Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Learning to survive ... Techtoberfest event was a rousing success ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Hillary Clinton’s big night ... Our View: Learning to survive ... Techtoberfest event was a rousing success ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Hillary Clinton’s big night ... AS IT WAS As It Was: Hardy Elliff's pumpkin ruse Comment By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Oct. 7, 2015 at 5:14 PM By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Oct. 7, 2015 at 5:14 PM » Social News Each Halloween carved pumpkins populate the porches of southern Oregon houses. One story from the pioneer era describes how a carved pumpkin actually saved a house. The story comes from Bess Adams Clough, who was born in the late 1800s on a ranch near Canyonville. Her story involves her maternal grandfather, Hardy Elliff, who owned a lot of land in the Cow Creek Valley, south of Canyonville. The way Clough told it, hostilities between the Cow Creek Indians and the white settlers erupted in the fall of 1855. Livestock was killed, hay stores destroyed, and houses and barns burned to the ground. After leading his wife and child to the local stockade for safekeeping, Elliff returned to his house. According to Clough, her grandfather then carved a face into a “good-sized pumpkin.” Next he put a lighted candle inside the pumpkin and placed it in the window of his house every night for weeks. The Indians never approached the house. When Eliff later asked the Indian chief why his empty house was never burned, the chief replied that the house wasn’t empty for they had seen the white man’s God in the window. Elliff’s ruse had worked like a charm. Source: Reminiscences of Southern Oregon Pioneers (Transcript of a personal interview with Bess Adams Clough, Canyonville, Oregon, Dec. 6, 1938). Southern Oregon Digital Archives, History Collection. As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org . By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Oct. 7, 2015 at 5:14 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501