The Applegater

Page 2 of 5 We will be honoring Cantrall Buckley Park on its 50 th anniversary this July. Here is a brief history of how it survived with pride throughout those years. 1961: In the beginning e year is 1961. e Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has built a single-lane bridge over the Applegate River to replace an old ford on the Cantrall family cattle ranch, Neil Ledward, the first Jackson County Parks Director, begins to see the possibility of a county park on the other side. In 1965, Harlan Cantrall agrees to sell the county 25 acres on both sides of the river. Neighbor Lewis Buckley joins the fun and sells another eight acres—Cantrall Buckley Park is born. Soon after, the Ossenbrugges and the Dunlaps sell more acreage. With a BLM lease, the park now encompasses 54 acres. 1965: Construction begins Ledward spends the next three years transforming the heavily forested land into a park. ere's a lot of work—the 1964 flood has devastated the flood plain. e area designated for the park is a big mess. All the earlier preparation work by the county has been obliterated. Downed trees and debris are everywhere. Neil Ledward, Parks Director 1961 - 1991. Jewel of the Applegate ~ 50 years of Cantrall Buckley Park BY TOM CARSTENS Bud Childers, Park Ranger 1974 - 1985. Signing of the March 1997 Participating Agreement. Seated, from left to right: Jackson County Commissioners Ric Holt, Sue Kupillas, and Jack Walker. Standing: (unknown), Terry Mitchell, Dick Goble, Jack Shipley, (unknown), (unknown), Terry Black, Tom Fiske, and Tom Brovarney. Harlan Cantrall. Lewis Buckley. Bridge under construction, 1967. Cleanup after the 1964 flood (Medford Mail Tribune). Old swimming hole at Cantrall Buckley Park, circa 1967. To help clean it up, Ledward hires a bunch of Jackson County high-school boys, beginning a 30-year association with local kids. He believes that both the teenagers and the county would benefit from this concept of community service. He is right: these boys learn road construction, forestry, fire prevention, map reading, electrical, plumbing, irrigation, and riparian planting. They remove massive amounts of blackberries. Ledward teaches the boys to work around the big beautiful trees. (at's why we have such a cool, shady park today!) 1968: The park opens . . . Slowly, but steadily, the park takes shape and opens on July 14, 1968, with a grand ceremony. Two years later, Cantrall sells the county another 34 acres. A campground is planned. According to Ledward, Jackson County Parks "had more money than we knew what to do with." Ledward takes advantage and begins even more construction in the park: trails, an education gazebo, two ponds, a water feature, paved roads, a shelter, an irrigation system, a new restroom, and a playground. rough it all, Ledward constantly admonishes construction crews, "Keep the trees!" Old-timers remember that he was a good boss and teacher; he took the time to explain why and how the work was to be done. Larry Lloyd is hired as the first resident park ranger. The 70s: A tumultuous time Bud Childers becomes the second park ranger in 1974. Right after, the Applegate River floods again, this time worse than in '64. Much of the previous work is destroyed. e approaches to the bridge are washed out. e park entrance is under water. Most of the new asphalt is ripped out. Park employees have to be rescued by boat. On top of all that, the river has shifted! Childers has his work cut out for him. It takes a year, but the park finally reopens—this time better than ever. Ledward continues to use the Jackson County Youth Work Corps. ese kids, along with county work crews, turn the park into a showcase for the state. State conventions take place at Cantrall Buckley so that other counties can learn how to build similar parks. Early work crews remember the park as "immaculate" and "pristine." Five hundred cars might show up on any given weekend. But county timber payments supporting the park are drying up. e good times stop rolling. So, around 1976, Ledward begins the "Parks Enterprise Program"—an attempt to make the county park system function more like a business—more self- sufficient and less dependent on those disappearing timber payments. Gate receipts stay with the parks. Ledward begins even more youth programs. e idea is to keep the park

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