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Hollywood stars and the Table Rock airstrip By Bill Miller Jun 26, 2022 12:30 AM A A Let’s say you want to impress some of your socially prominent out-of-town guests into buying some property you’ve just developed. And let’s pretend you have enough of what Woody Guthrie called the “Do-Re-Mi” to actually own the top of Lower Table Rock. What do you do? That’s easy. Carve out a 3/4-mile-long runway through solidified lava, vernal pools and fairy shrimp; charter an airplane or two to give everyone a chance at the most impressive landing of a lifetime; and then just sit back and listen to all the oohs and ahhs. Give your visitors a little time to admire the view, drive them down and give them a leisurely ride beside the Rogue River. Make sure to keep them entertained before you finally offer them a chance to purchase some quality real estate. I regret to tell you that someone has already beaten you to your imaginary wallet. The brain behind this operation was John Day. For those who don’t remember, Day was a popular local rancher, owner of a land development company and an enthusiastic outdoorsman. John Day and two partners had partitioned land near the now gone Gold Ray Dam, constructed a few luxury houses and called the new development Table Rock Estates. Next step was inviting a few Hollywood celebrities and executives to a three-day party of fishing, duck hunting, horseback riding and a massive outdoor barbecue. Guests would stay in the already completed houses. On that first weekend in November 1948, only an adventurous few actually landed on the newly built airstrip. The rest felt much safer flying into the well-established 17-year-old Jackson County Airport. Ginger Rogers, who had bought a ranch near Shady Cove in 1941, agreed to serve as host to the group, which, according to a Mail Tribune reporter, had left “most of the trappings and artificiality of Hollywood behind.” It was a chance for these kingpins of Movieland to kick back and play the part of just plain folk, hiding away under the cliffs of Table Rock. Only a few names of the visiting stars that weekend may still be recognized. The “Music Man,” Robert Preston, and his wife were among the eager anglers casting their lines into the river. They were joined by Ward Bond, who later would lead a “Wagon Train” on one of the most popular television westerns of the 1950s. Dancer Ann Miller enjoyed an afternoon of horseback riding and spent the evening beside the blazing fire pit, comfortably toasting her toes. Sitting nearby were Ava Gardner, Esther Williams and Dina Shore. Even for movie fans of 75 years ago, not all of the visitors were household names. Ginger’s dance coach, Charlotte Hunter, arrived in a charter plane full of photographers and publicity agents, who eagerly joined in the Friday night barbecue. There was an outing back to the top of Table Rock on Saturday so the visitors could watch the second plane ever to land on the new dirt runway. By Sunday afternoon, the party was over and everyone left. Newspaper reporters weren’t invited, so there was no report of how many homes had been sold or even whether some of the stars risked a takeoff from the Table Rock airstrip. Although it’s been illegal to land a plane there for decades, the runway hasn’t disappeared. Every year, thousands of hikers unknowingly walk over it, each step saving a tiny bit of forgotten history as a little of mud or dirt clings to the soles of their shoes. 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].