History of the Rogue Valley

An Activity Book for Grades 3-5 Name ______

Welcome! You are about to embark on a journey that will explore the History of the Rogue Valley. Your adventure begins at school and continues at North Mountain Park. This workbook will help prepare for your trip and help you remember many of the things you will see and learn about along the way.

North Mountain Park Nature Center 620 N Mountain Ave ~ Ashland, OR 541.488.6606 Spring 2008 Pioneer Life Pre-visit Activity

Ashland Donation Land Claims — Founding Fathers

One of Ashland’s most famous early pioneers is Abel Helman, who sailed from the East Coast to California in search of gold. Not finding any big strikes, Helman decided to see if the Willamette Valley was really the garden of Eden people were talking about. After traveling north and then back into California, Helman decided the Rogue Valley was the place for him, and in 1852 he staked his own donation land claim along Rock Creek, later known as Ashland Creek. Donation Land Claims was land given to married couples by the government in 320-acre parcels.

Although he had intended to make a living mining for gold, Helman soon decided that because all of the good claims had already been taken, he would be more successful selling lumber to the miners. Within a few years, Helman, along with fellow pioneer Eber Emery, built a sawmill along Rock Creek.

Just a couple of years later, Helman and Emery put their efforts into building a flour mill, also along Rock Creek. By this time it was clear that Helman’s claim was to become the main commercial district for the new town. In 1855, Helman laid out twelve lots around the plaza, and the town of Ashland Mills (named after Helman and Emery’s home county of Ashland, Ohio) became established. Helman School sits on the site of Helman’s origi- nal house.

Other pioneers who had original land claims in Ashland included Enoch Walker, whose house still sits on East Main next to Willow Wind School. His claim includes the site where Walker School now sits. There was also James Tolman, whose original land claim now includes the site of Bellview School.

The land that is now the site of North Mountain Park was part of the parcel claimed by Ashland pioneer Asa Fordyce under the rules of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850. Asa brought his family to Oregon from Iowa in 1853. Almost immediately after arriving in the Rogue Valley, Asa was involved in an Indian attack. After being injured from the shot, he stayed with James Tolman until he healed. He was eventually able to make his claim on the land that extended down to Bear Creek and to settle his ranch, which the 2 family owned for many years. Pioneer Life Pre-visit Activity

Early Ashland Industries

Directions: This picture shows three different mills that were built in Ashland. These mills were all powered by the waters of Ashland Creek and located downtown. First, color the creek blue, the sawmill brown, the flour mill red, and the woolen mill yellow. Then, color in the rest of the picture. You can add more houses if you want. Now draw in some canals that carried water from the creek to these houses for the pioneers’ orchards, farms and ranches.

Flour Mill

Woolen Mill

Sawmill

3 Ranching Pre-visit Activity

Learning About Native Plants & Animals

The three plants shown on this page are native plants that used to grow in and around Ashland. They helped to provide wild animals with food and shelter. With the coming of the pioneers and their cows, horses, and sheep, many of these plants were eaten or trampled. In order to replace them, new plants have been planted at North Mountain Park. You will get to see these native plants (and others that wildlife need) when you come on your field trip.

Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimu  A slender branchy shrub that grows 4-12 feet high  Deer like to eat the twigs and leaves

Rabbitbrush Chrysothaminum nauseosus   

Bunch Grass Koeleria cristata  6 inches wide  It provides food for quail

4 Ranching Pre-visit Activity

Learning About Native Plants & Animals

: In this space, draw a picture of each of the three native plants you just learned about. Then read about each plant and find out which animal used each one. Add the animals to your picture. When you come to the park, check to see if your picture looks like the “high desert” of North Mountain Park.

5 Logging Pre-visit Activity

Trends in Local Logging

People cut down trees from the forest to make lumber and paper. The number of trees that are cut down is related to how much lumber and paper is needed. When Oregon first became a state, only a few trees were cut down. These were used to build houses, farms, and fences. After the railroad was built, logs could be sent by train all over the country, so many more trees were cut. Following World War II, a lot of people built houses, so even more trees were cut in Oregon. Today, we know that by recycling paper and using things besides wood to build with, we won’t need to cut down as many trees.

The pictures below show a forest of Jackson County in four different years. a total of 1,000 trees in each forest.

Forest ‘A’

1859

How many trees were left? ______

So, if 1 tree = 100 real trees, how many trees should you color? ______

Forest ‘B’ Year: 1925 150 trees were cut How many trees were left? ______

So, if 1 tree = 100 real trees, 6how many trees should you color? ______Logging Pre-visit Activity

Trends in Local Logging (cont.)

Forest ‘C’ Year: 700 trees were cut How many trees were left? ______

So, if 1 tree = 100 real trees, how many trees should you color? ______

Forest ‘D’ Year: 150 trees were cut How many trees were left? ______

So, if 1 tree = 100 real trees, how many trees should you color? ______

Why do you think there were more trees cut in 1955?

How many trees do you think we can cut (out of 1,000) and still have a healthy forest?

What are some things, other than wood, that we can use to build houses?

7 What are some things that we can do to use less paper? Logging Pre-visit Activity

Ashland Sawmills

This is a map of Ashland. All of the historic sawmills are labeled with a wigwam burner.

Wigwam burners were used to burn the scrap material that the mill didn’t sell as lumber or wood products.

Can you find your school on the map? Circle it.

Use a ruler to find out which two historic mill sites are closest to your school and list them here.

______

______How many mills were located alon Color Ashland Creek blue. Look back on page 3. railroad tracks? Notice how all of the original mills in town were ______built along Ashland Creek. Why do you think the sawmills, which were built much later, did not need to be built along the creek? Why do you think they were built a

8 ______Logging Pre-visit Activity

Ashland Sawmills

ng the

______along the railroad?

9 ______Logging Pre-visit Activity

Ashland Sawmills

Study the interpretive cards on the following five mills to answer the questions below.

Beagle Cotton Fir McGrew Parson’s

10 NMP Activity

Trees Logged in the Rogue Valley

At the park, you will read about these three trees that are used in local logging. With a red pencil, circle each animal name that you find in the descriptions. With a brown pencil, circle each item that people use.

is a valuable The wood of is is used for lumber, commercial tree for its high- soft, moderately decay- timbers, pilings, and plywood. grade lumber. In addition to resistant, with a strong spicy- The wood is also made into being an ideal wood for resinous fragrance. Incense railroad ties, mine timbers, doors, windows, frames and Cedar is the primary material house logs, posts and poles, drawers, industrial uses for for wooden pencils because it flooring, veneer, pulp, and Ponderosa Pine include tends to sharpen easily without furniture. It is also a popular pallets, concrete forms, crates forming splinters. This wood Christmas tree. Logging and boxes. This tree provides is used as mud sills, window practices have caused Douglas cover for many wildlife sashes, sheathing under stucco Firs to thrive. Its quick growth species including cavity- or brick veneer construction, make it the crop of choice to nesting animals. Acorn greenhouse benches, fencing, replant clear-cut areas. woodpeckers prefer to stash poles, and trellises. Incense Douglas Fir seeds are an their seeds in its trunk. The Cedar is browsed by deer and extremely important food for cones are a favorite food elk, and bear eat the sapwood small mammals. Mice, voles, source for squirrels which on young trees. Mature trees shrews, and chipmunks pull apart the cones to find the provide cover for a host of ate an estimated 65 percent of seeds. Black bear also eat the animals, and the hollowed a Douglas Fir seed crop in cones, and the seeds are eaten trunks make ideal habitats for western Oregon. The seeds are by many birds and small many species of birds and also important in the diets of animals. The needles and mammals. several birds, including sparrows and 11finches. buds are sometimes eaten by deer and elk during winter. NMP Activity

Ranching Game Results

Round 1 Who are you?

What plant do you use?

How do you use it?

Were you able to get the plants that you needed? Why or why not?

Round 2 Who are you?

What plant do you use?

How do you use it?

Were you able to get the plants that you needed? Why or why not?

12 NMP Activity

Ranching Game Results

Who are you?

What plant do you use?

How do you use it?

Were you able to get the plants that you needed? Why or why not?

Stock Ranch of John 13Murphy, near Ashland Post-visit Activity

Oral Interview

One of the best ways to learn about the past is to talk to someone who has lived in the area for a long time. Because logging, farming, and ranching played such a big role in the history of the Rogue Valley, there are many people who have first-hand experience with these careers. Find someone who has been involved in one of these areas. Ask him or her the following questions. Be sure to write down the answers.

Name:

Address:

How long have you lived in the Rogue Valley?

When did your family first come to the Rogue Valley, and why did they come?

How have you, or your family, been involved in logging, ranching, or farming here? If so, how?

Was this a good life for your family? Why? 14 Post-visit Activity

Oregon State Seal

Color Oregon’s State Seal. Each of the symbols tells us about Oregon’s history. Pick two of the symbols and write a sentence describing what they tell about Oregon’s history.

1:

2:

15 NMP Activity

Checklist

These people all lived and worked in the Rogue Valley. After learning about them, put a check mark in the category that each is most known for.

Pioneer Family Ranching & Farming Logging

Asa Fordyce

Bill Beagle

Enoch Walker

Max Pracht

Peter Britt

James Tolman

Dick Reinan

Jesse Applegate

McGrew Brothers

Jim Parson

Abel Helman

John Murphy

John Cotton 16