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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1913)
"V Vi "r 4 Tfi-rwi rrwWi r - r', r "(" r fW " " f f t J i. i i i I I i V ' A i j? gP!L ' "" WL . By Fred Lock lor. Fow Indeed are tho western com munities that ltvo In their yoslcr- .m days.. Some there ar0 that live In tho present. More, by far, live In the future and capltalizo values ac cordingly,, but. Jacksonville, lives In thb past.'"-" ' With Astoria, Vancouver and Ore Sob Cltj-; It can look back to a stor ied past, and historic antiquity. You may name on tho fingers of one hand Oregon's oldest cities, and Jacksonville will be one of the five. Yet so young is the past, so short Its history; you need go back but a brief three score years to a time when there was no Jacksonville. Boiling down the tales told me by the different pioneers, this is the etory they tell of tho discovery of Jacksonville. In the Days of Ml) From the spring of '49 to the win ter of '51 the present site of Jack sonville was a favorite camplug place for tho eager throng who wero hurry ing' southward from tho Willamette Valley to the gold fields of Califor nia, as well as for the packers who were coming and going between the valley and tho gold fields. Lato In December of 'CI two young men camped on Ashland creek. Ono of them in washing their tin dishes In tho stream Haw a small nugget, hooking more carefully ho found other nuggets. Thoy did not stop to stake out a claim, as they did not at tach great Importanco to tholr find. Electing J. R. Poole and Jim Clug gage, they told them of having found gold at their camp on Ashland creek. A little later, or to bo exact, early In January, 1852, Cluggage and Poole camped, there, and near a spring in a ravine not far distant from Ashland creek found coarse gold in largo Quantities, So abund ant. were the nuggets and coarse gold that they called their discovery Itlch Uulcb. They took In two friends named Wilson and Skinner and soon the 'rumor ran up and down tho trail that now diggings hud been struck so rich thut a man could pan out a cupful of gold in a day. Fanners In tho Willamette valley hoard the rumor and the noxt day thev were hemloil smith. MlnnrH . from creek and gulch and bar of Cal ifornia Joined tho northbound exo dus,, I3y February, Itlch dutch was entirely staked. Appier & Kenney at Yrcka hastily loaded a pack train with whisky of u cheap and deudly variety, tobacco, boots, rough clothing, beans, flour uniL, bacon and wont to tho now dig gings, arriving In February and starting a storo In a tent. A few weeks later W. W. Fowler nut' up a log cabin, the first real house1 to -go up in tho now camp. Lumber was in immediate demand and wpodsmen wto felled tho nearby trues and, whlpsawed them Into lum ber'so'ld the rough lumber for $200 u thousand.' RI' JVvvi iiv SpyHtts i'1inwwiiiiniiiM nil Mima niti ii in iiiiiiifii vVtiltii ii wKK u n n nr " rr - Jacksonville, (Courtesy of Oregon Journal.) Tho winter of '52 was a hard win ter; provlslorrs ran very short. To bacco went up to $1G a pound and salt was not to bo had. Men went out over tho trails on snowshocs, bringing In provisions on their backs and getting very high prices for all supplies. Jacksonville'!! First Hanging The year 18S2 also saw the first occasion for primitive Justice A gambler named Drown without pro vocation shot a man named Potts. The miners gathered and appointed V. W. Fowler as Judge. Twelve men were selected as a Jury and af ter hearing the stories of tho wit nesses, the Jury announced that in their opinion it 'had been a coward ly murder and that Drown should be taken to a nearby oak and hung. Tho sentence was Immediately carried Into execution and he was burled un der tho tree upon vtiilch ho had been hung. There wero moro miners thun claims and ns a consequence there were many disputes about Jumped claims, and as to the ownership of Great Strides Made by Town of Rogue fJ Dy O. II Olllmorn. Too much cannot bo said In praise of tho Koguu Itlvor valloy of Oregon, when products, natural resourcon, scenery und climatic conditions are carefully considered. Ah u whole, It Is not strictly uniform, as tho differ ent parts show special characteristics duo to difference of null, trend of mountains and elevation uboyo tho sou. ' . TJio Biirroundlng mountains, grand In'outl.lno and murked with tho dif ferent forest colon, present vIowh of nire beauty. Tho town Is situated OTTFOT?n smr, trttutnr MrcnFoim outcoon. wkdnrrday. jantwhv i, Pioneer City Many Interesting Incidents, Intimately Associated with Jacksonville's Yesterdays, Are Recalled By water. There being no regular law In Jacksonville- tho miners from tho whole district gathered together and elected a man named Rogers us al calde or mayor. Ills decision was to be final ou all disputes. I'n for tunately IlogcrHwas a very poor umplro and finally tho matter was brought to a crisis by what the miner deemed a piece of rank In justice, so a supreme Judga wax elected. U. S. Haydcn. a New Knglandor. was elected as supremo Judge. A Jury was Immediately selected, P. P. Prim and Den Kenny were chosen to represent Springer and Orange Jacobs, a newcomer from Michigan, was selected to represent Sims. The jury found for Springer and tho min ing claim was divided equally be tween 81ms and Springer. A year later Prim was admitted to the bur and later became chief Justice of Oregon, while Orange Jacobs was chlof.Justlco of Washington torrltory at n later period Jmw Come to ,Inrksoiitille Cluggago, who had taken' up tho original mining claim, desired toi BBSBSBSBSBSsflBBSBSBSBsVrZZVfa A Typical Itogue Ither Orchard Shotting Town of llogiiu Itlwr on tho north bank of tho rlvor, be I ginning at tho roothllls on tho east und extending to Hvuiih creek ou tho ' west. Three jcars ago 'it wuu known an Woodvlllo, and wuk little more i thun a wuy-fctatiou. Hut within tho last two years important cbuuges havo taken place Last spring tho government changed tho name of the post offleo to Koguu lilvcr und noon after, .tho question of churiglnK tho cqrporuta iuime was submitted to tho voters und by their action tho proa out uam'o .was adopted, in 1 0 10, ground wuu puruhaucd, u bnlUlIni; Pioneers make his title secure, so took up tho site of Jacksonville nx u donation land claim. Inasmuch ns them were several thousand mining clulms filed in tho district, ho did not attempt to Interfere with the mining rights. So many tcchlual questions and ques tions of property arose, that In Sep tember, 18R.1. Mathew P. Doady, tho United States district Judge, was sent to Jacksonville, and hold the first regular court. In the spring of tho samo year Cram ami linger of Yreka oxned up n branch of Adams & Co.'s express office. V. C. lleukuiiin, still nt Jack sonville and for the past 50 years proprietor of Hcehman'H bank, was employed as a messenger, traveling from Jacksonville to Crescent City, Cal, with lottorsnnd gold dust. I'lr-t Clilltl Horn This same year also saw, on Aug ust 27, tho birth of tho-flrnt child In Jacksonville, u sou being born to Dr. and Mrs. McCully, tho proprietors of the. bakery at Jacksonville. Ho wax named Jnmo Cluggugo MeCully, In honor of the dtscovursr of Jackson ville. erected and tho first bank wan estab I lluhed which ha over since conduct Jed a uuccesufnl biislnoHS. Witlilu tlio liHl year, new stores, dwolllngj, btibl- nes.i biilldlngti und u now hotel havo boon built, while two largo brick blocks uro In process of erection, and l nearly completed, One is tho Odd Follows Hall, unit tho other will bo occupied by it departmental store. ('fly fiiiprovi'iiieiitM , Within tho lust twelve months u system of water works has been oh tabllshud, electric llghia Introduced, uml tho litleutB und' dwelling uro of Southern Oregon 259inBTt2r&!3?i9-BLsMB I Tv nHKfc3iBHirMMMa"'fcr7ifcJMrWrHjyftfyMr VrMfcarltYp . bb Aw--j WW4IMINf WIT.t t'JMVr. Jig m M ONC2GOJJ2.QCINCO ONBICK CLIL.CW Jacksonville' In is 5 1 was tho cen ter of n wry largo trading district Appier A Kenny had been followed by ninny other mercantile firms, tho principal ones being Mowry & Davis. Dlrdseyo & Ktllngcr. Fowler & Davis Sam .Cioldsteln, Little & Wcstgnto. Wells & Frludtauder and J. llrunuer- A considerable number of fumllleit had come Jacksonville, so a school was started that winter. Miss Itojrul being cmplottd as (earlier. .)jt'kMuillr' FlrM eihpaer Tho noxt mir Colonel T'Vault, with two partner, started n news paper, onlied the Table, itock Kuntlnel. Cnlonil 'PVuiilt, however, noon bought out his partners nnd rati tho paper alono lie was a brilliant man and n forceful writer. Ho met his death In n very distressing way. In lNilfi smallpox broke out In Jackson ville ninl tho citizens wero panic stricken. More than 10 died and llioxe who wore nick wero given but scant attention. Colonel T'Vnult took the smallpox, and the only one who attended lilin during his slokuiMM tun! death hum a faithful priest, who River During Past Year '"ZiTtr, r r -rm. i " j PSS3 JLSSBSBSBSsLSlSSBBBSsl in l,eft Iluckitidiuid. Ighted by elictrlcllv, whllo cement nldiwulks are now being laid In the biibliuiss porlloiiv It hioiiIi lie specially noted, us mi (nliKniu ol tho advance of this couimunlty, that tho chin :h building nnd mniiso have been Impiovcd, nud uudnr tho dlroc tiou of tho present pastor tho church lis lu u flotirluhliig condition. Tho mat tor of education (uih u)so recoiv oi proper attention. A flue, tuixloru school building linn recently boon elected, Luat year four teaclierfl wero employed, now flvonio ntqilr ed, und under thu preiiout imuiago- mm. I was with him when ho died nnd was the only mourner at his funeral First man I over saw killed," maid one of the old-tlmors, ' w in I front of tho livery stable Jiut around tho corner. Ho was coming hy slow ly on n horse, when a man ran out from tho livery stable, jumped on n horso behind him, pulled out his knife, stubbed him through the heart, throw him off his horse and galloped nwny. A group of us ran up to tho man, hut ho was dead, the knlfo having suvored u Inrtpj artery n far his hmirt." "What became of the innrd-rur?" I asked. "Ob, ho was naught afterwards and re I en mul on tho plea of Molf-dnfouse." "Do you remember tho Spaniard that killed Alex Williamson " asked ono of tho group "Williamson was foreman of u pauk train. A Spaniard driving for him stabbed him, think ing ho would bo able to get away, but by (ho merest (lhuiioo another pack outfit eauio In sight of the camp just us the murder tirrurred. They (MilKbl Hut Spaniard, put u rope urouud his iieek nud throw the . .-TV ZZi iii-li t the uchool l a credit to the valley Thu ladlru have uu liuprovement lnb of nearly sixty iiiemjiorn,. nud durlui; tho past year they Imvo work ed dlllgen'y und their efforts have biiou productive of splendid results. Lnvt October thoy gavo a Irurvrst fCHllvnl which was u prouoiiuced suo cunH, Visitors from other cltlnn In tho vslloy volcud tho gonoral conclu sion that thu products ou exhibition, brought by local piodurors, would (Continued on paco 8) V, ropo over a trco and pulled away. Tho Spaniard, whoo hands worn not tied, grnhhrd the ropo nhnvn his head and began climbing up. One of tho packers grabbed him hy tho Iurs and brotiKhl him down with a Jttrk, and hung to It I ii until ho had stfunxled lu death. It was swift hut sure Jus- i tlCl'." Their MM Hln Later lu tho afternoon I mot one of the pioneers and fell Into talk with him. "I Nitpposo there mut bo six or seven hundred ix'oplo In Jack sun v lllo," ho xuld, "hut you haven't seen the largest part of Jacksonville. There are more than Jlfteou hundred lu tho pernlaiipnt rty of Jacksonville. In fart, most of us aro tUnro, My wife, my child and my father are all hurled there. If you like, will walk up the bill with you and tell you about miiiki of thu oldtlinub who tiro burl'td there." Kutorlng thu graveyard, my atten tion was nttntcted by a stone read ing "Otibrlel I'lymnlu, died Novem ber II, lr,a, ago H years." Next to It was the grave of Andervllln Ply iihile, who iilsn died In IHfiS,. Near this was the grnvo of tho young sou of W. (1. 'I 'Vault, who dlod In 1H&7. Hero Jiidgo P. I. Prim lies hurled, ih well ah many other well known men nud women of tho early days of Oregon. "Hero Is n part of tho graveyard I never Ilka to go lu,' uuld my companion, "it Is tho potter's field." Wo walked to tho corner of the cumotery, whore thu mauzaulta brush and weeds grow tlilrk. "Do you seo tbut suukei) gruvo wh tho wooden headboard fallen itiMipon It? That Is tho gravo of a man' named O'.Voll, who wus hnng.lu Jaok'umvllln for the muritur of a matt named Me- I Dunlels, It wis thu old, old, Ihrou cornered trouble two men nud ono woman. All of thos'o sunken graven uro thu graves of Clilunincu vht were burled horu und wIiohu bones wero later tnlmu up und shipped to China, At mm tlmo thorn were, sotfeiul bun tired Chlnutuen lu Jnclinonvllle, hut now only one lives here. Negroes, Indiana, Chinamen, paupers and niur dorors havo all mot bore In equality," As wo walked down thu bill the old pioneer jioliilod to' tho gravelly banks of Jackson creuk aud talil: "I Invo seen (lint gravtd shifted two or lliruo times and every tline rutin liuvo inailo good vagon working It, Jucl: souvlllo In ono city that Js strictly on it gold IiuhIk. You roijld w'dNji Jack sonvlllo'u streets und mnko goud wages, Some tlmo vigb JiiV'ohhri'lner wus omplyyod tq dig a wnlf lioro, llo struck bod rock on thq ol crook bot tom und washed 'out ovor,1300 lu gold fromthu iFlrt thut lVimu'otit of thu wo," ' " X ft' W-V-A- '$&!&'' --f --. I VA -'f i , tw'.