J ~ The Magazine of the Southern Oregon Historical Society1Hr Pernoll Grange Store by Connie Fowler ith pioneer tenacity, members society members forged ahead and of the Applegate Valley before long, things started falling W Historical Society worked into place. determinedly for several years and finally With help from the county, the opened the doors of their museum on May state, the timber industry, local 10, 1997-well over a century after the organizations, and many dedicated store was originally built! individuals and businesses, the The old Pernoll Grange Store, built circa building made its final trip on the 1860s with hand-hewn logs, now September 25, 1993, aboard a nestles comfortably in its newly landscaped flatbed truck in a convoy from location at the junction of Highway 238 Jacksonville to Applegate, the last leg The Applegate Valley Historical Society found a home and North Applegate Road, between of its transformation from store to for the Pernoll Store notfar from its original location. Jacksonville and Grants Pass. One might museum.4 think that it has always been there, with its Four years later, the doors opened. Writer Connie Fowler and her husband, Ben, ranch shrubs, rose garden, carriage gates, and Displays in the museum feature a theme in the Applegate Valley. with artifacts from the area's past. The pathway welcoming visitors to enter and E NDNOTES: current theme is textiles from the take a step or two back in time. The little 1. M yrde Krause, Applegator (Jacksonville, store/museum is settled at last, but like the nineteenth century. The museum hours are Ore.: Applegate Partnership, bimonthly) travels of the early settlers, the journey Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 January 1995. wasn't easy.1 p.m. For more information, about the 2. Ibid. Said to have been the first general store museum or the Applegate Valley Historical 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. in the Applegate area, the eighteen-foot Society, call (541) 846-9211. :ffil: square building originally stood on the William Pernoll place just over a mile down river on North Applegate Road. Local folks made their purchases there until a new store opened on the main highway. The structure remained on the property until the late 1970s when owner Fred West gave it to George McCune who relocated it to his Pioneer Village in Jacksonville. In 1985, Pioneer Village closed and buyer Don Rowlett donated the log building to the Southern Oregon Historical Society. The Society moved it to the corner of Sixth and C streets, opposite the former Jackson County Courthouse. Hearing of the need to find a new home for the historic former store, pioneer family member Myrtle Krause founded the Applegate Valley Historical Society in 1989 with the single purpose ofbringing the Pernoll store back to the Applegate Valley.2 The community rallied around the The Pernolls pose in front of the store circa 1890. Standingfrom left, are Martin, seemingly impossible project. The donated john, and Lidia. Seated are Maude, William, an unidentified girl, Henry, and site for the building, totally overgrown with Nancy, with Alice in arms. blackberries and brush, lacked enough land to satisfY access needs. Moving the building would be expensive and difficult, especially for the fledgling society. But the members were determined to overcome the obstacles that arose at every turn. PROVOLTO "For a while we rattled around like APPLEGATE 4 Q marbles in the bottom of a bucket," Krause said of their early struggles with the APPLEGATE ~ HISTORICAL SOCIETY project.3 But in true pioneer form, the 2 VOL. 2 , NO.8 Vol. 2,No.s August2000 SOUTHERN OREGON HERITAGE TODAY SOUTHERN OREGON Editorial Guidelines :nure arciclcs average 3,000 to 4,000 (pre-edited) words. Other marcri:t!s range from 500 to 1,000 words. Electronic F ubmissions arc accepted on 3-1/4-inch disks and should be accompanied by a hard-copy hrintour. Cite all sources and construct HERITAGrP~l fsnd:~~;;n~;g, ~u1~~e:~:tfi~a~i~nc~rg~:~nu;~~f.SR''~~~~~ i~~,rh ~f professional, unscreened photographs and/or line art should accompa}4; submission-black-and-white or color. The Southern ~ref;~ oi~~b~~~~c;re:r:.Ali !:r;;r~rs~~~dc ;c~bile~1 ~:~cl~ au~or's name, mailing address, and telephone number. Manuscriprs will be rcrurncd if accompanied by a self-addressed envelope; stamped with sufficient Josrage. Authors should provide a bncf auto}ihr?c!~~~r~otQ~ ~~ e~s~!r~~nuS~~fers. secures rights ro FEATURE: full and final editing of~ manuscripts, layout Jesign, and one-time North American serial ris-hrs. Authors will be notified of acceptance of manuscripts within runcty days of receiving materials. In most Shrine of the Silent Arts cases, payment is upon publication. Southern Ougon Heritage Today takes gn:at care with all submitted material, but is not responsible for by William Alley ....... .p. 8 ~~~~~~;s10:ho?!~Y 6!10!~b~t;;c~t iF:~!:~e~?~~v~:i~1~ ~i~~~ r~~~ expressed in s~ned submissions arc those of the author and do not ~~j~!;~i~o;~y ~~t :Ccs~~;~~~ng r;~o~Pt{l~~:ic~ ~~~[~~:11 0'~gon DEPARTMENTS SUNDAY VOICES DRIVING Pernoll Grange Store Tolly's: by Connie Fowler Historic Treat off p.2 Interstate 5 by M olly Walker Kerr SOHS NEWS & NOTES p.4 Exhibits and program updates and calendar p.6 ROOTED IN HISTORY M E MBERS & DONORS p. 15 Indian Tobacco by Don n L. Todt and N an H annon FROM THE p. 14 ARCHIVES Two Out ofThree Viewers Say It's T.R. by Bill Miller THE PIONEERS: p.s Abel Helman: 0NTHECOVER From Pioneer to While Page Theater patrons waited Postmaster for the show to go on, they could enjoy the view of a panorama of by Louise A. Watson Crater Lake painted on the asbestos p. 16 stage curtain. SOHS#403 DETAJL S o uthe rn o regon Histo rical Soc ie ty M:ujorie Overland, Medford, PRESIDENT Magazine Sta ff Copy ri g ht 2000 by Southern Oregon H istorical Board o fTrliStees B.J. Reed, Medford Cynthia Wicklund, co~t.\-!UNtCA:nONS COORDINATOR Society, ISSN #1082-2003. All rights reserved . No part of Allen Alsing, Ashland Robert Stevens, Jacksonville Bill Powell, GUEST EDITOR this publication may be printed or electronically duplicated Cheryl Breeden, Medford, SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT Dana L. Hedrick, DF.StCNERIPHarocRAPHER without the wTitten permission of the Southern Oregon Robert Cowling, Medford Maggie j ames, PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANT/VO!..UJ'.,'TEER INTERN Historical Society. A d m inis tra tive S ta ff Judi Drais, Medford, TREASURER Yvonne Earnest, Medford Brad Linder, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Collectio ns/R esearc h Librarv S ta ff Maureen Smith, FINA.NCFiOPERA.TIONS DIRECTOR CUR.•\TOR OF AND H. Walter Emori, M.D., Jacksonville Mary Ames Sherer, cou..Ecr~o,.;s munrrs (:~-:., Jim Fety, Rogue River Amelia Chamberlain, PROGRAMS DIRECfOR Jacque Sundstrand, LIBRARY/ARCHIVES COORDINATOR Susan Cox-Smith, MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Carol Harbison-Samuelson, UBRARY fo.IANAGERIPHOTO ARCHMST 1111 ]O)~e Hailick., Butte Falls SOUTHERN HISTORICAL William Alley, ARCHWisr/HISTORJAN Nancy Hamlin, Medford, flRST VICE-PRESIDENT Southe rn O regon He ritage Today is publi shed Bill Miller. UBRARY !r.SSISTA.Jo.,T OREGON :::: SOCIETY Hank Hart, Medford monchly by the Southern Oregon Historical Society. ...,,... 3 Reeve Henn.ion, Jacksonville 106 N. CentmlAve.,Medford, OR 97501-5926. Southe rn Oregon He ritage Today is produced Nancy McGmv, Jacksonville, SECRETARY (541) 773-6536 using O!,tarkXPress on Macintosh computers and is printed by Ram Offset Lithogrnphers. Tolly's: HISTORIC TREAT OFF INTERSTATE 5 by Molly Walker Kerr oily's, located in the heart of historic Oakland, has been a traditional stop for Interstate 5 travelers for more than thirty years. A mixture of soda fountain, candy store, fine restaurant, antique shop and art gallery, it is Oakland's showpiece. Tolly's, tucked among the red brick buildings that line tiny Oakland's Locust Street, has lured visitorsfrom Interstate 5 for more than thirty years. old empty buildings on Locust Street. romantic dining room in its place-one of They had been boarded up for some time. several dining spaces at Tolly's, including Oakland is just a few miles off the "They had caved in roofs, rain-drenched an outdoor terrace. freeway at Exit 137 north of Sutherlin. interiors, no floors or ceilings and mildew­ Besides desserts, Tolly's offers Scandinavian After entering the town, Oregon's first covered walls," Carol remembers. dishes, deli sandwiches, espresso, ice cream, National Historic Landmark, turn up The Tollefsons and their friends, Don salads, gourmet entrees and a fine wine list. Locust Street, where you'll spot Tolly's and Erma Mode who lived in Elkton, Carol says, "There's no fast food here. striped awning among a row of red brick purchased the two old relics and, along Everything is started from scratch." buildings. Constructed around the turn of with families and friends, took on the While waiting to eat, be sure to peruse the century after fire destroyed most of the formidable project. They scrubbed, the antiques shop and the art gallery. downtown's wooden structures, these pounded, painted and polished until Tolly's is open daily except Christmas buildings were made ofbricks hauled from December 1968, when the two stores and New Year's from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; nearby Union Gap Brick Mill. opened for business: Tollefson's Antiques Wednesday-Sunday for dinner from Once inside the double green doors, in the old drug store and Mode's 5-9:30. ~ you'll be whisked back to a gentler time Emporium in the old mercantile store.