Scottsburg in Douglas County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Scottsburg
Oregon History
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2015
1. Scottsburg Marker
Few Oregon communities have had a more colorful history than Scottsburg. It was named for Levi Scott, a pioneer of 1844, who homesteaded here and founded the town in 1850. There was a lower town at the head of tidewater on the Umpqua River which became the site of business houses and mills. A mile upstream was the upper town, the distributing and shipping point for the mining regions and communities of southern Oregon. As many as 500 pack animals could be seen loading here at one time. The decline of the community began with the opening of ports nearer the market points in southern Oregon and northern California and the railroad further inland. In December 1861 a great flood wiped out the lower town. Here in April 1854 was published the first newspaper in southern Oregon, The Umpqua Weekly Gazette.
Erected by Oregon Travel Experience.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Oregon Beaver Boards series list.
Location. 43° 39.241′ N, 123° 49.048′ W. Marker is in Scottsburg, Oregon, in Douglas County. Marker is at the intersection of Umpqua
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Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 17 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Brandy Bar (approx. 6 miles away); Jerry Phillips Reserve (approx. 16.3 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Scottsburg, Oregon.
Scottsburg was once a growing town but after a large flood in December 1861 the town declined. Scottsburg was named for pioneer Levi Scott. The city is located at what was the headwaters of navigation on the Umpqua River, some 20 miles from the ocean. For a short time in the 1850s and 1860s, it was a seaport servicing the interior of Southern Oregon. Scottsburg was a transfer point for a stage line that ran from Drain, Oregon to Scottsburg. Once at Scottsburg, travelers boarded a steamboat and traveled down river to Gardiner, Oregon. (Submitted on January 29, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Levi Scott.
Levi C. Scott (1797–1890) was a politician in the Oregon Territory of the United States in the 1850s. A native of Illinois, he was a captain during the Cayuse War, helped lay the Applegate Trail, served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature, and in 1857 was a member of the Oregon
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2015
2. Scottsburg Marker (wide view; Main Street passes behind the marker)
3. Umpqua Weeky Gazette.
The Scottsburg Umpqua Weekly Gazette is notable for being the first newspaper published in the state of Oregon south of Salem. The Umpqua Gazette is representative of a certain type of paper: ones founded for the primary purpose of town boosting. A number of these were launched in Oregon during the territorial and early-statehood periods, when land speculation was widespread. Captain Levi Scott, founder of Scottsburg, also started the Gazette as a means of attracting residents and investors to his new town. Scott purchased a second-hand printing plant from San Francisco and appointed Daniel Jackson Lyons as editor. This man's main qualification for the job would seem to be that he was already on Scott's payroll. (Submitted on January 29, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2015
3. Scottsburg Post Office (a few hundred feet from the marker)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 15, 2018. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 690 times since then and 79 times this year. Last updated on January 30, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1. submitted on January 26, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on January 29, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
