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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1963)
I f Mt. f . By CLEVE ; Mail Tribune Staff Writer ' and AILEEN SIMMERS f Mail Tribune Correspondent I Mt. Shasta, the awe-inspiring 14,162 foot giant that decorates the center of California's Siskiyou county, means many things to many people, f It is world famous, but for varying reasons. To some I it is an enjoyable winter playground, to others an oppor i tunity for commercial gain. I, But the mountain is perhaps most widely known for f Its mystic quality. Religious groups around the globe I have incorporated it into their beliefs, as sort of a great f white God. j- Amid all the clamor. Mt. Shasta stands alone, with i Shastina, her second peak, nestled on her western slope. IS Million! Yeari Old f Peter Skene Ogden. according to history, "discover f ed" the mountain in 1827, although legends speak of it f many thousands of years into the past. Scientists say it is 16 million years oid. Geologists call it a dormant I volcano with a boiling hot sulphur spring near the base i , of the main summit pinnacle. Y ' The awesome beauty and enormity of the mountain I captures the attention of authors, artists, nature lovers, t photographers, hikers, skiers and religious groups. But most people agree that there is something mysterious U about Mt. Shasta. Even people with no interest in the I occult aspects of the mountain say that it has a kind of i magnetism about it. I . One of the principal legends about Mr. Shasta is that J It became the refuge of escapees from the sinking con i,' tinent of Lemuria, or Mu as it is often called, now lying beneath the Pacific ocean. Inhabitant! Migrate Eastward ': According to this legend, some inhabitants of Lemuria migrated eastward when the continent began to sink and ( made their way to Mt. Shasta, which loomed before them ; 1 to the east, seeming to be a natural haven, jt There are said to be descendants of these Lemurians f. living on or inside the mountain today. Some say they inhabit a self-contained underground city eight miles I , below the peak. Others say they live on the mountain slopes someplace. There is supposed to be a hidden en i - trance to the underground city somewhere on the , mountain. I Persons who believe in the existence of this under ground city say that the Lemurians occasionally come out. Some present-day residents of the city of Mt. Shasta say they can recognize a Lemurian when he shops in '(. town. I An article by Edward Lanser which appeared in the ; Los Angeles Times of May 22, 1932, had this to say j about the Lemurians: i Seen on Various Occasions f "The Lemurians have been seen on various occasions; r they have been encountered in the Shasta forest, but I '. only for a brief glimpse, for they possess the uncanny 5 secret knowledge of the Tibetan masters and, if they desire, can blend themselves into their surroundings and ' vanish. I "At times they came into the neighboring towns - s tall, barefoot, noble-looking men, with close-cropped hair, ; dressed in spotless white robes that resemble in style the f enveloping garment worn by the high-caste East Indian j women today - to patronize certain stores. i "Indeed, the records reveal that at one time an of- I ficial visit was made to the city of San Francisco by a Forest By MAUDE ZIEGLER Mail Tribune Correspondent Applcgate Valley - What does today's district ranger f do the year around? How does a ranger district op erate? Offhand one might think of a district as including office, public camp grounds, logging, fighting fires, and sending out lookouts. Actually, a ranger dis trict does a quarter of a million dollar business an nually. The total budget for Star Ranger station last year was $260,000. This is equal to a medium sized business concern In south ern Oregon. The ranger Is dealing with human and abstract qualities. He is interested in people and knows a sen sitivity to people who work with him and to the pub lic. Coordinates Services He coordinates a vast network of services, mak ing sure that each com plements the other, and that all work together in harmony. In an interview with staff members at Star Rang er station, it was pointed out that where jobs are concerned, the ranger must get the right man for the job at hand and see that he has training for that job. "You wouldn't use an en gineer in a forester's po sition," a staff member said. "We are very con scious of the training pro gram that goes on all thd time. Five hundred man days of training were un der way last year. Some of it was formal in the nature of schools: the need for learning and development never ceases." The men are expected to seek self development, and all promotions are competi tive. A man is never pro moted for the length of years he has served, it was said. Works In Harmony In seeing that each phase of the forest service works in harmony, it was point ed out that "there is no need to have an engineer design a road if there has been no timber sale in the area." The district ranter is a public relations man. Through the utc of press releases, "show-mc" trips, and talks to groups he fC II f ,, Shasta s Mysftk Quality TWITCHELL Service keeps the public informed nn what goes on in the dis trict. He receives com plaints from forest users, and if complaints are justi fied he corrects the fault, and if not justified, he ex plains why such action was taken. He must treat all peo ple fairly. He also must an swer congressional inquir ies. The ranger is responsi ble for organization of the district. During the winter months he takes a look at the work load for the next year. He makes an analy sis of number of men need ed for planned jobs and means of getting men to fill those jobs. Write Description For this he makes out a form slating how much work is to be done, how many hours It takes, and if the project is not under a "canned" job description, he writes a job descrip tion. He considers the num ber of men available, and if more men are needed, he 1 ;:v - Star Ranger station Ranger Neil Suttcll i- shown above along Sturgis Ford rd.. uh;-h was rcM-edcd as part of the forest p-s-'iStr white-robed patriarch from the mystic village. He came on foot with an escort of younger men to bring greetings and assurance of goodwill upon the anniversary of the founding of their sacred retreat in California . . ." The article goes on to say that these same white robed men frequently came into stores in the city of Mt. Shasta, making purchases with gold nuggets, usually overpaying. They were said to have large quantities of sulphur, salt and lard and to have shown little interest in "the gay materials and novelties of our modern civili zation." Lanser's article alio claimed the Lemurians donaled some of their gold nuggets to the American Red Cross during World War I. Statement of Existence This same 1932 Los Angeles Times article also makes the rather startling statement that the existence of the Lemurians on or in Mt. Shasta was vouched for some years before by Edgar Lucien Larkin, for many years director of the Mt. Lowe observatory in southern Cali fornia. "Prof. Larkin, with determined sagacity," the Times article says, "penetrated the Shasta wilderness as far as he could - or dared - and then, cleverly, continued his investigations from a promontory with a powerful long distance telescope. "What the scientist saw, he reported, was a great temple in the heart of the mystic village - a marvelous work of carved marble and onyx, rivalling in beauty and architectural splendor the magnificance of the temples of Yucatan. He saw a village housing from 600 to 1,000 peo ple; they appeared to be industriously engaged in the District Ranger Has Work Throughout Year includes In his report the type of men needed to fit this job. Forms for non-professional jobs go to the Medford supervisor's office, and if the work is professional the form goes to the regional forester's office in Port land. A specific case prepared this winter was the work load analysis made of the position of resources assis tant, now held by Robert Snoich. It was found that this position held too many functions, showing a total of 5.76 man years of work being done by five people. A need was apparent of ob taining another man to con sume the remaining frac tion of man years. The re port on this detail prepar ed by the ranger consumed a small writing tablet, as well as many hours of work. Organizational Chart An organizational chart was compiled, request was made for a position classifi cation, and a fiscal year fi nancial plan to take care .rM'v p'M I service's road program. ftp of the position was pre pared. The report was sent to the regional office, and I lie position will not be ful filled until July 1. The job analysis took the ranger five man days to complete. Establishing a promotion or filling a po sition requires a similar procedure. The ranger is responsible for personnel management of the 79 summertime em ployees. Twenty-five are kept on the staff during the winter. The morale of the staff is dependent on the ranger. It was noted that the morale and accomplish ed work In the Star Ranger district are completed ac cording to standards and more. The fire record for last summer was cited, showing several fires, but with acreage burned held at a minimum. The ranger corrects his staff members and com mends and gives promo tions when work is well done. Financial Management Financial management of bank stabilization seeding i- ,--:."!ijiif'-'- ' :n' .,.: r : !-A' . .. '.;,,,.':'.'..:'.- ''.',,7; 4 California's Mt. Shasta the district is the responsi bility of the ranger, lie sub mits requests for money and plans expenditure of money appropriated by congress. He sees that jobs do not exceed the allotted money. He handles 80 dif ferent accounts resembling the methods of household budgeting. An example of this budgeting is seen in the report of 260 miles of trail to maintain at a cost of 55,500. The money is not sufficient, but the job is completed and above stand ard most of the time. Other details of a ranger's duties include reading, checking, and signing of all reports and correspondence going out of the district office during the course of the year. Last January alone had 18 separate re ports. The ranger reads all memos within the depart ment where they refer to policy. The office secre tary types from one to two dozen memos daily through the year. The ranger Is obligated by law to manage the five renewable resources under multiple use and sustained yield concept; these Include forage, recreation, wild life, wood, and water. The law says no one resource has priority over another. Welfare of Personnel The safety, health and welfare of all persons on the district are under the ranger's supervision. Prop er tools are supplied, and their use is taught in train ing and safety meetings. As a part of the safely program, a standard and advanced Red Cross first aid course was given to 20 men this winter with Douglas Finch as the in structor. All persons are supplied with poison oak preventive, and are given prompt care by a physician in case of accidents. The ranger has an in spection and control pro gram, keeping abreast of what his assistants are do ing. He makes unexpected visits to lookouts and rides trails to sec that work !s done to standard. He checks timber sale administration to see that contract require ments arc being met. Ranger Neil Suttell has five assistants at Star Rang er station to whom he del egates much of the techni cal work of the Applrgate district. Head Departments George Berschcid is in charge of timber manage ment; Jack Fitch, business management; Robert Rcid er, engineering: Robert manufacture of articles necessary for their consumption. They were engaged in farming in the sunny slopes and glens surrounding the village - with miraculous results, judging from the astounding vegetation revealed to Prof. Larkin's spy-glass." Evidently this was not an underground city but one somewhere on the surface of Shasta's slopes. According to the bonk "The Mt. Shasta Story," by A. K. Eichorn. Sr., published in 1057, some observers doubted tliHt Professor Larkin ever made the statements attributed to him. Others, however, arc reported to have said that the professor did "accidentally" discover the Lemurians. The Lemurian legend has been the subject of numer ous books and newspaper articles. Perhaps one of the earliest books on the subject was "A Dweller on Two Planets," written in 1186 by Frederick Spencer Oliver, who is said to have discovered evidence of a strange race in the Mt. Shasta area, following which he said he felt a strange feeling come over him that prompted him to write down a manuscript by a being named Phylos the Thibetan. One of the more recent articles to come out of the Lemurian legend, according to Eichorn's "The Mt. Shasta Story." was an article in the Oct. 30, 1955 San Francisco Examiner (originating from the Siskiyou Daily News at Yreka) reporting the discovery at the 11,000 foot level of a gigantic footprint with three toes. Another legend mentioned in Eichorn's book deals with bells. The book quotes a journal entitled "Cali fornia Bell Legends; A Survey" reporting that the in Snoich, resources; Robert Webb, fire control. Eilch of the assistants is responsible for keeping the ranger informed on progress of work either by prog ress reports of memos. The ranger in turn must report to the Rogue River Nation- , al Forest supervisor four times a year on progress be ing made. This is called an accountability report con sisting of 10 pages. The su pervisor then reports to the regional forester's office in Portland. In addition to these as sistants there are three pro fessional (graduate) for esters on the staff. They arc Wallrr Bennett, Joe Genre, and Kenneth Mey er. There arc three engineer ing technicians. They are Logan Evans, Kenneth Pcr rcard, and Donald Wyatl. The four forestry techni cians are Jack Crump, Joe Jewell, Donald Moulton, and Pete Purricr. Fire Control Technician Fire control technician is Ben Twiss, and the super Inspecting rangeland In the Applcgate distrirt of Rogue River National (rirest are. Features Spoils medford jjffiTRiBUNE SFCTION B MEDFORD. OREGON, SUNDAY, MARCH 3. 1983 PAGE 1 In visory fire control aide Is Francis (Pete) Gregory. The three fire control aides are Dave Hopfcr, Bu ford Wcls, and Hal Von Slein. John Henderson is a forestry aide. Mrs. John Henderson is office secretary. All of the personnel are full time civil service employees. During the winter the ranger annually makes an appraisal of the previous year's work, and plans the training program for the coming year. In winter, the men arc engaged in scaling, maintenance of buildings, construction of camp grounds, limber sale ap praisal, and road designing, The ranger's assistants arc delegated the authority to make decisions In accor dance with regulations, but the responsibility and ac countability for work prog ress and policy decision rests with the ranger. Example of Decisions As an example of these decisions is the question of putting a logged clear-cut on a hillside visible from a habitants of a city called Yaklayvia underneath the mountain created bells with a sound so mighty that it was able to move vast masses of rock within the moun tain and hollow out room for the city. Still another Mt. Shasta legend concerns t'.c "Little People." An article by Eugene H. Drake of Los Angeles, for instance, reports that the writer encountered during 1951 and 1952 large numbers of tiny beings who had the ability to appear or disappear at will. The Mt. Shasta area today Is occupied by a number of groups with various beliefs about the mountain - t among them the "I Am" group, Rosicrucians and others. Following are the results of interviews with a number of individuals connected with these organizations: Lemuriani She Knowi Mrs. Mildred Coleman, a Rosicrucian, tells of the Lemurians that she knows live in the mountain. They come to town, but remain incognito. She tells of the Ascended Masters who have a mammoth temple under the mountain at the 12,000 foot level. The mountain it referred to as God's Mountain - one of His shrines The temple was hewn out by spiritual labor. ' She says Lemuria is due to rise and the ocean will come in. The coast range will be leveled. Safety for the people lies within a ten mile radius of the mountain. Miss Ruth Light joined the "I Am" religious activity in 1932. She tells of the founder of the organization, Guy W. Ballard, being sent to the Mt. Shasta area by a mining concern 30 years ago, and of his encountering St. Germaine at a mountain spring one day while he was hiking on the trails of McCloud River valley, seek ing peace and inspiration. An electric current went through his body when St. Germaine spoke and gave to him a cup of the Water of Life. Thus was born the "I Am" Activity. This group refers to rcimbodiment, rather than reincarnation as do the Rosicrucians of this vicinity. To conquer self is the group's goal as well as to project light, to bless, to heal and to prosper. The annual "I Am" pageant, staged in the huge outdoor amphitheater in Mt. Shasta, draws visitors from all over the world. Extra Sensory Perception The Great White Brotherhood believes in extra sensory .perception and metaphysics. Its members de clare that there is nrfdeath and lose all fear of it, feeling that there is a survival of human entity after death of the body. They too have a great affinity to the mysterious power of Mt. Shasta. 1 Whatever their tastes, beliefs or traditions, all these organizations embrace the mysticism of the mountain and it's Lemurians or whatever inhabitants are there. Appear As Earth People According to one source, Lemurians appear as earth people. To another source they are seven feet tall with extra large heads and long arms, with a marble like skin covered bump in the middle of their foreheads, a third eye which enables them to sense the presence of earth people long before the earth people know they are around, and do disappear at will. In every book written about tribes of Indians living in the area around Mt. Shasta, mentioned always is the mystic, strange atmosphere of the mountains. In all the religious organizations that have sprung up in the region of the great white mountain, myster ious powers arc attributed to it. Lights arc seen on its lowering sides, bells ring, strange occurances which can't be explained take place. Some persons make yearly pilgrimages and many others have moved to the area to make their homes in Us shadows. recreation road. The rang er decides that the clear, cut is permissible if It is small or is screened from view. Another decision may come in the probability of two road sites, each ac ceptable from a financial standpoint. The ranger dis cards one location because it would mar a recreation site. Such decisions are made the year around, and many are in the planning stage now. Winter weather this year has permitted the ranger to visit many of the mountain ureas to be con sidered for projects. In other cases, reports may be received from foresters who have been In Ihc area. Depend on Financial Plans made now are de pendent upon available fi nancing, and reports on this are not forthcoming until the beginning of the fiscal year July 1. If the money is not available the ranger reshapes his plana. The spring work sched ule, including maintenance left to right, Mike Mcrricklc, Ed Finley, Paneer Neil Suttcll nd Bruce Merricklc. and tree planting, begins in March. Snow surveys in Jale winter occupy some of the personnel for a time, and arc made for the soil con servation service, one uf the federal agencies with which the forest service co operates. Measurement of snow depth and water con tent each year permits a forecast of the summer's water supply. Snow Measurements were made this winter by Joe Genre and Dave Hopfer, who made the trips this year without Bnowshocs. In years of normal snowfall the Tucker Sno-Cat Is used to reach the courses. Shows Great Interest The public shows great interest in all branches of the forest service. One indi cation of this is the number of people who stop at the log scaling station at Little Applcgate. Some inquire as to the meaning of "seal Ing," so to make the nature of the work apparent to motorists, the sign at the station has been changed to read "log measuring" in stead of "scaling." Many inquire about fish ing and hunting and seek knowledge on plants, trees, rocks and flowers. Some ask, "What do we do if we find a fire?" Star Ranger station per sonnel say that these ques tions are gratifying, and they encourage people to ask questions. The ranger is In demand In public speak ing, particularly at schools. Available For Fires Men and equipment arc available for house fires even in the winter. A good many people working In the district arc making forestry work their careers. In order to qualify as a district ranger one must have four years of college, including technical forestry subjects and related social sciences. He needs to have 4 to 10 years of experience In some branch of the field. After college. Ranger Suttell started in fire con trol as a lookout, next be coming a fire patrolman and forestry aide. Ho served as an engineer for private Industry for a time, then went into timber man agement work, which in cluded - engineering, fire control, conservation, and study of wild life. Eight years after college gradu ation he was promoted to the position of district ran ger and was sent to the Applegate.
