Airmail Comes to Josephine and Curry counties

Airmail service in the United States officially began on May 15, 1918.

The first route was between Washington D.C. and New York City, with a stop in Philadelphia.

Glen Wooldridge, our own famous "river man," describes how airmail came to the small communities located along the Rogue River in this way:

"...mail was still coming into that area by mule trail.  They used to have some airmail envelopes they sold at Marial that said:

This letter will go 16 miles by pack train to Illahe, 9 miles by auto to Agness, 32 miles down the Rogue River by mail boat to Gold Beach, then by auto stage, 152 miles to Grants Pass by way of Crescent City.  Then it will be put on a railroad train and taken 32 miles to Medford and put on a plane and sped to its destination."

Today, almost 100 years later, mail from Josephine County is still trucked 32 miles to Medford!  

Photo courtesy of Elf, taken May 19, 2008.

Mail is still carried by mule train to Supai, Arizona.

Harvesting Your Family Tree - A Guide To Genealogy Research

Harvesting Your Family Tree:

A Guide To Genealogy Research by Wendy Swanson

Was great granduncle Ralph hanged for stealing horses, or did great-great grandpa George come to Southern Oregon in search of land or gold? 

It’s never too late to start down the path of tracing your ancestors. Even an Internet novice can be successful at finding obscure facts about their family members. 

Go from beginner to accomplished, with step by step instructions to take the mystery out of tracing your roots. 

The Southern Oregon author guides you through your research with easy to follow instructions, to keep you on the right path  to uncovering your family's information and ways to get around those seemingly impossible "dead ends." 

Complete guides to free research websites, state by state sources, and sites that give you access to ships passenger manifests, state archives, and volumes of important sources; and all at no cost. 

 Advanced genealogy sites for in-depth research and record keeping at minimal costs are also explained in detail. 

 Learn the best and most efficient ways to make contact with distant relatives who can help with the missing pieces of your family history puzzle. 

 By following the steps outlined in Harvesting Your Family Tree, you will be able to create and share what will become a family heirloom for your children, grandchildren, and any family members interested in learning about their roots.

 Harvesting Your Family Tree is available at the Josephine County Historical Society for only $6.99 

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

Be sure to check out the Online Bookshop for more titles.



The Mythical State of Jefferson by Jack Sutton

The Mythical State of Jefferson by Jack Sutton covers a lot of territory.

Beginning with the collapse of Mt. Mazama, and touching on the prehistoric times to Native Americans, explorers and fur trappers; Jack Sutton traces the history of what will become the hoped for State of Jefferson.

This book is "must" reading to learn about the history of Southern Oregon and Northern California.

The Mythical State of Jefferson is available at the Josephine County Historical Society for only $15.95

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

Be sure to check out our Online Bookshop for more titles.

Nineteenth Century Household Chores

A popular refrain for household chores in the nineteenth century went like this:

Wash on Monday,

Iron on Tuesday,

 Mend on Wednesday,

 Churn on Thursday,

Clean on Friday,

 Bake on Saturday,

 Rest on Sunday.

On top of all of these duties, our grandmothers were also responsible for raising children, cooking three meals each day, and a whole lot more!

This is how some of us do household chores today.

"Wash on Monday," making sure to get items out of the dry immediately so we don't have to "Iron on Tuesday."

"Shop on Wednesday;" who has time to mend?

"Grocery shop on Thursday."  What is "churning?"

"Clean on Friday;" guess there's just no getting around this task.

"Go to the Bakery or Grower's Market on Saturday;" who has time to bake?

"Play on Sunday;" and wonder when we get to take a vacation!