Jim Long
As It Was ContributorDr. James S. Long was an As It Was contributor right up until his passing in January of 2016. He met editor Kernan Turner when Kernan spoke to the Roseburg writers’ club about contributing to JPR's As Is Was series. Kernan inspired Jim to look for historically-important stories in the northern part of the State of Jefferson. As a retired professor, Jim felt compelled to seek out stories that related to his interests in the natural and social sciences. His contributions to As It Was ranged from Father Wilbur of the Wilbur Academy in the mid-1800s, to the recovery of the whitetail deer at the old Dunning Ranch, to the story of Nick Botner’s private orchard near Yoncalla created to preserve over 3,000 heritage apple varieties.
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Beginning in 1857, being an Oregon lighthouse keeper was more than maintaining the warning beacon for ships at sea. It also meant carrying a pail of lard…
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Farms in Douglas County, Ore., have grown melons commercially since the early 1880’s. A photograph from 1886 shows horse-drawn wagons full of melons near…
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The first American ship to round Cape Horn and touch shore in Oregon near today’s Tillamook was the Lady Washington, named for President Washington’s…
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Nearly forgotten, lifelong writings by Oregon pioneer Lucinda Ann Woodward-Horning passed in a sugar sack from one family to another. They were nearly…
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The beautiful but invasive and noxious Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) probably arrived in Oregon in the mid-1800’s from European shippers who had packed…
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A film produced in the 1940's, titled “Redwood Saga,” tells the story of how loggers chopped down California coastal redwood trees in the 1940's. The…
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The late Quentin Breen invested in cell towers and spent his earnings to preserve the history of railroading. In 1987, Breen established the Train…
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Douglas County residents have expressed interest in flying ever since the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, N. C., in 1903.An early airplane…
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The Bybee Springs and Health Resort, built in 1892 near Wimer, Ore., offered its guests reputed health benefits of the water.Fire burned the upper floors…
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In 1995, the Oregon legislature authorized formation of community watershed councils to enhance the quality of water in their catchments or drainage…
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In December 2014, Roseburg, Ore.’s Stewart Park celebrated the 100th birthday of Steam Engine No. 1229 with a party. One 9-year-old at the party described…
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A fire lookout in the 1950s, Lois Christiansen Eagleton of Umpqua, Ore., vividly remembers the four summers when she earned about $250 a month for…