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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1963)
Features Sports MedfordTribune SECTION B e BEDFORD. OREGON. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1. 1 !lt3 PAGES 1 to b Light House The By EVA HAMILTON Mail Tribune Stali Writer It is sad to see a once grand old house going down shingle by shingle, board by board. Watching its rafters and beams bared to the world seems almost indecent. It is like glimpsing a once beau tiful actress in a state of deshabille minus her makeup in the early morning light. For there is a definite similarity between old houses and former actresses. Each in her time has played many parts. This is so of the old Ray house now being razed at lhe corner of West Main and Quince sts. in Medford. The house was built by Dr. C. R. Ray in about 1907. It was purchased by the Assembly of God church in 1950 and it is now going down to make way for a Jerking lot. Howard Commons is directing the razing and the lumber is to be converted into a business building. The Story of Light The story of the Ray family is the story of light the kind that comes on with the pull of a switch and its advent in Hit Rogue River valley. The house, now dark except for the occasional reflection of a shingle fire in one of its many windows as the demolition con tinues, was once ablaze with light upstairs and down, inside and out. It was, with admiration, called "the light house" by many. For Dr. Ray and his brother. Col. Frank H. Ray, built Gold Ray dam and developed the power company, which is today serving southern Oregon as Pacific Pow er and Light. They used their own product. Even the bathrooms, upstairs and down, were heated as well as illuminated with electric lights. There were eight or 10 rows of lights in the bathrooms and 12 lights to the row to generate heat. There were lights in handsome fixtures on the ver anda which encircled the front and two sides of the house. There were many lights on the bancony which was a second floor replica of the veranda. There was a fireplace heated by cleriricity. The first electric home heating known to the valley was found in tnu Ray house. Colonel Frank H Kav. New York financier, spent much time and monev in Jackson county during the early 19U0s. He provided the capital for the Ray industries, launched by his brother. . Electric power, however, was jusi one of many Indus' trial piojects brought to the Rogue River valley by the Rays. The dam was built to satisfy a need for power to operate the Ray mines. Mining brought the Rays to the Rogue River valley. Dr. Ray left his practice in Chicago, lured to Alaska by the gold rush. It wasn't what he expected and he decided to practice medicine in Seattle. He remained there about a year then, with his family, decided to return east. His brother, Colonel Ray, convinced him he should slop off in southern Oregon and investigate the mines he had purchased in the Gold Hill area. Stop Off and Slay Dr. Ray and his family stopped oft and they stayed. He decided to direct the operation of the mines. Colonel Ray of New York was one of the vice presidents and organizers of the American Tobacco company and had access to adequate capital for launching the Ray indus trial projects. Dr. Ray furnished the creativity. He was operating the Braden mine with steam when he got the idea of putting an electric plant in the river. ISonds were sold on the New York market to raise additional capital for the electric plant. The stretch of water up the river from Gold Hill, now known as Gold Ray. was chosen as place for the dam when the city of Gold Hill wanted loo much money for a site. The Rays, with their daughters, Ina and Mabel, and sons, Frank and Charles, were then living in Gold Hill. When installation started, the Rays decided to en large the plant and furnish electricity to Medford, Jack sonville. Central Point, Grants Pass and Ashland. The plant was known as Condor Water and Power company. Coffer Dams Constructed Coffer dams were constructed first to pull the water away from the area to permit construction of the perma nent dam. High water and other problems beset the project. Several times the logs of the coffer clam went floating down the river. The project, hiring about 100 men, had to start all over again. Hay was sonietitv.es dumped into the water to slow the washouts and thei-nvestors began to believe the taunts of the people who declared early in theame that the Rogue would never be harnessed. Excitement occurred when someone, obviously op posed to the project (and there were many such people) planted dynamite at the dam site. It was found before any damage occurred and patrols were placed on 24-houT duly. The men were again called off the job when fire broke out in lhe heavy timber then growing between the dam site and the lower Table Rock. Dr. Ray sent all the workmen to fight the forest fire. The late Chase R. Masters of Portland was contractor for installation of the coffer dams. H. C. Stoddard was the electrical engineer and Civil Engineer Perm is also remembered for participation in the installation. When the water was cleared from the river hcri another oppor tunity .to mine presented itself and Dr. Ray was quick to recognizelhe potential. Gold Panned, Sluiced Gold was panned and sluiced, and Miss Mabel Ray of Medford remembers well going to visit in the home of Dr. Joseph Hill, operator of Hill's Military academy in Portland, with a bottle of gold nuggets from the river bed to show the Hill stepdaughters, who were friends. The main dam also was constructed of logs. Charles Ray of the Ray Real Estate and Insurance agency in Medford. relates. The logs were bolted down to the bed rock and iMe' spaces were filled with concrete. There were no cement mixers then and six or seven men would line up with shovels and mix the cement and gravel. Equipment for installation of the plant was taken across the river on barges. One unit of the dam was operated with what was called a rope drive. Ray said. When it broke down it was necessary to find a rope splicer quickly. Extensive Timber Holdings The Rays also had extensive timber holdings in southern Oregon and a sawmill was established in the backwater at Gold Ray to care for this timber. Logs were floated down the river from the Prospect domain and shoved along by boatmen to the log boom. After building the power plant at Gold Ray, the Ray interests decided to construct Prospect No. 1 plant and the new power source was joined with Gold Ray by line fi. The Prospect venture was a difficult undertaking. Equipment was hauled from Medford. 45 miles down the valley, by three and four horse teams and wagons. The coffer dam, constructed to open the way for installation of Gold Ray dam, was being built when this photo graph was taken at the bend in Rogue river with the lower Table Rock in the background. On the right is the rail road crossing sign. The Southern Pacific line was given steady patronage by the Rays. Completion ef Gold Ray dam in 1903 04 was cause firr celebration and this photograph, taken by the late Vinton Efall of Beall lane, shows the crowd assemblini! for the festivities. The green boughj which covered the cook house and dmmg room added shade at well as decoration to the setting. 4 t f There was a 200-foot drop down into the river canyon to negotiate. There are still persons in the valley who worked on the project and remember the period as the most exciting one in the industrial development of Jackson county. Live Near Gold Ray Dam The Bays for a number of years lived in a lodge near the Gold Ray dam, constructed by Colonel Ray as quarters for a hunting and fishing club that never quite materialized. The whole family made trips to Portland and San Francisco for shopping and later for schooling. Ina attended St. Helen's Hall in Portland and Mabel went to Anna Head and to Miss West's in San Francisco. It was quite common to flag the train with a lantern al the dam and dims nboard'ip train. There are those who insinuate that the generosity of the Southern Pacific in this matter was perhaps precipitated by consideration then being given to eleclrifying the railroads. Anyway, a miniature depot was set up at the dam for the Ray family. Dr.. Ray served on a rivers and harbors com mittee and made frequent trips by train to Washing ton, DC. In about 1907 the Condor Water and' Power com pany became known as the Rogue River Electric, which continued to operate in Oregon while a sister organiza tion, so to speak, operated in northern California as Sis kiyou Light and Power. It was the merger of the two in 1913 that created the California Oregon Power company (Copco), recent predecessor of Pacific Power and Light. Mine Closed Down , World War I took Its loll from the Ray empire, Colonel Ray was in London when war broke out. He had the Braden mine closed down and all the machinery taken out. s It had been "one of the most important mines in Jackson county," according to the Oregon Metal Mines handbook. The mine got its name from Dr. James Braden. It was sold lo Colonel Ray in 1900. but he continu'ed to call it the Braden mine. In 1907 the mine produced , more than $30,000, according to the mineral industries report of the state of Oregon. It was the Gold Hill mine, however, about which the fabulous mining tales were told. It was commonly called the Gold Hill poc ket and production reports vary from $400,000 to $500,000. Brick Plant Vncludod A brick plant at Tolo was another Ray enterprise. The bricks in the Alex Sparrow house on Kirtland rd., now home of the James Firths, came from Hie Ray kilns. An electric train was operated to carry clay to the plant. The Ray family often rode on this train and o3 the electric car, which went down into the Prospect canyon. The Prospect hotel, now operated by the James Heston Grieves, was Ray properly and housed guests from many corners of the nation, brought to southern Oregon by the Rays. The family owned 10,000 acres of farm land in the Tolo-Gold Hill vicinity. Some of it was purchased to avoid damage suits which might develop from mining tailings or the' overflow of water in the dam region. A 12-inch pipe was installed to carry irrigation water from, the dam area lo the McDonough farm about Pa miles away. All the farms continued under the names of the owners from whom Ray purchased the acreages, most of which are now included in .'he.Cal-Orc holdings Also in the Gold Ray dam area was a granite quarry operated by the Rays. The granite in the Copco build ing and in the Masonic building, both on Medford's Main si., came from that quarry. Frequently Recalled Memories Trips lo the mines are among the most frequently and intentionally recalled memories of Miss Ray and her brother, Charles. There was a French chef at the gold mine and bnlh Rays remember the festive meals and the table where family and crew dined. It was a table with a revolving center (lazy Susan style) and Its store of fruits and vegetables "turning 'round and 'round." gave a carnival atmosphere to dining, particularly inviting to former Chicago children. From Gold Ray. the Rays moved into ft rcnlcd house where the Hotel Medford now stands, thei? to a New town St. residence while awaTling completion of the West Main st. house. A small planer was brought to the site lo provide the right finish In the lumber oing into the house, which became the family dwelling for many years. Then Dr. Ray died while traveling home from New York. Mrs. Ray lived only three more years. Miss Ray, alone, called the place home, but another war soon brought new faces to the house. The first architect-engineers for construction of Camp White and their families rented moms. The camp was organized and five drmy couples rented five rooms. Real Eiiale Office Opened A real estate office was opened in the home by II. L. Cook. Miss Ray became a notary public and Hie house became polling place for the voting precinct. Then It was sold to the Assembly of God church next door. It was used for various church classes and for wedding leeeplions. -.lis vried career c ame to a Trihfirft end this summer when it was sold. It is now hrmg torn down for the lumber that is In It, good solid lumber, sawed and planed In the mills of Its original owner. It Is prnhsbly necessary that the old house come down In Just thp manner it docs today. But It would seem more fitting if one of the sonic booms that occa sionally makes lla windows clatler, as a plane goes over from Kinsley field, Klamath Falls, could rare it With ! m final blast. . ',t tM 1 jaF T- Dr. C. R. Ray, who left his medical practice in Chicago lo join the Alaska Gold Rush, developed several industries here In addition to bringing electricity to the Rogue River Valley., ud few jf QKpto,TT This pieto. c ol lhe Dr. C. R. Rav home on Merlfnrri's: Wi vl !t.,m o ihn firi tak"n atb'f iij completion. The climbing roses and rose garden, which added beauty to lhe area for years, had not been plante d. , I ., : I. lo bt build- This Is probably the last phnlnnraph that will be taken of the Ray house, which Is I replaced by a parking lot to be used bv lhe Assembly of God church next door. Tha I Uig was sold by the cbutch to men who are teuuig it down. V i t
