F
ounded in 1855, Kerby (or
Kerbyville, as it was known
then) was Josephine County seat for
almost 30 years.
The town served as the commercial center for
the bustling Illinois Valley during gold rush years
and was an important stage-stop for travelers to and
from the coast. Though the county seat moved to
Grants Pass in 1886, and many of its historic
8
Southwestern Oregon’s Illinois Valley