Historic Jacksonville, Oregon

As late as it was in the day when we left the Harry and David store in Medford, the best part of the day was yet to come. We  headed out of town toward historic Jacksonville, Oregon, which just a few miles out of Medford. Jacksonville is one of just a handful of towns designated as a National Historic Landmark. The entire town. Its roots lie in the gold rush days of the 1800s.

This is no ghost town. The beautifully maintained buildings are now host to shops, galleries, restaurants, inns, spas (including a holistic animal spa), and more. We parked on Main Street

which is lined with fine old buildings from the century before last.

As we turned the corner on our way to the Visitor's Center, we saw the trolley

which we understand gives tours. The brochures say "hop aboard," but they didn't say if or how much of a fee, and my pocket change was slim, so we decided to avoid embarrassment. Next time, and there will be a next time, I would like to ride the trolley. I understand it only operates through October, so I'd better hurry back.

On our way to the visitor center, we passed the telephone company, which had this window display.

We picked up a brochure for the walking tour and consulted the time. 30 minutes before we had to head back to Grants Pass. We will definitely have to come back.

Still, we managed to cram quite a bit of sightseeing into a half hour. Here's the old Catholic rectory

and the Anglican Church,

which had a huge stone in front, with this inscription.

Here's the statue

in front of the courthouse.

This is one of the inns, or bed-and-breakfasts, in Jacksonville.

Just look at that tree by the front porch. This is definitely a milder climate than Montana (where we're from).

Here's the Turner House,

and here's the B. F. Dowell house, ca. 1859.

We didn't have time to visit any of the art galleries, but I loved the name of this one, and the sign.

Time was up--for now. We returned to Grants Pass via the scenic Applegate byway, which is liberally sprinkled with wineries, but that will have to be another story. The afternoon sunlight and the scenery were glorious. I love October!

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