Report of A. H. Carson. 39 



of all the üeople in Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas counties, 

 is due to the fruit development had during that time. The evi- 

 dence of this prosperity is seen in the growth of the towns in 

 this district. Four to five years ago, Ashland and Medford, 

 in Jackson County, Grants Pass, in Josephine County, and 

 Roseburg, in Douglas County were small places from 1800 

 to 2500 Population, but are now eitles with population from 

 6000 to 9000 people. The principal business streets of each 

 of these eitles have been paved with bitulithic. Miles of wide 

 cement sidewalks have been constructed. In connection with 

 five or six public school buildings in each place, each city has 

 constructed high school buildings that have cost thousands 

 of dollars, and maintain first-class high schools. A portion 

 of the improvement of this section is due to mines and lum- 

 ber, but 75 per cent is due to the development of the fruit 

 industry — the production of apples, pears, peaches, table 

 grapes and small fruits. 



I estimate that the taxable property in the district has more 

 than doubled in the past two years for the reason that our peo- 

 ple have learned, after many years, the great value of the soll 

 and climate of the Rogue and Umpqua Valleys for growing 

 apples and pears for the world's markets. Sixty years ago, 

 back in the fifties, when Jackson Creek, Rieh Gulch and Stir- 

 ling diggings were yielding thousands of dollars in gold to the 

 miners of Jackson County, and Althouse, California Bar, 

 Sailor Diggings, and Galice Creek were making the miners 

 of Josephine County rieh, with money to burn in those early 

 days, then when the mines "petered out" and the miners left 

 the country, and flocked to Frazier's River in 1858, there was 

 perhaps not a man in all this country but thought they had 

 taken everything worth taking, not realizing for a moment 

 that they were leaving the best soll and climate on earth 

 whieh later generations would take advantage of, plant thou- 

 sands of aeres of orehards, build elegant homes, and create a 

 lasting industry that would produce riches the early Argonaut 

 never dreamed of. Had the Argonaut of the fifties been able 

 to see what intelligent development on higher lines of civiliza- 

 tion could do in the development of the natural resourees he 

 then overlooked in the Rogue and Umpqua Valleys, today he 

 or his deseendants would be in possession of the "golden 

 fleece." 



As an evidenee of the optimistie faith the people have in 

 the possibilities of the future of the fruit industry in Southern 

 Oregon, the aereage planted to new orehards has been larger 

 in the third district than ever before. Eight thousand aeres 

 were planted to apples and pears in Jackson County during 



