cdct~Ll L t~~THERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY '--- Board o f T rus lees

Judi Drais, Me1[ord, PRESIDEi\'T Yvonne Earnest, Me1ford, nRST VICE- PRESIDEN1' Robert Stevens, j acksonville, SECOND VICE-PRESiDEi\'T fr~ID tll~ ~in~t~r Judy H. Lozano, Blltte Falls, SECRETARY Neil Thorson, Medford, TREASURER Bruce Budmayr, DEAR MEMBER: Terrie Claflin, Phoenix SOHS Robert Cowling, Medford Greetings from the staff and volunteers of the Southern Oregon Historical Edward B. Jorgenson, Medford John Laughlin, A shland Society! When this special edition of Southern Oregon Heritage Today reaches Kathie Olsen, Jacksonville your hands, we will be poised to hold a special All-American celebration at our Stephen W. Ryder, Mulford Sandra Slattery, Ashland historic Hanley Farm. Please join us for this second of four "First Weekends" at H anley Farm. Fo unda tio n Board o f DireCl o rs On Saturday and Sunday, July 3-4, the farm will open and feature an exact Nancy H amlin, M edford, PRESIDEi\'T Roger P. Bernard, M.D., Medford, VICE-PRESIDEi\'T replica of the Wright Brothers' flying machine that first rose into the air at the Joe Danelson. M ulford, SECRETARY Dav1d N!. Thorndike, Medford, T REASURER N orth Carolina coast community of Kitty Hawk. "Orville Wright" actor Jim Allen Alsing. Ashland Spence will be there to tell us all about this first manned powered flight, which Yvonne Earnest, Medford Mary Kay Harmon, Mdford we've been celebrating for the past few months with our Celebrating Flight: A Lyn Hennion, M {!tlford H istory of A viation in Southern Oregon exhibit at the History Center in Nancy l\IIcG rew, Jacksonville John C . Norris, Mt!tiford Medford. Fourth of July weekend offers families throughout the region and Samuel C. \¥hitford, Ashland visitors alike an opportunity to celebrate flight, our national heritage and the i\cimin islra tive Sta ff pristine pleasures of life at a Century Farm just a few miles west of Medford. Jennife r Buckner, PRiMARKETING COORDI NATOR It should be a great weekend. Stephanie Butler, EDUCATIONiPROG RA.I\IS COORDINATOR John Enders, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR We are so pleased to be able to reopen H anley Farm, and the Beekman Maureen Smith, F1NANCEIOPERATIONS DlRECl"()R Richard Seidman, DEVELOPMENTiMEi\H3ERSI-lII' COORDINATOR House Living History program, to the public. We've done so with the support of individual donors and volunteers, corporate and community assistance. ColieClio ns / R esearc h Library /Exhib ils Siaff Kathy Enright, LIBRARY ASSISJi\NT We thank our supporters. Carol Harbison-Samucison, UBRARY MANAGEIVPHOTO ARCHI VIST Your Historical Society is building new bridges, forging new partnerships, Matt Watson, CU RATOR OF EXHIBITS Steve Wyatt, CURATOR OF COLLECTIONS making new friends and seeking new and broader sources of support. Can you help? If there are ways you think you might assist the Historical Society SOUTHERN OREGON HERITAGE TODAY in fulfilling our ongoing mission of protecting and promoting our region's Published by the Southern Oregon H istorical Society heritage, please feel free to see, call or email me. 106 N. Central Ave., Medford, OR 97501-5926 We forge ahead with plans to sell our downtown M edford headquarters. (541) 773-6536 • www.sohs.org There was no news to report at press time regarding our proposal to turn the Magazine Sta ff downtown Medford Carnegie building into a cultural center, but that should Editor, John Enders change soon. Designer, Photographer, & Production Coordinator, Dana L. Jackson We also have big plans for a major new Peter Britt exhibit to open later this Assistant Photographer, :Maggie James year at the Jacksonville Museum, and other plans we will be announcing soon. Advertising, Jennifer Buckner Editorial Assistant, Sharstin Brannock Stay posted. In the meantime, have a great summer. Come see us! We are your Historical PrinTing, CD S Publications Society. Copyrig i11 2004 by Southern Oregon Historical Society, ISSN #1082-2003. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be primed or electronically duplicated without the written permission ofthe Southern Oregon H istorical Society. Author's G uidelines available upon request. --;;Mb~

CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONAL FACTS John Enders Executive Director Spring 2004 Vol. 6. NO. 2 1. A photo caption on page 4 mistakenly listed the owner of the H istory ofAviat ion beacon. It is on ONTHECOVER loan to SOHS from the Oregon Aviation Historical Painting by Peter Britt shows Society. 2. In the "From the Director" note on page 8, the Jacksonville in 1856. Note the text regarding Bill Gates' philanthropy read "much front cover shows the right half unlike" when it should have read "not unlike." of the painting, while the back Unfortunately, the error completely changed the cover shows the left side with meaning of the sentence. Our apologies to Mr. Gates. the original Jackson County 3. On page 13, M arjorie O'Harra's name was Courthouse before it burned. misspelled. SOHS #B330 (OE'J)UL) 4. A photo caption on page 17 incorrectly identified a machine as a printing press . As any old ink-stained wretch will tell you, it was a linotype. SOUTHERN

Contents

Vol. 6, NO.3

Then and Now

CRATER LAKE: August 1874 and 2003 • 4

Collections

HISTORY OF THE BRITT COLLECTION by Steve Wyatt • 5

Exhibztzons

PETER BRITT: The Man Beyond the Camera ' 6

Feature

PETER BRITT: Man of Culture, Man of Commerce by Dawna Curler · 8 FIRE AT THE BRITT HOME by Carol Harbison-Samuelson · 1 3

History Today

HISTORY OF THE BRITT FESTIVALS • 14

VALLEY VIEW WINERY: From Southern Oregon to Slovenia by Patricia Parish Kuhn • 1 5

Preservation

PRESERVING THE PAST: Jacksonville's Chinese Heritage by Eric Peters & Jayme Neil · 1 6 P. Britt, Pit oto(Jraplter, JackSOllvillf', Oregon.

PRESERVATION OF THE JACKSONVILLE WOODLANDS · 1 9

Peter Britt, Jacksonville photographer (1819-1905). A major exhibit on his work MEMBERS/DoNORS ' 20 & 21 and life is planned for later this year.

SOHS #1969 SPONSORS/ SPECIAL EVENTS · 22 ,\\ 0 NON v N::] H J~ •

I ~ ~ -- ~ ------By Steve Wyatt can be too expensive. Nearly fifty years ago, the Southern Oregon Historical Society reached this conclusion after it was offered the bulk of Peter Britt's estate. But the estate came with strings attached. If the Society were to accept Britt's estate it was mandated to operate Peter Britt's house as a museum. This was in the 1950s when SOHS was a fairly young organization in a quiet town of about 1,200 people. Jacksonville's historic renaissance and the onslaught of tourists that followed was still a decade or so away. The fate of Peter Britt's estate first became a concern when his daughter Amalia passed away in October 1955. She was Peter Britt's last surviving descendant. Her will stipulated that the family's land, house, its contents and a trust account go to SOHS if it agreed to operate the house as a museum. For many years Amalia and her brother Emil offered tours of their home, displaying their famous father's cameras and photographs. Amalia must have sensed that the newly formed SOHS might not be able to take on the added responsibility of operating a new museum at the Britt home. (SOHS already operated the Jacksonville Courthouse museum). A proviso in her will stipulated that if SOHS were unable to operate the house as a museum, the trust fund would be added to the $50,000 scholarship fund her will created for Jacksonville High School graduates. Mter detailing many other small gifts, Britt's will stipulated that what remained of the estate go to the "S tate Board of Higher Education of the State of Oregon" to support Southern Oregon College of Education (now Southern Oregon University). Because SOHS was unable to accept the donation, ownership of the estate went to the state. Fortunately, the state board of education recognized that the real worth of the Britt estate was its historic, not monetary, value. It had the foresight to loan SOHS whatever it deemed appropriate for its museum. Curator of Collections Mary Hanley selected hundreds of objects ranging from Peter Britt's buggy to everyday household items. Pictured are a few seldom-seen items from the "Britt Collection." The contents of Britt's photo studio make up the largest and best known part of the collection. SOHS has been caring for, storing, displaying and conserving artifacts from this collection since 1956. The loan agreement with the board of education stipulated that SOHS could keep these items as long as it carries out the "intent of the will of Amalia Britt in maintaining, using and displaying the items it received by it from the estate." What was not selected by SOHS was sold at auction by the board of education. In 1957 a fire swept through Britt's home. Luckily, most of its contents were safe with SOHS. The future of the severely damaged house then became the subject of much debate, until 1960 when another fire made the Britt home uninhabitable. Jacksonville and all of Southern Oregon are indeed fortunate this collection did not suffer the same fate as the house. Nearly fifty years after the death of Amalia Britt, the Britt Collection remains intact and accessible to the public. 15:

Steve liVj;att is the curator of collections of the Southern Oregon Historical Society. SOU THE R N OREGON H I STOR I CAL SOCIETY

lliE ~ xni i i~n~ Jacksonville History Center Museum 5TH AND C STREETS, JACKSONVILLE 106 N. CENTRAL AVE., MEDFORD

NUESTRA GENTE: OUR PEOPLE CELEBRATING FLIGHT: HISTORY IN THE MAKING: SOHS's newest exhibit includes a A HISTORY OF AVIATION IN JACKSON COUNTY M ILESTONES travelling component created by the SOUTHERN OREGON An abundance of artifacts and Oregon Historical Society's Folk1ife The Society's major exhibit, photographs, from Chinese archaeological Program. It highlights many facets of the "Celebrating Flight" opened in material to an early cellular telephone, history and culture of Mexicans in December to coincide with tell the county's story. Not everything is Oregon over the past four centuries. The nationwide centennial celebrations behind glass - a working 1940s jukebox exhibit includes samples of Mexican art, of the Wright Brothers' first plays vintage automobile songs; a DVD such as mosaics, weaving, and beadwork, powered flight at Ketty Hawk. Come player shows historic film clips. and illustrates how Mexicans in Oregon see airplanes and models, historic contributed to early invention and photographs and vintage film clips, a : PICTURE PERFECT real flight-simulation trainer, oral agriculture. Can the majesty of Crater Lake be histories of local aviation pioneers, The Mexican presence in Oregon dates captured on film? In honor of park's 2003 and much more. Admission by to the 1600s with the early Spanish centennial, the Jacksonville Museum donation; free to members. explorers, who introduced mule pack presents an exhibit of attempts to capture trains and trained Oregon's early the lake's essence. Peter Britt's 1874 photo buckaroos. In 1821, the northern limit of of Crater Lake, the first recorded, marks Mexico's claim was established at the the beginning of this exhibit. Other 42nd parallel, the present Oregon/ sections include early colorized photos, California border. In the past century, picture postcards, and park improvements. Mexican workers helped us alleviate the Of special interest is the most controversial labor shortages brought on by World Crater Lake image, believed by many to Wars I and II. Now, Latinos compose document a visit by President Theodore more than eight percent of the state's Roosevelt. See how the Crater Lake name population, with people of Mexican and image have been used to sell products heritage the largest segment. ranging from butter to a hospital. The Society has supplemented the Oregon Historical Society's exhibit with MINER, BAKER, FURNITURE MAKER traditional costumes and artwork from Explore the development of the Rogue the local community. "Nuestra Gente" will Valley and the impact of the industrial be on display through August. revolution on the settlement of Oregon.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS: THE ART AND LIFE OF DORLAND ROBINSON Children's Museum ~{. ~UNPlI ~a g ob e r50 Morales, Artist Dorland Robinson (1891-1917), 'f~I.~'~IitI. 1n traditional 5TH AND C STREETS, JACKSONVILLE Purepecha clothin g, a Jacksonville prodigy, produced an holdi ng his hand­ exceptional body of work. The diversity of Everyone enjoys exploring home and work woven statue of media she worked in, from charcoal and settings from the 1850s to the 1930s Virgin of Health. pastel to oil and watercolor, is presented through "hands-on-history." Come see the ~-- OREGON HISTORICAL SOCl>."TY in this largest-ever exhibit of her work, Society's new exhibit, "The Celestials of which continues in the History Center Golden Mountain," focusing on the history mezzanme. of the Chinese in Southern Oregon. 1 . ~ New Exhibit!

PETER BRITT: In the future, a new Native American THE MAN BEYOND THE CAMERA exhibit will be developed to include Many members, patrons and friends of more of the Native artifacts from this the Society remember the Peter Britt region that are part of the Society's exhibits we've had at the Jacksonville permanent collection. History Matters! Museum. Photos, paintings, and and the Society's quarterly Southern furnishings from Britt's studio and his Oregon Heritage Today magazine will home's parlor all served to delight keep members and friends of the visitors to the museum. In recent years, Society updated on progress toward this however, the Society's only Britt Exhibit exciting new exhibit. was at the History Center in downtown Medford, part of a larger interpretation of the history of photography in Southern Oregon. SOHS is bringing Peter Britt back to Jacksonville! Later this year, the Society will open a new Peter Britt Exhibit on the first floor of the Jacksonville Museum where the "Politics of Culture: Collecting the Southwest" exhibit was housed. The new Britt exhibit will feature the best of the pioneer photographer's work, his

cameras, glass plates and other tools-of­ 7- the-trade, his parlor and photo studio, ~ :i and newly designed displays that show r ~ just how amazing the life and work of "­o this "Renaissance man" really were. The ~ 5 exhibit will portray Britt as a genius well 8 o before his time in the fields of not just § photography, but horticulture, viticulture, 0: Above and below, items meteorology and others. Much work goes into the from the Britt collection. construction, and deconstruction of exhibits. Here SOHS employees and volunteers remove false ceiling panels in the Jacksonville Museum in preparation for the Society's major new Peter Britt exhibit, to open in the fall or winter. F EAT L' H E

MAN OF CULTURE~ MAN OF COMMERCE

PETER BRITT 1819 -1905

B)! Dawna Curiel"

O nce described as "a most cultured and 26-year-old bachelor immigrated to interesting gentleman, always courteous America with other family members and and entertaining,"l Peter Britt embodied a neighbors, leaving behind his beloved.3 unique blend of rugged individualism and Settling in the Swiss community in Old World graciousness. As a pioneer Highland, Illinois, Britt continued his photographer he counts as a folk hero, trade as an itinerant artist but faced partly for his rich photographic legacy, competition from the newly invented and partly for his strength of character. daguerreian photograph. Setting his sights Nearly a century after his death, Britt is on the future, Britt embraced this new remembered as a man of honor, kindness, technology and quickly learned the industry, and intellect.2 chemistry and science of the photographic In the East, this ambitious Swiss process from an eminent St. Louis immigrant learned the practical trade of daguerreian, J.H. Fitzgibbon.4 photography, then headed for the goldfields In Fitzgibbon, Britt found a mentor who of Jacksonville, Oregon where he tried his not only showed him how to operate a hand at prospecting and mule packing. As camera, but also taught him to achieve the the town's first and most distinguished best images through skilled workmanship photographer, Britt captured with his and the use of top-quality equipment. camera the spirit of the muddy mining With these first steps, Britt set a life-long then known as "Table Rock City." camp and documented its growth into a pattern of continually seeking the latest According to local lore, he had $5 in his commercial center. From 1852 to 1900, he technical and scientific information to help pocket. He selected a site on a hill with a photographed the people, activities, and master his varied pursuits. magnificent view where he built a small landscapes of his adopted Southern Oregon The town of Highland, where Britt log cabin.6 Presumably, he began taking home. Once established, Britt married and worked as a photographer for about five photographs immediately, though the raised a family. He pursued a range of years, was situated on a highly traveled oldest known survlvmg image of additional interests including horticulture, westbound route. There Britt undoubtedly Jacksonville wasn't taken until 1854.7 Like beekeeping, and meteorology. H e invested heard enticing stories of the western almost everyone else, Britt was stricken wisely and acquired large tracts of land frontier. "I have always loved nature and with gold fever and took his turn in the where he managed ranches, orchards, and when I heard of the beauty of Oregon I "diggings," yet soon recognized that mule vineyards. When Britt died at 86 in 1905, resolved to go West," Britt reminisced to skinning was more of a sure thing, and he had endeared himself to his community journalist Fred Lockley years later. "I potentially profitable. Britt purchased a as a man of accomplishment, wealth, and believed I could make a good living in the string of pack mules and for several years integrity. daguerreotype business in the Oregon made the rigorous ten-day trek hauling Britt trained as an artist in his native Country, so in the spring of 1852, I loaded foodstuff and mining tools from the Switzerland, where he traveled from my equipment in a covered wagon and California seaport of Crescent City. By hamlet to town as a portrait painter. In his started West."s 1856, Britt had made a sizeable grubstake home village of Obstalden, he courted and gave up that arduous occupation.S He Amalia Grob, the schoolmaster's daughter. BRITT ARRIVES IN OREGON bought a new state-of-the-art camera in The match, apparently, was disapproved by It was in early November of that year when and turned his energy back the young woman's father, so in 1845 the 33-year-old Britt arrived in Jacksonville, to his photographic trade.9 Gold had been discovered in Jacksonville just nine months before Britt arrived. It was a time when the population of the Britt often photographed children in small mining camp, not much more than a imaginative poses. Here daughter, Mollie, Improved Order of Redmen Pocahontas scattering of tents and crudely constructed and son, Emil, depict ch ildhood innocence. Tribe No. p6 Britt's name appears among

shacks, was beginning to swell. The SOBS #768 the records of the Stamm, though not as promise of adventure and economic good often as some of his contemporaries,17 He fortune drew an assortment of people from may have taken a more active role in the many parts of the world, including the Kubli assumed guardianship of their girls Eintracht, a mutual-aid association that American states, Canada, the British Isles, and Britt did the same for the boys.13 assisted new immigrants and also sponsored Europe, Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, The German-speaking citizens of social events for the German-Swiss and China. Within a few years immigrants Jacksonville and the surrounding area had community such as picnics, field trips, and from Austria, Germany, Prussia, and a decided influence over the cultural and dinners. Correspondence indicates that Britt Switzerland made up a large enough social development of the emerging frontier frequently provided information or German-speaking minority that Britt's community. They engaged themselves in assistance to other Swiss countrymen guttural accent and foreign ways would not productive occupations, involved themselves coming to Southern Oregon.18 have been an oddity.l0 in civic groups and government, and Although Britt gained U.S. citizenship Within this Germanic group, Britt integrated a number of their institutions and before coming to Oregon,19 and he must formed life-long friendships and customs into the mainstream society of their have mastered the English language to associations. Kaspar Kubli and Frederich non-Germanic neighbors. Through Harmonie, some degree, he continued to read and Ruch hailed from Glarus Canton, the same a musical association, they sponsored the write in German throughout his life. region of Switzerland where Britt had development of several musical groups, While adopting many American methods lived, and they were known to the Britt including a silver cornet band and a singing and values, he maintained a strong family there. It was Kubli, Bavarian-born club. The Turnverein or "Turners" promoted connection to the "Old Country,"20 Viet Schutz and two others named Wolters gymnastics and daily exercise.1 4 In keeping ties to his and Hesse that Britt traveled with during 1863, the Oregon Sentinel reported, homeland and the Swiss his mule-packing days, and it is probable "The Turn Veriens has become a colony in Highland, that Britt, Schutz and Kubli also held a thriving, permanent institution of Illinois through newspaper joint mining claim known as "Dutch [a our town."15 subscriptions and letters. corruption of Deutsch] Gulch."ll The German-Swiss citizens of Later, Schutz built an impressively large Jacksonville also created institutions Botanical specimens like brewery at the foot of Britt's estate and that were, by nature of their common Britt made numerous notations in his diary language, more exclusive to their this blooming cactus referring to money exchanges or the native heritage. They established a made intriguing subjects receipt of beer from "Viet."12 It was at German-speaking chapter of the for Britt's dramatic still­ Kubli's home in the Applegate that Britt Independent Order of Redmen, life images. chose to be married, and after Frederich known as the Stamm 149, which was SOHS #10515 Ruch and his wife Anna's tragic deaths, separate from the English-speaking A FAM ILY IS BORN During a photograph outing, It was through such correspondence that he Britt documented nationally learned his former sweetheart, Amalia, had renowned artist James become a widow after immigrating to New Everett Stewart as he paints. Glarus, Wisconsin with her husband and young Emil Britt leans against a tree son. Britt sent some money and a choice. She while an unidentified friend could return to her people in Switzerland, or join looks on. him in Jacksonville. 21 A brief entry in Britt's diary tells the story, "May 11, 1861 Amalia arrived." Three months later on their wedding day Britt Below, promising young artist wrote, "One wreath, one song, a blooming wife Dorland Robinson posed with has shown you the way to happiness." three other girls around the Amalia and Peter had ten years together before lily pond in Britt'selaborate she died in 1871. D uring that time Britt took garden. Like Britt, Dorland's Amalia's seven-year-old son Jacob as his own. maternal grandfather, The couple had three more children, Emil, born "Gunsmith Miller;' was part of in 1862, Arnold, who died in infancy in 1864, Jacksonville'searly German­ and Mollie, born in 1865 .22 After Amalia's speaking community and the death, Britt raised the children alone. T he family Britts, Millers, and Robinsons was close-knit and none of the children married. As adults, Mollie took over the household were close family friends. management, Jacob tended much of his father's SOHS #18680 & SOHS #6704 agricultural affairs, and Emil joined his father in the photography business. Prior to his marriage, Britt had converted his log cabin into a storage shed and built a simple but larger structure that served as house and studio. It started as a plain, one-story building similar to other early Jacksonville houses. Britt's house differed with the innovation of a north­ facing skylight that illuminated his studio. In the late 1850s, he added decorative "gingerbread" trim, introducing the fashionably new "cottage gothic" architectural style to the still primitive fro ntier setting.23 This early house was too small for Britt's expanding family, so in 1862 he enlarged the floor plan, built a second story and moved his studio to the top floor. Progress on the house can be traced through Britt's diary entries from that year. On November 21, he made the first picture in the new house and November 23, eight months and one day after Emil's birth, the new family of four 1 n his wife, "I am delighted with the [photograph] you sent me of Anna on a stool. Get Britt to print me a dozen of the same ... and send them by mail to Washington ....They are considered here as good as any made by the celebrated artist Brady."26 Britt also photographed away from the studio, taking panoramic views of Jacksonville, documenting bridges and roads, shops and farms of nearby communities. He traveled to the Pacific coast, Eastern Oregon and Northern California. Britt sought the beauty and solitude of the natural landscape, often taking members of his family on photographic outings. In 1874, he successfully captured the first-ever images of Crater Lake.27 The Crater Lake photographs became famous. National magazines published them and they were widely distributed as stereoscope views.

moved into the house. Compared to other houses built in Jacksonville at that time, the structure was impressive. Situated on a hill overlooking the town, surrounded by unique landscaping, the Britt home became the "show­ piece" of the . Years later, in 1883, another two-story wing was added. By then, Britt's home boasted spacious living quarters, a wine cellar, a solarium and two sky-lit studios on the second £1oor. 24

B RITT'S PHOTOGRAPHY MATURES While Amalia tended their small children, Britt expanded his photography business and made the technical transition from the out­ dated single-image plate process of the daguerreotype, ambrotype and tintype to the progressive-multiple image paper prints made from glass-plate negatives.25 A wide assortment of Jacksonville residents and travelers passing through found their way to Britt's studio. Little William Steel, who successfully lobbied to Passionate about his wonder everyone knew Britt. At one time or designate Crater Lake a national park, used garden, Britt expefii mented another, just about everyone crossed his Britt's photographs to build his case, writing to with many semi-tropical threshold to have his or her picture taken. With the photographer: "During the past summer I botani <;al varieties inttuding his intuitive artist's eye, Britt had a knack for enjoyed a trip to Crater Lake and since my his renowned Abyssinian posing his subjects in a relaxed manner. He used return have started a movement to have the Banana t ree. Among the props that emphasized the sitter's personal surrounding country withdrawn from the surviving specimens planted interests. The child posed with a toy, the market and made a national park. ... When musician with an instrument, the miner with a talking with Governor Thompson I expressed a by Britt is a giant sequoia pick. Britt's work was favorably compared to the desire to obtain photographs in duplicate of the redwood, planted in 1862 to famous Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. lake and surroundings and stated that I could mark the, birth of his son While doing business on the East Coast, find none. He gave me your name and address Emil. Jacksonville resident Benjamin Dowell wrote to and advised me to write to you at once."28 SOHS #14240 &# 18681 . 11 of Jacksonville. Britt was acquainted summer evenings at a smging school" with knowledgeable horticulturalists when they were boys, and Mollie played throughout the country and stayed well the beautifully carved Steinway piano informed on the latest cultivation methods. that her father bought for her when she In his orchards he used smudging was twelve. 36 Musical instruments, techniques to protect his trees from frost phonograph records, and figurines of and raised bees to improve pollination. classical composers were among the Britt Not one to miss an entrepreneurial · household possessions. opportunity, Britt marketed the honey Britt's children Mollie and Emil from his bees as a sideline.3D continued to live in the ornate Victorian Notations in his diary indicate Britt house after Britt's death in 1905. Jacob planted many grapes in 1861.31 By the died earlier, in 1896. They kept their 1870s he was marketing wine under his father's studio as a museum - a tribute to Valley View Vineyard label. Because of an extraordinary photographer during his knowledge and experience, agriculturists extraordinary times. In the 1940s, Britt's frequently sought his advice as they fame came to the attention of Universal established their own commercial fruit Studios and a short subject film, "Picture crops.32 Pioneer," was made that featured Britt's It is fitting that Britt, so keenly studio and camera equipment. interested in plant life, would pay close When Peter Britt died, the community attention to climate and weather where he had lived for 53 years felt the conditions. He was already in the habit of loss deeply. He was eulogized with the recording weather observations in his following words: "He was a gentleman of personal diary when, after an official perfect honor, and perfect kindness of weather service was established within the heart. . .. he lives in the noble deeds of a Army Signal Corps in 1870, Britt agreed well-spent life; in the forces which his to be a volunteer civilian observer. The intellect set in motion while here ... His life corps provided him with sophisticated was gentle, and the elements so mixed in instruments that were kept in a regulation him, that Nature might stand up and say: weather shelter near the house. Britt made 'This is a man!' "37 :!ii BRITT: RENAISSANCE MAN regular weather reports to the service until With so much photography business, turning the duty over to Emil in 1891.33 Dawna Curler is a programs associate and it's hard to think that Britt had time for Photography, horticulture, and meteorology vo!unteel· coordinat01jor the Southem Oregon anything else, but his interest and energy weren't Britt's only pursuits. He made Rist01·ica! Society. took him in many directions. personal loans and invested in real estate. An avid gardener, Britt surrounded his He had a number of rental properties and home with ornamental shrubs and exotic ranches that were run by tenant farmers or trees, which he started planting in the 1850s. hired hands. Britt was more willing to do Among Britt's most unusual botanical business with the Chinese in Jacksonville specimens was an Abyssinian banana tree than were many residents. He had a which, when it was small, had to be dug number of Chinese tenants and made up and taken indoors each winter. 29 loans to Chinese miners. In the late 1850s, Rhododendrons, palms, cypress and he allowed a group of Chinese to mine wisteria also graced his gardens. Towering gold on his property for a percentage of the over the grounds today is a giant sequoia, profits.34 said to have been planted by Britt to honor Art and music also had a place in the the birth of his son Emil. Fieldstone steps Britt household. Peter Britt continued to and terrace walls, a bubbling fountain and paint Southern Oregon landscapes for his goldfish-filled lily pond added a touch of own pleasure and shared a mutual interest romance to the park-like grounds. To with the nationally renowned artist James keep his garden watered, Britt installed an Everett Stewart. The two traveled together innovative irrigation system fed by a mile­ on at least one occasion with camera and long ditch that ended in a system of paints in the Cascade Mountains. A letter underground pipes. Several out-buildings, from Stewart to Britt indicates Stewart including a carriage shed, water tower, dog also used Britt's photographs as subjects house, and winery, were located close by. for his paintings. "I received the photos of According to an old family story, in the falls and Mt. Shasta they are good. The 1854 an Italian peddler from California Bridal Vale [sic] falls are very pretty dry sold Britt his first fruit tree and grape plate is a good thing. I have finished one cuttings. When he planted these in his small Painting of a Bluff and a glimpse of garden he laid the earliest foundation for Crater Lake ... but have not put it out on Southern Oregon's wine and orchard Exhibition yet. Will have another done in industries. As Britt acquired more a few days."35 property, he developed a twenty-acre Little is known about Britt's musical commercial orchard and expansive grape abilities, but he did encourage the musical vineyards on a ranch about a mile outside talents of his children. His sons spent 11 ENDNOTES 17. SOHS MS 293; and SOHS Acc. 1994.78.3, 1. Fletcher Linn, Reminiscences of Fletcher Linn, Independent Order ofRedmen, Stamm 148 records. unpublished manuscript, Southern Oregon 18. Miller, op. cit., pp. 40-46. Historical Society. 19. Ibid., p. 15. Reference cited: Madison County FIRE AT THE 2. Southern Oregon Pioneer Association Records, Naturalization Records, 1:124, Madison County Resolutions on Deceased Members, [Vol. II, pp. Courthouse, Edwardsville, Illinois. 140-141. Subject: Peter Britt, authorized by 20. Surviving Britt diaries from 1859 to 1905, the BRITT HOME committee members Wm. M. Colvig, l year of Britt's death, are written almost entirely in Cameron, C.c. Beekman] SOHS MS 517. German and much correspondence in this 3. Alan Clark Miller, Peter Britt: Pioneer collection to Peter Britt from Swiss relatives and By Carol Harbison·Samuelson Photographer of the Siskiyous, Master's thesis, associates are written in German. One letter Trinity College, 1972, pp. 29-30. written 6 October 1883 from Emil Britt to his On Monday night, January 27, 1941, father Peter is written in German, although it 4. Ibid., pp. 11-13. Mollie and Emil Britt discovered fire 5. Fred Lockley, "Peter Britt: Photographer," Oregon does not appear to be from Emil's own hand. Journal,S March 1939. In his article, Lockley SOHSMS 170. issuing from the roof of their home. They quotes from a personal interview he conducted 21. Miller, op. cit., p. 30. watched as firemen cut a hole in the roof with Peter Britt some time before Britt's death. 22. Ibid., p. 32. in an attempt to extinguish the flames 6. Miller, op. cit., p. 18. 23. Two photographs, SOHS #11757 and SOHS burning near the chimney. Firefighters 7. The earliest known image ofJacksonville in the #8249, show this first house before and after the Southern Oregon Historical Society collection, addition of gingerbread trim; Peter Britt diary, were successful in saving the residence as SOHS #727, shows the Methodist Episcopal 1859, SOHS MS 170. well as the Britts' priceless belongings. This Church without its steeple. This structure was 24. Miller, op. cit., pp. 70, 84. was the first of a series of fires that would under construction in 1854. 25. Robert Weinstein, and Larry Booth, Collection, eventually consume the home built by their Use, and Care of Historical Photographs (Nashville, 8. Miller, op. cit., pp. 21-27. father, pioneer photographer Peter Britt. 9. Ibid., p. 52. TN: American Association for State and Local 10. The 1860 U.S. Census indicates there were over History, 1977), pp. 5-6. In April 1957, a flu fire sparked a blaze 200 German-speaking immigrants in Jackson 26. Letter from Benjamin Dowell. Dowell, Benjamin that damaged about fifty percent of the County at that time. Twelve on the list, including Letter Book, 1866-1874, Ax 31, Vol. 14, letter historic Britt home. When the alarm was Peter Britt, were from Switzerland. United States No. 20, July 1867. University of Oregon, Special sounded, most of the roof was engulfed in Census ofJackson County, Oregon 1860. Collections. 11. Southern Oregon Pioneer Association Records, 27. Peter Britt diary, 13 August 1874, SOHS MS 170. flames. The upper story, including Peter Resolutions on Deceased Members, [Vol. I, pp. 181- 28. Letter from W.G. Steel, 9 October, 1885, SOHS Britt's photographic studio, was destroyed. 184. Subject: Viet Schutz, authorized by MS 170, Box 1. Water and smoke damage was extensive on committee members Wm. H. Parker, Peter Britt 29. Letter from EM. Hexamer, editor of American the lower floor. Jacksonville's Volunteer Agriculturalist, to Peter Britt, 18 January 1890, and HV. Helms] and [Vol. II, pp. 56-58. Fire Department, with the assistance of Subject: Kaspar Kubli, authorized by committee SOHS MS 170, Box 1. members Mrs. W.]. Plyale, Peter Britt and David 30. Ibid., pp. 76-83. firefighters from Central Point and Linn] SOHS MS 517; Miller, op. cit., p. 22. 31. Peter Britt diaries, 1861, SOHS MS 170. Medford, fought the fire for several hours 12. Handwritten translations of Peter Britt's diaries 32. Miller, op. cit., pp. 76-79. before bringing it under control. High 1859-1890, SOHS MS 170, Box 1. 33. Ibid., pp. 81-82. winds fanned the flames and firemen had 13. Although Britt assumed legal guardianship of the 34. Ibid., pp. 89-91, 94. Ruch boys, they apparently did not live with 35. Letter from lE. Stewart to Peter Britt, 20 March difficulty getting hoses through the dense Britt. Jackson County Wills, Probates, 1883, SOHS MS 170, Box 1. shrubbery and hedges. Coincidentally, Guardianships, Estate Files, #1048 Ruch, Minors 36. Miller, op. cit., p. 43. Jacksonville's Volunteer Fire Department Guardianship; Kasper Ruch Obituary,facksonville 37. Southern Oregon Pioneer Association Records, had been conducting a business meeting in Resolutions on Deceased Members, [Vol. II, pp. Post, 13 June 1930; United States Census of the fire hall at the time the alarm was Jackson County, Oregon 1880. 140-141. Subject: Peter Britt] SOHS MS 517. 14. Miller, op. cit., pp. 37-48. received. If the firemen had not responded 15. Oregon Sentinel, 15 August 1863. so quickly the building would have been 16. Oregon Sentinel, 27 May 1871; Alanl Schmidt, a total loss. One volunteer fireman was The G1-eenwood Encyclopedia ofAmerican seriously injured when he lost his footing Institutions, Fmternal Organizations (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980), p. 289. on the slippery roof and fell through a second story skylight. Fortunately, •••••••••••••••••••• under terms of Peter Britt's will, the Southern Oregon Historical Society had removed Britt's photographic equipment and many valuable antiques including the parlor furniture and the parlor carpet. Disaster struck again, however, on Wednesday, March 16, 1960, when another fire swept through the Britt home. The blaze torched the first floor and roof of the residence. A faulty fuse box was believed to have caused the fire that finally ruined the Peter Britt home.

Carol Harbison-Samuelson is the Society's libmry manager and photo archivist.

. 1~ HISTOHY T 0 DAY

Hi~t~fJ ~f tn~ ~ritt f~~tivah Courtesy of the Britt Festivals

Forty-two years ago, conductor John Trudeau and several friends were visiting Southern Oregon and stumbled upon the former hillside estate of Jacksonville pioneer Peter Britt. Being musicians, they immediately noticed an amazing resonance to the hillside's acoustics. Combined with the gorgeous view of the valley in the distance, they decided the hillside would be the perfect site for concerts. In the summer of 1963, volunteers erected a makeshift stage of plywood and strung tin­ can lights above. A small chamber orchestra was assembled and the Northwest's first summer outdoor music festival was born. Britt offered classical music exclusively until the present pavilion was constructed in 1978. The new facility enabled expansion to the current multi­ disciplinary format. Bench seats were added in 1987 and the handicapped access and restrooms were built in 1993. With a maximum capacity of 2,200, Britt is financially able to afford world-class Jacksonville artist Eugene Bennett artists while maintaining an intimate atmosphere. The captured the grand opening of the Britt Park is publicly owned by Jackson County and Britt Festivals in this 1963 oil painting. maintained by the county parks department. The Britt The same painting helped to celebrate Festivals Association is a non-profit performing arts the Festivals' 30th anniversary in a 1992 organization which utilizes the Britt Park under a long­ collectors poster. term lease with Jackson County. C OURTESY OF EUGENE B ENNETI'

.H Literature spills over with references to it. By Patricia Parish Kuhn Societies celebrate vineyard harvests and "Mr. Britt has successfully demonstrated her name, Anna Maria, for the winery's grape crushings with festivals around the the problem that a first quality of wine can premium label. globe: Vino, vin, wine, nectar of the gods. be manufactured here and if we may "It was Dad's dream, but Mom kept the Today, Southern Oregon boasts and toasts be allowed to prophesy, this will be no dream alive," Mark Wisnovsky says. its own historic vineyard in the bucolic unimportant branch of agricultural The vineyard's location at the 1,500-foot Applegate Valley, its wine internationally industry in our valley ere 10ng."1 elevation in what locals call "Sunshine acclaimed. In 1971 near Ruch, Ann and Britt's Jacksonville vineyard prospered, Valley" - free from the fog that plagues Frank Wisnovsky planted what is now one and he found additional markets for his other areas of the Rogue Valley - allows the of Southern Oregon's oldest operating grapes outside the valley. Early accounts grapes to ripen to their greatest potential. vineyards "as a cottage industry of sorts," point out that Britt was able to sell all the That feature, along with the courage and recalls family friend Terri Gieg, manager wine he produced, which may have led commitment of Ann Wisnovsky and the of the winery's Anna Maria Tasting Room to the government's acceptance of its assistance of her family, would seem to in Jacksonville. "They were a couple with economic benefit to the region. In its assure the winery's success into the new four children trying to establish a cottage annual report for 1890, the Oregon State millennium. industry without the initial cost of high­ Board of Agriculture noted that "Jackson To visit Valley View Vineyard, take tech. It was a family undertaking. Frank County is specially adapted to the raising Highway 238 through Jacksonville to raised the old barn that was on the of grapes."2 The Merlford Mail Tribune of Ruch, then turn left at Upper Applegate property, put blocks under it, and it June 3, 1983, reported that Britt's winery Road and proceed for one mile. The became the winery. Very pastoral and "was what appears to be Oregon's first vineyard, at 1000 Upper Applegate Road, rustic." commercial winery" and became one of the is on the right. Winery hours are 11 a.m. A civil engineer, Frank Wisnovsky came largest on the West Coast. to 5 p.m. daily, except for major holidays. west with his family as superintendent for Early vineyards also flourished in Call the vineyard at (541)899-8468 for construction of Oregon's Astoria Bridge Ashland, Central Point, and in various information and directions. t across the as well as for locations in Josephine County.3 However, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in San Britt's vineyard ceased production with Patricia Parish Kuhn is a Medfol·d free-lance writer. Francisco. But the couple's dream was to his death in 1905 and fell into ruin. ENDNOTES have a farm, which led them to purchase a Prohibition would follow a few years later. 1. The Oregon Sentinel, 29 September, 1886, 3:1. seventy-six-acre ranch from Mr. and Mrs. One hundred forty-five years after its 2. The Resources of Southern Oregon, The Southern Oregon State Board ofAgriculture (Salem: Legislative Edgar M. Bush on Upper Applegate Road. namesake was planted, the second Valley Assembly of Oregon, 1890), p. 51. The vineyard's winery debuted in 1976 View Vineyard produces award-winning 3. Table Rock Sentinel, May 1988, p. 14. with the release of Valley View's 1976 wines today. "One of our wines won a cabernet sauvignon. The much-expanded double gold a few years ago in competition list of wines offered today by Valley View in Slovenia, Yugoslavia," says Mark also includes chardonnay, merlot, fume Wisnovsky. His mother, Ann, has operated blanc, pinot gris, and syrah. the vineyard and winery since Frank The Wisnovskys selected the name for Wisnovsky's accidental death in 1980. Left their vineyard from another, much earlier with four children to raise along with z vineyard in Jacksonville that was planted in running the fledgling vineyard, she was 8 ~ 1854 by pioneer photographer Peter Britt, committed to keeping the dream alive for ..j one of Jacksonville's most famous residents. her children. In 1992, her sons honored ~ A Jacksonville newspaper reported in 1866: their mother's determination by choosing l; ~ Reprinted from SOHT November 1999, Vol. 1, No. 11, p. 4. l .1 ~ P H ESE H \' .\ T ION rr~~~rvin[ tll~ ra~t: Jacksonville's Chinese Heritage By Eric Peters and Jayrne Neil The American Immigration Committee officially recorded the first Chinese immigrant to arrive in the there was a good chance that artifacts and other clues from the United States in 1820.1 By 1860, thirty-five thousand Chinese had past would turn up. arrived via the ports of San Francisco - by 1880 there were over one Joined by archaeologists from the University of Oregon's hundred thousand Chinese living in the United Sates. 2 State Museum of Anthropology and the Southern Oregon For the Chinese of this time and place - honor and a pursuit of Historical Society, the ODOT team was given the unique a better life motivated them to leave the Canton province, an area opportunity to learn more about the Chinese and their riddled with political unrest and civil war, for the Americas. Their community by conducting an excavation in Jacksonville's goal was to find the "hills of gold" where prosperity could be found. Chinatown. They created "excavation units" that were dug a few By the early 1850s, the Gold Rush that had struck California in centimeters down at a time, with special attention paid to layers, 1849 began to move north, and with it the Chinese. By 1864, there features and artifacts. The collaborative effort uncovered broken were two thousand five hundred Chinese miners working the Upper pottery, buttons, coin fragments, cut animal bone, opium tin Jackson Creek southwest ofJacksonville. The average Chinese man fragments and other cultural material. The artifacts found at the paid thirty dollars for a claim. That came with a cabin, eight sluices, location were well documented and then sent to the State two picks, two shovels, and two h .., -hets. The terms were four Museum of Anthropology in Eugene to be washed, cataloged and dollars down and the balance within " ~ days .3 Some Chinese lived further analyzed. near their claims and others resided in a community of wood Preservation of an artifact is vital to its longevity. Careful structures and shanties that came to be known as Chinatown. study of these artifacts along with historical research will be It was never the intent of the Chinese to stay in this country. used to further our understanding of the Chinese occupation in They were here for the prospect of gold and the prosperity and Jacksonville. t status it would bring them back home in the Canton province. With their arrival in Southern Oregon, the Chinese brought Eris Peters is a museums assistant andJayme Neil is a programs a rich social, political and personal culture that was largely associate for the Southern Ol"egon H istorical Society. Both have unfamiliar to the settlers of the Rogue Valley. As a result, there proftssional archaeological training. were many discriminatory laws passed by the U.S. government (the Exclusion Act of 1882, the Scott Act, and the Geary Act) E NDNOTES that were fundamentally designed to remove the Chinese from 1. Jeff LaLande, Sojourners in the Oregon Siskiyolls: Adaptation and Acculturation 0/" the Chinese M iners in the Applegate Valley, California 1855-1900, a thesis this country. The laws, taxes and discrimination that the Chinese submitted to , June 1981. faced forced many to return to their homeland. 2. Catherine Noah, "Land of Hope and Heartache," Table Rock Sentinel, During the heyday of the western gold rush, thousands of Chinese JanuarylFebruary 1993. lived and worked in Jackson County. By the census of 1880, as the 3. Op. cit. 4. Kay Atwood, M inorities o/"Early gold fields showed less and less productivity, that number had Jackson County Oregon, 1976. already fallen to three hundred twenty-nine; eight were women. 5. Joan Handbury, The Chinese in the By 1930, the Chinese population had dwindled to just five. 4 Rogue Valley 1850-1890, 1980. We know very little about the Chinese occupation ofJacksonville 6. Atwood, op. cit. and what their day-to-day life was like. We do know that most of the 7. Richard H . Engeman, The Jacksonville Story, Southern Chinese retained their native dress and customs and rarely lived or Oregon Historical Society, 1990. worked alone. They often wore simple traditional clothing such as a skullcap, a long blue coat, trousers, and white stockings. In later years some incorporated American styles such as boots and hats. The Chinese also kept their heads shaven except for a long queue, which hung down their back or was wrapped carefully around their head. Above, Chinese coin was The queue was of great personal importance to a Chinese man and unearthed during the March also helped ensure his acceptance back into China.5 2004 excavation in They ate a traditional diet and depended on items such as rice, Jacksonville's Chinatown. tea, dried oysters, pork, poultry, and dried seaweed, which was P HOTO BY BARBARA FINNIE imported from San Francisco and sold locally.6 The Chinese worked as miners, took in laundry and worked as cooks and Peter Britt took this and most housekeepers in private residences and businesses such as the U.S. of the extant photographs of Hotel.? They were known for their hard work and patience. The the Chinese and Chinatown. historic record, artifacts found, and recent archaeological Few Chinese women came to investigations continue to illuminate these people and their Jacksonville, and even fewer culture and continue to give us new and fascinating perspectives. were photographed. Britt's In March 2004, archaeologists with the Oregon Department of documentation is critical to Transportation (ODOT) watched over construction on California understanding the Chinese and Oregon streets in Jacksonville. They were already aware of the presence in Jacksonville. Chinese occupation and the location of Chinatown and knew SOHS#13222 .1 ~ Majority sentiment towards the Chinese is expressed in a 1878 newspaper article: " Jacksonville has its China row, and it possesses all the disgusting features of the Mongolian quarters in Portland and San Francisco, save the mission schools, where good white people strive to instruct the Joss worshippers in the principles of Christianity. During all hours of the night the Chinese of the place hold thei r orgies, drinking, villainous, red brandy, gambling, and indulging in all manner of vice peculiar to their race .. :' D EMOCRATIC TIMES NOVEMBER, 1878 SOHS #1505

"" . /1_ / _ _ , ?:~ ~ / L~ ..., ~, ... L.§~ ~

Peter Britt photograph shows the Chinatown buildings that faced California Street before 1888, (right side). The men in the photo are standing where the March 2004 excavation took place. SOHS#5558

Above, archaeologists in March 2004 worked hard to uncover part of Jacksonville's Chinatown. Right, photograph taken after the fi re of 1888. Many buildings, including Chinese quarters, burned in the fire. At right is the Haines Brothers Building, which housed the town's first post office, a butcher shop, and other businesses. The building survived three fires and still stands today on the southwest corner of California and Oregon streets.

PHOTO BY DANA L. JACKSON SOHS#12590

_11 At left, Jacksonville's "Chinatown" has been of archaeological and historical interest for many years. In February 1974, an area of Chinatown, located in Jacksonville between Oregon and First streets was excavated. Local resident Marshall Lango, and Allan Lester, then curator of collections at the Jacksonville Museum, conducted the excavation. Approximately 500 Chinese and Euro-American objects ranging from glass bottles and rice bowls to leather objects and animal bones were found. Many of these artifacts are part of the Southern Oregon Historical Society's collection and can be viewed at the Jacksonville Museum. SOHS Acc #78.106.7, #78.106.8, #78.106.20, #78.106.6A

Right, artifacts found in the 2004 excavation included this animal bone. Below, the archaeological crew stands in March 2004 at the site of old Chinatown. The crew was comprised of staff from the State Museum of Anthropology, the Oregon Department of -' Transportation, and the Q Z Southern Oregon Historical ~ Society. SOHS staff ~ ;; included Eric Peters (back row far left) and Jayme ~ - ,' -, . ~ Neil (front row far left). PHESEHVATION rr~~~rvati~ll ~f tn~ Ja~K~~llVill~ W~~ulallu~ By The Jacksonville woodlands Association

"There are few places where history and modern life are so linked as Jacksonville." George Kramer, 2001

In the spring of 1989, as Jacksonville emerged from beneath two this land unavailable for conveyance to the O&C Railroad. An decades of state imposed building moratoriums, "for sale" signs 1884 mineral survey of the claim indicates the majority of the east began to sprout up on empty land around town. A potential building half was in vineyards and the excavated area was mostly in the boom was threatening to destroy the town's historic open spaces! western half, which is now the lO-acre site. The claim was later Alarmed by what was about to happen, a group of Jacksonville abandoned and the eastern half was successfully homesteaded citizens founded the Jacksonville Woodlands Association. The newly with title conveyed to the homesteader in 1896. formed association opened negotiations with the University of ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES Oregon, which resulted in the purchase of the Beekman Woods. The dream of preserving a "woodlands necklace" of open space The 27-acre Frontino property, along Jackson Creek, was surrounding Jacksonville gained momentum with the purchase of previously owned by Frank and Helen Frontino and used for the 80-acre Peter Britt Estate three years later. Twenty other recreational purposes with a dream of someday building a home contiguous properties have since been added to the Woodlands on the property. In 1999, the BLM purchased the property for system. inclusion in the Jacksonville Woodlands. The Frontino property A cooperative partnership has been established among the contains a portion of the 1860 mining ditch that carried water Jacksonville Woodlands Association, the City ofJacksonville, the from Jackson Creek to the hydraulic mining operation in Rich Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Jackson County Parks, the Gulch. Southern Oregon Historical Society, the Southern Oregon Land In 2001, BLM acquired an additional 7.5 acres known as the Conservancy, and the Trust for Public Land and several private Knoll parcel. The property was purchased from Mark Burkhalter, and public foundations. Thomas Parks, and Michael and Victoria Korpa by the Trust for Nine miles of recreational and interpretive trails have been built. Public Land and subsequently sold to the BLM for protection and The Jacksonville Woodlands Association has set the standard for inclusion in the Jacksonville Woodlands. This parcel provides community land preservation in Oregon by protecting the natural additional public access for trails and offers one of the best scenic and cultural heritage of historic Jacksonville. vistas in the entire trail system. The Jacksonville Woodlands Association signed the original THE BLM's ROLE cooperative agreement with the BLM in 1990. BLM helped to Although the BLM is known for managing the wildest of wild aquire two additional parcels, develop a General Management public spaces, on December 4, 1990 the Medford District of the Plan and cooperates in the maintenance of the trail system. BLM and the City of Jacksonville joined in a special partnership. Call The Jacksonville Woodlands Association for more The original 70 acres that the BLM managed within Jacksonville's information (541) 899-1231. l1t urban boundary presented the opportunity to help preserve the rural flavor of the Jacksonville area and to work with the City of Jacksonville to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities. The Medford District of the BLM is Jacksonville's responsible for managing five parcels of public land within the Jacksonville Woodlands Trail Woodlands, totaling 105 acres. Three parcels, one 40 acres, one 20 acres, and one 10 acres, have been in federal ownership for over 100 years. Two parcels, the Frontino Britt Woods parcel and the Knoll property, recently have been acquired by the BLM. The 40- and 20-acre BLM parcels are lands that were originally given to the Oregon & California Railroad in 1896 and 1901. Mter the O&C Railroad failed, these parcels were revested to the United States in 1916, and have been under the jurisdiction of the BLM or its predecessors since that time. The lO-acre BLM parcel (Chinese Diggings) is public domain land that was at one time included in the Bernard Lorraine placer mining claim, which was located in 1884. The claim originally covered 20 acres. The presence of the Lorraine claim made . I ~ Jeff LaLande, Ashland Dr. Doug & Molly Ph ilips, Medford David & Melinda Britt, Jacksonville ~\'>RAr Margaret McGeary, Medford Betty & Robert Pros ise, Shady Cove Martha Bustard, Medford ~v /'1,,- Eugene & Barbara Monroe, Jacksonville Robert & Margaret Re inho ldt, Ashland Gloria Butler, Medford u...... -.... <-' Matthew & Carla Morey, Shady Cove Dr. Drummond & Deborah Renn ie, Jacksonville Mary Jane Cedar Face, Ashland Dorothy Parke, Medford Verne & Mary Robinson, Talent Linda Chesney, Ashland Dr. To ny &Jo Ramsey, Medford Sharon & Dr. Richard Schaefer, Medford Virgin ia Choiniere, Ashland V) Shane Reed, Jacksonville Dee & Barbara Selby, Talent Dorothy Cl afli n, Phoenix «.,~ John & Joanne Retzlaff, Medford Edward & Betty Shelley, Ashland Irene Clark, Medford A1f~\:) . Richard & Mary Schultz, Ashland William & Jud ith Shrader, Medford Glenda Cossette, Central Point Ji m & LaVonne Stumbo, Jacksonville Glenn & Kathleen Smith, Medford Diane Cowan, Ashland Elizabeth Udall, Ashland Ed ward & Sharon Snyder, Jacksonville Doris Crofoot, Jacksonville Robynne & James Whitaker, Ashland Bob & Joyce Stevens, Jacksonville Susan Davis, Medford Honorary Lifetime Virginia Younger, Medford Jay & Loretta Tapp, Medford Christopher Day, Tiburon, CA Barbara Zoll inger, Ashland Robert & Gildee Va ughn, Central Point Steve Decker, Applegate Mr. and Mrs. Vincent L Armstrong, Medford Th omas & Doris Walker, Sams Valley H.5. & Barbara Deuel, Medford Francis and Mary Cheney, Ben B. Cheney PATRON/PIONEER. $100 Dr. Jack & Barbara Walstrom, Medford Larry & Barbara DeYoung, Central Point Foundation, Tacoma, WA H.L Bush, Medford Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heffernan, Medford Charles & Karin Watson, Medford Harriet Dorris, Central Point Ace & Margaret Ca rter, Central Point Ms. Jean W Jester, Sandy Greg & Valri Williams, Ashland Richard Engeman & Terry Jess, Portland Dr. AL. & Duane Clay, Medford Marj orie O'Harra, Ashland Ell is & Mildred Wil son, Ashland Barbara Ezell, Klamath Falls Dorothy Cook, Medford Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Rowlett, Ashland Jerry & Mary Wojack, Central Point Judith Fa ulkner, Ashland Sandy & Joe Dowling, Central Point Mrs. Mary TOOle, Portland Sharon Freeburne, Central Point Larry & Julia Ann Horton, Medford FA M ILY/ PIONEER. $ 50 Ronald Frost, Medford Chuck & Mary Jones, Medford Ll oyd & Mary tine Abrams, Medford Lifetime Gladys Greene, Ashland Charles & Evelyn Sears, Medford Ron & Gloria Bartlett, Medford Carol Gutel, Rogue River Kay and AI Alsi ng. Ashland Dalton & Ruth Straus, Central Point Marty & An n Bauer, Grants Pass Jerrold Hagstrom, Jacksonville Connie Battaile, Ashland Arthur & Charlotte Bigelow, Shady Cove FAMILY. $ 50 Barbara & Jack Hanel, Medford Bruce and Vic ki Bryden, Medford Mart in & Lola Burke, Jacksonville Kenneth & Marj orie Adams, Talent Les & Peggy Harper, Gold Hill Mary Delsman, Riverside, CA John & COlette Caster, Dayton Alex & Virginia Austin, Grants Pass George Hesdorfer, Medford David & Gladys Fortmiller, Talent Bob & Annie Dreiszus, Talent Patricia Cook Harr ington, Central Point Tom Bradley, Ashland Sh irley Houston, Talent Dick Emery & Francene Bernest, Ashland Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. DeArmond, Cen tral Point Jennifer & Michael Buckner, Jacksonville William & Margit Howell, White City Daryl & Arl ene Fa rnh am, Medford Judi Drais, Medford John Carbone & Sa lly Ras mu ssen, Ashland Hans Jensen, Shady Cove Alan & Ju ne Fleischer, Central Point Yvonne Earnest, Medford Vincent & Betty Cl afl in, Phoenix Willard & Flo Kemp, Medford Stuart & Karen Foster, Medford Mr. an d Mrs. H. Wa lter Emori, Jacksonville James & Mary Lou Clark, Medford Cindie Kitchin, Grants Pass Gladys A Fortmiller, Talent Jean Frazier, Ashland Robert & Susan Clark, Grants Pass Norma Kuyper, Eagle Point Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gardner, Canyon City Margery Goodman, Ashland Dr. James & Mary Cruicksha nk, Medford Nancy Leon ard , Eagle Point Mr. and Mrs. John Hamli n, Medford Dr. Ke ith & Patricia Harrison, Medford Dan & Helen Daniken, Gold Hill Lee & Marilyn Lewis, Jacksonville Mr. Tom Haml in, Medford Jerry & Denise Hauck, Ashland The Davis Family, Eagle Point D. Wayne & Fae linn, Ashland Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hight, Medford James & Catherine Hayes, Ashland Robert & Kath leen DeWitt, Ashland Dorothy Livingston, Jacksonville Mr. Robert A. Johnson, Medford John & Edna Hopkins, Applegate Leota Frakes, Ashland Cynthia Lord, Ashland Edward B. Jorgenson, Medford Bob & Peggy Houston, Medford Mary & Tom Glatte, Medford Marella Luschen, Medford Robert L. Lewis, Jacksonville Dr. Gary & Nancy Ingram, Medford Katie Gomez, Ashland Flora MacCracken, Talent Dr. Eugene L Majerow icz, Los Angeles, CA Roy & Sheila Kimball, Medford Alice Mull aly, Central Point Elizabeth Green, Medford Robert Marlow, Phoenix Fred & Dixie Kruggel Jr., Medford Zoe Dell Nutter, Xenia, OH John & Beth Hallett, Medford Donna Maybee, Medford Fra nk & An na Marcel, Grants Pass Ram Offset Lithographers, White City Raymond Hanosek, Medford CL. McBeth, Jacksonville Lorrai ne & George Mattos, Jacksonville Marilyn L. Sibley, Gold Hill Wes & Li ly Hartley, Eunice McCann, Medford Ashland Tam & Ann Moore, Medford Davis Young, Medford Felicia & Tom Hazel, Talent Art McKee, Prospect Melvin & Bonnie Morgan, Phoenix James & Chris Hess, Jacksonville He idi Meyer, Medford Christine Reis ing & Colin McCoy, Eagle Point New & Rejoining Ted & Therese Hoehne, Eagle Point Karen Mitchell & Robert Thompson, Jacksonville Norman Rob inson, Tucson, Al MARCH MAY Phi l & Juliann & Watashi Hofmann, Ramona, CA Dr. Eric Morrell & Matty McGuire, Medford 1, 2004 - 31, 2004 Larry & Nanci Rogers, Medford William & Lui sa Hollowell, Medford Peter & Bobbi Naumes, Medford BUSINESS . $250 Ro bert & Joan Sage, Medford Denn is & Patricia Hyatt, Eugene David Oas, Ashland Security Insurance Agency, Inc, Medford Trish Styer & Mark Sh ibley, Ashland Radley & Betty Hyde, Medford George & Marcella Owens, Ashland Evergreen Federal, Grants Pass Richard & Adleen Thornton, Ashland Richard & Andrea Igl, Rogue River Ruth Parker, Medford Eden Valley Orchards, Medford Steve & Penny Thorpe, Ashland Joanne Johnson, Talent Judith Paulsen, Ashland H. Dewey & Glori a Wilson, Medford CURATOR • $200 Oscar & Gail Johnson, Ashland Mary Ellen Pec h, Central Point Bryan & Stephanie DeBoer, Medford Marianne Kedd ington-Lang, Portland INDIVIDUAL . $ 35 A. Petersen, Medford FA & Evelyn Schaefer II I, Medford Warren & Nancy Knox, Ashland Rhoda Abrahams, Ashland Bi ll Ph ilp, Jacksonville Rosalie LaFleur, Medford Loretta Adams, Medford Dale Porter, Medford CURATOR / PIONEER. $200 Alfred & Barbara La rson, Medford Avis Adee, Medford Daryl & Mary Lou Proett, Medford Robert & Jean Cowling, Medford Ronald Loveness, Klamath Falls Ann Aines, Bend Claudette Pruitt, Grants Pass Bob & BJ Reed, Medford David & Carol ine Lowry, Talent Roberta Armstrong, Myrtle Creek Geri Read, Medford John & Janie Stewart, Talent Claudia Mansfield, Mt. Shasta, CA Patricia Bailey, Rolling Hills Est., CA WH. Reichstein, Medford PATRON . $100 Diana & Jerry Marmon, Medford Beth Barker, Medford Rosalyn Rhinehart, Medford Sol & Virginia Blechman, Ashland Ron & Judy Martinson, Central Point Harold Ba rrett, Medford AL. & Kat hy Ricketts, Medford Pat & Gayle Clason, Medford Dr. Larry & Cathy Maukonen, Medford Eugene & Barbara Beers, Medford Charles & Elaine Rigby, Cave Junction Jack & Nancy Day, Medford Verner & Donna McCall, Eagle Point Victor & Claudia Berg, Medford Marvin & Lilli Ann Rosenberg, Jacksonville Michael & Marie Donovan, Ashland Bruce & Judith McGarvey, Medford Anne Billeter, Medford Deborah Rowland, Eagle Point Gerald & Stephanie Hell inga, Medford Dusty & Top Miller, Ashland Jean Black, Medford James & Sharon Rowlett, Medford Tom & Evelyn Hennion, Medford John & Nancy Mil ler, Talent Shirley Blaul, Jacksonville Bertha Safley, Medford Allan & Charlotte Henry, Medford Dr. Frank & Marty Moore, Medford Marilyn Boesch, Medford Dorothy Satre, Central Point Dick & Marilyn Henselman, Medford Jay & Nancy Mullen, Medford John Bowden, Klamath Falls Barbara Schiavone, Grants Pass Richard & Ann Hensley, Medford Dr. James & Elizabeth Patterson, Medford Rebecca Bowles, Bella Vista, CA Maxine Scott, Ashland Florence Inman, Ashland Warren & Bettie Paul, Medford Gerald Brenneman, Albany Continued on page 21.

~ n L)O:-',UHS

Dear Friends, Your membership dollars are hard at work this summer at the Southern Oregon Historical Society. They are helping to fund the reopening of Beekman H ouse, special events on the first weekend of each month at H anley Farm, and the creation of a new exhibit on Peter Britt at the Jacksonville Museum. Meanwhile, the Society's ongoing work of collecting artifacts and documents, offering educational programs, operating our museums and preserving our Research Library all continue apace. Thank you for making such important activities possible with your memberships and generous donations. Speaking of generous donations, we are happy to announce that several grants were awarded to Membership Benefits SOHS this spring. The PGE Foundation contributed $500 to support the "Nuestra Gente" exhibit at Memberships last one year. the History Center. The Oregon Heritage Commission's Preserving Oregon program granted $17,000 for repairs to the H anley Farmhouse foundation. Zoe Dell Nutter contributed $5,000 and Medford ALL MEMBERS RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: Air donated $1,500 to help sponsor the visit of the Wright Flyer and "Orville Wright" to Hanley .:- Free admission to SOHS museums and Farm over the Fourth of July weekend. Eastman Kodak in White City gave $1,500, and the City of sites. Jacksonville's Lodging Tax Grants program awarded $1,000 to help create the new Peter Britt exhibit. .:- Subscription to Southern Oregon Ericksen Air-Crane also gave $1,500 to sponsor a lecture this fall by Sergei Sikorsky, son of the Heritage Today quarterly magazine. inventor of the helicopter. SOHS is grateful for the support these grants and sponsorships provide. .:. Subscription to History Matters! Sincerely, monthly newsletter . Richard Seidman •:. 10% discount at the History Store in Development/Membership Coordinator Jacksonville. .:- Free admission card to 16 Pacific Continued from page 20. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Northwest children's museums. Ruth Shutes, Medford Kenn Lantz, Portland Erickson Air-C rane, Central Point .:. Reciprocal benefits through "Time Bill Sipfle & Kate Cleland-Sipfle, Ashland Gail Orel l, La Jolla, CA City of Jacksonville Travelers," a network of more than 100 Lois Smith, Central Point Ceci l Owings, Eagle Point Medford Air, Central Point historical societies and museums around Gordon Solie, Portland Gerald Parsons, Rockaway Beach Zoe Dell Nutter, Xenia, OH the country. Lois Stanley, Eagle Point Olivia Partridge, Boise, ID Oregon Heritage Commiss ion, Salem Carl Strand, Ashland Betty Peabody, San Diego, CA PGE Foundation, Portland .:- Discounts on workshops, programs, and Gary Sumrak, Medford Margaret Rackley, Gold Hill special events. Donald Sweet, Ashland The Collections Pam Schiller, Ashland .:. Invitations to exhibit previews and Laurie Teply, Medford Martha Sheppard, Rncho Sn ta Margarita, CA Thank you to the many people and organizations members-only events. Aria Th ompson, Rogue River Maureen Smith, Gold Hill who have contributed to the collections over Aria Thompson, Rogue River Kathl een Su llivan, Medford the last three months. .:. Ability to vote for Board of Trustees. Colleen Tokar, Medford Doris Sutherlin, Medford William Alley, Vancouver, WA .:. The satisfaction of supporting your Peter Van Fleet & Anita Mignardot, Talent Vara Bail ey, Ashland Anita Swogger, Las Vegas, NV historical society. Darcy Van Vuren, Central Point Christy Van Heuke lem, Salem Frank Bash, Medford Maria Vaughan, Rogue River Eugene Beers, Medford Ted & Armella Wharton, Medford Membership Edie Vinson, Grants Pass Doris Wil son, Medford Jeanette Blankensh ip, Eagle Point Categories: GC Wales, Yreka, CA Jack Bowden, Klamath Falls Claude-Marie Ward, Ashland SUBSCRIBER. $35 Denise Brook s, Eagle Point INDIVIDUAL· $35 Suzanne Watkins, Chiloquin Douglas County Library, Roseburg Jack Buckley, Medford Ti na Calvert, Grants Pass FAMILY· $50 Dr. John & Elizabeth Watson, Medford Univ Of Wash ington Libraries, Seattle, WA Mrs. Arthur Chipman, Medford Dr. Robert Weiss, Medford PATRON· $100 Amelia Clay, Medford Franz Wichman, Medford Donors L. Scott Clay, Medford CURATOR· $200 Joan Williams, Medford FINANCIAL Robertson Collins Estate, Monte Sereno, CA Includes all basic benefits plus recognition Edna Wolff, Central Point Terrie & Gregory Claflin, Medford Russel Davi s, Medford Gloria Wood, Central Point Michael Criswell, Amity Lois Eagleton, Umpqua in Annual Report and Southern Oregon Judy Gove, Grants Pass Heritage Today. INDIVIDUAL/PIONEER. $35 Judi Drais, Medford Gilbert Gutjahr, Portland Eva Albert, Trail Eloise Friesen, Medford DIRECTOR· $500 Peggyann Hutchinson, Medford Lana & Darrell Boldt, Ashland Judy Hanshu e-Lozano & Robert Lozan o, Butte Falls Includes all of the above benefits plus Bob & Peggy Houston, Medford Jackson County, Kathy Beckett, Medford Monte & Dave Campbell, Eugene Grayce L. Jones, Medford Dr. Robert & Anna Li kin s, Medford unlimited guest privileges. Dale & Linda Casey, Medford Gerald ine Kenny Kierstead, Medford John & Nadine Purcell, Ashland Darlene Castee l, Shelton, WA Jeff LaLand e, U. S. Forest Service, Medford HISTORIAN'S CIRCLE. $1,000 Sharon & Dr. Ri chard Schaefer, Medford Sherry Cook, Stevenson, WA Myrtle P. Lee, Jacksonville Includes all of the above benefits plus Elaine Doerr, Sacramento, CA Bob & Joyce Stevens, Jacksonville Dorothy Meister, Medford invitations to exclusive Historian's Circle Don Neil son, Medford Joel & Jo Anne Elias, Kensington, CA IN KIND events, and private tours with Executive Winafred Parcel, Auburn, WA Helen Fields, Grants Pass Siskiyou Pump Service, Central Point Tom Payn, Medford Director and exhibit curators. Marie Ford, Talent Southern Oregon Visitors Assoc., Medford Jack Potter, Woodland, CA Lucile Gann, Medford Speareo Graphics, Medford LIFETIME· $2,500 Betty Gillette, Jacksonville Jessy Randal l, Colorado Springs, CO Herbert Clare Rodenberger, San Francisco, CA Includes all of the above benefits. Steve & Betty Lee Glass, Central Point Southern Oregon Historical Aubrey Sander, Medford Kay Green & Robert Nelson, Central Point BUSINESS· $250 Society Foundation John Shonerd, Central Point Roland Hart ley, Salem Includes subscriptions, recognition in John Smith-Peter, Rogue River ENDOWMENT FUND Sandra Haskins, Woodland, WA Mariette Sorem, Jacksonville Annual Report and Southern Oregon Diane Cowan, Ashland Arlene Hoffman, Eagle Point Ben Truwe, Medford Heritage Today, and 10% discount for all Joan & Wayne Horton, Medford Stan Way, Cornerstone Christian Church, Medford employees on memberships, admissions Chuck Jackson, Medford Grants and Sponsorships Mrs. Ralph Wilson, Medford and History Store purchases. Susanne Kr ieg, Ashland Eastman Kodak, White City John Winkler Sr., Medford . ~ I SPOl'\SOHS AND SPEC IAL E\,El'\TS

Good Clean Fun!

Summer 2004

~~ ...... # ' \ \, I I - I JJ ' I J I ...... r'JI::J·~ JJ22J~2IJ!J::J ::J ' ~.r ::JIJ .. 2j .r'::JIIIJ 1053 Hanley Rd ., Hwy 238, Central Point • 11 AM TO 4PM, SAT & SUN wagon rides, house and barn tours all day

July 3 & 4 • An American Celebration • REPLICA OF THE WRIGHT BROTHER'S FLYER • MEET "ORVILLE W RIGHT" • ICE CREAM • VINTAGE CARS • KITE MAKING (Wright Flyer is sponsored by Medford Air, Rogu e Eagles R.C. Club, & Zoe Dell Nutter) August 7 & 8 • Native American Life Ways • FLINT KNAPPING • TOOL MAK ING • NATI VE GAMES • HANDS-ON ARTIFACTS • WAGON RIDES

September 4 & 5 • Late 19th Century • HISTORIC BALING AND THRESHING • HANDS-ON ACTI VITIES

1~i SOUTHERN OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY • (541)773-6536 • www.sohs.org • a member-supported organization Advertise in Southern Oregon Heritage Today For information and rates, call Jennifer Buckner, (541) 773-6358, ext. 228

_a ______•••••••••••••••••••••• "It will be hard to find a better Viognier anywhere. » - T HE O REGONIAN

'~ southern Oregon pioneer; Valley View is making consistently excellent wines. " - WINE PRESS NORTHWEST Platinum Medal/Best ofShow - G REATESf OF THE G RAPE, 2003 "Exceptional Superb wine from southern Oregon. " - DAN BERGER'S VINTAGE E XPERIENCES "Southern Oregon's Favorite Winery, 2001,2002 & 2003"

- M EDFORD M AIL T RIBUNE READERS P OLL

RECENT GOLD M EDALS Dallas Morning News, Newport Wine Competition, San Diego Wine Competition, International Eastern Wine Competition, Sunriver Wine Competition, Astoria Wine Competition. New World International Wine Competition----- Southern Oregon H istorical Society (541) 773-6536 www.sohs.org i n

MUSEUMS AND SITES I , i, HISTORY CENTER RESEARCH LIBRARY 106 N. Central, Medford

JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM HISTORY STORE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM 5th and C, Jacksonville

HANLEY FARM 1053 Hanley Rd., Hwy 238, Central Point AVAlLABLE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS

C.C. BEEKMAN HOUSE California & Laurelwood, Jacksonville

C.C. BEEKMAN BANK 3rd & California, Jacksonville

U.S. HOTEL 3rd & California, Jacksonville AVAILABLE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS

CATHOLIC RECTORY 4th & C, Jacksonville 8

~~lltllHll ijr~[~ II Hi~t~ri~ ~l ~ ~ ~i~tJ Mi~ ~ i ~ ll: to collect, preserve, research, and interpret the artifacts and documents that connect us to the past. Through exhibitions, historic sites, a research library, educational programs, publications, and outreach, the Society creates opportunities to explore the history that has shaped Southern Oregon.

NON-PROFIT ORG us POSTAGE P A I D PERMIT NO. 164 d~~ MEDFORD, OR SOUTHERN IIII HISTORICAL OREGON •••• SOCIETY A MEMB ER-S UPPORT- ED ORGANI ZATI ON 106 North Ce ntral Avenue Medford, Oregon 97501 -5 926 SOUTHERN O REGON HER I TAGE TODAY