Where Past Meets Present

Southern Oregon is rich with amazing tales about its people, locales and events. Whether you’ve recently moved there, are a long-time resident, or just planning a visit, you’ll find the history and legends of this area as fascinating as those found anywhere in the country.

Historian Dennis Powers has been researching the area for nearly twenty-five years, all while writing hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines and local radio. With continued reference to the area’s prime reporters and historians, the 140 stories selected for this volume connect where the “past meets present” and contain a treasure trove of historical gems.

In these pages you’ll discover the answers to questions such as:

• Who was Two-Bits, the World War II canine hero?


• What Hollywood celebrities have called the area home?


• Which towns started with the discovery of large gold deposits?


• How did businesses such as Mercy Flights, Lithia Motors, ScienceWorks, and Dagoba Chocolate come about?


• When and how did electricity first come to the Rogue Valley?


• Why were there cavemen in Grants Pass?

From town histories to the creative geniuses, athletes, and movers and shakers, to the region’s “golden” past—it’s all here and you’re invited to experience the amazing People, Places & Stories that have made Southern Oregon into what it is today.