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The Public Market experiment By Bill Miller Aug 28, 2022 12:30 AM A A The end of May 1912 marked a historic change in Jackson County and especially in Medford. Not only were women rushing to the polls to vote for the first time, the long-wished-for Public Market had just had its grand opening. A few feet south of Main Street, on the east side of Riverside Avenue, the market was the first publicly owned market in Oregon. The hope was to bring local consumers and farmers together and avoid the traditional import of vegetables and other foods. Ultimately, the market was expected to encourage farmers and ranchers to increase production, which would give local residents more purchasing choices. In addition, local grocers would have a centralized location to purchase fresh produce. With construction plans already drawn, in late December 1911, Medford’s City Council began searching for a site for the market. The following April, a construction contract was awarded for $1,787. Although council members hoped the market would ultimately be a success, they were unwilling to approve a more expensive building until the market proved its success. The building, 60 by 100 feet in size, was arranged on a cement floor with rows of stalls down each side of the building. Each stall was 8 by 10 feet and equipped with water and a door, opening to the outside, allowing farmers and ranchers access to their own stall. The stalls rented for $3 a month or 20 cents a day, and only residents of Jackson County were allowed to rent. Originally, the rule was to allow only the person who actually grew the produce or raised the animals to sell in the stall; however, the rule was impractical and quickly changed. There wasn’t a single stock raiser in the county who could meet the market demand from their own herds, especially since refrigeration requirements to store meat were expensive. The council also realized that for small farmers with just an acre or two of land, spending time selling at the market would cost them more than any profit they could make. They and others were allowed to turn their products over to an agent who could rent a stall and sell for a number of different producers. Most of the county’s merchants were generally in favor of the Public Market, but there was strong opposition from meat markets and butchers. Perishable meat purchases, directly from the Public Market, cut into their profits. Grocers were quite happy. They had been importing a large portion of their vegetables, claiming they couldn’t depend on local farmers to supply them regularly. The farmers scoffed. They said the grocers could have had everything they needed had they been willing to pay in cash instead of paying in trade. Farmers needed money for hardware, dry goods and other expenses to keep their farms going. There were ups and downs over the years, but the Public Market was generally a success — until 1929. Attendance was down, and the market was becoming a liability for the city. The Citizen Budget Committee recommended cutting $1,200 from the market’s annual maintenance budget. The council followed a Mail Tribune editorial that recommended a transfer of the market to County Grange; however, negotiations were unsuccessful. The council gave up and voted to end the market July 1, 1930. The deadline was extended one month to allow local farmers time to find a way to keep the market open. They didn’t. “If the farmers hereabouts don’t believe a public market is worth maintaining,” said a Mail Tribune editorial, “then it might as well be abandoned at once and the money invested.” For the next 25 to 30 years, the old building hosted a veterans group, the chamber of commerce and various auto sales and services, even serving as a voter polling station. It is unclear when it eventually was torn down. Writer Bill Miller is the author of five books, including History Snoopin’, a collection of his previous history columns and stories. Reach him at [email protected].