Gold Mining in Southern Oregon

Submitted and written by Kathy Barlow

‘There’s gold in them thar hills.’

It was January of 1852, two mule packers, John R. Poole and James Cluggage owners of ‘Jackass Freight’ were hauling supplies from the Willamette Valley in the Oregon territory to Sacramento, California.

They decided to setup camp for the night along a foothill. Needing water for their animals they found a promising spot and started digging a hole. While digging they noticed color in the hole. Sorting out the debris they realized they had just struck gold. John R. Poole and James Cluggage had accidentally stumbled onto the largest gold strike in Oregon’s history.

Gold Miners in Southern Oregon late 1800s.Courtesty of Grants Pass Courier.

They immediately filed claim on the land located on Daisy Creek and named it ‘Rich Gulch’. They also filed claims along Jackson Creek, where large amounts of course placer gold (free gold mixed with stream gravel) was found. Once the news got out, over one thousand men from all over the country pulled up stakes, left loved ones behind and moved to Southern Oregon for a chance to strike it rich.

James Cluggage filed a donation land claim on 160 acres and John R. Poole filed claim on 306 acres. With a section of their land the partners then went about setting up a town site, giving it the name ‘Table Rock City.’ Poole and Cluggage became wealthy leaders in their community. Table Rock City later changed its name to Jacksonville.

Soon Jacksonville became the largest town north of San Francisco, California. During the late 1800s C.C. Beekman’s Bank in Jacksonville was the only bank in America known to charge its clients for banking with them and not paying interest on accounts. The Beekman Bank scales weighed in over ten million dollars worth of gold.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Southern Oregon continues to be a summer gathering point for gold panning enthusiasts. The Medford District Bureau of Land Management has four areas that are open to recreational gold mining for the public: Little Applegate, Tunnel Ridge, Gold Nugget and Hellgate Recreation Area.

View the original article here