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.
“What happens in the past leads to what the present is and directs what the future will be.” So said Tom Giordano as he received a distinguished service award from the Ashland Historic Preservation Advisory Committee at the appropriately historic Butler Bandshell in equally historic Lithia Park on Wednesday, May 17.
A new bilingual book and photo exhibit focused on Talent residents’ experiences during the Almeda fire will be unveiled at an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Talent Historical Society Museum, 105 N. Market St., Talent.
The Talent Tomato was born 65 years ago, and the Talent Historical Society is throwing a party to celebrate the anniversary and the man who helped make it possible. The Talent Museum, 105 N. Market St., will host David James and his band — The James Consortium — at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, for an evening of music and memories.
Grants Pass’ Daily Courier, Josephine County’s daily newspaper, will release more than 60 years of the publication’s archives for digitization at the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program.
Built in 1909 by railroad workers and dedicated in 1910, Ashland Elks Lodge No. 944, 255 E. Main St., has a booming membership of 892.
Al Willstatter, an Ashland World War II veteran who helped liberate Jews from concentration camps and later served as an Ashland City Councilor, died on Nov. 3, just more than a week shy of Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. He was 97.
The block on North Main Street between Laurel and Manzanita streets has been associated with education in Ashland for 150 years, since the Rev. Skidmore first started a college called “The Academy” in 1872. Briscoe Elementary was dedicated in 1949 and closed in 2004. The school is now owned by the city and leased to the Oregon Child Development Coalition.
As of Nov. 3, Ashland Community Food Bank has a new director at the reins. Catie Mahoney will serve in the role with guidance from outgoing director Amey Broeker, who will officially retire on Dec. 31 after serving in the food bank role since 2022.
The Ashland City Council will review a proposal from a potential provider to oversee its extreme weather shelter during its regular business meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival has added a second screening showcasing Indigenous filmmakers on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Three and a half years into the war with Russia, Ashland violinist and longtime music teacher Faina Podolnaya is still finding ways to help Ukrainian refugees.
Herbert Rothschild: As the number of ads in The New Yorker has shrunk, it seems as if the wealth of its readership has concentrated, just as one might concentrate the flavor of a sauce by reducing it on the stovetop.
Local artist MaryAnn Shank will share the thoughts behind her newest novel “Sor Juana, My Beloved” at Bloomsbury Books Jan. 26. Shank is a finalist of The Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Book of the Year 2025 award, awarded by the International Latino Book Association.
(It’s free)
