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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.'
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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," ' "
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