- In Jacksonville, Oregon
While we were in southern Oregon last week, we took advantage of a matinee-free afternoon and drove into Jacksonville. Though it’s only fifteen miles or so from Ashland, we hadn’t been there in years. It had changed a bit and, from our perspective, not for the better.
I have always felt an affinity for Jacksonville. It was founded in 1851 (three years before Oysterville) because of the discovery of gold (not oysters.) It immediately became the Jackson County seat but when the gold was played out and the railroad by-passed the town, the county seat was transferred to nearby Medford and Jacksonville languished. So many similarities to the story of Oysterville’s ‘rise and fall!’
But there is a lot more left of old Jacksonville than there is of our little village. From what I can see, that is primarily due to bricks. When the building material is almost exclusively wood, as it was here, and heating and cooking depended upon fire, it’s a formula for disaster. Fire has taken many of the Oysterville buildings since 1854; the ravages of time and weather have taken even more. Jacksonville has been luckier in that respect.
For many years, the world by-passed both Jacksonville and Oysterville. Both towns consider that a big plus; we were left alone. No bulldozers, no high-rises, no modern intrusions. But, as cars came in and roads were built, Jacksonville had the advantage of being more easily accessible to the outside world. Though it wasn’t on the way to anywhere, it was close enough to population centers and main thoroughfares to be noticed. Plus, the brick buildings had endured.
In 1966, Jacksonville was designated a National Historic District covering more than 100 buildings. When Oysterville received the same designation ten years later, we had only 14 structures of significance. Brick vs. wood. Since those designations, we have both garnered the attention of the ‘greater world’ and, because Jacksonville is more accessible, it has become a much greater tourist Mecca than we have. And therein lay the disappointment we felt when we visited.
Tourists (like us) clotted the sidewalks and cars (like ours) filled the public parking lots and lined the streets. The buildings, even though they are of brick, looked tired and just a little shabby. There were too many cute little shops with ethnic clothing and designer jewelry and expensive artwork. It felt like Any Tourist Town, U.S.A. Oysterville still feels like a peek into the past – or at least that’s what visitors tell us.
It was good to get home…
There’s a fine line to be walked between being a historical landmark and a tourist destination. One needs the tourists to thrive, but look what happened to Cannon Beach, once a charming artist colony, now the Sedona of the coast. I have enjoyed the mining town of Jerome, AZ. Its shops tend toward local products and art and it’s very small. Mostly what you enjoy is the breathtaking view. Closer to home, I enjoyed Aurora, OR, including a candle lit tour one Christmas. And yes, visiting Oysterville is exactly a little trip into the past!