In the mid-1800s, the promise of gold and free land lured fortune seekers, settlers, and merchants to the newly formed Oregon Territory. Carolyn Kingsnorth has stepped aside from our pioneer tales this month so that you can hear from an actual pioneer. A big thank you to historian Ben Truwe for […]
The previous two installments of Pioneer Profiles recounted Col. John England Ross’ exploits as Indian fighter, treasure seeker, and entrepreneur. We left him in the Klamath basin escorting wagon trains across the Cascades, providing protection from ambush and murder by the Modoc Indians. But by October of 1852, he and his […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR—The 19th Century Industrial Revolution changed the Victorian World! New inventions impacted virtually every aspect of life—manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, communication, culture, society, and more. Technology transformed society—work, chores, fashion, relationships, leisure, sports, etc. Learn how the Industrial Revolution impacted Jacksonville in the late 1800s when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. (HJI) hosts “Victorian New-Fangled Inventions” from […]
When we left Colonel John England Ross in our August 2017 Pioneer Profile, he had barely avoided eating crow…literally. After finding gold near Sawyer’s Bar on the Klamath River in California in 1850, he had been wounded in a skirmish with Indians and had his horses stolen. By the time prospectors […]
Ross Lane, which meanders through the Valley floor just north of Jacksonville, demarcates some of the former land holdings of Colonel John England Ross.
Ross, who gained his title and his reputation as an Indian fighter during Oregon’s various Indian wars, is an enigmatic character. His first marriage was to a half-breed […]
Well into the 20th Century, the Fourth of July was a bigger U.S. holiday than Christmas. Long before Congress declared July 4th an official holiday in 1870, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 that the occasion “ought to […]
Saloons and the spirits who linger there will be a recurring theme in Historic Jacksonville’s “Haunted History Walking Tours” this summer. Therefore, stories of beer, whiskey, and early Jacksonville saloons seem an appropriate subject for our June “Pioneer Profiles.”
Gold rush Jacksonville reputedly had as many as 36 saloons when “entrepreneurs” as […]
Adapted by Carolyn Kingsnorth from “A Lasting Impression: The Art and Life of Regina Dorland Robinson” by Dawna Curler, with the permission of the Southern Oregon Historical Society and the author.
For most of her brief life, Regina Dorland Robinson worked steadily toward one goal: to become an accomplished and successful artist. […]
Although hotel proprietress Jeanne DeRoboam Laugier Guilfoyle Holt (see Pioneer Profiles, March 2017) was the most prominent of the DeRoboams to settle in early Jacksonville, her brother, Jean St. Luc DeRoboam, also left his mark on the town.
Jean St. Luc DeRoboam was born in France in 1829, but potentially conflicting stories […]
The small, relatively plain, headstone in the Catholic section of the Jacksonville Cemetery simply reads Jane Holt—an ironic “grand finale” for Madame Jeanne DeRoboam Laugier Guilfoyle Holt, one of the larger-than-life characters in 19th Century Jacksonville.
Born in Bordeaux, France around 1820, some stories portray Jeanne with an aristocratic heritage. Other tales […]
Although a close to record snow fall on January 3, 2017, had local residents digging out from under up to 20 inches of the white stuff, that “storm of the century” may not compare to some of the snows experienced in Southern Oregon before formal record keeping began. One winter in […]
With a Supreme Court position and numerous judgeships around the country sitting vacant waiting for U.S. Senate approval of Presidential appointees, this month’s profile focuses on local lawyer, District Judge, and Oregon Supreme Court Justice Paine Page Prim.
Prim’s beginnings were inauspicious. He was born in Wilson County, Tennessee, on May […]
Many of us learned history as names, dates, places, and battles, memorized and regurgitated for a test, and then promptly forgotten. But that’s only a very small part of history. History is really about people and their stories!
The only things I remember from a U.S. History course is that there were four cows for every […]
Where many states seem to be making voting as difficult as possible, Oregon keeps making it easier. Residents who are U.S. citizens can register to vote by mail or online. If they are not registered voters, they are automatically registered when they obtain or renew an Oregon driver’s license. And then […]
With the move of Jacksonville’s City offices into Jackson County’s historic courthouse building on North 5th Street, it seems appropriate to focus this month’s Pioneer Profile on Silas J. Day, the County Judge who initiated the historic courthouse’s construction.
Day was described in the 1904 publication, Portrait and Biographical Record of Western […]
When John McCully took the stage out of Jacksonville in the winter of 1861, he closed the door on the town, his home, his marriage, and his family. He left his wife, Jane, with his debt and three children. Over $7,500 was owed on his 2-story brick commercial building and his […]
The story of Jane and John McCully appears to have been one of opposites attracting. Jane has been described as “courageous, valiant, dauntless, adventuresome, and plucky”—worthy virtues for a pioneer lady and perhaps a partial reflection of her Scottish heritage. She was born in 1824 in Alloway, Scotland, home to the […]
Last month we looked at the early years of Benjamin Franklin Dowell, great, great nephew of Benjamin Franklin and a pioneer Jacksonville resident, in his role as attorney, packer, and claims collector. This month we’ll visit a more established Dowell as he becomes a Washington lobbyist and a newspaper publisher.
Dowell had […]
With the 1861 B.F. Dowell house being a featured home on the Jacksonville Boosters Club’s Historic Home and Garden Tour this month, it seems appropriate to focus our Pioneer Profile series on Benjamin Franklin Dowell.
Dowell, a great, great nephew of Benjamin Franklin through his paternal lineage, was named for this noted […]
Jacksonville Pioneer George Francis Schumpf was the most successful and longest established barber, operating his barber shop at 157 West California Street from the time he purchased the original building in 1873 until his death in 1897. The site itself appears to have housed a Jacksonville barber from the early 1850s […]
The Judge Frank TouVelle House, located at 435 North Oregon Street in Jacksonville, is considered one of the best examples of Craftsman-style homes in the Rogue Valley. A special January 1, 1929 edition of the Medford Mail Tribune featured it in a section titled, “Rogue River Valley has Many Beautiful Ranch […]
When William Hoffman arrived in Jacksonville in the fall of 1853, he brought his own gold—six marriageable daughters, a treasure indeed to the many bachelors who had been lured to the Rogue Valley by its promised riches of mining and free land. Unlike these young adventurers, Hoffman was not a fortune […]
From 1843 to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, some 500,000 emigrants traveled the Oregon Trail to the “promised land” of the Oregon Territory and California in search of land, riches, adventure, and better lives. Independence, Missouri, was the main starting point for the 2,000 mile journey to […]
California and the Oregon Territory seemed like the “promised land” to individuals in the eastern half of the United States dreaming of riches, adventure, or better lives. But first they had to get here. There were basically two routes—by land and by sea. Jacksonville pioneer Cornelius Beekman chose the latter and […]
As you tour Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery during “Meet the Pioneers” on October 9th or 10th, or wander among the tombstones on other occasions, you can’t help but notice the elaborate markers that typify Victorian gravesites. Many of these are the work of stonemason James Carr Whipp. His signature can be seen […]
Although Cornelius Beekman may have been the wealthiest and most prominent man in pioneer Jacksonville, wealth and prominence did not guarantee popularity. In fact, when the railroad by-passed Jacksonville in favor of Medford in the 1880s, Beekman—previously a local hero—became something of a local pariah.
For years, Jacksonville had looked forward to […]
Learn about doctors, medicine, and health concerns in late 1800s Jacksonville when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. hosts “Victorian Medical Practices” from 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturday, August 8, at Jacksonville’s 1873 Beekman House. Located at 470 E. California Street, in Jacksonville, the Beekman House was home to one of Southern Oregon’s most prominent pioneers, […]
Cornelius C. Beekman was arguably the wealthiest and most prominent of the pioneers who settled Jacksonville. Although most closely associated today with banking and the bank that bears his name, banking was only one of his many enterprises.
Early in his career, after saving $3,000, Beekman looked for other investment opportunities. On […]
Cornelius C. Beekman was arguably the wealthiest and most prominent of the pioneers who settled Jacksonville in the mid-1800s. From humble beginnings as a carpenter and express rider, he built a business empire of banking, mining, and real estate interests.
Like many young men, Beekman was lured west by the promise of […]
Cornelius C. Beekman was arguably the wealthiest and most prominent of the pioneers who settled Jacksonville in the mid-1800s. From relatively humble beginnings as a carpenter and express rider, he built a business empire of banking, mining, and real estate interests.
He was also a public servant. Beekman was repeatedly elected to […]
We are sad to report that John Braislin passed away early this morning, May 16, 2015. John had a long career in the entertainment industry, primarily in TV. In addition to folk singer, he was a camera man, a director, and a producer. Enjoy this 2006 piece on him by Carolyn Kingsnorth.
From the January 2006 […]
Jacksonville’s lovely 1892 Queen Anne-style home on North Oregon Street is best known as the “Nunan House,” named after its original occupants, Jeremiah and Delia Nunan (profiled in the March 2015 issue of the Jacksonville Review). But to Herbert Howland Sargent and Alice Applegate Sargent, its second owners, the house was […]
Jacksonville has lost another friend with the passing of Lawrence Hugo, known better as “Lawr.” Lawr passed away on April 4, surrounded by family. Enjoy this piece written on his life and artwork from the Review archives.
Jacksonville Review¸ July 2007
Back to Simpler Things
by Carolyn Kingsnorth
“Trying to get back to simpler things—that’s what my art is […]
With spring and summer vacations looming, some of you will be driving over the Siskiyous to visit family and friends in California; others may be looking forward to guests making the trip in reverse. Possible weather and traffic issues aside, drivers and passengers will be experiencing the luxury of riding on […]
Since March 17th celebrates St. Patrick and all things Irish, it seems appropriate for this month’s Pioneer Profiles to feature Jeremiah Nunan, one of Jacksonville’s Irish pioneers. Most people associate Nunan’s name with his elaborate Queen Anne style home on North Oregon Street, one of the town’s most photographed historic landmarks. […]
As Jacksonville celebrates Chinese New Year this month, we should not lose sight of the original “welcome” given Chinese immigrants when they first arrived in Oregon in the 1850s.
Jackson County greeted the Chinese with a $2-per month Chinese mining tax levied in 1857 and doubled in 1858, and Oregon included a […]
This month I’m taking a break from the ongoing series of stories about 19th Century life in Jacksonville to pay tribute to a special person—Georgia Curran Scott Lind. On August 20, 2014, Jacksonville lost this 20th Century pioneer three weeks short of her 96th birthday. Georgia experienced almost all of the […]
With Oktoberfest beginning later this month, it seems an appropriate time to celebrate Southern Oregon’s pioneer community of German-speaking settlers. Although comprising only a quarter of the Rogue Valley’s population, first and second-generation immigrants from what are now Germany, Switzerland, and Austria were the dominant ethnic element, contributing significantly to the tenor and scope of […]
The Artist’s Workshop is celebrating its 30th Annual Show and Sale at the Art Presence Art Center in Jacksonville through August 24. However, the group actually began painting together 49 years ago. As the 50th anniversary of the group’s founding approaches, it seems very fitting to pay tribute to the founding members and share a […]
The past two Pioneer Profiles have partially explored the public persona of Peter Britt, the pioneer Swiss photographer famed for documenting Southern Oregon’s people, activities, and landscapes, and father of the region’s commercial orchard, wine, and ornamental horticulture industries.
In June, Pioneer Profiles highlighted Peter Britt’s renown as photographer, artist, and documenter of pioneer life in Southern Oregon. However, Britt was also an avid gardener and is considered to be the father...
Learn about doctors, medicine, and health concerns in late 1800s Jacksonville when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. hosts “Victorian Medical Practices” from 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturday, July 12, at Jacksonville’s 1873 Beekman House. Located at 470 E. California Street, in Jacksonville, the Beekman House was home to one of Southern Oregon’s most prominent pioneers, […]
Crazy quilt pillows made by Julia Beekman, a Victorian crazy quilt that once belonged to...
It’s Britt season, so what better subject for summer’s Pioneer Profiles than Peter Britt, whose pioneer homestead is now the site of Britt Festivals, the Britt Gardens, and portions of Jacksonville’s Woodlands Trail System. Perhaps best known as the pioneer photographer who documented Southern Oregon’s people, activities, and landscapes from the 1850s to 1900, Peter Britt was also a visionary, a painter, a respected horticulturalist, a vintner...
Beginning Saturday, May 17, Historic Jacksonville, Inc. is reviving the Beekman House 1932 Living History series...
As late as 1851, the Rogue Valley was still very much “the realm of Indians,” writes Stephen Dow Beckham in Requiem for a People: The Rogue Indians and the Frontiersmen.
Contrary to local lore, James Clugage and James Pool did not make the initial gold discovery in Southern Oregon. However, they may well deserve credit for triggering the Southern Oregon gold rush of 1852, and they definitely deserve credit for staking claims to what proved to be a different kind of gold mine—the donation land claims that became the City.
In the mid-1800s, the promise of gold and free land lured fortune seekers and settlers to the newly formed Oregon Territory. They were soon followed by merchants who amassed their own wealth selling supplies to the miners and farmers. This ongoing series shares the stories of these pioneers and their times. Henry Klippel was one such immigrant.