Booming Browntown!

"Our town, Brown[town], had a population of about 800 to 1000, and some seven or eight saloons, three Dry Goods and Clothing, two bakeries, four or five restaurants and hotels, seven or eight groceries, one bowling alley, two or three butcher shops, and three of four blacksmith shops.  Two Dance or Fancy houses, music in ours and the dance houses, sometimes in the bowling alley."

This is an excerpt from The Golden Frontier, the recollections of Herman Francis Reinhart, 1851 - 1869

 This is but one of the many hundreds of books that can be found in the Research Library of the Josephine County Historical Society.

You are welcome to read and enjoy any of the books in the library.  Members of the Society can use the facility for free!

Come visit soon, and check out our website now...

Hours:  Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 - 4:00

(541) 479-7827

Win A Historic Gold Mine!

WIN A HISTORIC GOLD MINE!

That's correct!  A first time ever opportunity to own an actual gold mine!

 

Raising funds for the Josephine County Historical Society; an Oregon, nonprofit corporation, to continue our ongoing restoration and preservation of historical records.  

So we will raffle our historic gold mine!

Winner of the grand prize award will receive a quitclaim deed to the "PYX" mine, overlooking the majestic Rogue River, and only 12 miles from the historic Zane Grey cabin!  The same cabin where the author wrote "Rogue River Feud."

Only 30 easy miles from Grants Pass, this mine was once part of the high producing Gold Bug Group.  The PYX has a profitable production history, and has two major tunnels plus offshoot branches.

There were electric lights and steel rails used in this mine before gold prices dropped years back.  She has sat waiting for a new owner to bring her to life again, and although we hate to part company, the funds are needed for our work to continue!

Only 1999 tickets will be sold.  Ticket prices are $5.00 each or six for $25.00.  Grand prize winner will have the option to choose a cash award of $550.00 in lieu of deed to the mine.  Twenty additional prizes will also be awarded.  Great odds, right?

Tickets must be sold in Oregon, although residency is not a requirement, and winners need not be present to win!  You must be 18 years of age.

Please visit our website for complete rules and details of this contest as well as purchasing information.

Click here now!

www.jocohistorical.org 

The Evolution of Bread Mixers

The first mechanical dough mixer was developed in Rome around 150 BC.  They were powered by donkeys!

In 55 BC Rome invaded Britain.  With them came the technology for milling flour and producing bread.

So, skipping ahead to Victorian times:  In the 1800's there were several companies in the United States that were manufacturing household-sized bread mixers.

The clamp, shown on the left, was used to secure the mixing bucket to a table.  The ingredients would be added to the bucket, then the hand-crank was used to turn the dough hooks, which in turn mixed and kneaded the dough.

The chore was usually done in the evening.  Once the dough was kneaded, the hand crank and dough hook would be removed, and the dough was left in the machine to rise overnight and be ready for baking in the morning.

Once electricity became commonplace, the hand bread mixers were replaced with electric ones.

 Electric bread mixers are still widely used today, even after the advent of bread making machines.

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!