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Monday 10-20, 2025 Bill Meyer Show Guests and Info
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 www.MAFIusa.com = Murray Sabrin, PhD, author of From Immigrant to Public Intellectual : An American Story, is Emeritus Professor of Finance, Ramapo College of New Jersey. Dr. Sabrin is considered a “public intellectual” for writing essays about the economy in scholarly and popular publications. He is the author of Tax Free 2000, Why the Federal Reserve Sucks, Universal Medical Care: From Conception to End-of-Life, and Navigating the Boom/Bust Cycle. Sabrin’s latest book, The Finance of Health Care was recently published. His new book, From Immigrant to Public Intellectual, An American Story was just released. Today we talk about his latest project – MAFI – Maker Americans Financially Independent – here’s all the info! www.Mafiusa.com
7:10 Matt Spurlock, Chairman of Rogue Indivisible www.RogueIndivisible.org – I talk with him about the “No Kings 2” event Saturday, RI involvement in the recall, other political controversies in Josephine County, including their funding.
7:35 Trent England executive director of Save our States www.SaveOurStates.com – Big Banks Data story
Trent England, Executive Director of Save Our States, has this take regarding the launch of “Banks vs. America”, a campaign calling out big banks for trying to control consumers’ bank data? “Banks vs. America” comes as Jamie Dimon, CEO and Chairman of JPMorgan Chase, speaks to major financial institutions today, and as the CFPB enters the final week of accepting public comments on proposed changes to Rule 1033. The campaign will point consumers to resources and how to make their voices heard.
In addition to the website, the campaign includes mobile billboards that will run this week in Washington, D.C., as the big banks convene for the Institute of International Finance meeting.
8:10 Dr. Dennis Powers, with today’s “Where Past Meets Present” www.DennisPowersBooks.com
Eden Valley Orchards
By Dennis Powers
Located in southeast Medford, Eden Valley Orchards dates back to a former donation land claim and use since 1853; its location was chosen due to it being between two of the few settlements that then existed, one known as Ashland Mills (Ashland) and the other being Jacksonville. Addison and Martha Bell constructed the original house on a 160-acre parcel in the 1860s.
In 1885, Joseph H. Stewart bought the land and house for $5,400—a large sum in those days—and paid it to the pioneer photographer and horticulturalist Peter Britt, who held the note on the property (and who also introduced the first pear root stock to the Valley three decades before). Steward was an Illinois legislator, nurseryman, and Chicago fruit broker who understood the growing, marketing, packing, and shipping of fruit.
Stewart over time established his Eden Valley Orchards and planted pears, apples, prunes, and almonds. Completed before 1898, he moved his family into a larger home on the property. (The smaller Ball home existed until destroyed many decades later in a fire.) In 1890, Stewart sold the area’s first commercial pears by shipping railroad cars of fruit to the outside markets.
Later, his trees yielded the stems and branches for grafting and propagating many of the large orchards throughout the Valley. By six years, his annual output was ninety-five carloads of pears and apples. Recognized as the “father of the fruit industry” in Southern Oregon, Joseph Stewart became wealthy and started construction of a mansion. He was a founder of Medford Bank (later part of U.S. Bank) and the Medford Commercial Club (which became the Chamber of Commerce).
In 1898, the 65-year-old Stewart sold his property to Colonel Gordon Voorhies, who had graduated from West Point and was a Spanish-American War veteran. Although born and raised in Kentucky, Voorhies was then in Portland, Oregon, having married in 1893 Helen Burrell, the daughter of a prominent Portland Merchant family. His timing was perfect.
The Orchard Boom in Southern Oregon began in the early 1900s and had its start in 1906. Colonel Voorhies with his partner and brother-in-law, Walter Burrell, began acquiring additional lands. Over time, Voorhies increased his acreage to 770 acres and financed this by selling orchard land to his wealthy friends during the Orchard Boom.
At different times, the Colonel hired builders to extensively remodel the estate home first built by Joseph Stewart. The last prominent one was in 1920 with his son, Charles Voorhies—a Harvard-educated, architecture student—who headed the project. The 8,000 square-foot, four-columned mansion had seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and six fireplaces with manicured gardens and wide-sweeping lawns. Dating back to the original 1898 structure, the mansion showed lath-and-plaster walls, high ceilings, maple flooring, a library, sunroom, numerous rooms, and many gables.
Colonel Voorhies’ success led to his working to create in 1913 the Fruit Growers League of Southern Oregon (“FGL”), so that orchardists could meet over their mutual concerns, including that year over their fight against fire blight, a bacteria disease that kills pear and apple trees. He was also a founding member of Southern Oregon Sales (“SOS”), the regional fruit cooperative in 1926. (Although these organizations were successful for decades, the SOS closed in 2008 due to the economy and industry consolidations; the FGL disbanded one year later due to similar considerations.)
Despite the wealth and financial successes, the orchard industry began its decline, especially as World War I intervened and stopped export markets. Overproduction and lower prices contributed to the falling off. (Voorhies also served in World War I as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.) Although the fruit and agricultural production made a comeback, the Great Depression of the 1930s ended that.
Throughout the economic cycles, the property remained in the Voorhies family for three generations until 1986 when it was sold to a Medford orchardist. In 1999, the Voorhies mansion and its 27-acres were sold to the long-time Jackson-county pear family of the Roots (founders of Sabroso Company)–Tom Root and his wife, Anne, are owner/managers.
Although the mansion again was extensively refurbished inside, the huge home remained designed as first built. The grounds were lushly recreated and the property was accepted in 2000 for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. At South Stage Road and Voorhies in southeast Medford, Eden Valley Orchards is now more than an estate with orchards. The property today has vineyards, a winery, tasting room, tours, and puts on numerous events, including a summer jazz series.
In various ways the surrounding beautiful hillsides and scenery have not changed much since the first shipment of pears was made over 125 year ago. However, grapes and wines have been replacing the pears, and the sound of jazz fills the air.
Sources: “Eden Valley Orchards: A Living Monument,” at Eden Valley Orchards; “Eden Valley Orchards: History,” at A Historical Perspective; John Darling, “A Vintage Eden,” Mail Tribune, September 28, 2002; Anita Burke, “Fruit Growers League disbands after 96 years,” Mail Tribune, March 13, 2009.