NEAR GOLD HILL, Ore. — This month marks the 125th anniversary of the completion of the railroad through Oregon to California. It not only made travel safer, quicker and easier, but it also marked the beginning of the end of stagecoach travel in our region. Along the west side of the Bear Creek Valley, between … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: A History of Christmas
Christmas is just a little over a week away, and people are busy trying to finish shopping and getting ready for the biggest holiday of the year. It wasn’t always that way, even for many of our parents or grandparents. In this Oregon Trails, NewsWatch 12′s Ron Brown takes a look at how Christmas has … Continue reading »
Oregon Trials: Famous Floods
ASHLAND, Ore. – The heavy rains of the past several weeks has many people flashing back to other wet seasons when the rivers rose and floods caused extensive damage to Southern Oregon and Northern California and while this wet weather pattern is not normal, it’s nothing compared to past storms. For most Southern Oregon residents, … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: Table Rock’s Tunnels
SAMS VALLEY, Ore. – From the time the first settlers arrived in the Rogue Valley, the Table Rocks have been a source of fascination and mystery. All sorts of rumors and legends surround the Twin Mesas along the Rogue River near Sams Valley and one of the most enduring mysteries involve a series of deep … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: Medford Radio
MEDFORD, Ore. – This year, 2012, marks the 90th anniversary of many of the first commercial radio stations on the air in the united states and one of those pioneer stations is right in Medford. For those of us who grew up in the 30′s, 40′s, or 50′s, radio was the center of entertainment and … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: O&C Railroad and Act
MEDFORD, Ore. – This year marks the 125th anniversary of the completion of the first railroad through our area, to connect Oregon and California; it’s also the 75th anniversary of the landmark congressional act creating the O&C Trust Lands that have provided timber revenue for 18 Oregon counties for decades. 160 years ago, when the … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: Bomber Crash Site
NEAR DENIO, Nev. — It’s more than sixty years since the end of World War Two, and for many Americans, the memories of that war are fading away; so are many of the relics and sites rusting and becoming overgrown as the decades pass. A wind-swept meadow high in the Pueblo Mountains, just north of … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: The Tale of Two Councils
GOLD HILL, Ore. – The 2012 election season has focused mainly on the presidential race and its impacts on the nation, but a hundred years ago, one of Jackson County’s biggest towns was in the middle of a political storm that threatened to tear the community apart. Main Street in Gold Hill is quiet and … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: Trick or Treat
MEDFORD, Ore. – Fall is here in all it’s colorful glory, and with it kids of all ages thinking of Halloween. Halloween is next Wednesday, and with it the tradition of costumes, parties and trick or treating. For as long as most of us can remember, Halloween has been a favorite holiday for kids and … Continue reading »
Oregon Trails: Klamath Basin Potatoes
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Folks in the Klamath Basin are kicking up their heels this weekend for the 75th Annual Merrill Potato Festival. It’s a celebration of one of the most important businesses in the Klamath Basin. It’s harvest time in the Klamath Basin. Not so much hay or wheat right now, but mostly potatoes. … Continue reading »
