Josephine County Historical Society

06/19/2026

After the Civil War ended, many veterans of both armies headed west for new opportunities. Some soldiers received land grants in lieu of unpaid wages, and others were motivated by the Homestead Act of 1862. An estimated 20,000 Civil War veterans settled in Oregon, and some Union vets joined the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organized, unsegregated advocacy group that championed pensions for veterans, support for war widows and voting rights for black soldiers. The Rogue Valley’s GAR post was named after Gen. John A. Logan, who was instrumental in establishing the Memorial Day holiday. These photos depict GAR reunion events c. 1904. According to a note on the back of our seated group photo, N. B. Meade ( #4 in the photo) settled in Grants Pass.

06/16/2026

Movie legend John Wayne -- aka the Duke -- was in Grants Pass in 1974 filming the Western "Rooster Cogburn." Here he is visiting with Grants Pass High School teacher Wayne Morrow (right) along the banks of the Rogue River near Morrison's Lodge. The 1975 release was filmed in several other Oregon locations, including the Deschutes River and Smith Rock State Park. John Wayne and his co-star, Katharine Hepburn, were both 67 at the time of filming this sequel to "True Grit."

06/12/2026

We have a fascinating collection of postcards at the Research Library! Here are two penny postcards from the 1930s. The top one shows the Redwoods Hotel and the second one shows the ornate Caves Grotto Dining Room that must have impressed hotel guests. The six-story building (still the tallest building in town) remains on 6th Street. However, the adjacent three-story building, built in 1893 as the Hotel Josephine, was destroyed by fire in 1975. The third photo shows the Hotel Josephine, billed as the "finest hotel between San Francisco and Portland," as it looked in 1898.

06/09/2026

Caveman Bridge is 95 years old this spring! The landmark bridge was built at a cost of $114,806 and dedicated on May 22, 1931. Here's an early photo of the bridge as well as one of its construction crew. The iconic arches were designed by Conde McCullough, known for the way he incorporated art deco obelisks, Gothic spires and Romanesque arches into his work. McCullough designed more than 600 bridges -- many of them are in Oregon.

06/03/2026

Josephine County Historical Society Vintage Yard Sale Saturday 6/6: JCHS is a 501(c)3 non profit needing your support!

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

We love everything vintage; we're a historical society after all! But we're currently bursting at the seams with things that are either duplicates of what we have in our collection or we simply don't have room for in our museum or research library. So, please plan to join us for our upcoming Vintage Sale, Saturday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Schmidt House barn and gardens. (Pssst! JCHS members get a sneak peek at 8 a.m.!)

05/26/2026

We love these old promotional photos of the Oregon Caves. The first one is dated 1938, and we believe the second is from the 1940s and the third from the early 1960s. Maybe it's time for you to plan a visit to our own local national monument. (Don't let the lady in the short-sleeve dress fool you though. Pack a warm jacket for your tour!)

05/22/2026

Here are two views of past Boatnik races. The top one is from 1978 and the bottom one is from 1989. Get ready for the roar of those engines this weekend!

05/19/2026

Here’s the cover and an information page from a souvenir program from the 1962 Boatnik in Grants Pass. Boatnik launched in 1959 when local motel owner Reuben Garcia had the idea of a power boat race on the Rogue River. Larry Aschenbrenner, a local attorney and an Active Club member, is credited with coining the name “Boatnik” after the Soviet Union’s 1957 Sputnik satellite (which also launched the words “beatnik,” “peacenik” and “neatnik”). Garcia’s son Grant won the first race, a 50-mile run to Galice and back, with George Brown on board.