Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-09-08
sMALLEY's PROPHECY WILL BE FULFILLED

The Mail Tribune, of Medford hits the knocker ed-
tonay its issue Of Tuesday, which goes to prove that
the Rogue River valley has been troubled with this spec
men OF humanity for long time Here is the article:
In 1870, George W. Smalley, celebrated war CORE
spondent and journalist spent several months in the
Rogue River valley During the preceding years there
had been some immigration to the valley and slight
action had followed the expansion succeeding the civil
war period.
Zone evening Mr.. Smalley was at Woodvile. There
were large number Of pioneers and old timers gathered
at the store and the talk of the future very pessms
tic. 1t ran in this vein:
''There are more people here now than the country
can support-getting overcrowded-too many people
coming in What do with them allY The good old
times have gone The valley will 60 backward. The
mines have played outonly little be raised the
land. There are no resources-nothing to support the
population now here. Times are bad and likely to get
worse
"Afer listening to this kind of talk for some time Mr.
Smaley astounded the natives by the following prophecy
81 have Travelled all the world and have visited
and written about nearly every civilized country,
know what | am talking about.
THE Rogue River valley is destined to be one of the
most populous districts in the world. You have many
times the natural resources that districts in Europe
Asia have that sustain populations exceeding million
Some of you will live to see the day when this valley
will be large garden and orcharddotted with costly
mansions and cozy cottages with highly cultivated and
intelligent class of people, all under irrigation, and every
acre of land utilized Your mountains are covered with
forests that day will be valuable and sprinked with
precious metals and forests and mines will supply pay
rolls and industries.
You do not realize what you have-you are so used
to it. You do not comprehend the commercial value of
your climate You do not realize the wonderful fertility
of your soil and the variety and wealth of your udeveop
ed resources But some of you will some day
Over 40 years have passed since this prediction was
made. Some of it is beginning to be realized Some of
us will still be alive when the balance of the prophecy
comes true.
SIN 1870 the valley had but few thousand population
and the pioneers thought it overdone. The same
wall was heard from the mossback then that is heard to-
dayand that will be heard when the population reaches
million.
"NeXt time you hear the pessmist, remember that he
bowling along the lines 40 years ago and if he
lives will still be bowling 40 years hence
We can say to the Mail Tribune that Jackson county
hasn't all the pessimsts to be found in the Rogue River
valley Josephine county has its share and they are not
all mossbacks either There class of men who knock
every town in which they locate but thanks be unto the
gvcr of all good these cattle don't stay long They make
themselves unwecome in the community and they are
obliged to get out later What to do with the
knocker is problem which is now being discussed in
Grants Pass.
The next thing to be is battle airshp and it is to
at tine not many years hence As the arship has
10 stay why not have navy in the air instead of ON
the aer2 Think of battle i'm the clouds with its roar of