Favell Museum: A Southern Oregon Treasure

Oregon Museum: "People who visit our museum are often stunned by the depth of our collections. What began as a hobby in the 1930's for a little boy and his family, has grown into the internationally known, Favell Museum," says Pat McMillan, the Museum's Director.

Pat explains, "The collection began during the 1930's, long before restrictions on gathering native American artifacts were enacted. Ruth and Eugene Favell would take their son, Gene, with them out to find arrowheads and any other artifacts they could discover. They were, in their time, truly amateur archaeologists. By the early 1970's the Favell family collection had grown so large that Gene open the museum to preserve and store the collections. Even the ground where the museum is built is historic. Oregon's Klamath Indians fished and camped by the river on these grounds."

By the time the Museum opened in the early '70s, Pat tells us that Gene began collecting art by western artists that reflected the institution's philosophies. Up and coming contemporary western artists like John Clymer and Frank McCarthy have pieces in the museum. Over the years the Museum acquired and exhibits paintings from Charles Russell and E.S. Paxson. The Museum's fine art displays are a significant roll call of the Cowboy Artists of America.



Since early 2004, the Museum has been a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and displaying these amazing artifacts and pieces of artwork. Approximately 20,000 visitors each year walk through the doors and are astonished by the breath and depth of the exhibits.

The Museum is open year-round (with the exception of holidays) Monday - Saturday from 9:30 a.m. thru 5:30 p.m. It is located in the southern Oregon town of Klamath Falls. If you would like to explore the Museum's website just click on Favell Museum. Or, you can call the main office at 541-882-9996.

West's Best Inn

Oregon Lodging: Under the Greenwood Tree is a bed and breakfast that is as unique as its name implies. Set on 10 quiet, peaceful acres, the Inn is located a short drive from the cities of Medford and Jacksonville in southern Oregon. Named one of Sunset Magazine's "West's Best Inns" in 2000, the B & B has been making friends and fans ever since that stellar designation.

Joe Lilley, the Innkeeper of this one-of-a-kind lodging venue explains its appeal. "We love meeting people and providing them with personalized service. I think our Inn is extremely unique but so is the property. We've really focused on the beauty of the land. Even to the extent of creating a 'gentleman's farm.' Llamas, chickens, rabbits, and a small vineyard can be found sprinkled among the property's flowers. We invite our guests to stroll through the expansive property and take a break from the stresses of life."

Joe's guest book is crammed with accolades from past guests and so we asked him to share one with us. Barbara and Robert Reeves wrote, "Thank you so much for the wonderful B & B experience. We saw the Sunset Magazine cover featuring your place and always intended on staying here. We are glad we found the time to visit. The sherry in front of the fireplace last night was the perfect closure to a wonderful day. The breakfast this morning was truly a delight. Thanks for spending time telling us about the house and the area. We wish you the best."

Another unique lodging opportunity that can only be found while traveling in southern Oregon! Joe Lilley, Innkeeper of Under the Greenwood Tree, can be reached by calling 541-776-0000 or emailing him at: utgtree@qwest.net

Best Birding in the West

Oregon Birding Trails: A visit to the website of the Klamath Basin Birding Trails is a real tweet (we mean treat!!) This southern Oregon ecosystem was dubbed by Sunset Magazine as #1 on their list of Fantastic Five birding destinations in the west. Don't believe it? Here are the statistics to back up that designation. 80% of Pacific Flyway birds stop over in the Klamath Basin wetland and Lakes areas. The Klamath Basin has the highest concentration of wintering Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. Year-round an experienced birder can observe at least 75 species of birds in a day of visiting birding "hot spots" in the Basin....it truly is a world-class birding experience.

The website gives oodles of information on this fascinating area. Another wealth of knowledge for this project/area is coordinator Cindy Deas. Cindy started working with the Klamath Lake Modoc Siskiyou Outdoor Recreational Working Group in 1995. Her focus since 2002 has been to enhance the birding trails, to design an informational birding trail website, and also to develop educational kits/classes for grade school children. "I think my biggest surprise through this entire process has been watching how much the school children have just eaten up the information that we have designed and presented to them. It is really gratifying to watch them develop an appreciation for these beautiful creatures at such an early age."

Cindy can be reached personally by cell at: 541-892-0596. At this time, she is searching for funding to re-print the brochure that is featured on the homepage of the website. If you have any funding source ideas, please give Cindy a call or email her at: cindyd@fireserve.net

Rogue Forest Bed & Breakfast: An Escape from the Ordinary

Oregon Bed & Breakfast: "Amazing location, accommodations, hospitality, breakfast. What a treat! Only wish we could stay longer. Thank you for creating this welcoming oasis in the forest." These heartfelt thoughts came from Whitewater Warehouse's clients Tom and Paula McGirr. The McGirr's were writing about their fabulous stay at the famous Rogue Forest Bed & Breakfast where they lodged before their rafting adventure with Whitewater Warehouse.

This quaint B & B is nestled in the heart of the forest above the river near the historic town of Galice, Oregon. Rafters, hikers, kayakers....even honeymooners travel to this exclusive, retreat-like Bed & Breakfast to relax and refuel.

The wonderful innkeeper, Bev Moore, describes her unique Bed & Breakfast this way..."We have two spacious private suites with well-appointed amenities. Our goal in serving our guests is to pamper them and help them leave behind the demands of the outside world. The beauty and serenity of the property seems to really enliven and invigorate those who choose to stay with us."

Bev can be reached by calling 541-472-1052 or emailing at: info@rogueforest.com

Gold Hill's Indian Tombs

Oregon History: The "Indian Tombs" of Gold Hill is a fascinating story...for many reasons. It involved a local southern Oregon rancher & farmer by the name of Bill Hittle and prestigious University of Oregon anthropologist, Luther Cressman.

First, a little about Luther and then we will move on to the rest of the story... Luther was born in 1897 in Pennsylvania and studied at Penn State University. Troubled by the war and prospects of killing others, Cressman dedicated his life to becoming an Episcopalian priest. In 1928, Luther left the Episcopal church to pursue his Sociology career at the University of Oregon. An interesting factoid about Luther; he married anthropologist Margaret Mead in 1923 but the couple later divorced in 1927.

Cressman is known as the father of Oregon anthropology for work that punched holes in the standing theories of the prehistoric Northwest. Cressman firmly believed that early man moved from south to north along the western side of North America, not the traditional north to south belief. He claimed that culture among prehistoric Oregon Indians predated known civilization. In 1938, he discovered immaculately preserved 9,000 year old shredded sage back sandals at Fort Rock Cave, Oregon (located in central Oregon). Until radiocarbon dating verified his find, the belief was that human occupation of the far west went back no further than 4,000 years. In 1968, Cressman discovered ashes from a fire at the Fort Rock Basin that suggested humans moved from Alaska to the New World at least 30,000 years ago!

This amazing man was the natural professional to turn to when Bill Hittle (we mentioned him earlier), discovered Indian graves while leveling a dirt mound on his southern Oregon property in 1930. This would turn out to be one of the largest and oldest American Indian sites ever found in Oregon and Cressman was eager to explore it.

"These people were buried long before Lewis and Clark made their expedition to the coast," Cressman told a reporter. "Earliest burials go back perhaps two millenniums or more."

Obsidian blades and spear points, probably from the Klamath region, and a mixture of colorful seashells from the Oregon Coast -- and even from California waters far to the south -- left no doubt that these people were part of a large trading network.

In December of 1964, flood waters rushing down the Rogue River swept to the west around the curve at Gold Hill, ripping away the riverbank and flushing across the graveyard.

For thousands of years it had been a favored location for native peoples. Then, in just a few hours, it was all swept away and gone forever.

Photo Credit: Bill Miller

Look Up -- at the Red-tailed Hawk!

Oregon Wildlife: Southern Oregon is home to an amazingly varied bird population. And the red-tailed hawk family is no exception.

Stewart Janes, a biology professor at Southern Oregon University just published an article on these amazing birds. He says that there are many, many nesting pairs scattered around the Rogue River valley. Some stay year-round while Janes says that others travel great distances to spend the winter in the Rogue River valley. He notes that a few fly from Eastern Oregon while other hawks travel from as far north as the state of Washington, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta--primarily because of the abundant winter food sources in southern Oregon. Janes says it is hard to tell the "travelers" from the hawks that nest year-round in southern Oregon.

Janes also notes in his article that red-tailed hawks show considerable variation in plumage. There are light-phase birds and dark-phase birds and a few colorations in between. Light-phase birds have a light belly with a belt of dark feathers that varies in extent among individuals. Dark-phase birds are largely brown beneath. Light-phase and dark-phase never change; they hatch that way. All adults have a standard reddish tail.

Oregon's Rogue River Basin Faces Climate Changes

Oregon Environment: A new report released in December of 2008 by the University of Oregon Climate Leadership Initiative and the National Center for Conservation Science & Policy points to the potential for hotter, drier summers and rainier, stormy winters in Oregon's Rogue River Basin.

The report focused on conditions projected for 2040 and 2080. Projections are for average temperatures to rise 1 - 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2040 and 4 - 8 degrees by 2080 -- and summers heat up 7 - 15 degrees by 2080.

"Our research found that climate change will significantly stress the natural environment of the Rogue basin," said Bob Doppelt, direct of the Climate Leadership Initiative. "These changes will, in turn, have important consequences for the economy, social welfare, and quality-of-life in the region. Proactive steps to prepare for climate change should become a priority for every government, private company, and household in the basin."

If you would like to read more about the report and understand the impact of these climate change projections, you can check out an article written in ScienceDaily.

Credit: Image courtesy of University of Oregon

Oregon Rafting: Get Your Grin On!

"Get Your Grin On" is Whitewater Warehouse's theme for 2009. For 26 years our guides and staff have focused on the fun. We specialize in making sure that YOUR all-important Oregon Rogue River vacation is full of the kind of memories that make you smile, make you grin.

We invite our guests to travel the beautiful, soulful, soothing Rogue River with us and get away from all the negative. Leave behind the stock market, the job market....the rat-race in general.

Our 2009 brochure even features actual Whitewater Warehouse clients grinning and yucking it up on our Rogue River canyon trips. The brochure photos were sent in by guests who were so excited by the over-the-top experiences they had on their trips with us that they emailed us the photos as proof. We just couldn't resist using these incredibly cute photos. How much more genuine can it get?!? Call our friendly staff today and ask about getting YOUR grin on in 2009! 1-800-214-0579