Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-02-16

along these lines. Grants Pass is an
Oregon town and when we think OF
her age, she has a brilliant past: or
dinarily it would be said that Oregon
is the mother of this beautiful city,
but in this particular instance such is
not the case, for as some of us know
jackson county is the mother and the
state is the grandmother. Upon the
advent of the railroad. and the town
site was laid out it was in jackson
county and it became necessary for a
subsequent legislature 1854, think }
to detach four townships from Jackson
county and annex them to Josephine,
and but for the influence Of Harry
Miller in the Oregon Legislature, we
may have failed in this effort; had
this been so the diversified resources
of Josephine county would today have
been exerting themselves in building
up u Southern Oregon metropolis in
an adjoining county.
Ny impression now is that Harry
b. Miller was senator from this
county in that legislature and Hon.
Arthur A. Porter of Grave creek was
our representative. At the following
June election the county seat question
was voted upon, the contestants being
Kerby, Wilderville and Grants Pass,
the result being that Grants Pass won
out
We know what Grants Pass is now
because We can see it and realize GER
tain facts which are at once patent to
every one who observes. but it is not
so easy for the stranger to see from
whence it came When we note tn
fine modern residences which are
spread out over several square miles
of most beautiful landscape, shade
and vine, the solid comfort and con.
tentment of which the very air about
them seems to tell us, when we meet
the intelligent, substantial business
men who by the hunderd direct its
commerce and who are busy shaping
its future; not failing of course to
her large and splendid
schools; nor do we overlook her many
neat churches and Sunday schools, we
are at once impressed with the con-
viction that here in this beautiful
Rogue River Valley has come forth
little world of its own, and though at
this writing it only numbers some
1000 souls, we know the end is not
yet.
The S P. d. & L. Co. was the first
business of special Importance to come
to Grants Pass; Harry Miller was at
its head with H. G. Kinney, splen.
did second. Owing to excessive
railroad freights and a small home
this company was compelled
TO use great economy in every way
thew were compelled to log inferior
timber because too expensive to Gull
the choicest timber and they were
also compelled by competition and
nigh freights to ship nothing but their
choicest products into the oustide cash |
for from this source must
,ome the cash to meet the demands of
he business The home trade had |
Dut little cash in it, hence the CON-
pany naturally sold their inferior lum-
Der to their home trade as a matter of |
necessity. The large list Of employees
most all of whom we're homs people
made this enterprise of vast import
ince to the then young aud dependent
little town, but good many of her
citizens could not see IL in that light,
md were loud in their denunciations
# the S. p. d. & L. Co. and as a
,etter expression of their hatred of it
allied it. the "Sugar Pine Board &
Knot Co 4" in fact the citizens of the
own upon this and other questions
ctually and by word stood divided
" sharp lines which finally culmi.
ated in the bitter fight over the In
of the town. In fact at
his time the Courier, edited by J. H.
'tine, fought the S. P. d. & L.
70. vigorously and continued to do
o until bought a half interest in it
nd swung its columns around to the
earty support of all manner of en-.
or nriu 90 rrithin ;tr rna al.,,r