Community Gems: A Tour of the Past

Most Southern Oregon residents know Jacksonville was a gold rush town, but there’s a lot of its history that may be less familiar. For instance, how many know that poverty actually helped preserve the town, or that a Clint Eastwood movie featured a location based off Jacksonville? Did you know that during the Great Depression, people mined the streets? Have you been on a trolley tour around the city? Jacksonville is one of the jewels of the Rogue Valley, and residents today appreciate its rich history, grateful it survived beyond the gold rush days.

When gold was first discovered at Rich Gulch in 1851, enthusiastic prospectors flocked to Southern Oregon in the hope of mining a fortune. Jacksonville became the largest town in the Oregon Territory, until the railroad bypassed the city in 1884. Because of all the already established businesses, Jacksonville kept from fading away, though most of the structures grew old and lacked updates due to neglect. Historian Larry Smith explained that by the 1930’s, there were barely 400 people living in the once booming town. Because the rain brought gold to the bedrock, desperate townspeople dug mines directly into the streets. The result was that the tunnels under the city made streets and structures collapse in on themselves, which inspired a sinking town hall scene in ‘Paint Your Wagon,’ the only musical Clint Eastwood ever starred in. After the Great Depression, Jacksonville land sold cheaply until the sixties, when two years changed the course of the city’s history. In 1964, Britt Festivals started hosting events, using the hills as a natural amphitheater. In 1966, a group of dedicated townspeople succeeded in getting Jacksonville recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Because the residents hadn’t been able to afford home and building renovations, the authenticity remained intact. Smith quoted late historian Robbie Collins, stating that “with poverty, comes preservation.” Over 100 homes and structures are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and those who live in the city are proud of the heritage that surrounds them.

Tourists who visit today have opportunities to step back in time on a variety of free or low-cost tours that give glimpses into the life of a Jacksonville settler in the 1800s. For instance, trolley tours take place Friday through Monday from May to September, and then occur daily June through August.* Lasting forty-five minutes, each tour gives visitors a narrated history of Jacksonville, touching on the lives of the pioneers who shaped the community into what it is today. The Beekman House is one of Jacksonville’s most iconic museums, involving live actors playing out the parts of various Beekman family relatives as they go through their daily routines in the late 1800s. Currently, the Beekman House is running a 1932 tour, in which the Depression is in full-swing and the adult Beekman children are preparing to leave their home, the yellow 1873 house which stands in pristine condition today.

“People started realizing what a treasure they have in Jacksonville,” said Smith. “Everyone started to really care about the city’s history.” Today, one of the city’s largest artifacts is the current city hall, which stood abandoned for years before becoming a court house. According to Jacksonville’s mayor, Paul Becker, renovations are still continuing on the city hall building with eventual hopes to turn the empty upstairs portion of the structure into a furnished event room/meeting space that community members can rent out.

“Jacksonville’s not a real town in a way,” said Becker. “It feels like a movie set—but the background is solid. It’s a good town.”

If you don’t believe it, pay a visit to Jacksonville, Oregon, and talk to any of the 2,900 residents. They will undoubtedly agree that it’s one of the best—a jewel among Southern Oregon.

*Before planning a tour, double-check covid restrictions at https://jacksonvilleoregon.com/business-directory/10422/trolley-tours-narrated-tour-of-jacksonvilles-history/

Additional Sources:

Jacksonville Oregon (2019). Beekman House Museum. Website: http://jacksonvilleoregon.com/1932-living-history-beekman-house-museum/

Jacksonville Oregon (2019). History of Jacksonville. Website: http://jacksonvilleoregon.com/history/