Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-06-15
Post Road Progress
In Jackson County
(By E. ]. Kaiser

in Jackson county under the direc-
tion of the office of public roads, de-
partment of agriculture, will be COM
pleted by August 1, according to
Major w. A. Grassland, senior United
States highway engineer in charge.
The work was begun last fall and
remained dormant until this spring.
The fund consists of $4,000 and
the federal government through the
Shackleford bill made the $500, 900
appropriation from which Oregon got
$4,000 which Governor West award
ed to Jackson county, the county
court qualifying by appropriating
the other two-thirds from the county
road fund. The routes selected were
made jointly by representative of
the office of public roads and the
postmaster-general and secretary of
agriculture, the principal issue being
the population to be served by rural
free delivery routes.
In addition to the appropriation
made by the Shackelford bill the Of
flee of public roads furnishes the SER
vices of the senior highway engineer
and junior highway engineer, Rob-
ert H. Harrison, as we'll as all their
expenses, including automobile hire,
thus allowing the entire appropria-
tion.
The work was divided into four
routes, the principal mileage being a
circle of the valley from Medford
through Agate to the Modoc orchard
or old Bybee bridge, then past the
Antioch school house and Sans Val
ley postoffice to Gold Hill, after
which it takes the Kanes creek route
and skirts the foothills west of Cen
trail Point and comes into Medford
again via Ross Lane. The route
makes a total of 3S miles and it
makes a tour of the valley, which for
scenic beauty far surpasses the Pa
cific Highway, which passes through
the center of the valley along the
line of the railroad in the main.
Along this route there is one loop
that connects Central Point with the
Agate and Butte creek and Sans val
ley country on the east and consists
of two miles and another two-mile
loop that connects Central Point on
the west with the foothills road COM
monty known as Millionaire Row"
on account of the section being noted
for the beautiful modern homes and
elegant orchards established and
maintained in recent years by
wealthy people who have selected
that elevated locality on account of
its panoramic view of the lower val
ley.
The other is a ten-mile loop south
of Medford covering the thickly pop
ulated suburban population off from
Oakdale avenue to the vicinity of the
old county hospital site.
The entire route covers so miles
and none of it duplicates the Pacific
Highway. The Shackelford bill was
a single appropriation by congress
as an experiment to meet the cry for
better postal roads as a result of the
parcel post and carried few direc-
tions, Major Grassland and his office
using their judgment in the expendi-
ture of the money. The county had
expended considerable funds on some
of this mileage in the past ten years
in roads, bridges and improving the
roadway, and Major Grassland is
leaving these stretches intact and ex-
pending the money in concrete
bridges across creeks and culverting
the gullies and reducing the higher
grades and raising the surfaces at
low points and in swampy or sticky
districts placing the Telford founda-
tion and crushed rock. There are
also a few slight changes in the road
way where the right of way and some
expense is being supplied by the ad-
joining property.
OF the nine reinforced concrete
bridges the most expensive one cost
$S7S.50 on contract price and the
total bridges and culverts will ap-
proximate about $1,000. About
$4,000 will be spent on the north
side of Rogue river, principally in
crushed rock road some four miles
beyond Modoc orchard bridge, and
considerable Telford foundation as
: well as bridges. A rock crusher is at
work in the last named vicinity now.
Major Grassland has been with the
road engineering department of the
federal government for thirteen
: years, ten of which were in road
building in the Philippines. Mr.. Har-
+. rison has been with the office of pub
lie roads for several years and will
this year be promoted to senior en-
| gineer