Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-06-02
GRANTS PASS BUSINESS MEN ON
TWO DAYS VISIT.
BETTER ROADS ADVOCATED
Railroad to Coast, Owned and Oper.
ated by Local People Ad-
vocated.

Pilgrimage No. l for 1911 OF
Grants Pass Commercial club mem
bers proved gratifying success and
brought in closer touch the people of
this city and the people of town and
country .in the rich Illinois valley.
FROM the arrival in Kerby at II
o'clock Monday morning, to the de-
parties from that place the next af-
ternoon the entire party enjoyed ev-
cry minute of the stay in the valley,
with the exception of the hours of
misery spent in the hills in the night
wandering in autos hunting a road
from the Grange hall to Kerby, all
OF which risk to costly machines and
human life could have been avoided
by sign boards costing five cents on
trees where roads forked.
The outcome of the pilgrimage is
that lively interest has been awaken
ed over the county as to the neces-
sity of better roads, and especially
of real road from Grants Pass to
Crescent City. Much interest was ad-
ded as result of the presence Of
Judge Childs and Attorney Donahue,
of the coast town.
The first day the party took in
Kerby, there for dinner, then to the
Deep Gravel mine and Logan mine,
near Waldo; then to Holland for sup
per, where the crowd inspected j. M.
Smock's new creamery and took sup
per. Then to Grange hall for the
speaking and booster meeting at
night Tuesday was spent at Kerby,
where the people of that town had
prepared a sumptuous feast in the
form of an outdoor dinner. This
was In honor of the Grants Pass
shouters and to which the people OF
the valley had been invited, The day
proved pleasing one for all concern
ed.
Addresses at Grange hall were all
of an optimistic nature, and the
word Improvement was the key
note. The various speakers proposed
that Josephine county and Del Norte
county, Cal, build a wagon road from
Crescent City to Grants Pass, the
road to be on railroad grade and tc
be built In such a manner that II
will endure throughout the years. II
was also proposed that the people Of
Illinois valley 'orm an association
for the purpose of fostering improve
ment and for the purpose of getting
more people to settle on the unoccu
pied and untitled lands. Judge Child'
of Crescent City, surprised all by pro
posing that the people of the Illinois
valley build 2 railroad themselves
and tie 1t up so that no corporate
interest should ever get control bu
that the people hand 1t down to thei
posterity"
Mr.. Babcock, Of the grange, In
troduced President Sabin of th'
Grants Pass Commercial club, VIII
then presided. Mr.. Sahin, befor'
calling for speakers, addressed tn
assembly briefly, He said in part;
Il want to say that 1t is a pleasur
for the members Of the Commercial
club to be here, and all the member
would have made the trip II that ha
been possible; but various interest
and reasons prevented We are gIa
TO make your acquaintance NOR
fully as we are all neighbors; an
these little pilgrimages to the vale
will make us all better acquainted
Mr.. sabin then introduced L. /
Herrick Of the Grants Pass Bankin
and Trust company.
1T has been charged" said M
Herrick, that the towns Of Sont'
ern Oregon are ahead OF the countr'
II this is true, let us make the countr
grow up to the towns. ! wish to II
ao,sa what Mr.. Sabln said In r.
gard to railroads, and assure 20
that we. OF Grants Pass, will DO a
we can TO help in this regard"