Praying for Oregon Counties: Jackson

Fish Lake, Jackson County, OR

But whoever listens to me [wisdom] will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. Proverbs 1:33

 

Jackson County, named for President Andrew Jackson, was established in 1852. It is bordered by the State of California to the south, Klamath County to the east, Josephine to the west and Douglas to the north. The first county seat was Jacksonville. In 1884 the railroad came to the Rogue Valley and established Medford, the rail station, about five miles from Jacksonville. The town, due to the railroad,

prospered, and in 1927 the county seat was moved there. Medford is now the 8^thlargest city in the state.

 

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, about twenty miles south of Medford, is something, as an English major, I have long wished to attend, but never been able to get there. The Siskiyou Mountains, a subrange of the Klamath Mountains, runs through Jackson County and into California. I once took an Amtrak trip to California and crossed the Siskiyou Mountains at night, watching a thunderstorm through the wide overhead windows of the observation car. Very dramatic.

 

The first settlers to the Rogue Valley came about 1851 and took up homesteads by Donation Land Claim. The California gold rush was in full swing, and in 1852 gold was discovered near what became Jacksonville. This brought in more folks, both miners and settlers. Interestingly, many Chinese came north from the California gold fields. By 1870 60% of the miners and one-eighth of the residents of Jackson County were Chinese. 

McKee Covered Bridge, Jackson County, OR

Ashland was settled on the site of a former Shasta Indian village. One account says the natives were “driven away by settlers,” but so far I have not been able to verify that. What is known is that Ashland prided itself on being more sedate than the “wild gold town” of Jacksonville, being settled by farmers and businessmen who took a tough stand against drinking, saloons and gambling. 

 

The darkest history during this time is the Rogue River Indian War which was officially started by the Lupton Massacre of 1853 near Jacksonville. This was the massacre of a band of Indians, including children and the elderly, although there were casualties on both sides. The tensions and misunderstandings between the various players in this drama – settlers, miners, military and Native Americans – is fascinating, complicated and heartbreaking. Joel Palmer, the Indian agent at the time, was working to keep exactly this scenario from happening, but was unable to prevent  the outbreak of violence and hostility which lasted until 1856 when all the tribes were removed to coast reservations. 

 

Meanwhile, also in 1853, a large number of serious-minded, religious immigrants, mostly from the Midwest, arrived in Jacksonville by wagon train. One group was known as the “Preacher’s Train” for the number of ministers it contained. One of the ministers, a Methodist named Joseph Smith, began building a church in Jacksonville. It was completed the next year, 1854, by Thomas Fletcher Royal, another minister, and was used by Baptists and Presbyterians as well as for non-denominational revival services. The building, believed to be the first church built in southern Oregon, is now St. Andrews Anglican Church and still in use.  

 

Peter Britt was born in Switzerland and moved to Jacksonville in the 1850’s. He was a well-known photographer of the period and also started growing wine grapes in the Rogue Valley. He sold his own label, Valley View, from 1873 – 1905. While Britt saw the potential for wine growing in the area that early, modern vineyards didn’t get started until the 1970’s. Now there are about 120 vineyards in the Rogue Valley. 

 

The Peter Britt Music Festival is held in Jacksonville each year.

 

Jackson County has a Board of Commissioners with three commissioners elected for four-year terms. The current commissioners are: Rick Dyer, Colleen Roberts and Dave Dotterrer.

 

How do we pray for Jackson County?

 

The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought. Isaiah 58:11

 

·     Pray for a spirit of repentance over the events surrounding the Rogue River Indian War. 

 

·     Pray for wisdom for the county commissioners, and other county officials, as they make decisions for the county in general as well as face challenges with the covid pandemic, wildfires and drought.