Happy Birthday Josephine County!

Josephine County turns 157 this day, January 22, 2013!

"Josephine county embraces that portion of country lying between Jackson county on the east and Curry on the west, and extending from Douglas county to the California line.  The boundaries, as given by the act of legislature of January 22, 1856, creating Josephine county, are as follows:  Beginning at the southwest corner of township 32, range 5, west; being the south boundary of Douglas county;; thence west along the dividing ridge separating the waters of Cow creek from those of Rogue and Coquille rivers, to the northeast corner of Curry county; thence south along the east line of said county to the summit of the divide between Rogue and Illinois rivers;  thence west along the divide to a point seven miles east of the junction of those rivers; thence south to the California state line; thence east to the intersection of the west boundary of range 4, west; thence north to the southeast corner of township 36; thence west to the southwest corner of the same township; thence north to the place of beginning."

The above paragraph comes from the book, History of Southern Oregon by A.G. Walling, published in 1884.

This book is available as a free download in the Internet Archives, courtesy of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.

You have the option of reading it online, downloading it as a PDF, Kindle download, plus several other options.

It's pretty nifty that you can search inside this book for exactly what you are looking for, just by entering a word or phrase.  This makes a great genealogy research tool.

Click here to get it!

Happy Birthday Josephine County and thanks Allen County Public Library!

Wild Bill Hickok - Did General Custer Miss Him?

The following post was written by Gary Swanson.
 

When George Armstrong Custer died at the Little Big Horn, our country lost one of its greatest heroes.

 Just over a month later, James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok was murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota.

He was shot in the back by Jack McCall, and the poker cards he held would forever be known as the "Deadman's Hand."  His fingers held two black aces, two black eights, and history still argues about the fifth card.

 "Wild Bill" Hickok lies in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery overlooking the town of Deadwood.

On his gravestone it is engraved:

"J.B. HICKOK

DIED Aug 2, 1876

AGED 39 years

CUSTER

WAS LONELY

WITHOUT HIM"

Mt. Moriah Cemetery is authorized by the United States Congress to fly the American flag in perpetuity.  Our country's flag is never lowered here, 

and it watches over the peaceful graves of our western history players.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

“Battle of the Little Bighorn” or “Custer’s Last Stand”

Whichever name you use, “Battle of the Little Bighorn,” “Custer’s Last Stand” or “Battle of the Greasy Grass;” it is one of the most famous battles in American History.

Part of the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877, it was the downfall of Custer's 7th Calvary and also the downfall of the Lakota and Cheyenne nations.   This deadly clash started on June 25, 1876 and was concluded the next day.

In the weeks following the "Battle of the Little Bighorn," rumors and stories were circulating on the East Coast, and all were looked on with skepticism.  Enemies and admirers alike could not believe such a huge figure like General George Armstrong Custer could be dead.  But it was true; Custer and the 210 men under his command were dead.  

"Comanche" in 1887.

 There were two survivors; Captain Myles Keogh's horse "Comanche" and another horse called "Nap," and they weren't talking!

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Crow Agency, Montana now pays tribute to this piece of American history. 

Standing at the top of "Last Stand" hill on a hot summer day, there is a sense of anticipation in the prairie wind.  You can almost hear the sounds of the cavalry horses headed this way, and the commotion from the Sioux women and children breaking down their camp across the river.

I am always greatly moved every time I visit this National Monument.  Although it is haunting and lonely, and a place of great tragedy, I feel a tremendous sense of peace and belonging as I gaze upon the graves and across the wind-swept plain.  I don't know whether it is the location itself, or the fact that I have an ancestor who served under Custer and died there with him.

The following is a slideshow of photos my husband took last summer at the Little Bighorn National Monument.  I look forward to returning there soon.

Earthquake at Grants Pass! - April 23rd

The following article was printed in an out of state newspaper on April 23rd, 1906.

________________________________________________________________________

Portland, Or., April 23, - A special to the Oregonian from Grant's Pass, Or., says that at 12 minutes past 1 o'clock this morning an earthquake shock was felt, accompanied by a rumbling noise which was plainly audible.  Nearly every one in town was awakened.  Furniture moved in the houses and several windows were cracked, but no serious damage was done.  The shock lasted for 15 to 20 seconds and its course apparently was from east to west.

________________________________________________________________________

I looked it up in the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog,  and its location was pinpointed at 42.4 N, 123.4 W, and its magnitude was 4.30 IML.

Thanks to Google Earth and Google Maps, we can see right where it was!

View Larger Map

Were You Ever a Girl Scout?

A Girl Scout is always prepared. 

 

March 12, 2012 marks the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the USA!  Juliette Gordon Low was their founder, and she is pictured here with two of her scouts.

Today is also Girl Scouts Blogger Day, so I thought I'd add my post to the mix.

I was a Girl Scout for several years during the late 60's and early 70's, and my experiences with the scouts has stayed with me the last 40 plus years.

I started as a "Brownie" Scout.  I only have one memory of being a Brownie, other than the ugly brown uniform.  One day at the end of our troop meeting, we were instructed to bring a clean and empty baby food jar with a lid to the next meeting.  So the next week, we all brought our empty jars, and our troop leader brought homemade bread fresh from the oven and a large jar of raspberry jam she had put up that Fall.  Our job was to make the butter!  

After we took turns pouring fresh cream into our jars, we put the lids on tightly and shook the jars.  Being kids from the suburbs, we were amazed that before long, the cream had turned to butter!  We poured off the milk left on top, spread that freshly-made butter onto thick slices of bread, added a little jam and enjoyed a wonderful treat!

I remember the years wearing the green Girl Scout uniform much more clearly.  (You know the Girl Scouts has always been green!)  Our troop had chosen the "lily of the valley" as our crest, so when first starting out, our sashes only had the Girl Scout insignia, our troop number and crest, and I couldn't wait to earn my first badge.  By nature I'm a collector, and I had high hopes of filling that sash with badges!

While fulfilling my quest to cover that sash with badges I learned so much!  It was through the Scouting program I learned how to swim, give basic first aid, pitch a tent, dig a latrine (that wasn't very fun), speak in front of a group (I did that badly), start a fire without matches, cook (I think I just earned that badge for not burning the gas company down) and be a good citizen.

Every summer there were different camps Girl Scouts could attend for a week or 10 days.  There was a camp in Southern Utah that I wanted to go to so bad; the girls were able to go on hikes in the beautiful red canyons and learned to ride horses.  Knowing they couldn't afford it, I never did ask my parents if I could attend.  I was able to go on several overnight outings in our local mountains and that was a lot of fun too!  That's where I learned to pitch a tent, start a fire, and of course, dig that latrine!  I still have a scar from one of those outings; I fell out of a tree, and another Scout was able to practice her first-aid.


I think the greatest gift I received from the Girl Scout program was tolerance for people who are different than I am.  I grew up in a community where 99 percent of us shared the same race and religion.  It was through scouting that I met and made friends with girls that practiced different religions, were of different races and had different beliefs than I.  The Girl Scout program was a wonderful way to look at the world through "eyes wide open."


Things have changed over these last 40 years and so have the Girl Scouts.  I understand the girls can earn badges for learning how to handle finances and investing.  They no longer sell cookies door to door (at least not where I live), and those cookies cost much more than the 50 cents a box I sold them for!  


I am glad to see that the Girl Scout motto "Be Prepared" has not changed, and more importantly that the Girl Scouts are still striving to empower girls and instill in them values that will help them for a lifetime!


Happy 100th Birthday to the Girl Scouts of the USA!

Happy Birthday Grants Pass, Oregon!

Grants Pass was incorporated 121 years ago on February 18, 1891!

Looking southward on 6th Street.

Here are a few other notables that happened on this date:

photo courtesy of:  Tedder 

 This is a photo of Clatskanie, Oregon, which was also incorporated on February 18, 1891.

 George Washington (Zip) Zabel, a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs was born on this date.

Henry Hastings Sibley, Union Army officer and the first governor of Minnesota died on this date.

On this date, William H. Appleton was awarded the Congressional medal of honor for extraordinary heroism while serving with Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry on this date.  The Civil War had been over for 26 years!

The Arizona cities of Phoenix and Yuma flooded on this date.

Happy Birthday Josephine!

Happy Birthday Josephine County!  Today, January 22, 2012 she is a spry 156 years old.

According to Wikipedia, "Josephine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the county is probably named after a stream in the area called Josephine Creek, which in turn is probably named after Virginia Josephine Rollins Ort. In 2010, its population was 82,713. Grants Pass is the county seat."

We all know Josephine County is much more than this.  From her beginnings at Sailors' Diggings to now, she has gone through many changes, yet maintains her independent, pioneering spirit.

At the Josephine County Historical Society we strive to share the rich heritage of our past.  Our mission is all about collecting, preserving, exhibiting, promoting and interpreting local Josephine County history. 

In our Research Library we have a large collection of photos, newspaper clippings, books, maps and family stories.  The public is welcome to view our collections and conduct research Tuesday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.    This service is free for members and $5.00 per visit for non-members.

We also have a Bookshop located in our Research Library, where you'll find many Josephine County related subjects.  Whether you're interested in reading about the early settlers, specific towns and areas, Indian wars, or the geography of Josephine County, we've got a book for you.  Many of these books contain photographs you will not find anywhere else.  Our books may also be purchased online, just click here.

We have many events through out the year, and most are free to the public.  Our "Living History Players" provide entertainment at our events as well as presenting outreach programs to schools, civic groups and others.   Click here to check out our event schedule.

The Josephine County Historical Society also operates the Schmidt House, a historical house museum.  Tours are available Tuesday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  Anna and Flora Schmidt gifted their house to the Society in 1978.  It is the only still existing historical home in Josephine County that was continually occupied by the same family since being built in 1901.

If you have any family history, stories or photos you'd like to share with us, we'd love to have them.  Please feel free to stop by the Research Library, give us a call at 541 479-7827, or use our website jocohistorical.org.

If you're not yet a member, are you interested in joining us?  We'd like to encourage you to join the fun and become a member!  You can stop by the Research Library Tuesday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm at 508 SW 5th Street in Grants Pass or sign up online by clicking here. 

Boston Tea Party

"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor", lithograph depicting the 1773 Boston Tea Party by Nathaniel Currier.

John Adams' diary contained this entry on December 17, 1773:

"Last Night 3 Cargoes of Bohea Tea were emptied into the Sea.  This morning a Man of War sails."

"This is the most magnificent Movement of all.  There is a Dignity, a Majesty, a Sublimity, in this last Effort of the Patriots that I greatly admire..."

Grants Pass Stage is Robbed!

An out of state newspaper reported that the "William Creek-Grant's Pass" stage was held up by a lone man on December 13, 1902.

The news article goes on to say that the stage was on its way from Grants Pass to Williams when a young man wearing a red bandana stepped out of the woods, pointed a revolver at the driver and demanded that the driver and passenger stop and raise their hands above their heads.

The robber demanded that the mail bags be tossed out and then ordered the stage to go on its way.

The mail on this day was light, so the robber only got away with about $15 in loot.  

Josephine County Sheriff Lewis and two of his deputies went out to the scene of the holdup where they found the opened mailbags.

You know, for just $15 you could become a member of the Josephine County Historical Society, and it's just $25 for your entire family.  For this small fee, your benefits of membership include  free research in the Research Library, a 10% discount on JCHS-printed publications purchased in our bookshop, a subscription to our newsletter, the Old-Timer, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a contribution to preserving local history. 

Please join us and help keep our history alive!

 

Squirrel Causes Power Outage - November 1961

There was a story published in the Daily Courier fifty years ago about a power outage.

An apparently daring squirrel playing near the Merlin power substation, "made a fatal leap," landing on a 60,000 volt power line.  

The power was not restored to some residents for as long as six hours.  It was reported that this was the fourth time that power was disrupted due to a squirrel.  It's not clear whether they meant just in the year 1961.

Things haven't changed much in the last fifty years; at least as far as squirrels causing power outages in our area.

Squirrels are still causing power disruptions in Josephine County.  I remember three years ago, our power was out for almost 12 hours due to a squirrel!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't happen this year, especially for the sake of all those daredevil squirrels!

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."

Murdered Man Surprises His Sister-In-Law

One hundred years ago, the following article appeared in the Grants Pass Daily Courier on September 11, 1911:

"A supposed murdered man walked into a Grants Pass home yesterday and surprised his sister-in-law while the man's brother was seeking the body in the woods of Klamath county.  The surprise happened when A.J. Thompson walked into the home of his brother Edgar L. Thompson.  Thompson was working in Klamath county and a report came that he had been killed by some unknown person."

 

Sixty-four years after surprising his family, Alfred J. Thompson was laid to rest in a Klamath county cemetery.

Mule Postman Loses Contract - Josephine County, Oregon

The following news story appeared in an out-of-state newspaper on September 5, 1947.

"Mule Postman Loses Contract In Remote Area

The lonely existence of the scattered families living in the remote fastness of Siskiyou national forest no longer will be relieved by periodic visits from the mule-driving postman.

The mule-pack postal route between the isolated towns of Illahe and Marial, near Grants Pass, has been terminated by the government because the carrier, who has a monopoly on mules, submitted too high a bid.

Residents of the remote mountain areas served by the mule routes do their shopping through the mail order catalogues and depend upon mule packs for everything--clothing, accordions, rifles, even food according to Fred H. Twohy, railroad mail district superintendent who has spent 10 years traveling the mountain regions to check on his mule postmen.

'One winter not even a horse could get through the heavy snows,' Twohy recalls.  'The residents were shut off from the world, and there was quite a squawk.'

Obliging postmen resorted to sleds to reach the isolated areas, Twohy adds, 'and the first thing people ordered by parcel post was several cases of beer.'

The Marial route was typical of the involved carrier setup required to get mail to secluded areas.  Mail went 34 miles up a river in a flat bottomed river boat from Wedder burn.  Then it was transferred to mule for an additional 16-mile trip.

It was 'kind of expensive,' Twohy admits, costing about $400 a person to keep the route open.  'The stamps don't begin to pay for it,' he adds.

'I have a hard time convincing them back in Washington that these routes are worth the expense,' Twohy says."

"Don't Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes"

The quote "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" was uttered by either American Colonel William Prescott or Major General Israel Putnam during the Battle of Bunker Hill.  Because gunpowder was so scarce, it was important that every shot fired counted.

Major General Israel Putnam

The Battle of Bunker Hill was the first large battle during the American Revolution.  It was fought on June 17, 1775, and most of the battle took place on nearby Breed's Hill.

This is an image of an oil on canvas by John Trumbull; depicting the death of Major General Joseph Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  

Colonel Prescott and Major General Putnam had asked that Joseph Warren be their commander.  Warren turned down the offer to command and volunteered to serve as a private, since both Prescott and Putnam were more experienced with war.

This oil painting is now displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.

Why We Celebrate Flag Day

Flag Day, June 14, is the anniversary of the day on which the Continental Congress formally adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States in 1777.  Americans have been observing this day since 1897.

This flag was in use from June 14, 1777 to  May 1, 1795

  

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed officially that June 14 is flag day. In August of 1949 National Flag Day was established by an act of congress.  

Flag day is not an official holiday, but it is important to all good Americans.

There is a story about Theodore Roosevelt and flag day that goes like this; On June 14, 1908, "Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought was the American Flag. In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began to whip the man for 'defacing the symbol of America.' After about five or six strong whacks, he noticed that the man was not wiping his nose with a flag, but with a blue handkerchief with white stars. Upon realization of this, he apologized to the man, but hit him once more for making him 'riled up with national pride.'"

The following are lines from the poem, "The American Flag" written by Joseph Rodman Drake in 1819:

When Freedom, from her mountain height,
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there!
She mingled with its gorgeous dyes
The milky baldric of the skies,
And striped its pure celestial white
With streakings of the morning light,
Then, from his mansion in the sun,
She called her eagle-bearer down,
And gave into his mighty hand
The symbol of her chosen land! 

New Gold Discovery!

One hundred years ago today, April 22, 1911 the Rogue River Courier (now known as the Grants Pass Daily Courier) reported the discovery of one of the richest and largest finds in the history of gold mining in western America.

It was found on property owned by L.B. Higgins in the Kerby area. The Courier stated, "It is declared by conservative men that $2 million or more in free gold is actually in sight."

A.E. Voorhies, owner of the Courier and F.D. Tower took a trip to the site of the gold discovery and confirmed that Mr. Higgins "has much gold."

The "Gold Standard" at that time was $20.67 per ounce, and the current price of gold is approximately $1,460 per ounce.  You do the math!