Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/210

Rh with a list of rules adopted by the board was officially placed on the walls in all public school rooms of the State. Also strong influence was brought to bear upon communities to support their schools by taxation, so that elementary education might be free to all persons between the ages of four and twenty years; and among numerous other beginnings, county institutes were held for the improvement and uplift of the teaching profession. State Superintendent Simpson continued in office until September 14, 1874, when he was succeeded by Dr. L. L. Rowland, who had been connected with Bethel College mentioned elsewhere in this publication.

The Oregon Caves.Their Discovery. In 1874, a wounded bear, closely pursued by Elijah Davidson, took refuge in a mountain recess which later proved to be one of the doorways to the Oregon Caves. The mountain, which was afterwards called Cave Mountain, is 6,000 feet high. It is located in Josephine County, and divides the Illinois River from Applegate Creek. Openings were found later on the opposite side of the mountain; and it was believed that a constant draught might pass through the caves from the portals on one side to the outlet on the other side about three miles away. Thereupon a fire was kindled at the entrance and within a short time smoke was seen emerging from the portals on the farther side, which conclusively proved there is a continuous passage through Cave Mountain.

Description The Oregon Caves, in decorations of wall and ceiling, surpass the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. So far as known they consist of "five levels of glittering chambers with a basement apparently bottomless." Upon further exploration it may be found that they extend through the marble summit of the Siskiyou mountains into California. The largest explored chamber is the Ghost Room, commonly called Dante's Inferno. It has the shape of a crescent 520 feet long and 50 feet wide, with a ceiling about 40 feet high. It is about 1600 feet beneath the summit of the