KLAMATH ISSUE 1968 KLAMATH ECHOES Klamath County Historical Society NUMIEI 6 JOHN LOOSLEY IN FRONT OF HIS FIRST HOUSE ON HIS WOOD RIVE"R HOMESTEAD 21/2 miles south of Fort Klamath. -courtesy Willeska loosley My Fort Klamath Home There's a little gray house in the valley There's a broad green valley before them And it stands at the end of a lane, Where Bossie lies down to rest, But it gujdes me home like a beacon And I hear the song of the meadowlark, When the day is beginrung to wane. As she hurries home to her nest. A brook flows gendy beside it I catch the sweet scent of clover And goes gurgling along in glee And hear the soft coo-oo of the dove, And it wends its way to Wood River, The evening star gleams brighdy Then rushes on down to the sea. Like a lamp in the heavens above. The pine-clad hills and forests I breathe the fresh air of the open Look down on our cottage below, And live a life of the free, Beyond are high peaks of the mountains, Oh Fort Klamath Home, my beautiful All wrapped in their blanket of snow. You are all the world to me. - by Ora Gordon Submitted bJ Pa#ricia Hescock. i. MRS. C. A. LEN Z Born November 20, 1868 -photo by Helen Helfrich Dedication We respectfully dedicate this, the sixth issue of Klamath Echoes, to Mrs. C. A Lenz. This charm­ ing and gracious lady's present home occupies the approximate spot where she played as a girl nearly one hundred years ago on the banks of Fort Creek. Captain Oliver C. Applegate and crew moving a nice big, soft, old Yellow Punkin Pine log to the Agency Sawmill. Notice how plump and shiny the horses ore. They are full of that good o ld tasty Fort K:Jmath Meadows green stuff. The Fort Klamath cattle today are just as slick and shiny and full of that fragrant meadow grass and wild flowers. And SWAN LAKE MOULDING CO. is selling that smooth soft old Punkin Pine at the old stand on South Sixth Street. Fort Klamath just might be a wee bit nearer Heaven than most other places . • iii. Quartermaster Store Room Building at old Fort Klamath burn ing d uring one of the July Ti mes, possibly the cele bration of 1893. -courtesy Mrs. W. B. Hescock Midland Empire The One Stop Shopping Center for all your needs on your Home, Contents, liability for Home, Auto, Business, Health, Accident, Income Protection and life. -Plus- Excellent Investments in Real Estate, Farm, Homes and Commercial Properties. YOUR FRI ENDlY AGENTS CLEM AND SYLVIA LESUEUR 1006 Main Street Telephone: 882-3471 Klamath Falls, Oregon iv. Balsiger Motor Company Your FORD Dealer Since 1923 • NEW FORD CARS AND TRUCKS USED CARS AND TRUCKS • Main & Esplanade Telephone 884-3121 KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON v. SHIVE AND RYAN STORE IN FORT Kl.AMATH ABOUT 1902 L. to r.: Hamer Yehty, Indian, Geo. Hoyt, W. T. Shive (?), John D. Grey, Bert Grey, Den Ryan, -----• -courtesy Klamath County Museum THE PUCK RYAN RESIDENCE, ONE OF THE FIRST HOUSES IN fORT KLAMATH About the center of town on the west side of the Main Street. According to the aign, the tent house waa the photo atudio of C. Beechler of Gold Hill, Oregon. Man in front of fence, Puck Ryan, Fred urson and Sam King. -courtesy Klamath County Museum vi. Picture of the Yeu. Klomoth County dogs headed for Aloska about 1898. A l.. ge percentoge of the dogs were secured on the Kt.math Indian Reservat;on. They traveled overlond to Ashlond, by train to Seattfe, and boot to Alosk.,, where they were sold for sled dog~. EAch dog's choin wos fastened to a long wire, stretched between the buckboard and a man following on horsebuk, who had the other end fastened to the '"ddle horn. One bear dog was sold to Chas. Graves, who later homesteaded what is now the town of Crescent. -<:ourtesy Mrs. W. B. Heacock E d i t o r ' s P a g e. During the winter of 1963-64, the Kla­ "Sharrucks will probably be the name of math Councy Historical Society decided to a new town close to the Fore. Solon 0 . publish an annual hisrorical year book of Shattuck, a very wealthy citizen of our some sort. place, is postmaster, and his office, situated Eventually this writer was given complete in a place more central and convenient than charge of publishing the annual. At first it the Fort, is now a nucleus around which will was thought that Issue No. 1 should be a gather several buildings in the near future. Centennial Issue, commemorating the estab­ Already a store and blacksmith shop have lishment of the military post of Fort Kla­ been erected, and are doing good business, math in 1863. Seemingly no organization and pretty soon the young gentlemen here in Klamai:h County had deemed the event will have a fine public hall erected." as worthy of any official celebration what­ Range Rider. ever. • • • Last November 22, the American Asso­ Then it was learned that the Chamber of ciation for State and Local History was Commerce was sponsoring the publication of notified that they were to receive a grant of an historical book concerning the old mili­ $50,000 from the National Endowment for tary fore, to be written by Buena Cobb Stone. This ediror naturally realized that two pub­ the Humanities in support of the work of lications coming out at approJCimately the historical societies and mu!;ellms. same rime, about the same subject, would In early April the Editor of Klamath be foolish, so the Historical Society switched Echoes received a letter from the American and Klamath Echoes No. 1, as eventually Association for State and Local History, printed was conceived. located at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, We feel that time enough has now Tennessee, notifying him that be bad been elapsed, so that Klamath Echoes' present selected as one of thirty-five from the entire Fort Klamath issue will not, in any way, United States to attend the Seminar on conflict with the other publication. Further Hisrorical Museum Publications, to be held "Fort Klamath" by Buena Cobb Stone deals June 10-15, 1968 at Nashville. chiefly with the old Fort and the Modoc War. Klamath Echoes version of "Fore The thirty-five selected will attend on Klamath" will deal principally with the full scholarship with all eJCpenses paid. This co=unity, although a brief hisrory of the Editor feels deeply honored by his selection military post is given, plus pietures, some ro this Seminar, aod feels that Klamath heretofore never printed. Echoes has also been recognized as above Many Fore Klamath old-timers have average in historical sociecy publications. given much time and information and we Thircy-five Klamath Echoes No. 4, Ferry sincerely thank them and only wish we had to Freeway, Part I Centennial Issue, have the space to credit each person individually been sene to the Seminar. In rerurn we are for his assistance. to receive the publications of each of the • • • other thirty-four attending Semioarists . Recent research in the microfilm files at This, the sixth, issue of Klamath Echoes the U ni versicy of Oregon turned up the will be delivered to the printer on May 28, following article in an old Klamath Scar so it is impossible to furnish further infor­ N ewspaper. It could be entitled "It might mation on the Seminar. have been." Thursday, June 13, 1895: Editor. viii. Klamath Echoes Staff DEVERE HELFRICH Managing Editor HELEN HELFRlCH Assistant Officers KLAMATH COUNTY HISTORICAL SOOETY R. E. "DICK" TEATER - President HEBER RADCLIFFE Vice President MRS. RICHARD HESSIG Secretary-Treasurer HELEN HELFRICH Programme Chairman A. C. YADEN, VERA Q..EMMENS, LESTER HUTCHINSON - Membership U:>mmittee PAUL ROBERTSON, AL ANGEL, LESTER HUTCHINSON, DEVERE HELFRlCH Directors KLAMATH ECHOES is published annually by the Klamath U:>unry Historical Society. Price $2.00. Address all communicarions co: Klamath Echoes, P.O. Box 1552, Klamath Fails, Oregon 97601. THE COVER. Our cover was drawn by Stephanie Bonotro Hakanson, artist for all preceed­ ing issues of Klamalh EchoeJ. Depicted is the deserted old Loosley Creamery and O:teese Factory, some cwo miles soum of Fort Klamath. ix. Table of Contents POEM, "MY FORT KLAMATH HOME" ___Qra Gordon ____Jnside front cover FORT KLAMATH__ Devere Helfrich 1 FORT KLAMATH CEMETERY AND THE MODOC GRAYES .. Devere Helfrich -------- 8 MRS. C. A. LENZ-______________ ....Devere Helfrich-------- 10 A PIONEER FAMILY Willeska Loosley___ 13 MEMORlES OF EARLY WOOD RlVER..___Fred Brown 17 OLD FORT KI.A.Mlt.TH CREAMERY Elizabeth Loosley 22 COLEY BAll. Lizabeth Loosley 24 DR. STACY HEMENWAY ___ ___Helen Helfrich __ 26 FOUNDING OF FORT KLAMlt.TH._____ _.Devere Helfrich a SAWMILLS OF WOOD RIVER VALLEY _ Devere Helfrich -------- ___ 31 EARLY WOOD RIVER HAPPENING$ __Willeska Loosley ------- 34 THE OLD JAIL BUILDING _Myrtle Wimer --------- 37 FORT KLAMATH COMMUNITY METHODIST CHURCH.._____ _ Unknown Writer --------.39 FORT KLAMATH HOTE.L.. evere Helfrich ________41 AS TOLD TO ME_____ _____]_ A. "Bert'' Gray______ 44 IN THOSE GOOD OLD DAY$__ _ Mrs. Grace A. (Martin) Gorton __45 TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH .. ______ .Devere Helfrich -------------- __49 THE BIG JULY TIME. ______________Devere Helfrich ----- 50 FORT KLAMATH DISTRICf FAIR.. _____ ___Devere Helfrich -------- 54 CRATER LAKE SKI RACE. Devere Helfrich 55 HUCKLEBERRY MOUNTlt.JN__ _ _ _ ...,Devere Helfrich ------·60 FORT KLAMATH POSTAL HISTORY__Bernard Griffin 62 WOOD RIVER VALLEY SCHOOLS Devere Helfrich 64 QVIC IMPROVEMENT O..UB______ ___ Mrs. W. B. "Pat" Hescock ______69 WOOD RIVER PIONEER$____ Mrs.