JACKSONVILLE IS REAL RELIC OF THE HARDY PIONEER DAYS
. . . 7. . . . m . -n i tt:4. T31 Q m fnr- TlaoK-ntu T'frhtrriOr Stlirit Still ShOWH.
niH TTnrmilder- of Southern Oresron. in Reunion There Recall Woes and Pleasures, Prosperity ana poverty 01 iown b uy " :
THE Southern Oregon pioneers held
their annual reunion this year at
Jacksonville In mid-September. No
mora harmonious surroundings coald
sve been choaea for thla patriarchal
assembly than the historic old town
around which the early life of Southern
Oregon was centered. The remaining
flagstone walks., the antiquated but
olid aid buildings, the rocky dry bed
of J season Creek, the graveyard on the
bill aad numerous other landmarks
served as apt ' reminders of the daya.
bark la the Sea. whan the town and
velghbortng gulches were scenes of tha
blood-red battle of the survival of tha
Attest.
The eight of thst venerable proces
sion which on a perfect Autumn dsy In
September last wended Ita way from
the court house beneath the giant ma
plea was one most Impressive to these
of a younger generation. In thla pro
cession there were t or silvery
beaded men and women, weak and bent
by yeara But grand in their achieve
ments. Jacksonville recalled vividly to tha
old planeera the memorise of days whea
they were young together In the wilds
af Southern Oregon. It waa In Jackson
villa that the first settlement In South
ern Oregon wss made. It waa there
that tha flrst gold In the stale waa dis
covered. Jacksonville waa tha metrop
olis of the southern part of Oregon
from the rustling; gold-mining daya of
the iss until !. when It was passed
ap and Its growtj checked by the Ore
gon California Railroad. Since 114
Jacksonville haa declined, while Med
ford. which was not In existence until
the railroad was built, hss prospered
and taken tha lead aa the metropolis of
Southern Oregon. It aeema bold to
atate that a town In the growing West
kaa actually declined, but such Is the
case. In IMS. Juat before the railroad
bad been built arroaa the border of
Josephine and Jackson counties, the
population of Jacksonville wss lie:
today It Is 40; the assessed valuation
then was IMIO.OOO: last year it was
SsAft.veo. The neweat of the numeroua
brick business blocks waa built in lilt
aad not a brick haa been laid since.
Old Tow a Revives.
A new era at prosperity, however,
appears to be In store for "Jarktown."
The valuation of property this year will
be In the neighborhood of ft&O.floe.
(hnwng sn Incresse In property values
f $.00 In the last year. Jacksonville
haa Issued bonds for the construction
f a city water system and la busy put
Una In cement sidewalks, prepartrg It
II for the new role of a residence
lletrtct of Medford.
The history of Jacksonville fslls nat
urally Into three periods. Called Into
existence by the discovery of gold on
. lackson Creek In IV.I. Its prosperity
' wsned ss the gold pockets were clesned
sut and the minora left. But with gold
foae the town entered upon a more
wholeeom growth aa the trade center
af a nature-blessed terming region. In
14 came the blighting railroad, which
robbed the town of Its commercial
prestige and left It In an out-of-the-wsv
nook to slumber In tranquillity.
Forsaken by Its young blood for more
stirring scenes. Jacksonville haa slum
bered on as the home of tha pioneers
who built aad made the town back In
the e. If a Rip Van Winkle had slept
V) years Instead of SO. and today awoke
to walk the streets of Jacksonville, he
would se wltened hut familiar faces.
Those whom he mlsaed would be found
In tha graveyard on tha hill, which each
year Is reaping a greater harvest of
gray-haired pioneers. Nina died last
Winter.
Between the time of Ita'fall as a com
mercial center and the present time.
Jacksonville has hsd no history worth
recounting. But todsy Jacksonville la
recognised aa a healthy, beautiful, shel
ls red village In the hills, with substan
tial schools, and is an Ideal place for a
home.
Valley Then Dangerous.
In the Fpring of 1SS1, Halsted and
Vannoy had the only two cabins In the
Rogue River Veltey, and these were at
the fords wherethe trail between Ore
gon City and California crossed the
Roane. The Rogue River Velley waa
considered a dangeroue portion of tha
trip between the gold fields of Cali
fornia and the lower -Willamette Val
ley, cn account of the treacherous
Rogue River Indians, who Inhsblted trie
region. Although the wonderful fertil
ity of the soli, and the mildness of the
climate of Southern Oregon had been
heralded broadcast by travelers through
the region, the homeseekers preferred
to settle In the safer preolncte of the
Willamette Valley.
It was left to the lure of gold to start
the Inrush of settlers Into the Rogue
River Vslley. In Iecember. 1861. Jamea
Clusgae-e and J. Poole discovered gold
en Jackson Creek. Almost Immediately
gold was discovered, as well In Rich
(ulch and other neighboring ravines.
The news of El Dorado where a pint
of gold could be washed out In a day
spresd like wildfire to the gold fields
of Northern California and from thence
throughout the world.
Saloons Kollow Miners."
rom a spot In the wilderness In
Hit. Jacksonville sprung Into a hust
ling mining town with nine stores,
three blacksmith shops, a carpenter
shop and saloons- galore In the Fall of
lis J. - In the Summer of loil Henry
Kltppel and Smith made a partial sur
vey of the settlement, forming Oregon
and California streets, around which
the town was built.
The privations of the first Winter af
ter the gold waa discovered were In
tense. A prolonged snow storm de
layed bringing In of supplies until sev
eral of the younger men struck out
with snow shoes across the Slsklyous
and returned with supplies on their
barks for the hungry miners. ' Prices
paid for auppllea that Winter seem pre
posterous even when compared with
those of this dsy of high cost of living.
Flour sold at f I pound and aalt was
not to be had for money, although one
pioneer living today. Vint Bell, tella of
buying It with an equal weight of
gold. Game and beef were plentiful,
however, and these were the main
sources of nourishment through tha
Winter.
Crimes Not Xamerous.
Queer to relate, crime waa infrequent
during the first few yeara of tha camp a
existence, deaplte tha fact that Tha
rlfraff of many nationa bad been at
tracted to the district and gambling and
drunkenness were the main order of
the day and night when the weather
kept the miners from their sluice boxes
and cradles. Although there was no
legal court until the Fall of 1831. there
waa a rough sense of justice among
tfre miners, which would brook no
crime. One man named Brown shot a
man named Potts In tha Summer of
Hi:. The guilty one waa tried by
a Jury of which David Unn. father of
Fletcher Linn, of Portland, waa a mem
ber. The slayer waa hanged at tha
present site of an old Presbyterian
church. The settlers, to meet this
emergency, adopted the Iowa code,
whlcli they used thereafter until the
meeting of the first regular Federal
court September S. 15X Tha court
was presided over by Mathew P. IVaiy
aa United Statea District Judge of the
Territory of Oregon.
L y. Graver, later Governor and
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Senator of Oregon, was United Btatea
Iltrlct Attcrney. and 'other men who
later became prominent also partici
pated In this, the first legal court held
south of Albany. The sentences of the
Judge In this early court were carried
out without delay. At a meeting of tha
court In October of the same year three
Indiana called Thompaon. George and
Tom. convicted of the murder of two
white men. James C. Kyle and Edwards,
were hanged the day after their con
viction. In fact, rumor haa It that tha
Indian Thompaon waa hanged Immedi
ately after sentence. The customary
two or three montho syaaj not given to
murderers for repentance In the pio
neer days of Jacksonville and court
records show no instancea In which
manslavera were judged Insane. This
sternness of tha courta was responsible
for the scarcity of crime during the
first yeara of Jacksonville's existence
under the rule of Federal law.
MasiMirre Infuriates Town.
Uke most pioneer aettlements In
America, Jacksonville had Ita chapter
of Indian massacr and relentless re
taliation on the part of the whites.
Although whites had been murdered on
the tralla. tha Inhabltanta of Jackson
villa themaelves were not molested by
the redskins until the middle" of the
Summer of 1M. One August day of
that year a rifle ahot waa heard In tha
canyon west of town and a few mo
menta later the mule of Thomaa Wella.
a miner came thundering Into 'town
with a bloodstained saddle. The se
quel to the Incident waa the finding
of Wells In his death blood basldo the
road Jeadtng to tha mines. A day or
two later a settler named Nolan waa
killed not far from town. By thla time
the Inhabitants were In a frenxy of
fear and excitement, aa the town waa
not well protected and ammunition waa
ecarce. Indeed. It waa known thajt if
tha Indiana had the courage they could
aack the town. During thla ttma of
dread and fear two Indian boys came
Into the town, prompted by curiosity,
and expecting no harm. Immediately
the rumor apre'ad that they were aplea
and In an Insane moment they were
hanged, tha boys proteetlng In their
broken English that they meant no
harm. Thla Irrational slaying of the
Indian youtha la a black ataln upon
the history of Southern Oregon and
an act afterwarda greatly detlored by
the Inhabitants of Jacksonville. It is
thought that this deed of the whites
was partlv responsible for tha fierce
crueltv of the Rogue River Indiana
toward the whites In the wars that
followed.
In May of 15J. Cram. .Rogers tt Co..
of Treka.' s branch of tha Adams Ex
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press Company, opened an express of
fice n Jacksonville and employed C. C
.Beekman. the pioneer banker of South
ern Oregon, and once Gubernatorial
candidate, at that time a fearless youth,
as a messenger. It was the duty of C
C. Beekman, the father of B. B. -Beekman.
a Portland attorney, to carry tha
precious gold from the mines of Jack
sonville over the Siskiyou Mountains
to Treka during these stirring tlmee of
nefarious warfare with the. Indiana.
Wondrous to relate his path was never
successfully blocked nor his pack of
gold stolen. Hla custom was to travel
at night when Indian nature and habit
protected him from dangers other than
those of travel through mountains In
the dark. The nearest approach to
death that Mr. Beekman had waa when
a crewd of Indiana allowed him to pass,
unmolested to kill the driver and rob
the packa of a train of mules a tew
hundred yards behind him.
The Indiana, with their wars and Ill
kept treatlea were a aource-of worry
and danger to the inhabitants of Jack
sonville until Uof. when the whole
tribe was tsken Into custody and trans
ported to Sileta reservation. In the Wil
lamette, where they were placed la
charge of General Grant.
A study of the Indian wars of South
ern Oregon reveals the fact that tha
cruelty of Indiana toward the whites
waa equaled. If not surpassed, by the
cruelty of tha whites toward the In
diana. Despite the troubles with the In
diana. Jacksonville. In the Summer and
Fall of 1861 witnessed a remarkable
growth. All the hillsides and -gulches
before this time had been staked out.
and miners were at work reaping large
returns. Dives of all kinds had opened
In Jacksonville to trap the miners' gold.
Homeseekers from the Willamette Val
ley were settling In the valley. A Joint
Methodist and Presbyterian church waa
built that Summer by tha more staid
portion of -the Inhabitants, most of
whom had come from' tlfe .North. Sub
acrlptlona to help the cause were ob
tained from gamblers and saloon-keepers
without a scruple, aa the question
of tainted money had not arisen in
that day. This church, one of the very
oldest in tha Northwest, atlll remains.
School Teacher Arrives.
Tha same Summer Mary Royal.
young schoolteacher Just from the East
opened a eehool In Jacksonville. Gen
erous gifts of gold from the miners and
tuition chargea of from ft to f 8 a quar.
ter sustained the school. Sixty students
were enrolled the first year.
Two other happenings which marked
1SS4 as a banner year of growth In
Jacksonville were tha birth of Us first
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white child, James CI ug gage McCully,
August T, named In honor of James
Cluggage, the founder of tha town:
and the building of tha first brick
building. A combination of clay and
sandstone of the desert was used as a
substitute for lima In constructing the
building.
The flrst newspaper of Southern Ore
gon, the Table Rock Sentinel, waa es
tablished by U. G. TVault In 1856. It
announced Itself as Independent In pol
itics. But proved to be Democratic, dyed
In the wool. In 4 857 the Jacksonville
Herald was started by Begga Burns,
and for a number of years thereafter
Jackaonvrtle boaated of two newspa
pers. A year or two later the Oregon
Gaaette wgs founded, but was doomed
to short existence. Tha paper became
so rsnkly populletio and anarchistic
that the Government in 1861 refused It
tha use of the malls. Tha papera were
representative of tha Civil War times.
Politics were fought out In Jackson
ville, hundreds of miles away from rail
road connections with the civilized
world with all the ferocity of tha pe
riod save bloodshed.
In the later iOs tha mines began to
give out and many of the miners were
attracted to Eldorado, newly found in
Idaho. By 1880 tha prosperity of
Jacksonville did not depend upon Ita
mines aa greatly as it did upon the
fertile farms of the valley. In I860 a
wagon road from Waldo In Josephine
County to Crescent City. CaL, , waa
opened for travel. This made It pos
sible for paasengers and baggage to be
carried by, wagon from tha aeaooast to
Jacksonville. Cluggage and Pool es
tablished a semt-weekly stage line
from Jacksonville . to Croecent City.
Tha opening of the road cut freight
rates in two and brought many of tha
luxuries of the outside world to the
residents of Jacksonville
Sacramento Stage Starts.
On tha first of July of the same year
the California Stage Company opened
Its dally atage line from Sacramento
to Portland. The atage made the trip
in li days and many of the travelers
were glad of the opportunity of rest
ing a couple of daya at Jacksonville
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en route. The building of the two
wagon roads marked the end of tha
pack train, which had played such an
essential part In the making of Jack
sonville. No longer were the strings
of mules and their dare-devil drivers
seen swinging into town. Tha pack
era either left for regions unknown or
took up the more staid profession of
the stage driver.
- During the 80s Jacksonville became
noted for Its wealth, Ita fine homes. Its
culture. Its hospitality and Ita general
prosperity. Tha farms of the valley
and the vineyards on the hillsides
were extremely productive. Flour,
fruits, wine and meat were sold to the
miners In Northern California. Grad
ually the supply outgrew the demand
and the industries suffered from lack
of . railroad transportation facilities.
However, the Rogue River-Valley was
known as the land of plenty.
Jacksonville waa not without its
troubles, however, during this period
of commercial prosperity. In 1868
smallpox broke out among the half
breeds In one end of the town. The
doctors pronounced the disease chicken
pox. and before the mistake was dis
covered the plague bad spread through
out the town. . Terror seized the
townsmen and there were few who
dared nurse the sick and bury the
dead. It waa believed that smoka
would kill the germs and accordingly
great fires were built in the streets
around which the ; people gathered
both by night and by day. The work
of the Catholic priest and sisters dur
ing this calamity was heroic. They
were the only ones who were not
afraid to nurae the sick. When the
epidemic had run its course, 40 vie
time had been buried In the graveyard
on the hilL
Flood Destroys Much.
The next year a cloudBurat In Jack
sen Creek Canyftn caused a flood that
brought ruin to part of the town and
to the farmers along the stream. In
1873 a fire broke out in the Union Ho
tel, which destroyed 875400 worth of
property within an hour. The follow
ing year Jacksonville suffered another
fire nearly as destructive. No other
fin
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calamities of moment struck Jackson.
ville until 188 when the California
Oregon Railroad passed It by. In fact
in 1883 Jacksonville was in a most pros
perous condition with glowing pros
pects. The August number of the West
Shore Magazine in 1883 speaks of Jack
sonville as follows:
"The county seat of Jackson County
Jj Jacksonville, once the liveliest min
ing camp of this region and is still
the most Important . trade center. The
conditions of Its existence have gradu
ally changed from that of a rudely
constructed and transient mining camp
to that of a thriving trade center for
a large expanse of mining and agri
cultural country. Its business is firmly
established. Its business buildings largo
and substantial, and its private resi
dences neat and often elegant. It has
always held the position of the lead
ing town of Southern Oregon, which Its
enterprising business men are deter
mined to maintain."
The fundamental reason why the
railroad decided to build a new town
In the valley rather than pass thro6gn
Jacksonville was the elevation of the
town among the hills. Citizens of
Jacksonville maintained that the rail
road would lose neither in distance nor
in grading If It laid its tracks throug.i
Blackwell gap and skirted the hills to
Jacksonville and therefore refused to
pay the bonus the railroad demanded.
It .is this same ridge of mountains
that bara the building of a rallroa1
from Medford to Crescent City. If
the desired road from Medford to tha
sea cosst Is ever built, undoubtedly
the citizens of Medford will be called
upon to give a large bonus to help
build a tunnel through the obstructing
mountains.
t Fight Kept Vp.
Jacksonville did not die without -a
struggle. For years Itvfought zeal
ously with Medford . for ' commercial
supremacy and even today a slur or
criticism of Medford. and its people
is well taken in "Jack" town. The cards
were stacked against Jacksonville and
Its game was a losing one.
Until 1891 Jacksonville had no rail
road connection with the main line at
Medford. In thla year Honeymon
Hart Company, of Portland, built a rail
road between the two towns. A few
years later it was bought by William
Barnum, who with the .boys has been
conducting it ever since. The Rogue
River Valley Railway bears the dis
tinction of being the only railroad com
pany In the world in which all the of
ficers from president to rail greaser are
held by members of the same family.
The possession of the Courthouse
has kept aglow the sparks of life in
Jacksonville during the last SO years.
By an act of the Legislature on Janu
ary 12, 1852. Jackson County Including
within its borders the present bound
aries of Josephine. Curry, Coos and
Jackson Counties was carved from the
territory then known as Linn County.
The Courthouse of the new county nat
urally fell to Jacksonville, as It was
the only town within the boundaries
of the new county. Josephine, Curry
and Coos Connties were formed from
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Better transportation ikhui n "
shape of trolley lines are being planned
In the Rogue River Valley and it is
extremely doubtful If any serious at
tempts will be made In the future to
change the county seat from Jackson
ville. -The large shsde trees and lux
uriant foliage around the homes n
Jacksonville, with the town's sheltered
position In the foothills, make it at.
tractive for a home, and no protests
are made bv the eounty officials for
being obliged to live in such a quiet
town. The park around the home of
Peter Britt. deceased, who was per
haps the pioneer, photogrspher In Orei
gon. settling In Jacksonville in 1852 is
Is almost tropical in its nature. Its
luxuriant shrubbery Includes lsrgo
palm, banana. Symrna fig. English wal
nut and almond trees. Nowhere could
be found a soot more beautiful, and
there are other homes that have near
ly as charming environments.
Aged Pioneers Argue.
In the last meeting of the Southern
Oregon pioneers In Jacksonville, where
so many of them live, strange argu
ments were heard. The question arose
aa to who is the oldest living pioneer
of Southern Oregon. The dispute for
first honors between E. K, Anderoon
and Mrs. Kinney, daughter of TVault.
the pioneer editor, was carried on un
der considerable difficulty on aoeount
of the deafness of the members of the
organization. Finally it was decided
that E. K. Anderson had arrived a few
months earlier in the Spring of 1851
than Mrs. Kinney. Thi. left to Mrs.
Kinney the honor of being the oldest
living woman pioneer.
Mrs. Kinney, now a great-grandmother,
possesses a clear memory,
which aeems not to have been weak
ened by her years. Her reootlection
of pioneer days is one of the best
sources of information concerning the
early history of Southern Oregon.
When Mrs. Kinney came south from
the lower Willamette Valley In 182
Jacksonville was the only town south
of Albany. Eugene Skinner had set
tled on his homestead at the present
site of Eugene and Aaron Rose had
built his home where Roseburg now
stands, but there were at that time no
settlements st those places.
Jacksonville may never fully awake
from her slumbers, and one of the
valley towns may rob her of the Court
house, but the towi will always re
main as a monument of pioneer days.
As General T. G. Reames. one of the
pioneers who died a few years ago,
said:
"Thev may rob Jacksonville of every
thing else, but they cannot rob her
of the cemetery on the hill, where He
so many of the men and women who
helped carve a civilization out of the
wilderness." ARTHUR M. GEART.
LIQUOR TAX HITS HEAVILY
Increase of Price Results In
Drinking In Irelnnd.
Less
DUBLIN, Nov. 5. (Special.) Anoth
er searching light is cast on the work
ing of England's famous budget in Ire
land by the appearance of some clinch
ing statistics issued by the official
Customs and Excise Commissioners.
These figures place the Conservative
campaign prophecy that Lloyd-George
would lose money, by raising liquor
taxes In Ireland on the firm ground of
assured fact. f
Despite the fact that whisky costs 2
cents mol-e a glass this year than last,
the government has collector In spirit
duties over 815,000.000 less than when
liquor was lower.
Thus, Instead of making, anything on
the tax, the Liberals are confronted
with a big loss of revenue. It Is evi
dent that a 'limit of taxation" hag
been reached, and further Increase only
drives down consumption.
It has also driven down actual pro
duction, for the report shows that the
amount of whisky distilled In Ireland
has fallen off 12 per cent. The recent
semiannual meetings of stockholders
In the various -whisky firms all faced
big drops In dividends, so there ap
nea. to be a general loss all round.
But .the Liberals stoutly maintain thai
the effective boom to temperanee U
not to be Ignored.
For a decreased consumption of
whisky, while It may cut in on the fre
quently cited "widows . and orphans"
who have their money in whisky distil
leries, registers mechanically, never
theless, on the credit side of the na
tion's balance sheet. Apart from the
Improved moral stamina therefrom de
rived, there are statistics of decrease
In crime, petty disorder and drunken
ness, a big drop in Infant mortality
rates and a general uplift of the stand
ard of national health all round. To
all these results the decreased con
sumption of whisky counts inevitably
as a contributing cause, and any tam
pering with the liquor taxes will b
opposed by hardy arguments based' oil
these achievements.
PHYSICIAN ENTIRELY
CURED OF ECZEMA
By the Use of Cuticura Remedies.
Prescribes Them and Says They
have Cured when Other Formulas
Failed. They Always Bring Results.
"My face was afflicted with eczema
in the year 1897. I used the Cuticura
Remedies and waa entirely cured. I am
a practicing physician and very often
prescribe Cuticura Resolvent and Cuti
cura Soap in cases of eczema, and they
have cured where other formulas have
failed.
" I am not in the habit of endorsing
patent medicines, but when I find rem
edies possessing true merit, such as the
Chitioura Remedies do, I am broad
minded enough to proclaim their virtues
to the world. I have been practicing
medicine for twenty years, and must
say I find your Remedies A No. 1. I
atUl find the Cuticura Remedies as good
as ever. They always bring result.
O. M. Fisher, M.D., Big Pool, Md., Pec, .
4, 1909." f
DOCTOR RECOMMENDED THE
CUTICURA REMEDIES.
' "When I was ten or twelve years old
I had a scalp disease, something like
scald-head, though it wasn't that. I
suffered for several months and most of
my hair came out. Finally they had a
doctor to see me and be recommended
the Cuticura Remedies. They cured me
in s few weeks. I have used the Cuticura
Remedies, also, for a breaking out on
my hands and was benefited great
deal. I haven't had any more trouble
with the scalp disease. Miss Jessie F,
Buchanan, R. F. D. 3, Hamilton, Ga.,
Jan. 7, 1B09."
Cot Hurs Sosp 2Se.), Cntleeni Ointment (50O,
Catleom Resolvent (SOc.) and Cuticura Pills
&Se. ue KM throughout the w oils'. Petur Drug
Cksm. Corp. Sols Praps.. US COlomkus Ave,
Boston. Hsss. S9-MUed free. 32-psge Cutkrurs
Book es Trestmeat of 8 la aad Scalp Humors.