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Archaeological gem in danger By SARAH LEMON APPLEGATE DAM - The historic Harlow Cabin near the headwaters of the Applegate River on Elliott Creek Road has stood unlocked in recent years. The history of the cabin Gold prospector William Harlow built the two-story Harlow Cabin in the early 1920s and lived in it with his wife when his gold claim was the end of the line on the road from Jacksonville to the Blue Ledge copper mine. Harlow's use of hand-hewn logs and schist boulders makes the construction techniques impressive and the cabin unique for the Rogue River National Forest, said U.S. Forest Service archaeologist Jeff LaLande. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Forest Service acquired the cabin in the early '90s when Harlow's original mining claim was found to be null and void, LaLande said. Since then, the Forest Service has replaced some of the cabin's rotting sill logs, put on a new roof, cut "danger trees," planted native shrubs around the structure and put up a gate to prevent vehicle access to a clearing behind the cabin. A target of vandalism since its appropriation by the Forest Service, the cabin has been dying the "death of a thousand cuts" and is in need of heavy repairs, LaLande said. If vandalism to the cabin were curtailed, the Forest Service could combat deterioration from water and soil with a little ongoing maintenance, he said. Forty years ago, there were dozens of pioneer cabins in the forest, LaLande said. But they are becoming more and more rare. The Krause Cabin built in 1945 near Grayback Mountain burned to the ground in June. An untended campfire too close to the cabin started the blaze. The U.S. Forest Service has left the former prospector's home in the Rogue River National Forest open to convince visitors there is nothing valuable inside. But the two-story 1920s structure - a victim of ongoing vandalism - is a gem to U.S. Forest Service archaeologist Jeff LaLande. A gem that may need a little polishing but is well worth protecting. Forest Service agents identified three local men who vandalized Harlow Cabin in April 2000. In September, Lucas Jordan Gerlitz, 20, Jeff Gerald Buck, 22, and Chad Thomas Shepard, 23, all pleaded guilty to destruction of government property in federal court. Gerlitz's and Shepard's last known addresses were in Medford, and Buck lived in White City in 1999. A Medford federal magistrate sentenced all three men to 24 hours in jail, a $200 fine and a restitution payment of $900, which will go to the Forest Service to repair and preserve Harlow Cabin. The men admitted to cutting down a nearby tree, destroying a custom-built road gate and damaging parts of the cabin. The vandalism was a "party situation," LaLande said. "It's just heartbreaking the kind of waste and stupidity that goes on out there because of vandals." By prosecuting Gerlitz, Shepard and Buck, the Forest Service hopes to send the message that vandalism will not be tolerated, LaLande said. The case was reported a few days after it happened, which was most likely the key to solving it, said Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Mike King. King said he investigates about 40 cases of vandalism a month on Bureau of Land Management lands. But only about 10 to 20 percent of those are ever solved, mostly because there is no suspect information. When they aren't patrolling an area where vandals are at work, the sheriff's department relies on the public to report the crimes, he said. In addition to littering and making mischief while under the influence of alcohol, vandals most often target gates and fences on BLM land, King said. Replacing a custom-crafted gate of peeled wood poles is just one of the tasks on the road to restoring Harlow Cabin. The cabin needs a lot of new windows, which are not standard sizes and will have to be custom-built, LaLande said. Repair costs could approach the $30,000 the Forest Service already has spent on restoring the cabin, he said. But if these repairs are made - and if the vandalism stops - LaLande said the cabin has a lot of years left in it. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Reporter Jill Briskey contributed to this story. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.