Wonder How Wonder Got Its' Name?

Have you ever wondered how Wonder, Oregon got its' name?

It all started when John Thomas Roberson, his wife Anna, and Anna's daughter Ella Daveler, moved to the Slate Creek area in Josephine County from Texas sometime before 1900.  When the Roberson's first moved here, John bought some land and started farming.

John was born April 28, 1857 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but by 1880 the family had moved to McCulloch, Texas where John's father Robert was a farmer and John was raised stock.

He married Anna in 1889.  "Annie," as Anna liked to be called, had been widowed in 1885 and was left to raise her four year-old Ella on her own.

Around 1902 John decided to open a general store, a couple miles south of current day Wilderville.  The inhabitants of the sparsely populated community wondered were his customers were going to come from.

Hearing folks speculate about his business decision, Mr. Roberson decided to name his establishment "Wonder Store."  The name must have caught on, because soon the United States Postal Service used the name Wonder for the name of the post office established there in 1903.

I wonder if that is Mr. Roberson standing in front of the post office?

Mr. Roberson became the first Postmaster for Wonder, Oregon.  In addition to running his store, and serving as postmaster, he was also a correspondent for the Rogue River Courier (now the Grants Pass Daily Courier).

Sometime between 1920 and 1930 Mr. Roberson sold the "Wonder Store," and went back to farming.

 

photo courtesy of Jean Boling.

John Thomas Roberson and his beloved wife Anna were laid to rest in the Wilderville cemetery in 1934.  John died on April 5th, and less than month later on May 1st Annie also died.

Would you like to know more about Josephine County's early residents?  Visit the Josephine County Historical Society's Research Library.
 

Do you need a photo or information about a cemetery or grave in Josephine County?  Just fill out the Society's "Cemetery Crawler" form.

Shop Small Business Saturday!

Shop Local!

The second annual Small Business Saturday is tomorrow, November 26th!  It's a great way to support our locally owned small businesses.

While you're around town supporting this great cause, don't forget to buy a raffle ticket for this beautifully decorated Christmas Tree!

The $5 raffle tickets can be purchased at Gasoline Alley Antiques located at 310 SW 6th Street, Grants Pass (they're open seven days a week), or at the Josephine County Historical Society located at 512 SW 5th Street, Grants Pass (open Tuesday - Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm).

This fully decorated tree includes Christopher Radko and Old World Collectible ornaments.

The drawing will be held on December 17th at the annual "Celebrate Christmas Past" event held at the historic Schmidt House.  This event is free and open to the public.

All proceeds benefit the non-profit Josephine County Historical Society.  Membership dues and contributions enable the Society to fund its' mission.  Which is all about collecting, preserving, exhibiting, promoting and interpreting local Josephine County history.

So don't forget to shop local for Small Business Saturday, and stop by Gasoline Alley Antiques to take a peek at the Josephine County Historical Society's raffle prize and buy a ticket!

Raise Funds for The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY at No Extra Cost to You!

Raise Funds for The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY at No Extra Cost to You!

The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY is excited to announce its involvement as a Museum Partner with ShopforMuseums.com. As a Museum Partner, anyone shopping online with their favorite national retailers can have a portion of their purchase directed to The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY at no additional cost. 

ShopforMuseums.com is nationally recognized with hundreds of Museum Partners across the country. Whether you are in the market for books, office supplies, apparel, gifts, travel reservations, home improvement, school supplies, toys, electronics, flowers or gourmet food…You name it, the place to start is at ShopforMuseums.com!

Participation is simple and secure. To designate a portion of your next online purchase to The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, simply:

• Go to www.ShopforMuseums.com.

• Log in.

• Select the JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY as your museum partner.

• Then just click on the link of the store you want to visit and go about your shopping. Stores are organized by categories.

The percentage of your purchase will be tracked automatically as long as you begin each time at ShopforMuseums.com.

Please use ShopforMuseums.com each time you shop online and spread the word to friends and family.

The JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY appreciates your support.

You Can Win a Beautifully Decorated Christmas Tree!

Have you purchased your raffle ticket yet?  

This beautifully decorated tree can be yours!  It is complete with lights, Christopher Radko and Old World Collectible ornaments!

Tickets are just $5 each and the proceeds will benefit the Josephine County Historical Society.

Tickets can be purchased at the Josephine County Historical Society's Research Library at 512 SW 5th Street in Grants Pass (Tuesday - Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm) or

at Gasoline Alley Antiques located at 310 SW 6th Street in Grants Pass.  You can also take a look at this wonderful Christmas tree while you're there.

The winning ticket will be drawn at the annual "Celebrate Christmas Past" event at the historic Schmidt House Museum on Saturday December 17, 2011.

Your Josephine County Historical Society is totally non-profit.  We do not receive any funding from the state or county, and rely completely on the generosity of our members and benefactors.  Your membership and contributions are our lifeblood.

For more information about the "Celebrate Christmas Past" event, click on the candy cane.

Large Miners Reported in Leland, Oregon

The following story was reported in the Rogue River Courier (now the Grants Pass Daily Courier) on November 20, 1901.

The Leland correspondent reports: "We have a miner who stands 7 feet 8 inches in his stocking feet.  If anybody in the country can beat that we will look over our miners again and perhaps we can find a bigger one.  Grave Creek is noted for its big men, also big women."

A Lady's Fashion

While working on my ongoing genealogy project, I came across a photo of one of my second great grand aunts.  This particular photograph was taken in 1890.

Courtesy, L.Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602.

It reminded me of how many more layers of clothing women wore in the past than are worn today. 

So how much clothing was required in the 1800's and early 1900's?  I found a great website that answers this question.
 

Late 19th & Early 20th Century Ladies' Dress Glossary

(This information is provided courtesy of www.marquise.de.)

The parts of a lady's outfit in putting-on order

• chemise or undershirt of cotton or linen
• drawers / knickers /bloomers, worn with an open crotch until around 1900
• corset shaping the body into the fashionable form by means of whalebone sticks and a busk in front
• busk: two metal strips with nails and eyes that served a) to shape the front and b) to close the corset, making complete un-lacing unnecessary.
• corset cover: a white, short, shirt-like garment worn over the corset to protect the taille from rubbing against the nails of the busk.
• decency skirt, a narrow petticoat which protected the nether region from view if the skirt was blown up by wind
• tournure or bustle shaping the skirt to overemphasize the backside - depending on the period a half-petticoat stiffened with steel or whalebone strips, a wire contraption that folded when the lady sat down, or a bag of cloth filled with horsehair tied round the waist. Worn mainly in the early/mid 1870s and early/mid 1880s.
• petticoat / underskirt with volants (ruffles) and possibly pockets. In the late 19th century, two or three were worn, but towards the turn of the century, the slim line forbade more than one.
• suit: Consists of floor-length skirt, sometimes with train, and taille. Dresses in the sense that upper and lower part are sewn together are not worn until turn of the century. Hat and gloves are compulsory.
• taille / waist: A cross between the bodice of earlier times and blouses and suit jackets of today, it fitted the body very tightly, sometimes looked like a jacket and sometimes like a blouse. It was buttoned high up, had a standing collar and long sleeves. Low décolletés and short/no sleeves were reserved for ball dresses. Any impression of loose-fittingness is false as it consisted of a whalebone-stiffened lining taille and top fabric which sometimes was arranged in loose folds. These folds are part of the
• garniture: decorative pieces of fabric or lace, ribbons, cord, ruffles and bows carefully arranged on the taille and skirt. a special part of the garniture is the drapery on bustle skirts. In the 1870s to 80s, garniture was almost exclusively on the skirt, then on both, and in the early 20th century only on the taille. The garniture is the most important part of late 19th century dress and absolutely typical of the era.
• accessories: hat, gloves, umbrella (more against sun than rain), sometimes walking-stick if the lady had the courage (the walking-stick is a male utensil). A fan for the ball. 

(The following photos are also provided courtesy of:  www.marquise.de.)

1865

1874 Evening Dresses

1902 Afternoon Gowns

1914 Walking or Travel Suit

              
     It's no wonder most ladies boudoirs were furnished with fainting sofas.

Do you have an interest in vintage fashions?  If so, the Josephine County Historical Society has a job for you!  We are currently in need of a Costume Mistress to catalogue and care for our collection of historic clothing and accessories.

We are also currently looking for a Seamstress.  Some of our Living History Players are in need of dresses and long skirts.  The patterns, fabric and notions will be supplied.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at (541) 479-7827 or fill out our "Contact Us" form on our website:  http://www.jocohistorical.org/contact-us

Grants Pass Centennial Notes - by Edna May Hill, edited by Joan Momsen

Grants Pass Centennial Notes published by the Josephine County Historical Society is made up of scanned and enlarged copies of original newspaper articles first published in the Daily Courier in 1984 and 1985 to commemorate Grants Pass' first 100 years.  It also contains many photographs from the Josephine County Historical Society's collection.

Centennial Notes with its stories written by Edna May Hill and corresponding photos (with commentary) selected by Joan Momsen paints for us a picture of Grants Pass' earliest beginnings, and shows us how the city and its inhabitants matured along the way.

Topics range from business development, new laws enacted, interesting characters, entertainment, and even some prejudices practiced.  You'll read about local merchant John W. Howard, who after first operating out of a tent, built the first commercial building in Grants Pass, and would later go on to building our first brick building.

You'll find out how Grants Pass, Beacon Hill and Robertson Bridge got their names; and that the Masons and Oddfellows were here from the beginning.

You'll discover that a "Blue Law" was one of the first ordinances passed in Grants Pass and how Josephine County went dry in 1908.  You may be shocked to read that the Ku Klux Klan was active in Grants Pass, and if you weren't white, protestant and born in the USA, you weren't welcome here.

There are stories about people with innovative ideas to put Grants Pass on the map, and while not all of them were successful, they were inspiring.  For example, there's the tale of the Redwood Highway Marathon; a grueling 480 mile foot race from San Francisco to Grants Pass with its' 11 Native American contestants, of whom seven would finish.  Then there were the failed attempts to build a railroad from Grants Pass to Crescent City, California.

Grants Pass had much to celebrate to mark its first 100 years, and Grants Pass Centennial Notes is a great way to experience it.

Grants Pass Centennial Notes can be purchased now for just $15.00.

or at the Josephine Historical Society's Bookshop located in the Research Library at 512 K Street, Grants Pass; or at their Online Bookshop.

Pioneer Recipes by Bobbie Kalman & Lynda Hale

Pioneer Recipes is a wonderfully illustrated cookbook intended to introduce children to a pioneer kitchen.

This description short-changes this terrific book, because it is a great learning tool for adults as well.

It not only contains easy to make, authentic pioneer dishes, but also describes how our ancestors prepared their meals and their methods of cooking.

With it being Autumn, fresh apple cider is easy to find, so for my first recipe, I decided to make "Native Pudding."  My husband and I share our home with three dogs and a cat, but since they don't eat pudding (although they'd probably like to), I cut the recipe in half.

It was interesting tasting, although the texture was not as smooth as you would expect pudding to be.  This was understandable, as the recipe called for cornmeal rather than flour.  This recipe also used molasses rather than sugar, so it wasn't as sweet as our modern puddings are.  Ingredients such as flour and sugar were very expensive during "pioneer" times and were only used on special occasions.

When trying out these pioneer recipes, it is best you keep in mind that something sweet was a nice change from an everyday fare of meat (if Dad was a good shot) and vegetables.

Most of the ingredients for "Native Pudding" are still produced locally.  Milk, cornmeal, apple cider, butter, eggs and raisins are fairly easy to find.  You could make your own molasses from sorghum cane, which can be grown in Southern Oregon.   You could also make salt the old-fashioned way by taking a trip over to the coast, filling a pot with sea water and boiling it down to salt and other minerals.  The only other ingredient is cinnamon, most of which comes from Sri Lanka and South India.

Pioneer Recipes can be purchased at the Josephine Historical Society's Bookshop located in the Research Library at 512 K Street, Grants Pass; or at their Online Bookshop.