The Southern Oregon Historical Society’s website now includes a map to a unique series of historical markers in Jackson County that were placed by the Society in the 1970s. All but the Tub Springs marker are made from welded sections of railroad rail. Just exploring the online map can be fun and educational. Its researchers, Peter and Linda Kreisman, hope people will also drive and hike to the markers to experience the sense of history they convey.
The Kreismans are not certain they have discovered every railroad rail historical marker in Jackson County. They hope anyone who knows of additional markers will contact the Library at Southern Oregon Historical Society.
The website covers markers that are east of Ashland, plus markers that are north of Central Point. Ten markers cover the Applegate Trail, from Jenny Creek Slide to Songer Gap, next to Emigrant Lake. The next set of markers commemorate the Buck Rock Tunnel and the Siskiyou Mountain Toll Road. Finally, the markers north of Central Point commemorate bridges and ferries on the Rogue River.
Most markers are on public land, but the website indicates those that are not and provides information for contacting owners if that is an option.
To access the online map, go to http://sohs.org/map. The map was created by Pat Harper, SOHS Archivist and Webmaster, in ESRI Story Maps.
Images to accompany articles may be found and downloaded from sohs.org/map