The Death of Savage Rapids Dam - Part 2

Another Dam book now available on Kindle

The Death of Savage Rapids Dam - Part 2, written by Joan Momsen, is now available for your ereader.

This is a book of photographs. Many of these photos have appeared in The Dam Picture Book and Another Dam Picture Book, both of which were published before the removal of Savage Rapids Dam was completed. This book has additional photos and shows the dam site through the completion of removal.

The first few photos in this book are the last few photos on Part One. This book begins on Sept. 30, 2009 while the lake was full for the last time. After irrigation season ended, the plan was to drain the lake around Oct. 1, 2009 so that the rest of the removal could begin. These are the photos and comments of that process.

Current photos were taken by Joan Momsen unless otherwise indicated.

The Death of Savage Rapids Dam - Part 2 is now available at Amazon.com for just $9.99.

The Death of Savage Rapids Dam - Part 1

A Dam Book now available on Kindle 

 

The Death of Savage Rapids Dam - Part 1, written by Joan Momsen, is now available for your ereader.

This is a book of photographs and accompanying text of the Savage Rapids Dam as it was constructed, and its eventual removal. 

 Many of these photos have appeared in The Dam Picture Book and Another Dam Picture Book, both of which were published before the removal of Savage Rapids Dam was completed. 

This book has additional photos and shows the Savage Rapids Dam site through the completion of removal.

Get it now for $9.99!

Grants Pass (Images of America) by Joan Momsen

We are now taking orders for Grants Pass (Images of America) by Joan Momsen!
Place your prepaid order by September 21, 2012 and the shipping is free.

The book shows photos of downtown Grants Pass from 1883 to c. 1964.  It shows how downtown developed, some of the earlier churches and schools, merchants, government buildings, transportation and parades and gatherings.  Each chapter is in chronological order and progresses from the 19th to the mid 20th Century.  There is a brief history at the beginning of each chapter. There are photos that long-timers may remember but there are also photos that have seldom been published. 

 It will bring pleasant memories to people who have lived their entire lives in Grants Pass, but can also enlighten and educate the newcomer. It would make a great gift to someone who once lived in Grants Pass and has moved elsewhere and to anyone familiar with the city.

Grants Pass (Images of America) is expected to start shipping on September 25,2012, or will be available for purchase in our Research Library at that time.  If you come in and purchase your copy at our library within two weeks after publication, you will receive a free gift.

All royalties go to support the Historical Society.

The Hotel Josephine - Grants Pass, Oregon

The grand Hotel Josephine has returned.

 

The Hotel Josephine was officially opened in November, 1893.  The 23 room hotel's amenities included a sitting room on the second floor (offering a comfortable place to view Sixth Street), a dining room, barber shop and "sample room" (a place for traveling salesmen to display their merchandise).

Percy T. Booth's book, "Grants Pass, the Golden Years" describes the Hotel Josephine as; "In 1903 Hotel Josephine was a model of convenience for the traveling public.  In addition to electricity, it was the first building in Grants Pass to be equipped with gas for cooking and heating."

The canvas for the Hotel Josephine mural is the six story addition that was added to the Hotel Josephine in about 1925.  At that time, forty-five rooms were added and the hotel was renamed Redwoods Hotel.  The new addition was completed with private baths for each room.

The coolest thing about the Redwoods Hotel was "The Caves Grotto."  It was a large banquet room designed to resemble one of the large caverns found in the Oregon Caves.  Again, quoting from Percy T. Booth's book, "The Grotto was a unique copy of one of the Caves largest caverns, complete with 'Marble' pillars and stalactites hanging from the ceiling."
 

The interior of the original Hotel Josephine was destroyed by a fire in 1975 and the building, already deemed unsafe by the Grants Pass fire marshal, was torn down.

Today, you can take a step back in time and visit the Hotel Josephine.  The mural is located at the corner of "E" and Sixth Streets.

This Hotel Josephine mural is the work of artist J. Michener - what a terrific talent!

For more information on the Hotel Josephine and many more historical landmarks in Josephine County, please visit the Josephine County Historical Society's research library and bookshop.

JOSEPHINE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
512 SW 5th Street
Grants Pass, Oregon 97526
Telephone: (541) 479-7827
 
  While you're there, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Percy T. Booth's terrific book "Grants Pass the Golden Years."