I am curious as to how Old Military Road obtained its name. Was it once used by the military? If so, for what purpose and where did the road lead?
-- Charlie D., Central Point
You have to march back a long way in time to find answers to those questions, Charlie. Back to a time before statehood.
Yes, the three-mile stretch of road that parallels Old Stage Road west of Medford was originally used by the military in those distant days when Oregon was still a territory. The good folks at the Southern Oregon Historical Society found a gold mine on the history of the road in a tract written by Joane Wilcox in 1961.
Wilcox did some research and found that the first reference to Old Military Road appeared on April 4, 1853, in the Jackson County Commissioners Journal, which declared the road a public highway.
She also discovered that it was apparently part of a military road from Myrtle Creek to Jacksonville that was declared a territorial road on Jan. 31, 1854, according to the Oregon Statesman newspaper published that day.
But it wasn't until 1939 that Ariel Burton Pomeroy presented a petition signed by 102 local residents, mostly aging pioneers, to the Jackson County court to preserve the name "Old Military Road."
In that petition, Pomeroy, a local resident, indicated the road was originally under the supervision of Gen. Joseph Hooker. He earned the nickname of "Fighting Joe" during the Civil War.
The petition asked the court to recognize "this segment of ancient road ... and formally apply to it the name `Old Military Road,' thus preserving to posterity this historic and authoritative name."
Under Measure 16 -- the physician-assisted suicide measure up for repeal next week -- would someone's life insurance policy still be valid if they took their life with the help of a doctor?
-- Anonymous
The insurance and annuity section of Measure 16 states:
"The sale, procurement or issuance of any life, health, or accident insurance or annuity policy or the rate charged for any policy shall not be conditioned upon or affected by the making or rescinding of a request by a person for medication to end his or her life in a humane and dignified manner. Neither shall a qualified patient's act of ingesting medication to end his or her life in a humane and dignified manner have an affect upon a life, health, or accident insurance or annuity policy."
(Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: youasked@mailtribune.com
Please include your name, address and phone number for verification only.)
