Section 5
Oregon Caves Road Guide
Holland Loop Scenic Drive continued from Kendall Road …
2.4 Kendall Road
2.6 Seyferth school
A school was located in this vicinity on the left and was referred to as the Seyferth School (14, 15). It was likely established in the late 1800s for children living with their parents in local mining camps and farms.
A postman delivers mail to a farm on Holland Loop Road. Prior to rural mail delivery, farmers had to go to the nearest post office for their mail. The Postal Service started rural mail delivery in 1902 and at that time was called Rural Free Delivery, which can be seen written on the side of the wagon. The name “free” was dropped in 1906 so this photo would have been taken prior to that time (18).
4.2 Fire station
Volunteer firefighters in this rural valley respond to emergency calls for residential fires and used fire trucks parked in stations such as this one. The Fire District was organized in 1954 by local farmers and residents (17) with volunteers commonly holding fund raisers to purchase safety equipment through their nonprofit Volunteer Firefighters Association.
4.5 Althouse Church
The church on the corner of Dick George Road and Holland Loop is the oldest church building in Illinois Valley (2). It was constructed in 1894 by community volunteers using square nails that were made by the blacksmith in Holland. The original building was constructed at the McCann Ranch about a half mile away on Holland Loop Road and then was moved by dragging it with a team of horses to this location around 1898 (1, 2). The church got its name from the nearby community of Althouse, which was located where Bridgeview is today (8). More about the Althouse Church…
5.2 McCann Ranch
The McCann Ranch was located off to the left about an eight of a mile but the property line came up to this turn in the road (4, 7). The historic Althouse Church may have been in this vicinity before it was moved.
Althouse is located in the vicinity of the community now known as Bridgeview. Communities are indicated with a black dot. White dots indicate schools. Communities with circles around them indicate towns with schools in them. Oregon Almanac, 1915 (8)
5.5 Bridgeview Winery
This gravel driveway into Bridgeview Winery takes you through the vineyard to the wine tasting room. This vineyard was established in 1980 and, around the same time, a commercial trout farm was set up where about 20 tons of fish were raised annually (19). The cinder block fish runs can still be seen to the right of the ponds outside the wine tasting room. Return to Holland Loop and turn right to continue the tour.
5.8 Bridgeview
The first building to be constructed in Josephine County was built in 1852 on the Walling’s Ranch in this vicinity (10). The ranch became an important supply point for miners heading to the gold strikes on Althouse Creek. Althouse Creek runs past this point about a quarter of a mile to the left and into the Illinois River about a fourth of a mile away straight ahead. The town was originally called Althouse and then changed to Bridgeview (date uncertain)
The four historic features of Bridgeview
James School: The large building on the left at mile marker two was formerly the James Boys Farm Home, a private school for physically impaired youth. The facility started with two youth in 1942 and had 18 youth when it closed in 1972; nine from private families, eight from the welfare department of Oregon and one from Alaska’s welfare department (12). The home was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1945.
The owners of the James Boys Farm Home, known locally as the “James School”, watch as some of the boys play on new playground equipment. June 19, 1953, Illinois Valley News
Spence School: Immediately past the James School is a driveway leading to a white house about 200 feet from the road on the left. This is the Spence School, a one room school house constructed in 1912 (2). The land for the school was donated by Doctor Spence and this is why
Spence School. Date uncertain. Don Fulk collection.
the school was named after him. The name was later changed to Bridgeview School (2). Prior to the construction of the Spence School, children attended school in the Grange Hall.
County Road Maintenance Station: The white building past the Spence School driveway was constructed in the 1930’s by the Josephine County Road Department. Road crews were dispatched from this facility until the late 1940’s when maintenance operations were moved to Kerby. For a short time the building was used as a Grange Cooperative grocery and supply store in the early part of the 1950’s (13). It is now used by the Lions Club for storage of wheelchairs, walkers and other equipment for the disabled, which they loan out to the community at no charge.
The Illinois Valley Grange Hall: This Grange Hall was constructed around 1905 and was originally a two story building. The Grange is an organization with members who are mostly owners of small family farms and ranches. During the early part of the 1900s, before TV, Grange Halls were the center of community activities.
A creamery owned by the Fulk family was located across the street from the Grange and was destroyed by fire sometime in the early 1900s (3). A store owned by the Tresham family was located immediately across from Takilma Road at the curve in Holland Loop (3). This store and a residence next to it was destroyed by a fire in 1938 (5). In the early history of the town, there was a hotel, blacksmith shop, and tannery (16: p54).
5.9 Takilma Road
Follow the road to the right to continue the tour.
End Section 5| Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3| Section 4 | Section 5 | Section 6 |
References
1) Anonymous. Bridgeview Church history book, a compilation of church history from various sources. Bridgeview Church, Holland Loop Road, Cave Junction, Oregon
2) Atwood, Kay, 1984. Josephine County historical resources inventory, 1983-1984. Josephine County Planning Office (1984), Grants Pass, Oregon
3) Fulk, Don, 2014. Personal communication (Fulk Creamery, Spence School, Tresham Store).
4) Gunnell, AH, 1911. Map of Waldo Consolidated Gold Mining Co. of Oregon, Grants Pass, Oregon.
5) Illinois Valley News, October 20, 1938. Bridgeview Store, Residence Burns
6) Illinois Valley News, October 7, 1982. Althouse Church-Bridgeview Church. By Ruth Pfefferle, Just My Cup of Tea. October 7, 1982 (Part 1); October 14, 1982 (Part 2)
7) Metsker, Charles, 1955. Metsker’s Atlas of Josephine County, Oregon. p 36; McCann property.
8) Chapman, C.C., 1915 Oregon Almanac 1915: The State of Oregon: Its Resources and Opportunities – Official Pamphlet published for the information of homeseekers, settlers and investors, by the Oregon State immigration agent, Published by State Printing Department, Salem, OR. 1915
9) Owen, Marcheta, 2009. Jay Hays interview, August 1999. Recollections; Stories of school days in the Illinois Valley. Page 32. Self published.
10) Walling, Albert G. 1884. History of Southern Oregon: Comprising Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and Coos Counties, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources. House of A. G. Walling, Portland, Oregon: 545 pp. http://www.orgenweb.org/josephine/history/hist2.htm
11) Illinois Valley News, March 24, 1977. James Boys Farm House. By Ruth Pfefferle, Just My Cup of Tea.
12) Illinois Valley News, August 17, 1972. James Boys Home Closes September 1.
13) Phillips, Kendall, 2004. Personal communication. (Grange history)
14) Illinois Valley News, April 28, 1977. Holland’s Little Schools. By Ruth Pfefferle, Just My Cup of Tea.
15) Illinois Valley News, May 5, 1977. More About the Seyferth School. By Ruth Pfefferle, Just My Cup of Tea.
16) Pfefferle, Ruth, 1977. Golden Days and Pioneer Ways. Josephine County Historical Society, Grants Pass, Oregon.
17) Anonymous, 2013. Illinois Valley Fire District History, http://www.ivfire.com
18) US Postal Service, 2014. Rural Free Delivery History. http://about.usps.com/publications/pub100/pub100_020.htm
19) Kerivan, Bob, 2006. Personal communication. Bridgeview Winery history.
20) Brandt, Roger, 2013. Althouse Church History, Highway199.org
