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Histories and Mysteries: Ashland's biggest and brightest Fourth of July By Peter Finkle Jul 03, 2019 05:28 PM A A It takes many streams coming together to form a huge river. The Amazon River of Ashland Fourth of July observances was in the year 1916. From what I know of Ashland history, I think it was the largest and most audacious celebration in the history of our town. Here are the streams that created 1916’s audacious river. The first large stream ... the Fourth of July parade already had been an Ashland tradition for decades as of 1916. Ashland’s parade history began with floats on horse-drawn wagons in the late 1800s. Decorated autos were added in the early 1900s. In 1916, bold Ashland boosters planned a parade on the Forth of July (of course) followed by a parade July 5 (oh, my!) followed by a parade on the 6th (No. 3!). A second large tributary ... the dedication of Lithia Park. Ashland’s Lithia Park grew out of a humble 1892 beginning as 8-acre Chautauqua Park. Thanks to the vision and perseverance of women in the Chautauqua Park Club and the Women’s Civic Improvement Club, with support from some wealthy men of Ashland who saw their vision, land was purchased in 1908 to create much larger Lithia Park. The official dedication of Lithia Park was July 5, 1916. The third, an audacious and booster-crazed stream ... July 5, 1916, was also the official dedication of Ashland’s Lithia springs water. Local boosters were convinced that the combination of Lithia water, sulphur water and soda springs water was about to catapult Ashland to recognition as a spa town of national and world renown. A fourth, more modest stream ... July 4, 1916, was the unveiling of the “Fountain of Youth, now known as the Butler-Perozzi Fountain. Generous Ashland businessmen Gwin Butler and Dominic Perozzi had recently donated some of their land to the expansion of Lithia Park. Butler traveled to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held in San Francisco’s Marina District. A massive event, the Exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and was attended by over 18 million people. Butler thought an Italian marble fountain he saw there would be perfect in Lithia Park, so he sent a telegram to his friend Perozzi to come immediately. When Perozzi arrived in San Francisco, he agreed to help purchase the fountain, which the two men bought for $3,000 (equivalent to about $75,000 in 2019). Fourth, another huge, audacious tributary ... the Rogue Roundup was a Wild West show to rival the already successful Pendleton, Oregon, Roundup. The first Pendleton Roundup (rodeo and more) in 1910 had drawn 7,000 spectators, and it just kept growing from there. Ashland aimed to outdo their fellow Oregon town in 1916. Fifth, a small but passionate stream ... baseball fans were treated to a three-day, three-game rematch between the Medford, Oregon, and Weed, California, baseball teams. Sixth, a musical stream ... more band music in one place than Southern Oregon had ever heard. The Ashland band, the Medford band, the Grants Pass band and the Central Point band each played two or three times a day for all three days. They even played all together as a massed band in a grand symphony of band music. Seventh, another bigger-and-bolder-than-Southern-Oregon-has-ever-seen stream ... you can’t forget fireworks on the Fourth of July. But not just one day, not even two days ... three days in a row of massive fireworks! July 5 and 6 featured unusual daylight fireworks. Finally, what made this blowout “4th” possibly the largest event in Ashland’s history, was a combination of three straight days of multiple activities (each of which attracted between hundreds and thousands of spectators) with nonstop action from early morning until past midnight all three of the days. How Big Was the 1916 Celebration? To get an idea how big, let’s compare some numbers from 1916 with recent years. In recent years the Fourth of July parade attendance has been estimated around 20,000 people. That’s with Ashland’s population about 21,000 and Jackson County’s population about 220,000. In 1916, Fourth of July parade attendance was estimated at 30,000 people, with the City of Ashland’s population only 5,000 and the entire Jackson County population under 25,000! And that was just July 4th. Twenty thousand more came for all-day and into-the-night celebrations on July 5 and July 6. Now that was a blow-out three-day party! As his contribution to building community, writer and herbal health researcher Peter Finkle is walking every street in Ashland and writing an article with photos about every street. Visit WalkAshland.com to see and read about local people, history, yard art, architecture, gardens and more. Ladies Auxiliary float, 1916 4th of July parade, first prize winner. photo from Southern Oregon Digital Archives Ashland women on horseback, 1916, possibly a marketing postcard for the 1916 Fourth of July parade, photo from SODA.