Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-08-04
ASKS HELP TO BUILD
TRAIL TO THE COAST

lNAlL IV lHL IVAOl
r. L. Fromme, supervisor OF the
siskiyou National forest, who Is
building a trail from Galice down
Rogue river to connect with the West
Fork-Gold Beach mail trail at Mule
creek, asks the county court Of jose
phine county to contribute $500 to-
ward the work. Several changes In
route are necessary, and for this new
work Mr.. Fromme desires the county
to help. In communication to the
court Supervisor Fromme says:
Josephine county has received as
her share of the % per cent Of ma
tional forest receipts in Oregon for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1910,
the sum of S1,529.S9. Less than rs
per cent (S1,120.SSl of this amount
was actually received by the United
States treasury from citizens of Jose
phine county during the same period
as grazing fees, payments for stump
age, etc. The national government,
through forest service, expended in
Josephine county S13,500, or twelve
times the sum paid into the federal
treasury as national forest receipts
from Josephine county, $1,S00 OF
which covered temporary labor and
supplies used directly on trail con-
struction.
'As you probably know the forest
service has been engaged In the past
few years in building trail from Ga
lice down the Rogue river to connect
with the West Forl-Gold Beach mail
trail at Mule Creek. This trail has,
up to June 80, 1911, cost in construc-
tion work the sum of $4,000, ST.
900 Of which was donated by jose
phine county. 1t is intended this
year to complete the present trail to
Mule Creek at probable expendl-
ture of 81, 800.
"In constructing this Rogue river
trail, the forest service has exercis-
ed great care In locating all the new
work on the best practicable grade
for the money allotted, but In order
to get through as far as possible the
past two years on from $3.50 to $500
per mile, 1t has been necessary for uS
to resort to the repairing of several
sections Of the old trail rather thar
to attempt all new work, In this way
we have managed 50 tnat we vii
have a possible trail clear through
from Galice to the coast by the enc
of this August, but, before it car
rank as a first class, absolutely saf'
trail and one on which any kind o
satisfactory time can be made, 1t will
require an unqualified abandonment
of two or three short sections of olC
trail in favor of new grades, Th
most urgent alteration, In fact tn
only change which seems really i'm
perative at this time, is the con
struction of new grade to eliminat
the use of several old switch-bacK
: on a section of little more than
mile of trail between Booze and Bun
ker creeks.
, This new proposed route has bee
blazed out by forest officers an,
runs along on good grade far belo'
the highest attained by the switch
: backs and yet perhaps 200 feet aboy
the river. 1t is much more direC
than the old trail and, as ! remem
Der, 1t seems a short mile. Th
i slope is extremely steep, however
which calls for deep, heavy gradinI
y but the rock is largely of loos
'' and shaley character on which drlI
picks have very material effec
d making the use of powder necessar
IS only occasionally.
e This important alteration in tf
y old trail believe can be accomplish
r ed at a cost of but little more tina
$500 and, if your honorable body wi
s. consent to authorize the expenditul
y of this amount from the proper cou
lie ty funds, am ready to promise, wifi
n your approval careful supervise
and management of this woi
A. through the assignment Of a compe
ent forest ranger as foreman"
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