Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-09-22
EARLY HISTORY GRANTS
PASS CRESCENT ROAD


highway from Grants Pass to Cres-
cent City, and with particular refer
ence to an article by John A. Dale
published last Sunday in the Courier,
together with an editorial on the sub
tect, w. ]. Winner, one of the best
posted men on affairs in Josephine
county, gave The Courier Tuesday,
some interesting history on the road
matter, and explained the details of
an effort in the early SOS to build a
proper road from Grants Pass to the
city by the sea. Mr.. Winner, In 1881
sometime between 1880 and 1884
realized that something should be
done to get real road. After con-
siderable thought over the matter he
evolved the plan to call mass meet
ing OF representatives of Josephine
county, Jackson county and Del
Norte county. California. He made
the call, It was popular one, and
representatives or delegates came
from the three counties, and met in
mass meeting at Waldo. The result
was that 1t was decided to have
survey made, and it was made by the
three counties and cost In the
neighborhood of $1,400. ]. s. How
ard, the veteran civil engineer, now
resident Of Medfotd, was the chief
Of the engineering corps, and chose
the same route Mr.. Dale proposed In
his article of last Sunday. The sur
veying party was composed Of from
IA to 16 men, and spent three or
four months In the work. Viewers
beat the hills in reconnoitering for
the best and most feasible stretches of
roadway. The altitude mentioned by
Mr.. Dale measures S,100 feet, which
Is at Howard summit, making a
climb OF 500 feet from Waldo.
A route could be run on Elk creek,
which would probably be 500 feet
lower, though much new road would
have to be constructed on this route.
It would lead through Elk Creek
valley.
Why Gasquet built his road over
the mountain was for the purpose Of
forcing teamsters to stop at his place
and purchased his provender. Had the
run been made down Smith river, the
many valleys would have afforded
travellers chances to camp and to Sc
cure feed for teams and food for
themselves without stopping at Gas
quet's, hence Gasquet's successful
scheme to send the road over the
mountain and to-make his station the
Mecca for all comers and goers.
The road proposed by the dele
gates to the mass meeting and sur
veyed by Mr.. Howard never material
! ized, though Winner & Sons, one the
father, the other the brother Of w.
! ]. Winner, with himself as one of the
firm, built the six miles of road up
/ the east hill in Josephine county to
/ the state and county lines a
route which could not be selected
elsewhere, and conducted II as toll
road. This six miles cost $4,000, or
/ $1,000 a mile, and the county paid
/ s2,S50 Of this Later, w. J. Winner
/ & Sons gave this stretch Of 6 miles
to Gasquet on condition that he
would build this way and connect
with Mr.. Winners road. Gasquet
complied with this, got the six miles
Of road, and then on extending his
road westward, went over the high
mountain instead Of going down the
Smith river the grade Of the Six
miles Of Winner road is one IN II
Mr.. Winner recently wrote to en-
glneer Howard at Medford asking
that gentleman II he still had the
field notes OF the survey Of the pro
posed road. Mr.. Howard replied as
follows: