The Vanishing Post Office; From 69 to 13 in Jackson County
Sports
Medford
heatures
RIBUNE
SECTION B MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1963 "ACES 1 to 8
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This Agate post office on the road lo Bybee bridge was operated from Feb 13 1001
to Apn 30. m(17. with Jefferson S. Grigsby as first postmaster. A magnifying glass
reveals that Star plug (chewing tobacco) was advertised on the front of the building
By EVA HAMILTON
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
Many poets and song writers have been inspired to
action by the passing of the little red schoolhouse and
its successors in wood and brick. The protest started
early and in many areas has not lost its momentum.
"Still sits the schoolhouse by the road, a ragged
begger sunning." was recited in school programs long,
long ago to arouse nostalgia before the most advanced
thinkers had proposed school consolidation or reorgan
ization. But no one seems to write songs or poems about the
passing of post offices, which put so many places on
the map.
They have come and gone. In many cases unheralded
and certainly unsung. .Many of the first ones were dis
continued with the establishment of Star Routes and
Rural Free Delivery, others with consolidation.
The number created in Jackson county through the
the years totals 84. according to a review of available
records. The greatest number in operation at any one
time was 89. There are 13 listed in 1963.
The statement of Herodotus, "Neither snow, nor
rain, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their
appointed rounds," has been quoted frequently in ap
preciation of the work of mail carriers. It appears above
the marble entrance of the New York City post office.
Written on Tablets
The statement was made, post office history notes,
when messages written on tablets of bronze were carried
by men astride fast horses during the fifth century. The
Greek historian said it in describing these couriers.
Even the post office ink well is commemorated in a
poem found in the Medford post office files, author un
known. Hand written on a yellowed piece of stationery,
it reads:
"How many humble hearts have dipped
In you and scrawled their manuscript
Have shared their secrets, told their cares
Their curious and quaint affairs.
Your pool of ink. your scratchy pen
Have moved the lives of unborn men
And watched young people breathing hard
Put heaven on a postal card."
But the post office itself, as much a part of the
early community as the country store In which it was
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This photograph of the Ashland post office, originally called Ashland Mills, apparently in appreciation of the
industry across the way. was taken when (he post office was located on The Plaza. It was there for more than 50
years. The move to the present site was made in March, 1953.
oflen housed, the gathering place of pioneers longing
for letters from home, seems to have been denied (or
spared) the outpourings of sentimentalists.
This may be why it is so difficult to obtain authentic
information to establish the history of post offices.
First In Jackson County
The first one in Jackson county was at The Dar
danelles. There is no dispute about that. It was estab
lished in 1852 with William G. T'Vault as postmaster.
His name appears in the history of the earliest post
offices in Oregon.
By an act of Congress, dated March 3, 1847, the
establishment of post offices in what soon became the
Oregon territory was authorized. In that year post offices
were opened at Astoria and Oregon City with Postmaster
W. G. T'Vault in charge of the latter.
Cornelius Gilliam was appointed special agent or post
office inspector for the Oregon territory in 1847. George
Abernathy, Oregon's first governor, had written Presi
dent Polk requesting appropriation for transportation
of mails in Oregon and to Oregon, adding: "We have
postmasters and a special agent but no mail."
Routes Are Established
Post routes had been established from Oregon City
and from Astoria, three in all. They were: "From As
toria to Independence, Missouri. From Oregon City, via
Fort Vancouver and Fort Nesqually to the mouth of
Admiralty inlet; and from Oregon City up the Willamette
river to the Kalamil river and thence in the direction of
San Francisco."
Gilliam was to "Cause the mail to be carried on said
routes and to select suitable and competent persons at
proper points for postmasters."
"The amount of pay will be the entire yield of the
respective offices on the routes over and above the com
missions to the postmasters, respectively," his insruc
tions read.
Contract for Transportation
Annual report on Dec. 2, 1848, announced: "This
department has made a contract for the transportation
of the mails across the isthmus, front Chagres to Panama,
so that in future there will be regular monthly mail
from Charleston by Havana, Chagres, and Panama to
Oregon."
Gilliam was accirienlly killed in 1848 while defend
ing his people against an Indian outbreak
In 1851 there were post offices in 10 counties In the
Oregon territory. Jackson was not one of them.
The first Dardanelle post office, established In 1R52,
was discontinued in 1854 but reopened Oct. 29, 1855.
Nine years later it was discontinued but only lo be re
established in 1877 for one year of service. In 1878 it
was consolidated with Jacksonville, to which the mail
was transferred.
Marker Is Testimonial ,
The Dardanelles, where a marker now stands as
testimonial to its history, was a stage station located
on the south bank of Rogue river across from the present
town of Gold Hill.
The Jacksonville post office, contrary to popular be
lief, was not the next post office authorized in Jackson
county. It is, however, the oldest in continuous service.
The second post office was Mansaneta, established in
1853. A letter, written by Mrs. Mary M. Coker in 1938,
tells of a Mansaneta school, which stood about two miles
from Central Point on what is now the old Pacific
highway. Her mother, Margery E. Magrudcr, attended
the school.
It is assumed that the post office was in approximate
ly the same area. William R. Rose was the postmaster
for the three years thai the post office was in operation.
Difference In Spelling Name
There is a difference ot opinion on tho spelling of
the name. A letter from Leslie M. Lowell, W.P.A. his
torian, gave Manzanlla as lite correct spelling and veri
fied It by quoling from Ihe files of W. f P. Plyniflle,
official surveyor of Jackson county In 18f4.
The Jacksonville post office was established in 1854,
two years after Jackson county was organized com
prising what are now (he counties of Coos, Curry and
Jackson.
Several men have been named in historial writings
as the first postmasters at Jacksonville James Cluggage,
Nat Langwell or Langcll and R. Dugan. Lewis a Mc
Arthur, secretary of the Oregon Geographic board, set
tled on Dugan. He said that Dugan served until Sylvester
H. Taylor was appointed Dee. 19, 1854.
Opens Jacksonville Bank
In 1856, Cornelius C. Bcckman opended his bank
In Jacksonville and established the stage line to Yreka.
In addition to carrying gold dust, he carried letters
and newspapers for $1 each.
T'Vault, the versatile first postmaster at Oregon
City and Dardanelles, continued lo Jacksonville. He had
published The Spectator, the first newspaper west of
Ihe Rocky mountains, nt Oregon City, and he entered the
newspaper field in Jacksonville, pulishing the Table
Rock News. He died In Jacksonville In the smallpox
epidemic of 1809.
Four post offices were established In 1855 In Port
Orford, Lcland, Cold River and Ashland Mills. Port Or
ford was changed into Coos county, Lcland into Jose
phine county and Ashland Mills heeame Ashland In
1871 with Abel D. llelman as postmaster, and Gold
River was discontinued in 1859.
The First Pottmatter
Phoenix was the next post office authorized in Jack
con county. Samuel Miller was the first postmaster. The
original site was across the street from the old Phoenix
grist mill. The 100th anniversary was observed in 1957.
The names of some of the short-lived early post
offices have inspired numerous legends, which will prob
ably never be proved or disproved.
Buncom is one of these. It served the lively town
close to the famous Sterling mine from 1896 to 1917. At
the opening of World War I the town still had a store
and post office and was served twice a week by the
Blue Ledge Mine stage from Jacksonville. Some say the
town was named for a man named Buncom and others
insist that it got its title from the fact that a miner was
buncoed in a deal.
Asbestos in the Beagle district was in existence from
1893 to 1918.
In Laurelhurit Region
Leeds in the Laurelhurst area of the Upper Rogue
was named for W. H. Leeas, one time publisher of the
Ashland Tidings.
Stored with post office records is a diploma-like
certificate, carrying the seal of the United Stales postal
department and signed by David M. Key, postmaster
general of the United Stales. It announces the appoint
ment of George A. King as postmaster at Big Butte "to
hold office during the pleasure of the postmaster gen
eral of the U. S."
Linkville, Yanax, Drews Valley, Spikenard, Shake
Steinman, Ulvstad, Lilyglen, and Swastika are in the
long list of names which few people now residing in
Jackson county would recall as post offices.
A post office was established at Willow Springs in
1864 with Samuel P. Dean as postmaster. The name
was later changed to Tolo and, as Tolo, continued until
1918 with the mail sent in to Central Point.
Post Offices Established
The Table Rock, Eagle Point and Central Point post
offices were established in 1872. Constant Magruder was
the first postmaster at Central Point, which was changed
to a branch of the Medford office in 1957. Andrew Mc
Neil was the Eagle Point postmaster and Thomas Graninl
started the Table Rock office, according to postal records.
The latter was discontinued, apparently, and re
authorized during the early eighties and operated until
191)6. when the mail was taken into the Central Point
office. Postmasters remembered by old timers are Will
Hansen, S. M. Nealon, J. C. Pendleton and Ed Davis.
Sam's Valley, called Salm's Valley, when organ
ized (maybe through an error in the reporting to the
government) was authorized in 1873 with James W.
Hayes as postmaster, and continued in service until 1953.
Woodville, established in 1876 wilh John Woods as
postmaster, was changed lo Rogue River and is Still
In operation.
Had Unpredictable Career
Thomas Mill, changed to Spikenard, had an unpre
dictable career. The office was authorized in 1879 with
Thirston T. Thomas as postmaster. In 1883 it bacame
Spikenard and the mail was sent to Sams Valley. From
1884 until 1895 the mail went to Asbestos and from
1897 to 191)3 it went to Beagle.
In 1891, in the Applcgatc area, a post office was
operated under the name of Kubli with Kaspar J. Kubli
as postmaster. In 1907 the office was discontinued.
From 1914 to 1922 there was a Wcllcn post office
and Hugo von der llellen was the first postmaster.
On the Agate desert, where flowers bloom in pro
fusion in spring and agates work their way through the
sticky soil to the Joy of rock hounds, a post office was
opened in 1901 with Jefferson S. Grigsby as postmaster.
It was located Just across the road from jack Mont
gomery's store where farmers could buy many things
from strong drink to stick candy at the turn of the
century. The post office closed in 1907.
One Moved Into County
While many post offices were established in Jackson
county (when it look In much more territory) and moved
into other counties, one was moved into Jackson county
from another slate. Copper was authorized in Siskyiou
rnunly, California, in 1914 and was moved into Jackson
counly in 1924. It continued in service until 1832.
While Ihe number of post offices has been reduced,
(he business has been expanded.
"The phenomenal growth," of which the cily of
Medford wrote in 1909 in an effort to get city de
livery servici; established, sounds infinitesimal today.
It read in part: "The city council has just taken an of
ficial census of the city and it shows a population of
5.330. The postal receipts for the fiscal year, ending June
1908, were $12,757. The receipts for the year ending
June 30, 1905, had been $5,701.80." (The big boom was
on in Medford.
Assistant Postmaster
The first assistant postmaster general C. P. Granfield
replied to Medford's request. "You are informed that a
post office Inspector has been detailed to visit your city
and ascertain whether the requirements of the regula
tions rgardlng sidewalks, street light, street signs and
house numbers have been met."
On June 21, 1909, the letter came directing the post
master to establish cily delivery service employing two
mail carriers. Apparently the sidewalks, street signs and
numbers had been added to the satisfaction of the in
spection service. The post office was opened at its present
location May 14, 1918, after several moves about the city.
For many years, no new post offices were established
in Jackson county. It wns a period of reduction, not
addition, in the post office business. Then came World
War II and Jackson county's youngest post office, White
City, came into being.
The official list now reads Medford, Ashland, Butta
Falls, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Gold Hill, Phoenix,
Prospect, Rogue River, Talent, Trail, Shady Cove and
White City.
4
EjtF-i r-L
The Central Point post office was located in the brick building on the left when this political parade was held
in the early 1900s. It remained in this location until 19 51, when it moved down the street to the corner of Pine
(Main) and Fourth jts. It was housed in the Faber build ing there for a few years before locating in the new build
ing just off Tine on Fourth it.
The Medford post office was In this location on North Central ave. In the early 1990s. The post office sign li
behind the automobile (ownership unknown). The alley lo the far right is the one which the city of Medford ha
been asked to vacate for expansion of Mann's department store. All photographs of post offices are from the col
lection of W. . (Gene) Thomas, 41, Ashland, ave., Medford.