The mythical state of Jefferson
When I first moved to Coos Bay, Oregon in 2012, I was told by some that I had not in fact moved to Oregon. I had moved to Jefferson, they said. As you can imagine, I was utterly confused.
Jefferson is a state that never was. It encompasses southern Oregon and northern California, and it's all but official - there's a state seal, a state flag, a state motto, everything. The Jefferson independence movement has happened in several waves, the strongest being in the late 1930s-early 1940s, but it was abruptly halted by U.S. involvement in WWII. Still, anyone driving south on Highway 5 can tell there's a difference between southern Oregon and the rest of the state. You cross an invisible line somewhere around Cottage Grove, and instead of bustling cities full of alternative, progressive yuppies, you find yourself in the middle of the woods. Jefferson is the land where small towns rule and backpacking is a way of life.
Our local public radio station is actually named Jefferson Public Radio, and it covers the area from Eugene, Oregon to Shasta, California. I bring this up now because sometime last week, Craig informed me that he and I were going to be on the radio. He had been contacted by the host of Jefferson Exchange, one of JPR's regular programs, who wanted to talk about deep-sea exploration. The host asked if Craig and one other person could give a live interview, so when Craig asked me to join him on-air, I was more than happy to oblige. I think it went really well, but I'll let you judge for yourself. Listen to our interview at the link below:
http://ijpr.org/post/fri-8-am-seeking-marine-life-past-and-present-oimb-branches-out
Jefferson is a state that never was. It encompasses southern Oregon and northern California, and it's all but official - there's a state seal, a state flag, a state motto, everything. The Jefferson independence movement has happened in several waves, the strongest being in the late 1930s-early 1940s, but it was abruptly halted by U.S. involvement in WWII. Still, anyone driving south on Highway 5 can tell there's a difference between southern Oregon and the rest of the state. You cross an invisible line somewhere around Cottage Grove, and instead of bustling cities full of alternative, progressive yuppies, you find yourself in the middle of the woods. Jefferson is the land where small towns rule and backpacking is a way of life.
Our local public radio station is actually named Jefferson Public Radio, and it covers the area from Eugene, Oregon to Shasta, California. I bring this up now because sometime last week, Craig informed me that he and I were going to be on the radio. He had been contacted by the host of Jefferson Exchange, one of JPR's regular programs, who wanted to talk about deep-sea exploration. The host asked if Craig and one other person could give a live interview, so when Craig asked me to join him on-air, I was more than happy to oblige. I think it went really well, but I'll let you judge for yourself. Listen to our interview at the link below:
http://ijpr.org/post/fri-8-am-seeking-marine-life-past-and-present-oimb-branches-out
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