Stepping back to the first of two group trips to visit the “Marble Halls Of Oregon,” Book title. The poet Joaquin Miller so eloquently described the place following his visit with Chandler B. Watson (Ashland attorney) in 1907. From this, and other efforts, a 480 acre National Monument was created by presidential Proclamation, July 12th, 1909 (see map), considerably smaller than the original 2500 acre area. Back then they did not consider the underground extent of the cave system, only the surrounding area of the cave(s) entrance. By September 1909, the Oregon Caves were featured in Sunset Magazine. Just the month before, a wedding party visited with the groom accidentally shooting himself, becoming the first fatality and creating a need for a forest guard. This began by the season of 1911. The pictures here are from The Morrison family visit in 1912. Please like, share and enjoy! From Greg Walter, the author and persistent seeker of our regional past. Go to theridgewalkers.com
