Jacksonville, OR

Jacksonville, Ore.: Former Boomtown Still Golden

Jacksonville, Oregon’s fortunes have been up and down in its 150-year history, perhaps more dramatically than most western towns. Although it’s now a thriving community of 2,000, for decades it lay dormant, bypassed by major railroads. A benefit of this misfortune was that no one had the money or inclination to tear down, drastically renovate, or build anew in this gold rush-era boomtown. Therefore it remains much as it was in 1851, when nuggets of gold were found stuck to the hooves of local mules, spurring an influx of hopeful miners who quickly built homes and markets in what was then wilderness. A string of saloon-style, 19th-century buildings still lines two sides of California Street, proffering artwork, local wine, housewares, souvenirs, and food to more than 65,000 tourists who visit each year.

With 86 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, the entire town has been designated a National Historic Landmark—one of only three such distinctions in America. Another laurel was added last April when the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Jacksonville among its Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2001.

“Jacksonville sets a high mark for historic towns,” says Martin Devenir-Moore, who visited recently from Vancouver, Wash. “A lot of towns put new-style houses among the old, (but) it just doesn’t seem to happen here.”

His wife, Carol, is just as impressed. “(Their preservation efforts) are really paying off. When you come here, it feels comfortable and friendly. Where can you go to a town and really feel like it might have felt 100 years ago?”

Just walking downtown is a lesson in Victorian-era living, where you can push through authentic swinging saloon doors, gaze into southern Oregon’s first bank with all its original furnishings, dine in the basement of a 19th-century inn, and stay overnight in accommodations fit for any lucky miner.

But local stores don’t cater only to travelers. Mark Millner and his wife, Krissy, moved from San Francisco several years ago and opened a trendy home furnishings store called Terra Firma in one of the old buildings.

“We wanted to serve the local people,” he says. “We planned to take care of them first, and the tourists would just be a bonus.”

Although the population remains comparatively steady, Maryl Cipperly of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce notes an increase in the number of city-dwelling Californians who’ve taken up residence in the community.

Whether visitors are vacationing or considering relocation, most are directed to the Jacksonville Museum of Southern Oregon History to more fully understand the town’s past. Located in the 1883 Italianate-style former county courthouse, a variety of interactive exhibits offer a glimpse of life in the Wild West, complete with a gallows replica, an authentic ball-and-chain worn by local prisoners, and a collection of weapons carried by citizens on either side of the law.

Miner-turned-photographer Peter Britt settled in Jacksonville in the 1850s and captured much of the town’s early history with photographs of the people, architecture, and events that defined his era and are on display at the museum.

Next door, the Children’s Museum illustrates the life of one of Jacksonville’s most famous 20th-century citizens—Vance “Pinto” Colvig, who became famous as a cartoonist, songwriter, silent-film actor, and voice of Disney’s Goofy character. Colvig was best known, however, for his role as Bozo, the Capitol Clown.

Another Jacksonville “don’t miss” spot is the pastoral city cemetery. Scattered over a tree-shaded hillside are the monuments of more than 4,000 Rogue Valley citizens, many of whom belonged to pioneer families and their descendents. Separate burial areas exist for members of various religious denominations, as well as for miners and local civic organizations such as the Masons, Odd Fellows, and “Redmen”—a German-based fraternal order. Headstone inscriptions tell the stories of Indian attacks, battles in foreign wars, epidemics, mining accidents—and enduring love. This flower-bedecked final resting place may have been the last stop for some, but it’s a colorful part of all that’s alive in Jacksonville today.

Kara Carden is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tenn.

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