Road Trip: Jacksonville offers history, music – and fine wine
Nestled away in the Rogue Valley of southern Oregon, the city of Jacksonville may be small. But with its rich history and thriving tourism, it’s anything but ordinary.
The year is 1851, and gold has just been discovered in Southern Oregon. As the news spread, prospectors flock to this unknown corner of Oregon, hoping to strike it rich.
“As soon as they heard about gold in Jacksonville, they literally rushed over the border,” said Carolyn Kings North, the president of Historical Jacksonville Inc. “You had almost 3,000 miners appearing here overnight.”
The town quickly grew, as businessmen hoped to capitalize on the growing gold industry. And one of those businesses was Beekman Bank.
Cornelius Beekman came to Jacksonville in 1853 as an express rider for Cram & Rodgers, a transit company connecting the booming town with the outside world.
Beekman rode over the Siskiyou Mountains, carrying gold and letters for miners and settlers. In 1856, Cram & Rodgers dissipated, and Beekman established Beekman’s Express.
By 1857, Bekman’s office became the first bank in Southern Oregon, and the second-oldest financial institution in the Pacific Northwest.
“They say about $10 million in gold crossed these counters. And if you’re looking at today’s value, you’re looking at about $1 billion in gold,” according to Kings North.
While Beekman’s financial prowess led him to become a prominent figure in Jacksonville’s early history, it was Peter Britt who cemented the town into what it is today.
“Why Britt is so important, with his photography, he essentially photographed all of Southern Oregon during that last half of the century,” Kings North said.
“He photographed places, he photographed things, he photographed people — and it was his photographs, in many respects, that allowed Jacksonville to establish the national historic landmark district, because it was fully documented,” she said.
Britt was a true Renaissance man. He grew grapes, fruit trees and all sorts of exotic plants that he’d bring from all over the world. People from near and far would come to see his unique property — something that’s still true today.
Set among Ponderosa pines and native Madrones, Jacksonville’s annual Britt Fest takes place each summer on Peter Britt’s historic estate, drawing thousands of people from all over the region.
Donna Briggs, president and CEO of the Britt Festival, said, “We really are a very, very important economic engine for the community, as you can imagine, because of the small businesses and the benefit of having the festival here in the summer. It’s huge.”
And whatever your musical taste, the intimate venue and historic ties make this place unlike any other. The Britt Fest has become the oldest outdoor performing arts venue in the Northwest.
“No matter who the performer is, you can almost touch that person,” Briggs said. “And the energy and the synergy between the performers and the audience is very special.”
And while Peter Britt’s name lives on through music, other places in Jacksonville weren’t so lucky during his time.
By 1884, a railroad completely bypassed the town. The boom went bust, and Jacksonville began to dry up. It became more or less a ghost town. At one point, the population was down to about 500 to 700 people.
Fortunately, in the 1960s, some folks banded together to focus on preservation efforts, there was threat of a new highway that would run through the town.
Kings North said, “It was Jacksonville’s original booster club, and they created a vision for Jacksonville, of what it could be, what it could become. And they are the ones who filed and established the national historic landmark district.”
Through their efforts, more than 100 structures within Jacksonville are now on the National Register of Historic Places, essentially sealing the city in permanent Gold Rush glory.
And while much of Jacksonville’s tourism is based on its history, the Rogue Valley’s unique climate continues to draw visitors for another reason: wine.
The beautiful Applegate Valley is home to nearly 20 vineyards and wineries, with one of the first owned by none other than Peter Britt.
He opened Valley View Winery in 1873 — the very first winery established in Oregon. It closed in 1905 after his death, but less than 70 years later, the name was restored by the Wisnovsky family, who began their vineyard just eight miles from Jacksonville in the Applegate Valley.
Michael Wisnovsky, the owner of Valley View Winery, said, “My father loved the history of grape growing here, He took a UC-Davis Extension class, and they talked about growing grapes in Southern Oregon in the 1850s.
“So when we moved here, there was a lot of data from the Jackson County Extension Service, and Peter Britt actually kept quite a bit of historical data with weather. And so he really liked that, and so he decided, ‘Let’s name it Valley View.'”
Visitors are not only drawn to the history behind the Valley View name, but also because of their award winning wines.
Wisnovsky said, “We have old vines, and old vines will generally give you better grapes. And just the history of making wine — and also we get a lot of tour companies now coming up, and so they want to feature the oldest winery.”
Whether it’s the past or the present that draws you to Jacksonville, you’re sure to “strike it rich.” But if you or your traveling companions are still unsure about making a trip to this quaint destination, Kings North said: “Ask them if they would like to step back in time.”
Because it’s that rich history that has made Jacksonville the worthy road trip destination it is today.
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