History of Tovns Given for Club
The early history of three
Jackson county communities,
was reviewed at the last meet
ing of College Women's Club
of the Rogue River valley.
Mrs. John M. Black spoke on
Jacksonville, Miss Ruth
Esther Hill, a school librarian
in Ashland, told of early days
there and Mrs. Bert Stancliffe,
Phoenix teacher, talked about
that town. They were intro
duced by Mrs. W. H. Sutter,
program chairman.
Mrs. Black stated that by
1851, there were several set
tlements in the Jacksonville
area Th first house was
built by Joel Perkins at thel
ferry on the Rogue. A man
named Evans settled at the
mouth of what is now Evans
creek; there were also settle
ments on Wagner and Bear
creeks. As these people need
ed protection, Governor
Gaines sent Judge A. A. Skin
ner here as Indian agent, with
headquarters near Willow
Springs. By January 1851
there were 27 white men in
the locality. One of these, a
man named Sykes, who was
an employee of Agent Skinner,
is credited with finding the
first "pay dirt" in a placer
mine on Jackson creek in Feb
ruary 1852. Soon after this,
two packers, James Cluggage
and Joe R. Poole, who had
camped near Jackson creek to
feed and rest their animals,
did a little prospecting on a
tributary of Jackson creek.
What they found set off a ma
jor gold rush in a country al
ready hot with the gold fever.
Community Grows
Communication was slow in
mid-century, yet within three
months there sprung up a com
munity of more than 1000
men. The first settled on adja
cent claims to those of Clug
gage and Poole; those who
came later went up both forks
of Jackson creek and over into
the Applegate watershed to
Poor Man's creek, Jackass,
and Sterling creeks.
By the fall of 1852, lumber
hacks aDDeared in the tent
city. Some were homes; others
were saloons and other places
of business. In May 1853, the
Cram Rogers company, Yreka,
inaugurated messenger service
to Crescent City with C. C.
Beekman as the first rider.
Need for a stable govern
ment resulted in the establish
ment of a district court in
1853 with the Honorable Ma
ther P. Deady appointed dist
rict judge for the Oregon Ter
ritory by President Pierce. A
county government was orga
nized January 12, 1852, with
Jacksonville designated as
county-seat in 1853.
"In any frontier town," Mrs
Black said, "the cemetery
played a significant role. Life
was cheaD and death consid
ered an act of God, whatever
the cause. Decent people held
that mortal remains should
have civilized burial. It was
for this purpose that Jackson
ville Lodee No. 10, IOOF, was
organized in 1863. The Rebe
kah degree for women was in
stituted Decemebr 30,
The lodge still meets in the
same hall and on the same
night. The Masonic order was
organized March 15, 1855. The
"Masons built and still own the
original building on the cor
ner of California and Oregon
streets.
First School
School district No. 1 of
Jackson county was organized
July 1854.
Jacksonville boomed again
" in 1860 when a rich quartz
ledge was discovered near the
site of old Fort- Lane, near
Oold Hill.
Disasters of epidemic and
fire have struck Jacksonville
Intermittently but it has al
ways "bounced" back. In the
late 30's mining activity was
renewed with the streets tun
neled and the old placer mines
reworked until World War II
made labor and materials un
available. Miss Hill Speaks
Miss Hill said that even be
fore the coming of the white
man, there was an Indian vil- cause of the mills, the new
la?( on Ashland creek. On I town was called Ashland
January 6, 1852, Robert B.
Hargadine and a man named
Pease settled on land known
as the Applegate Farm, which
is the present site of the
Southern Pacific railroad
yards. The first business was
a sawmill and in 1854, Abel
Helman built a flour mill near
where the present Chamber of
Commerce building now
stands. On May 17, 1855, a
postoff ice was established
with Mr. Helman as postmas
ter. Because Mr. Helman came
from Ashland, Ohio, and be-
Mills. The "mills" part of the
name was dropped locally
about 1860 but it was retained
by the postoffice department
until 1871. '
The building of the flouring
mill was an outstanding event
and was dedicated by a grand
ball. The mill, located on Ash
land creek at the entrance of
what is now Lithia park, be
came the nucleus of the new
town. A plaza was laid out in
front of the mill and around
it the business district de
veloped.
Ashland school district was
organized, the first teacher
was the Rev. Myron Stearns,
and he taught in the home of
Eben Emery in 1854. The first
school building was ereated in
1860 on land given by R. B.
Hargadine. With an addition
or two the building served
until 1880 when "a new and
commodious two-story build
ing was erected at a cost of
$2000 on the same site."
Memorable Day
May 4, 1884 was a memor
able day in Ashland, for it
was on that day that the first
passenger train arrived. Many
had gone to Phoenix in order
to ride in on the first train.
Mrs. Stancliffe used as her
source a booklet, "Early Days
in Phoenix, Oregon" by Mar-'
jorie Neill Helms. i
Among the twenty-odd rr.enj
in the valley at mid-century!
was Sam Colver, who took up j
a donation land claim where j
the town of Phoenix now is. j
He built a cabin on his claim j
directly across the present';
Highway 99 from the famous i
Colver House in Phoenix. Mrs.
Stancliffe quoted from Orsen
Stearns' diary: "Sam Colvin
and John Davenport soon
commenced to build the block
house, which was intended to
be a hotel, a store for general
merchandise, and a rendez
vous for settlers during Indian
troubles." It was often spoken
of as "the Colvin r.'sr.sfop."
and sometimes as the "Colvin
House." However, it was not
used as an inn until the 1920 s
when it was known as "The
Elue I'iower Lodge."
Phoenix was first called
Gasburg for young Kate Clay
ton, who because of her quick
repartee was known as "as?y
Kate." After the Indian wars
a mail route was established
between Phoenix and Sacra
mento and a postoffice was es
tablished across the street
from Wait's gristmill. Mr.
Waite was named postmaster
and he took the name Phoenix
from his insurance plate. Lo
cally the town was Gasburg
for another generation.
Guest r
e and
o River i
! '. vas provided
by ;:ade ensemble
c: :i:L :.i Junior High
school, cirri. ted by Ray Lewis.
; They v, ; ; e introduced by Mrs.
; C. O. Lr. rison.
! Miss Jane Snedicor and Mrs.
S. E. Trent were hostesses.
Mrs. James Medley, social
chairman,' was assisted by
Mrs. Mrs. L. H. Bohrer, Mrs.
, J. W. Murray, Mrs. H. L.
j Snodgrass, and Miss June
I Wheaton.
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