The Rogue I Remember c.1 & c.2
by Wallace Ohrt of The Mountaineers (organized 1906), Seattle copyright 1979
illustrated by George Daly, foreword by Senator Mark Hatfield
WO dedicated book to John Franklin Ditsworth, b. Eagle Point, OR 7/2/1881, d. Medford, OR 10/31/1978
1. The Rogue, 2. Dad makes the move - and brings whole family, 3. They came before us - Jesuit priests, Bill Rumley 1867 with homestead named the McAndrews place, Peyton-->the Sullivans and Samuel Taylor all from Kansas, 1897 Jeremiah Franklin Ditsworth and raised 4 sons & 7 daughters, late 1880s Joe Phipps (who left for Alaska 1908), Jack Goodloe built log cabin on the site (left after trapping out the area), Gus Hammer stayed until his whiskey gave out (then went back home to Applegate country), 1900 Jeff Brophy, Charley Toney bought Brophy out. other early settlers: Vaughans, Gordons, Taggarts (all before 1900), 1891 a small log schoolhouse was erected for school June thru August as weather permitted. 1911 Ditsworth donated land for 2-room frame school; 1914 Hattie Rose proposed name Laurelhurst for school. one band of 50-60 wild horses (among those who escaped from the Spanish conquistadores 3 centuries earlier) roamed mountains in pioneer days; around turn of century a white stallion led this herd and committed a number of depredations against the early settlers, with many a plow mare joining forces with the wild ones (or the bandit chieftan sometimes mutilated or killed those who wouldn't join) --a rifle bullet cut his career short; 2/1917 winter storm brought death by starvation to all but 17 mares, some were with foal; early 1950s, last of herd rounded up and slaughtered for chicken feed. 4.School days recounts author's school days, 5. Squirrel ranching, 6. Neighbors: Jan van der Maas, "Buck" Glass with 2 daughters Erma and Lois and cousins of 3 Rogers boys, Leo Hoag and Jack Casey teenagers, Dorothy & Maxine Harding and Tommy Close came from CA, Jim & Robert Thomas, brother Danny with Kenny rogers & Jim Thomas 'discovered' skunk exploring the woods, younger brother Bobby & Cecil Rogers caught by a skunk, the Caseys & the Hoags with Jim Casey keeping up cabins and picnic grounds plus "Jerry the bear" shown on a heavy chain and could down 100 bottles of chocolate pop; Elmer Hoag ran McLeod businesses with Mrs. Hoag doing chicken dinners and homemade pies; daughter Evelyn Coburn waited on the tables. to north: Train brothers Orin and Marion with a ramshackle sawmill. Weeks' pear orchard had been homestead in 1892 by W.F.Taggart, buying out Joe Phipps's squatter's rights. Joseph H. Stewart pioneered commercial apple and pear growing in southern Oregon; was out with son-in-law Dillon Hill, then bought Taggart place with son-in-law Arthur J. Weeks helping set out mountain orchard. Stewart Weeks stayed on property after parents died.