The mountains of Southern Oregon and Northern California are remote and rugged. Vast areas remain wilderness to this day. It's a seductive landscape if you're trying to evade the law. What was the biggest hunt for fugitives in the Siskiyous? How did newspapers nationwide present the key players, the facts, and the harsh terrain in our backyard?

Laura Ahearn is president of McKee Bridge Historical Society and a volunteer for Southern Oregon Historical Society on the Windows In Time committee. She is the curator of the Virtual Museum at mckeebridge.org.

The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our Southern Oregon heritage. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and Jackson County Library Services. Programs are presented in Medford (first Wednesdays) and again in Ashland (second Wednesdays). Please note that November's Ashland program will happen on the 18th, the third Wednesday of the month. The library will be closed on the 11th for Veterans Day. Recordings of Medford presentations are available on the JCLS Beyond YouTube channel.