A Woodville, A Rogue River Or A Tailholt By Any Other Name...

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. - If someone asked you to define the relationship between Tailholt, Woodville and Rogue River, a good answer would be: They are three names for roughly the same place.

The Oregon city known today as Rogue River was incorporated in 1912. Before that, the community on the Rogue 19 miles west of Medford was known at different times by the two other names, Tailholt from the 1850s and then Woodville as of 1872.

These details and a good deal of other history can be gleaned by visiting the Woodville Museum in Rogue River.

The museum, first opened in 1986, has recently been remodeled. Among the improvements: better lighting. You expect museums to be dark and musty. This one has a more modern look.

Thanks to the dedication of a group of volunteers, the museum conducts regular hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

The museum is located in the Hatch House, built in 1909. In the entry are photos of the original residents, including one of the wedding of Elizabeth and Charlie Hatch. They tied the knot on March 26, 1894.

During the gold rush of the mid-1800s, gold seekers would ford the Rogue River in this vicinity. When the water was high, they would cross by persuading a horse to swim and then hold on to the horse's tail.

Hence the name Tailholt.

Davis Evans built a ferry and some cabins there in 1850-51. The creek that flows into the Rogue near there now bears his name.

John Woods settled in the area and the town took his name in 1872.

The Woodville Museum has a wide variety of exhibits.

There you can see the black bag, prescription book and other artifacts used by Dr. W.S. Cary, who maintained a doctor's office and drug store in town from 1916 to 1939.

There's a football that was used in the last six-man football game to be played at Rogue River High School, in 1951.

A flashlight bears this sign: ``Flashlight used by Joe Shults when he was marshal of Rogue River in 1933.''

Over in one corner is a rack of old photos and newspaper clippings. You can read about early-day forestry, mining, fires and floods. There are photos of the flood of 1898, as well as the more recent Rogue floods, in 1955 and 1964.

Another back room is furnished like an early-day kitchen, with wood stove and primitive washing machine.

A wall in the main viewing room is devoted to old photographs. Among them are the Rogue River Band of 1912, students and their teacher in the original Rogue River School about 1890-91, a Dober steam car in 1905 and Evans Valley school buses circa 1925-26.

Exhibits have been donated or loaned by residents of Rogue River and the surrounding communities of Evans Valley, Wards Creek and Foots Creek.