As It Was

The Southern Oregon coastal town of Gold Beach remained isolated for more than half a century after its founding in 1863. Its harbor was considered a hazard to navigation, and Curry County didn’t have a single mile of a main roadway until 1878.

The 400-pound, 117-year-old bell didn’t look very stable in its wood-frame belfry, so Rector Anthony Hutchinson of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Ashland, Ore., sent it by train to Indiana for repair.

A motorist obeying all speed zones can drive nonstop from Portland to Sacramento in 9 hours and 30 minutes. Coffee, rest area, and lunch breaks might add another hour to the trip. Compare that with 1860, when the first stage line opened between the two cities, offering a trip of six days and seven hours to cover the 710-mile route.

Emigrating from Iowa with his family by covered wagon in 1859, Hiram Leonard Niles lived in Boise, Idaho, and Sonoma County, Calif., before marrying and settling down in Shasta County.

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion established several “firsts” during World War II.

For many years, Dr. Charles Pius practiced medicine in Yreka, Calif.

Judge John Grider arrived in Siskiyou County in 1888 to visit his mother in Scott Valley.

It is said that the McCully House in Jacksonville has been haunted by a “friendly, calming” gentleman sitting in a chair. Some who say they sighted him believe he is the ghost of the original owner of the house, Dr. John McCully.

In 1917, a justice of the peace in Medford, Ore., had second thoughts after sentencing Bert Rippey of Tolo, Ore., to 25 days in jail or a fine of $100 for selling salmon without a license.

Historian Kay Atwood reports that back in the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt was already familiar with comfort camping. These days it’s called “glamping,” or glamorous camping.