed
top sign, $iu-
Joseph William Fritsch, disobey,
ed traffic signal, $5.
CIRCUIT COURT
Emma Catherine Atwood vs.
Roy Willard Atwood, divorce com
plaint.
MfflElMffll
times larger and their bodies
were covered with hair.
Sturges said a tusk, tooth
and other remains of a mam
moth were found two years
ago during excavation for the
new men's dormitory at
Southern Oregon college. The
remains were thought to have
been about 15,000 years old,
he said, and were from a
mammoth of fairly large pro
portions. Profitable Hunting Places
The most profitable places
to hunt for fossils of these an
imals, according to Dr. Stur
ges, is in sandstone areas.
However, many of the fossils
that are found in this county
are turned up quite by acci
dent. Hibbard's bison tooth is
now on display at Andy's
Jewelry store, 218 East Main
St., Medford.
; "' '
artfaiHrAii
' ,
BISON'S TOOTH Pictured next to a package of cigar
ettes is a bison's tooth estimated to be from 10,000 to 50,000
years old. Francis (Shorty) Hibbard, a surveyor for the city
of Medford, found the tooth recently near an excavation in
Bear Creek. ,
Memorial Cancer
Lectures Slated
The second annual John
Tomlin Memorial Cancer lec
tures have been scheduled for
May 10 and 11 at the Rogue
Valley Country club, accord
ing to Dr. Oscar T. Heyerman,
Medford, chairman.
Established by a bequest to
the Oregon division of the
American Cancer Society by
the late John R. Tomlin, Med
ford businessman, the lectures
bring to the attention of the
medical profession of the area
the latest information about
diagnosis and treamtcnt in the
cancer field.
The subject for this year's
two-day meeting is the drug
and x-ray treatment of can
cer of the blood-forming or
gans leukemia and lymp
homa as well as certain oth
er cancers sometimes treated
in this manner.
Guest speakers Include Drs.
Laurens P. White, from the
cancer research foundation of
the Children's Medical center,
Boston, Mass.; Sidney F.
Thomas, of the department of
cancer therapy and radiology
of the Palo Alto clinic, Palto
Alto, Calif.; and Nicholas L.
Petrakis, from the cancer re
search institute of the Uni
versity of California at San
Francisco.
Invitations have been sent
to the medical doctors in
southern Oregon and northern
California. Dr. Heyerman
quoted that the Memorial Can
cer lectures are the only ma
jor meetings of their kind
held in this area.
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$22.5 Million Noted In
Total deposits of $22,516,
307.93 have been recorded at
the Medford branch of the
U.S. National bank since the
comparable call date in
March, 1960, according to
Manager Allan F. Perry.
Loans and discounts for the
local branch totaled $9,676,
208.84. The U.S. National Bank of
Portland noted "substantial
gains" in both loans and de
posits during the past year,
based on figures released to
B 3
Bonk Deposits
the comptroller of currency as
of April 12, , ,
Deposits were up more than
$21 million and now total
$814,951,807, compared - t o
1960's. $793,840,231. Loans in.
creased in excess of $11 mil
lion and now total $411,055,
818. Total resources for the U.S.
National system, with 79
branches in Oregon, were
$907,825,472, compared to
$890,472,839 on March 15,
lfOO.
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