Roxy Ann Peak

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Roxy Ann Peak

Roxy Ann Peak overlooks Medford from the east.
Elevation 3,576 ft (1,090 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence 753 ft (230 m) [2]
Location
Roxy Ann Peak is located in Oregon
Roxy Ann Peak
Jackson County, Oregon, USA
Range Cascade Range[3]
Coordinates 42°21′17.97251″N 122°47′06.99981″W / 42.3549923639°N 122.785277725°W / 42.3549923639; -122.785277725Coordinates: 42°21′17.97251″N 122°47′06.99981″W / 42.3549923639°N 122.785277725°W / 42.3549923639; -122.785277725[1]
Topo map USGS Medford East
Geology
Age of rock 30 Ma
Volcanic arc/belt Cascade Volcanic Arc

Roxy Ann Peak is a 3,576-foot (1,090 m) tall mountain in the western Cascade Range located at the eastern edge of Medford, Oregon. The peak is approximately 30 million years old and is of volcanic origin. Despite its relatively small topographic prominence of 753 feet (230 m), it rises 2,200 feet (670 m) above Medford and is visible from most of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Roxy Ann Bowen, an early settler of the mountain. Now protected as a city park, the peak is home to several nature trails.

Contents

[edit] Geology

Roxy Ann Peak is a 30 million-year-old volcano situated in the Western Cascade Range.[4][5] The bedrock in the area is composed mostly of granite and basalt.[6] Much of the soil found on the slopes of Roxy Ann is dense, sticky clay; this composition often causes problems during building construction.[7]

Over time, earthquakes and landslides have eroded away most of the top and much of the base area of the peak, leaving the familiar cone shape seen today.[8] The peak stands 3,576 feet (1,090 m) above sea level with a topographic prominence of 753 feet (230 m),[1][2] and rises 2,200 feet (670 m) above the surrounding Rogue Valley.[9] The unique rounded top and height of the peak create a landmark distinguishable from as far as Ashland, Oregon, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) to the south, and the Siskiyou Summit, 23.5 miles (37.8 km) south.[10]

[edit] History

Humans have lived in the Roxy Ann Peak area for the past 8,000 to 10,000 years.[9][11] The first inhabitants were semi-nomadic, most likely living off edible bulbs and large mammals such as mastodons.[9] Within the last millennium, the region became home to the Latgawa tribe Native Americans, who called the peak Al-wiya.[9][12] The Latgawa probably used the peak as a lookout, as landmarks as far away as Mount Shasta, approximately 100 miles (160 km) to the south, can be seen clearly from its summit.[13] The mountain was also a good place for gathering acorns and hunting Black-tailed Deer and small birds, animals which are still abundant there today.[12][14]

The first European Americans to visit the area were likely a group of fur trappers led by Peter Skene Ogden who traveled north through the Rogue Valley on February 14, 1827.[9][11] The first American settlers arrived in the early 1850s, but the sudden influx caused conflicts with the Latgawa, ultimately leading to the Rogue River Wars of 1855 to 1856. After the war, the remaining Latgawa were forced hundreds of miles north to the Siletz Reservation on the central Oregon coast.[9]

Early residents of the region named the peak Skinner Butte, likely attributed to an Ohioan judge named Alonzo A. Skinner, the Rogue Valley Indian Agent between 1851 and 1853.[10][14][15] The current name of the mountain, however, originates from one of its earliest settlers, Roxy Ann Bowen. Roxy Ann, her husband, John, and another couple, Stephan and Mary A. Taylor, claimed almost the entire peak by 1853. The Bowens owned a large parcel of land on the southwestern slopes for nearly 70 years, and in time the mountain came to be known as Roxy Ann Peak.[15]

Residents of Medford have taken pride in the mountain, from declaring the town's first Independence Day by firing 38 cannon blasts—one for each state—from its summit in 1884,[14][16] to protecting the area as a city park.

[edit] Prescott Park

Memorial plaque in Prescott Park

In 1929, the Lions Club purchased two sizable portions of land on the peak, and in the following year deeded 200 acres (0.81 km2) to Medford for recreational use.[17] In 1931, the city bought another 1,500 acres (6.07 km2) under the Federal Lands for Parks Act and added it to the park.[11] The park was named in 1937 after Constable George J. Prescott, a police officer killed in the line of duty on March 16, 1933.[18][19]

Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps made the first improvements to the park, including building the first road to it, clearing trails, creating picnic areas and barbeques, and digging drainage ditches.[11][13][20][21]

During the latter part of the 1990s, the area experienced a surge in vandalism, littering, and wildfires caused by off-roading. Medford police officers had to devote much of their time to patrol the mountain, which created a strain on the department due to the park's location and accessibility. In 2000, the city installed two gates near the park entrance in an effort to limit vehicle traffic after certain hours.[22]

Now, at 1,740 acres (704.2 ha), Prescott Park is Medford's largest park, covering much of the upper slopes and summit of Roxy Ann. The park is two and a half times larger than all of Medford's other parks combined.[23]

[edit] Modern development

Roxy Ann Road in Prescott Park

The foothills of Roxy Ann Peak are home to the Roxy Ann Winery, a Rogue Valley AVA winery which was founded in 2002 and is located on the southwest slopes.[24] On the opposite side of the mountain is the first bioreactor landfill in Southern Oregon, the Dry Creek Landfill, which began a program in 2006 to generate power from collected methane.[25]

Residential and commercial development of the area has been on the rise for several years.[26] Construction costs have continued to rise as well, in part because of a controversial bill passed in 2003. House Bill 3375 required that new construction on slopes of 20 percent or greater with unstable soil undergo increased regulation and an extended approval process. The bill easily doubled the cost of new foundations to around $20,000 to $30,000, and the cost of retrofitting an existing structure approaches $100,000.[7]

A 180-foot (55 m) radio tower was built on the summit of the peak in 2007; the new tower replaced three of four existing towers (the tallest being only 80 feet (24 m) high).[27][citation needed]

[edit] Deer Ridge Fire

Smoke plume created by the Deer Ridge Fire

On September 21, 2009 at around 14:30 PDT,[28] a wildfire broke out near the southern foothills of Roxy Ann Peak. About thirty minutes later, the fire shut down a transmission line leading to seven electrical substations, leaving 25,000 residents without electricity.[29] By 17:15 PDT, over 100 homes had been evacuated near the blaze, which had consumed approximately 633 acres (2.56 km2).[30][31] Over 300 firefighters who were responding to an earlier wildfire in nearby Ashland were able to assist.[31][32] Most of the residents that were evacuated were able to return to their homes by 21:00 PDT.[30]

[edit] Flora and fauna

A large madrone tree in Prescott Park

Black Oak, Madrone, and various grasses and shrubs are the most common vegetation in the oak savanna on the lower slopes.[33] Poison Oak also grows in these areas.[34] Towards the summit there are more conifer and hardwood trees, such as Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Incense Cedar.[3][35][36]

The peak is home to many species of birds, including woodpeckers, quail, and orioles. Eagles, hawks, falcons, and turkeys have also been spotted. In winter, kinglets, warblers, and sparrows also inhabit the mountain.[3][36] Deer, bears, cougars, bobcats, and rattlesnakes live on the peak all year long.[18]

[edit] Trails

Roxy Ann Peak can be accessed via Roxy Ann Road, which climbs about halfway up the mountain and then splits into a loop just inside Prescott Park. There are two park gates on the road, a lower one near the residential area on the lower slopes, and an upper one part-way to the summit.[37] The 2.4-mile (3.9 km) loop goes all the way around the peak, and is closed to unauthorized motor vehicles.[13] Tower Road begins on the north side of the loop and ascends to the summit of the peak.[11] There are six designated trails located off of Roxy Ann and Tower roads, ranging in difficulty from moderate to steep. The Rogue Valley, Mount McLoughlin, Mount Thielsen, Crater Lake, and other landmarks are easily visible from the peak's summit.[13]

A panorama of Roxy Ann Peak and the housing developments on its southern slopes

[edit] See also

Portal icon Mountains portal


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Roxy Ann, U.S. National Geodetic Survey
  2. ^ a b Roxy Ann Peak, Oregon, Peakbagger.com
  3. ^ a b c Browning 1975, p. 19
  4. ^ Mail Tribune, December 4, 1998
  5. ^ Ashland Trails Master Plan: Appendix C: Geology, City of Ashland
  6. ^ Comprehensive Plan: Section 4.03: Description of Major Rock Groups, City of Ashland
  7. ^ a b Mail Tribune, December 6, 2003
  8. ^ Faw, 2004
  9. ^ a b c d e f Young 2008, p. 8
  10. ^ a b Mail Tribune, January 23, 2006
  11. ^ a b c d e Prescott Park, City of Medford, Oregon
  12. ^ a b Mail Tribune, August 16, 1998
  13. ^ a b c d Danielsson 2003, pp. 32–33
  14. ^ a b c Mail Tribune, September 23, 2007
  15. ^ a b Mail Tribune, September 28, 2002
  16. ^ Mail Tribune, July 5, 2009
  17. ^ Mail Tribune, January 1, 2009
  18. ^ a b Mail Tribune, March 16, 2003
  19. ^ Constable George J. Prescott, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.
  20. ^ Mail Tribune, May 3, 2008
  21. ^ Dunn 1993, p. 98
  22. ^ Mail Tribune, July 22, 2000
  23. ^ Young 2008, p. 1
  24. ^ Roxy Ann Winery, Mail Tribune
  25. ^ Mail Tribune, September 21, 2006
  26. ^ Candidate for future growth areas, City of Medford, Oregon
  27. ^ Mail Tribune, December 31, 2006
  28. ^ Mail Tribune, September 21, 2009
  29. ^ Mail Tribune, September 21, 2009
  30. ^ a b Mail Tribune, September 22, 2009
  31. ^ a b Mail Tribune, September 22, 2009
  32. ^ Mail Tribune, September 21, 2009
  33. ^ Mail Tribune, November 14, 2001
  34. ^ Mail Tribune, October 2, 2008
  35. ^ Mail Tribune, February 28, 2002
  36. ^ a b Rakestraw 2007, p. 100
  37. ^ Mail Tribune, April 3, 2001

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Books

[edit] News articles

[edit] Websites

[edit] Other

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roxy Ann Peak
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