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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 1962)
MEDFORU MAIL TRIBUNE. MEiHOHD. OREGON THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1962 Jacksonville Couple Occupies Mid-Century Home t T3SvAr , -.. - ROLLTOP DESK Clinton A. Smith, early Jackson county watermaster, uses an old rolltop desk in his home, which was built in the mid-19th century. The desk is in the library-study, and is filled with letters and mementoes of earlier days. Smith establish ed the first snow survey courses here, and the water and snow surveys are now kept by his son, Marion Smith. Kennedy To Rest At Yosemite Park : Yosemite, Calif. (DPIi The majestic Yosemite Valley, carved from the Sierra Ne vada granite ages ago by gi gantic glaciers, will be a rest haven for President Kennedy this week end. .He was scheduled to arrive by helicopter from nearby Merced Friday evening and leave the following morning to dedicate central Califor nia's San Luis water project. The visit will be the first overnight stay in the park of a chief executive. 'FDR made a visit in 1934," reported Park Super intendent John C. Preston, "but it was a brief affair Into the park in the morning and out in the afternoon. "It will be entirely up to President Kennedy whether to tour the area. However, I'm sure he will be afforded a spectacular view from the helicopter." UUPfV VP FURNISHINGS The home of the Clinton A. Smits-Jacksonville, is still furnished with the original furniture, brought from Crescent City by the builder of the house, Herman Helms. Rugs and bric-a-bac are original, as are pictures on the walls. Mirrors from the Table Rock saloon are in evi dence, as Helms ran the saloon. A small interior picture of the establishment hangs nn one wall. Extensive Studies of Ocean Under Way Corvallis The first exten sive studies on the nature oi the earth's crust across Ore gon and under the ocean off the Oregon coast have been started by the Oregon State university department of oceanography. Ocean-floor gravity read ings were made this month and last at 193 points in a 10 by 40-mile section of the ocean. The center of the area is about 7 miles off Newport. Readings show the gravita tional force of the earth's field at each of the 193 points. The research is sponsored by the Office of Naval Re search and the National Sci ence foundation. Dr. Joseph W. Berg, Jr., department of oceanography geophysicist, is directing the studies. Other OSU scientists working on the project are W. A. Rinehart, James Whitcomb, and Arthur Albin. The scientists are cooperat ing with other organizations interested in this work. The U.S. Geological survey, U.S. Coast and Geodetic survey, and University of Wisconsin assisted by making data avail able to the department of oceanography. In 1900 all of the hard-surfaced roads in the U.S. would not have reached from New York to Boston. CHRYSTAL MEATS The House of Personal Service 4th and Fir Phone 772-7315 Baby Beef Livers.--...,...- - 29 Bacon Squares .vys-, n,. 19 Veal Shoulder Steaks 59 Veal CIIOPS " b and T Bon. lb. 89 Veal Round Steaks 95 Rib Steaks . 75 LOCKER SPECIAL Klamath Fed LOCKER BEEF CUT - WRAPPED - QUICK FROZEN "V Half or Whols lb. 47' 25 lbs. BEEF Family Order.... SI 298 By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribuns Staff WriUr Jacksonville The story of Jacksonville's old Herman Helms house in which Mr. and Mrs. Clinton A. Smith re side is actually two stories in one. It's the story of a home con structed by old Jacksonville miner Helms in the early 1850 s. It's also the story of Clinton Smith, one of Jackson county's earlier watermasters. Smith was state watermas ter for Jackson county from 1930 through 1951. He was the second waterwaster appointed by the state engineer to be in charge of state district which included Jackson county and most of Josephine county. Smith established the first snow survey courses here. The surveys continued for more than 15 years under his super vision. The information re ceived from the first snow surveys and the water surveys of local stream systems are kept now by Smith's son, Mar ion, an hydrographer. Engineers Used Information "The U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used this information to determine if the valley had adequate wa ter resources and needed dams for irrigation, flood con trol and related uses," Smith said. "The watermaster's du ties are the diversion and dis tribution of available waters. Future developments now in dicate the need for major ex pansion of the watermaster's office." Helms, the builder of the house, ran the Table Rock sa loon, in Jacksonville. This is now partially dismantled af ter an earlier fire. The Smiths have a small interior picture of the old saloon hanging in the entry hall of their home. Original Furniture The house nestles under a hill in Jacksonville's Pine st. It is still furnished with the original furniture, rugs and bric-a-brac. The old knotty pine paneling gives an air of warmth and friendliness as a background to the everyday hospitality of these two active senior citizens. Mounted deer and antelope heads decorate the wall above the family room door, comfortable furni ture, corner cupboards and cabinets full of rare dishes and porcelains all add to the air of geniality and dignity A library-study door opens off the family room. Here on one side is the old watermas ter's rolltop desk stuffed with letters and written momen. toes of earlier years. In the front parlor is an an cient btandard organ on which Mrs. Smith plays the old hymns. Here, too, is an old Boston horsehair-upholstered rocker with its stiff, straight back and hard, un compromising seat. Other an tiques in the lower floor of the house include an old French settee, Dresden lamp, marble top table, old murals and frescoes decorate the hall and stairway. The original carpets and picturese are still there. Saloon Mirror In the Smiths' bedroom on the first floor just off the front entrance hall a hand crocheted spread, which has been in Mrs. Smith's family for 100 years, is on the bed. A mirror from the Table Rock saloon hangs on the entrance hall. According to Smith the saloon had the finest gold and mineral collection on the coast. Also in the hall hangs an old whale-oil lantern. Upstairs In one bedroom is j an old-fashioned sleigh bed, so named because of its shape. In the corner of the same bed room is an old round card- table, probably from the Table Rock saloon. On the wall is a mural of Pike's peak showing a wagon train coming down the trail. Not much is recorded about Herman Helms, original own er of the three-room cabin which forms the basis of the Smith's home. He did pack In all his furniture from Cres cent City, Calif. Many of the Jacksonville residents of that time did. He bought gold here and grubstaked miners. His (father was In the saloon busi ; ness so it seemed only natural for Helms to enter it. 1 Smith's Experiences Smith's experiences are as : interesting as Helms' possible ' pioneer adventures might have been. He started his pho tographic career in Kansas when nine years old. He had to climb upon a cracker box to reach the big square box camera on a tripod. He used glass plates as did Petr Britt, , pioneer Jacksonville photog rapher. The two families were good friends. Later Smith made his own wet plates and gold solution papers for printing before manufactured materials were available. Use of early day chemicals weakened Smith's health while he was yet a young man. He traveled from Kansas to Wyoming to recuperate In Wyoming he worked nn the A. B. Fowler ranch In th Portland Gypsies Request Jury Trial Portland -IUPH- Six gypsies arrested here during a wed ding fracas Sunday has asked for a jury trial. The gypsies were arrested on disorderly conduct charges. They in turn accused the po lice who arrested them of bru tality. . The six are out on bail. The trial was tentatively set (or Sept. 26. WATERMASTER'S WIFE Mrs. Clinton A. Smith, wife of one of Jackson county s earnest watermasters, lives wltn her husband in one of Jacksonville's oldest homes. She is shown in the kitchen of the home, constructed by Herman Helms, a miner, in the early 1850 s. spring and summer, and tend ed general store In the winter. Range Wars The Fowler ranch was some distance from the range wars around Cheyenne and west to Laramie, but groups of cat tlemen would drop in to buy horses at the ranch and tell tales of the shootings between the sheep and cattlemen. The U.S. Cavalry was called in to settle the conflict. Smith was working in a general store in Sunrise about 100 miles north of Cheyenne when it was held up for the iron mines' payroll. 'I grabbed a gun from a counter and started shooting. Don't know if I hit anybody. I ducked behind the counter scared to death!" Smith chuckled. The Big Bend country is a labyrinth of canyons with caves. A wild horse from one of those canyons gave Smith a brief, but exciting adven ture. A large black stallion with white stockings was one of a band of horses captured by the cowboys and penned up in the corral. Rop Stallion Each cowboy had been try. ing for days to rope the stal lion In the corral. Smith had been trying just as diligently not to catch him. By accident, one day his loop settled over the stallion s forefeet, slam ming him on his shoulder Then the other cowboys blind folded the horse and cinched on the saddle. As soon as Smith hit saddle leather, someone yanked off the blindfold and horse and rider were off. The other cow boys gave chase. Finally, after circling the horse in an ever tightening circle, managed to slow him down. Then, a somewhat weak and perspir ing future county watermas ter slid to the ground. Corr.i Hers in 1918 Smith worked for the for est service when he first came to this area in 1918. He later became an assistant to the first watermaster for Jackson county, Fred N. Cummings. Then Smith worked as engin eer for the Medford Irrigation district under MID Manager Ed Leach. While with MID he helped lay out the first siphon by Phoenix. The Smiths have lived In their old home in Jackson ville since 1926. They still take an active interest In town affairs and the present histori cal renovation of the old gold and cattle town. Oregon Real Estate Offers To Be Probed Washington -lUPli- The Fed eral Trade Commission has added Oregon to the states where it will investigate real estate offers. The commission ?aid it act ed after a former Oregon resi dent said a ranch tract de scribed as "paradise" actu ally is located in barren wil derness. The commission already has said it will look into real estate ventures in Florida, the Southwest and California. It said three or four complaints may be filed by fall. ALASKAN APPOINTED Portland WPH The Forest Service has stated John E. Schwartz of Juneau, Alaska, would succeed Walter O. Han son as head of wildlife man agement for the Pacific Northwest Region. FOLGERS COFFEE 6-oi. 89c Mb. 69c 2-lbs. $1.37 INSTANT 10-oz. 1.39 EAGLE MARKET Eagle Point Pour3...payfor2 JL J RG Half Quarts SAME PRICE AS KING SIZE SERVES 1 MORE 3 drinks (not 2) SWITCH TO RC HALFXTARTS f Professor Receives Grant For Research Eugene A University of Oregon professor has received three-year, $59,325 grant from the U.S. Army research office to study simple chemi cal reactions. Dr. Richard Noyes, profes sor of chemistry, will attempt to formulate a general theory which will make it possible to predict what the chemical re action will be and how fast it will occur when simple two atom molecules are combined. Title of the research project is "Reactions Involving Three Atom and Four-Atom Transi tion Slates." Dr. Noyes will study substances made up of two-atom molecules, which, when combined, result in ei ther three or four-atom sub stances, depending upon the basic properties of the mole cules. In conducting the project, Dr. Noyes will review the work done In this field over the past 40 years and devise experiments which will "fill in the gaps in our knowledge of these reactions," the chem ist said. SfTIPII flfffr'-'- -i,:..: '" . bOYSENBERRY PEACW . IT o-4 just for trying & PRGSGRVGS KRAFT "fresh-fruit goodness' in handsome re-usable tumblers Traffic in Oregon Tops 1961 Figure Salem -OIPD- Traffic on Or egon freeways in June was more than 22 per cent above a year ago, the Oregon Traffic Safety Commission was told Wednesday. State Highway Engineer Forrest Cooper said the big in crease of tourists compared with a 10.1 per cent gain last year. State Police Capt. Farley Mogan reported that 16.2 per cent of Oregon's traffic deaths last month were non-residents of the slate. Plans for curbing the high way death toll during the com ing Labor Day holiday week end were told by Deputy State Police Supt. Holly Holcomb who said all available person nel will be patrolling the state's highways. Seven persons died in Ore gon during the 1961 Labor Day week end. V KRAFT 3y E PRESERVES Id ic (RAFT JELLIES G PRESERVES Buy any 4 different rlti of Kraft Jelllaa A. Preserrei. Bend In the label. Get back tl.OO with the order form be low I Only the fineat fruits ripened in the lun are ohoioe enough for Kraft Jelliee & Preeervee. They're hurried to the Kraft Kitchens and "qulok-oooked" Kraft' epe oial way to keep the true flavor of the fruit. All your f arc-rite flavors I Along with many of your old favorites, you'll find some exciting new varieties to try, too. Piok any four. Piok any size from the 10-oz. to the economy 18-oz. size of Jellies or Preserves. Send in the labels. You'll get back tl.00 in oash. Limit of 4 labels to any eustomar-and each label must be from a different tarlety . Kraft JtMltl I Pmarvaa OHar Bet 442 Chicago 77, llllnoli I anclosa labels trom 4 different varieties of Kralt Jellies 1 Preserves. Please send me$l cash refund. 20NL , fhlt .elr Oct. !M. r,r limiua Is weufund ev family of Mdrm, , ana ii a-.oo 'h'0oiet.l th UMM sui. tviy. VO'il n'ol-i'H. I'-M V ftit'Kltd, lltil! iuB-IUO 6 cluBi tt 0'lil'0 wi" t M WftS, (ttteittttietee
