1880 – 1889

  … Rocky Point, Upper Klamath Lake, Fort Klamath, Crater Lake, Klamath Development Company
•  … Transportation, Logging. Railroads, Power, Communications, Mining
•  … Reclamation, Farming, Merrill, Malin, Tulelake
  … Klamath Falls, Jacksonville, Medford, Ashland
  … Indians, Klamath & Yainax Agency, Chiloquin, Spring Creek, Sprague

    1880
    • Oregon’s population is 174,768. Linkville’s population is 250. United States population is 50,189,209.
    • George Loosley and George Nurse buy the steamboat General Howard.
    Hood Railroad survey passes north near Aspen Lake and west of Upper Klamath Lake to Fort Klamath.
    • Newton Pratt sold his mill to Charles Withrow.
    • H.J. O’Brien homesteaded in what would become Klamath County. He drove a herd of cattle in with Mr. Hanley.
    • George Eastman developed his first Kodak camera.
    September 7, Wood River school is established at old Fort Klamath.
    January 1, the French begin construction of the Panama Canal.
    Klamath wheat takes first place at national exhibitions in New Orleans, Sacramento and Omaha.

    1881
    Bogus Charley and Snacknasty Jim died in Oklahoma.
    General Howard becomes the first steamboat to move lumber on Upper Klamath Lake,  for W.S. Moore Lumber Mill.

    1882
    January, First cattle brand recorded in Klamath County is “C” for S.B. Cranston.
    The Van Brimmer brothers began digging a canal in 1882 from the Lower Klamath Basin to Tule Lake Basin. In 1886 their irrigation project began supplying 4,000 acres with water. They recouped construction and expenses by charging grateful users $1 per acre on the west and south side of the Lost River.
    Farmers begin irrigating in the Klamath Basin. The Linkville Water Ditch Company is incorporated and a shallow canal is dug connecting Linkville (Klamath Falls) town lots to Link River above present day Klamath Falls.
    • Chas. Moran and his associates started building the Nevada, California and Oregon Railway from Reno northward towards Lakeview, Oregon, 250 miles distant.
    U.S. Geological Service started topographical mapping of the United States.
       U.S. Government telegraph line is completed from Fort Klamath to Fort Bidwell, 150 miles, and from Fort Klamath to Ashland, 99 miles.
    • October 17, Klamath County is created out of Lake County.
    • John Colwell is the first recorded child born in Klamath County, Merrill, after it is separated from Lake County.
    • The first Klamath County officials are appointed by Governor Moody. W.S. Moore(County Judge), Stephen Stukel and O.T. Brown (County Commissioners), W.C. Hale (Clerk), Charles Putnam (Sheriff), E.R. Reames (Treasurer), S.C. Summer (Coroner) and C.H. Dyar (School Superintendent).
    • First meeting of Klamath County Commissioners.
    Wagons haul supplies across a frozen Upper Klamath Lake.
    June 17, Central Pacific Railroad begins track up the Sacramento River Canyon.

    1883
    • George Nurse moved to Yreka.
    • Brown trout introduced to America from Europe and Asia.
    December 24, first train from Portland reaches Grant Pass.

    1884
    • February 27, Reverend Robert Mclean organizes Linkville’s first church, Presbyterian.
    • Steamboat General Howard is converted to City of Klamath to haul supplies up Wood River to Fort Klamath.
    April 19, first train headed south reaches Ashland.
    • A.L. Leavitt arrives in Linkville on the Summer’s wagon trail.
    • April 10, Joseph A. Bowdoin publishes first Klamath area newspaper. The Linkville Weekly Star. A man named Curtis was also involved.
    Seldon Kirk is born at the Klamath Agency. He will become a leader for preserving the Klamath Reservation.
    E.H. Harriman buys up a small New York railroad, repairs and sells it. This begins his railroad career.
    • First Klamath County election ballots are printed.
    • June, first Klamath County officials to be elected; George Smith (Judge), Matt Obenchain and R. Tutchinson ( Commissioners), J.O. Allen (Surveyor), M.C. Childers (Assessor), C.R. Delap (School superintendent) and other officers are elected.
    Thomas Martin used Moore ditch for flour mill. Martin Mill, 1884-1908.
    Congress fails to appropriate funds to improve and deepen Wood River for navigation.
    Joe Short was the first person to plant more than ten acres of potatoes.
    During the early days, Klamath County homesteaders near Bonanza begin using native fish called suckers for fertilizer and oil. They attempt to get laws passed to prevent American Indians, who have fished for suckers for centuries, from catching them.

    1885
    Ankeny Canal, the area’s first irrigation canal, is completed.
    • C.C. Low opens Linkville’s first restaurant.
    Gladstone Steel lobbies to make Crater Lake a National Park.
    April 1, Central Pacific’s railroad interests are transferred to the Southern Pacific Company.
    Steamboat Frank, a minister of Society of Friends Church in Oklahoma, died.
    • The spring at Klamath Agency was known as “Beatles Rest.” Modoc Ridge was known as “Plum Hills.”
    • Louis Gerber filed on a homestead fifty miles east of Linkville.
    October 6, Solon Shattuck purchases 51 acres in Wood River Valley.

    1886
    October 13, railway north reaches McCloud.
    • Linkville spends $35,800 for building improvements for the year.

    1887
    January 25, John Loosely and Robert Paul seek permission from the War Department to build a school at Fort Klamath.
    • Josiah Doten plattes Keno. It was originally called Doten.
    April 9, railway north reaches Ager which remains Klamath County’s shipping point until 1903.
    July 1, Southern Pacific Company takes over Oregon and California Railroad.
    E.H. Harriman secures control of the Iowa Central.
    Van Brimmer irrigation ditch in Merrill is completed.
    White Lake was so low that the irrigation canal became dry.
    • A.M. Peterman built a planner and cabinet shop in Linkville.
    Second Topsy Grade is completed.
    Last stage coach through Barron’s Station on Siskiyou Mountains.
    • A bill to seek municipal government in Linkville fails.
    December 17, Golden Spike ceremony in Ashland joining Oregon and California by railway.
    December, first train from California reaches Grants Pass.

    1888
    • January 15, all time low temperature in Klamath Falls,-24°F.
    • February 2, City charter granted to Linkville.
    A cut was made into Lower Klamath Lake to help irrigation supply water to Tule Lake Basin farmers.
    • R.E. Dusenberry bought Withrow’s Mill.
    A new company, Klamath Falls Irrigation Company, enlarged the Ankeny Canal to 50 cubic feet per second.
    May 15, The French Panama Canal Poject declared bankruptcy. After eight years, the work was about two-fifths completed, and some $234,795,000 had been spent.
    • 4,000 acres were set aside for the Modocs in Oklahoma.
    California State court rules Klamath River Reservation abandoned, opening the lower river to non-Indian commercial fishing overseen by The state of California.
    • First women’s club is formed in Linkville. A group of ten women present a flag to the County court.
    William Gladstone Steele carries 600 Rogue River rainbow trout fingerlings to Crater Lake. 37 survive and swim away. In 1940, the rainbow population in Crater Lake grew to 200,000.
    Mayflower, a steamboat, is the first to travel on the Klamath River south of Linkville.
    A stage drawn by four horses connects Ager CA with linkville. This also connects portland and san Francisco train passengers to Linkville. The stagecoach departs Ager at 2:30 p.m. and arrives in Linkville at 5 a.m. ( 14 hours) at a cost of $7 one way.
    • July 2, first Linkville courthouse built.
    First Rocky Point post office opens as Pelican with Charles Stidham the first of five postmasters.
    First conversion of marsh to farmland at McCormack Point.
    • September 5, first jail in Linkville.
    • September 6, fire in Linkville burns business district known as “Bunch Town.” The growth out along south 6th street was known as “String Town”

    1889
    • W.E. Bowdain took over the Linkville Weekly Star and lost it all in a fire several months later.

  … Rocky Point, Upper Klamath Lake, Fort Klamath, Crater Lake, Klamath Development Company
… Transportation, Logging. Railroads, Power, Communications, Mining
•  … Reclamation, Farming, Merrill, Malin, Tulelake
  … Klamath Falls, Jacksonville, Medford, Ashland
  … Indians, Klamath & Yainax Agency, Chiloquin, Spring Creek, Sprague

    upper klamath basin timelines icon

    Klamath Basin Timeline: Before 1500 … Islands, Mountains, and People

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1500 – 1839 … England, Spain, Russia

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1840 – 1859 … Trappers, Gold and Trails

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1860 – 1869 … Applegates and Captain Jack

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1870 – 1879 … Strongholds and Swamplands

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1880 – 1889 … Klamath County and Newspapers

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1890 – 1899 … Merrill, Flour and Potatoes.

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1900 – 1909 … Steamboats and Locomotives

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1910 – 1919 … Automobiles and Movies

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1920 – 1929 … Recreation and Refuge

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1930 – 1939 … Depression, Sporting and Tulelake

    Klamath Basin Timeline: 1940 – 1949 … Internment and Homesteading

    klamath project timeline icona

    1950 – 1999… Timber, Ranches, Boomers

    2000 – Present… Legislation, Court decisions, Science Studies

    Modoc Indian War… Indians, Settlers, U.S. Army

    Acknowledgements
    Bill and LoEtta Cadman, Ina and Roy Reed, Pat McMillian, William Brady,
    Andrew Ortis, John Pratt, Art Eggleston, Rob Crawford – Crawford Farms,
    Bev Wampler, Gayle and Chuck Jaynes, Richard Kopczak and
    Cindy Wright are some of the many folks that allowed access to their
    libraries and, or, shared information to help Anders compile
    the above timelines.

    © 2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.