MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
SUNDAY. AUGUST 18, 1983
Suprise Valley Offers
Variety of Phenomena
Bv J. O. McKINVEV
Mail Tribune Correspondent
Early in March of 1951 near
Lake City in Modoc county,
California, a 30-acre tract of
pasture land exploded.
On this tract there had been
tome 200 springs of hot water,
, , ,, -
fenced to prevent livestock
from being damaged through
falling into the springs, or
from their runoff. But the
explosion changed the entire
setup.
When things returned to
normalcy, the tract held three
"WRJl
3. f
. ' . 1 1 Hi '
o 3
HOT SPRING Radium water with a temperature of 220 de
grees forms Cedar Springs six miles east of Cedarville, Calif.,
in Modoc county.
Opening of School
Scheduled Sept. 3
For Rogue River
Rogue River Rogue River
school district registration
for high school and elemen
tary students has been sched
uled for Aug. 21, 22 and 23,
according to John B. Harr,
superintendent.
First grade students will
enroll Wednesday, August 21,
end Thursday, Aug. 22, in
the Primary building. They
will be required to present
birth certificates or other
evidence of age showing
that they are six years old or
will be on or before Nov. 15.
Board policy allows no ex
ceptions to this state regula
tion, the administration em
phasized. First graders also are
esked to bring doctor's certi
ficates of health. Children
who missed the pre school
roundup conducted by the
Parent - Teacher association
may obtain blanks from the
Jackson county health de
partment at the courthouse
and have examinations by
their personal physicians.
Registration Hours
Registration hours will be
S a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
Aug. 21; 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to
8 p.m. on Aug. 22. On Aug.
23 registration will be limit
ed to 9 a.m. to noon.
All elementary school stu
dents who were not attend
ing Rogue River schools at
the close of school in the
spring are urged to register
in the Primary building.
All high school students
who do not register at this
time in the high school office
will be assigned to classes
which they selected in pre
registration last spring.
Since state law does not
permit districts to supply
high school textbooks, cer
tain fees will be collected at
registration. These fees are
not compulsory, but each pro
r t a i n privileges
hir-h rannot otherwise be
granted.
The school opening sched
ule calls for all teachers to
report on Thursday, Aug. 29,
at 9 a.m. for an organization
al meeting in the school cafe
teria. The following day,
Friday, Aug. 30, will be a
work day for all teachers.
Tuesday, Sept. 3, classes will
be held all day. Buses will
be operating and the school
cafeteria will be open.
Former Local Man
Receives Gold Star
Capt. Edwin A. McDonald,
USN (Ret.), formerly of Med
ford, recently received the
Gold Star in lieu of second
award for outstanding service
from 1956 to 1962 while serv
ing as Task Group Comman
der and Deputy Commander,
U.S. Naval Support Force,
Antarctica.
The report was carried in
the August issue of "All
Hands," Bureau of Naval Per
sonnel Career publication.
It states that Captain Mc
Donald exercised sound judg
ment and outstanding knowl
edge of ship operation in polar
regions - "skill fully com
manded resupply and explora
tory ship task groups of Task
Force 43 for the U.S. Navy's
Operation Deep Freeze from
its inception to the conclusion.
In addition, he personally led
scientific expedit ions into
previous unexplored Antarctic
waters."
Art Schoeni, also formerly
of Medford, in calling atten
tion to McDonald's citation,
mentioned that McDonald has
been doing considerable writ
ing since retirement and had
a feature in National Geo
graphic last winter. He has
been working for a private
foundation interested in Arc
tic and Antarctic exploration.
lakes of hot water. Much of
the fence had been blown
away; some had disappeared
in mounds of mud; some just
disappeared, never to again
be seen.
Water during that night
mare Had been blown hun
dreds of feet into the air.
Mud was found 4V4 miles
away. Windows were broken.
and doors blown from their
hinges from the force of the
explosion; while scientists de
clared the episode was with
out geological parallel.
Had Received Name
Yet this region is so un
usual that it was named Sur
prise Valley more than 100
years before the explosion.
This land runs to hot water.
It has, too, caves where ice
lays for centuries on end. They
are apparently never defrost
ed. Yet six miles east of Ce
darville, across a lake from
the town is a well, called Ce
dar Springs where water
stands at 220 degrees temper
ature at all times.
One of the unusual things
found in this valley is to hear
frogs singing beneath bridges
under which water from the
spring runs during . winter.
Winter temperatures in this
valley regularly stand below
zero. Yet under culverts across
roads where this water flows,
grass remains green, and frogs
remain active throughout the
coldest weather.
Right Temperature
Another spot near Lake
City water temperatures are
exactly right for scalding hogs
at butchering time.
Surprise Valley is a regu
larly shaped oval. Its length
is about 40 miles long, and
from 6 to 10 miles wide. Many
streams flow into it. None
out. During years of heavy
precipitation, it is covered
with shallow lakes filled with
alkali water. During dry sea
sons, it is a sandy waste.
During either times it Is
usually covered with mirages
that wave and dance in winds
that distort images of cities,
herds of cattle, and even for
ests of trees. Dust "devils"
during periods of dry, windy
weather spiral into the sky.
Many Artesian Wells
On the western portion of
this valley are many artesian
wells. From many, water
flows from the top at the rate
of many gallons per minute
This has been recorded up to
l.ouo gallons each 60 seconds,
With more wells being utiliz
ed, the pressure has declined
until it is seldom that now.
But on the valley's east
side, wells are scarce. What
are found, the water is so
highly mineralized that it is
worthless.
But one well is so highly
mineralized it may yet prove
to be a bonanza. Impregnated
with radium, this water is
highly curative. But it is also
destructive if not properly
handled. It corrodes ordinary
materials to where special
pipes and containers are re
quired to handle.
Hotel Destroyed
A hotel-hospital built oyer
this spring in the late years
of the 1930s was destroyed
within 10 years. A building
erected there about 1959, with
knowledge of this action
seems to withstand its destruc
tion but from some reason
difficulties have been encoun
tered with state inspectors.
It is still not in use. Yet its
cost is said to be in excess
of a quarter million dollars.
Beside holding these mys
terious conditions, and "split"
personalities the east side is
worthless; with the west be
ing a rich farming land with
fine homes and big ranches.
Indian legends say that the
cause for these things is that
the Great Spirit, when build
ing the universe, brought
loads of his materials with
him, then when finishing the
job, tossed all unused por
tions aside. The end came in
Surprise Valley. This is why
the fragments are found there.
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