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Jacksonville in Jackson County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
 

Rich Gulch

 
 
Rich Gulch Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, March 10, 2013
1. Rich Gulch Marker
Inscription.
Gold found here in 1851 by James Cluggage, John R. Poole
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.
 
Location. 42° 18.716′ N, 122° 58.284′ W. Marker is in Jacksonville, Oregon, in Jackson County. It is on Oregon Street near Oak Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jacksonville OR 97530, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Oregon. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bozo the Clown (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Britt House: Simple Frame to Cottage Gothic (approx. 0.2 miles away); Peter Britt: A Passion for His Garden (approx. 0.2 miles away); City Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); China Quarter (approx. 0.2 miles away); Peter Britt: Man of Culture and Commerce (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War II Three Trees Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Britt Sequoia (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.
 
Regarding Rich Gulch. The site of one of the richest gold strikes in the history of the West. Stretches between the
West Fir Street and South Oregon Street. Follows
old hydraulically mined gulches and glory holes.
When the gold deposits were worked out, and the railway bypassed Jacksonville in 1884, the city's economy slowed.
 
Also see . . .
1. The Centennial History of Oregon Vol. 1, by Joseph Gaston.
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Internet Archive website entry: The Discovery of Gold in Oregon
Pack trains owned by James Cluggage and James R. Poole, camped for the night on the ground now covered by the town of Jacksonville; and after staking out their animals went in search of water up the little gulch south of the present town known as Rich gulch. From this discovery on Jackson Creek, the discoveries rapidly extended east and west until all the mountain regions of Jackson, Josephine and Curry Counties had been thoroughly explored, and many millions of dollars taken out. (Submitted on October 18, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.) 

2. National Register of Historical Places. Rich Gulch Diggings (added 2000 - Site - #00000288) Also known as Rich Gulch Diggings Mining Ensemble (Submitted on October 18, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.) 
 
Rich Gulch Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, March 10, 2013
2. Rich Gulch Marker
Gold first found here Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 1995
3. Gold first found here Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,874 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on January 17, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.   3. submitted on October 18, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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Sep. 8, 2026