Emil and Alice Peil could “keep an eye” on the store from their house on Granite Street, but walking there was another matter. The drop-off from Granite Street to Winburn Way was (and still is) the height of a two-story building.
The fundraising campaign for the restoration of the historic Butler-Perozzi fountain in Lithia Park is nearing completion following a $20,000 grant awarded by the State Historic Preservations Office’s Preserving Oregon Grant Program.
With a newly funded $20,000 grant from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, some Southern Oregon University’s Sociology and Anthropology Program students and staff will travel to eastern Oregon this fall to perform archaeological excavations for a logging ghost town that once was home to a diverse community in the early 20th century, including African-American and white loggers.
Ashland resident Tom Giordano didn’t know until recently that his grandfather Salvatore Giordano was a world-renowned opera singer who sang in Ashland 110 years ago at the opening of a new theater on East Main Street.
Ashland has a wealth of historic stories and sites, but the stories need telling and the sites need marking. An organized process called Marking Ashland Places (MAP) began a few years ago. Thanks to years-long work by volunteers from the Historic Preservation and Public Arts committees, we now have a large sculpture in Railroad Park along with five historic markers in the Railroad District.
The oldest hotel in Ashland has just been reborn as a place “where the culture of music, art and Ashland vibes meets the relaxing rhythm of nature in the heart of the great Southern Oregon outdoors.” This quote from the newly renovated Columbia Hotel’s home page expresses much of the essence of what makes Ashland attractive to both visitors and residents.
Racism is very much alive in Ashland, even if it’s hidden, according to Portland State University history professor Kristen Teigen, who in a recent talk said the seeds were planted decades ago and still flourish today.
Wednesday is the 100th anniversary of a botched and bloody crime often referred to as the “last great train robbery” of the West, the Tunnel 13 tragedy on Siskiyou Pass between Ashland and California. Two local events and a number of podcasts and videos have been produced to mark Wednesday’s centennial.
The historic water tubs at the Tub Springs State Wayside, which have been a popular water source for generations, are operating again but not as a source of drinking water. “Something happened geologically that has changed that spring,” Nathan Seable of Oregon Parks and Recreation said.
Jackson County Library Services and the Southern Oregon Historical Society will hold a presentation dedicated to taking a look at past local Independence Day celebrations from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, at the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd.
Obituary: Proud mom and devoted wife, Mary Louise “Mary Lou” Viola Carlson, 93, passed away in hospice Jan. 19 in Medford. A celebration of life will be held this spring when the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing.
Because the list of Ashland’s accomplishments in 2024 would be too long to read out loud, she would have to stick to the highlights, Mayor Tonya Graham said Wednesday, starting off her annual State of the City address in a packed Rogue River Room in Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University.
Review: “Spotlight on the Judds,” starring Livia Genise as Naomi, Rebecca K. Campbell as Wynonna and Janina Brown as singer and narrator, is playing at the Camelot Theatre through Feb. 9. Rebecca K. Campbell as Wynonna performs with such confidence. She possesses a strong, muscular voice that you can feel right down to the tips of your toes.
A 76-year-old man died after colliding with a tree at Mt. Ashland Ski Area on Friday morning, according to a ski area news release. The helmeted skier, whose name was not released, was on Windsor Chairline, a trail categorized as “most difficult,” the release said.
People in Southern Oregon and far Northern California will likely see ongoing changes in weather patterns in coming years, and those changes aren’t necessarily positive. During a Wednesday evening presentation, “Southern Oregon Climate Trends, Projections, and Consequences,” Dr. Alan Journet, co-facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN), offered a series of possible scenarios if steps are not taken to immediately stop or at least slow climate change.
As part of an ongoing commitment to addressing homelessness in Jackson County, individuals are invited to volunteer for the annual “Point in Time” (PIT) Count, which will take place throughout the last week of January, beginning Monday, Jan. 27.
(It’s free)
