Applegate Creek Placer
Mine. Jackson County.
The Applegate Creek, now
known as Applegate River, is tributary to the Rogue River. Applegate River and
its valley was the site of widespread Chinese placer starting in the 1860's.
Reference: LaLande 1981: 251.
Ashland Chinatown. Jackson County.
Ashland Chinatown was
located on A Street across from the railroad facilities. The Chinese serviced
the trains and performed railroad maintenance. Wah Chung was a prominent figure
within the community. The Chinatown also contained stores and a laundry.
Ashland Chinatown ceased to exist by 1941. Reference: Atwood 1976: 12, 22;
LaLande 1981: 33.
Browntown Chinese Concentration. Jackson County.
Browntown Chinese Concentration. Jackson County.
Browntown, located in the
Gold Hill Mining District of Jackson County, was the center of mining activity.
Many Chinese settled in Browntown while reworking nearby abandoned mining
claims. Reference: Jackson 2010.
Buck Rock Tunnel. Jackson County.
Buck Rock Tunnel. Jackson County.
The west portal of Buck Tunnel is approximately 12 miles east of the town of Ashland and off Oregon Route 66. Chinese workers dug the Oregon and California Railroad Company tunnel in 1884. It was meant to connect with a similar tunnel being dug from the east. However, the project was abandoned before the tunnels connected. Reference: Eastman 2022.
Buncom Mining Area. Jackson County.
Chinese placer miners in
the 1870's worked the played-out claims around Buncom, located at the mouth of
Sterling Creek where it flows into the Little Applegate River. Reference:
Fowler and Roberts 1995: 29, 31.
Cameron Ranch Chinese Camp. Jackson County.
Cameron Ranch Chinese Camp. Jackson County.
Cameron Ranch Chinese Camp
was located at the confluence of the Applegate River and Little Applegate
River. It was a placer mining operation in the 1870's, prior to ownership of the
land by the Cameron family. Reference: Fowler and Roberts 1995: 40.
China Ditch. Jackson County.
China Ditch. Jackson County.
Approximately five miles
in length, China Ditch flows parallel to Little Applegate River in an area of wide-spread
placer and hydraulic mining. China Ditch is on the south side of the river
moving water northwesterly from Yale Creek past Buncom. The ditch was dug by
Chinese laborers and brought water to one of Gin Lin’s mines. The ditch is
also known as Gin Lin Ditch. See Gin Lin Mining Trail, Jackson County. Reference: Fowler and Roberts 1995: 33; U.S.G.S.
Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Ruch, Oregon, 1996.
China Ditch Road. Jackson County.
China Ditch Road. Jackson County.
China Ditch Road parallels
China Ditch. See China Ditch, Jackson County. Reference: MapQuest; U.S.G.S. 30x60’ series, Medford, Oregon.
China Gap. Jackson County.
China Gap. Jackson County.
China Gap lies within a
ridge separating Pleasant Creek to the north and Sykes Creek to the south. Its
elevation of 1842 feet above sea level and provided easy passage across the divide.
Reference: U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Wimer, Oregon, 1996.
China Gulch1. Jackson County.
China Gulch1. Jackson County.
China Gulch is between
Star Gulch and Palmer Creek, about one half mile west of the Applegate River.
Placer mining first occurred there in the 1860's with hydraulic mining beginning
in the 1870's. Artifacts indicate a Chinese presence. Reference: LaLande
1981: 30, 40; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Ruch, Oregon, 1996.
China Gulch2. Jackson County.
China Gulch2. Jackson County.
The creek in China Gulch
flows southwest into Carberry Creek, a tributary of Applegate River. Artifacts
suggest that Chinese miners worked the area in the 1870's and 1880's. Reference:
LaLande 1981: 204-209; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Carberry, Oregon,
1996.
China Gulch3. Jackson County.
China Gulch3. Jackson County.
China Gulch has a
north-south orientation with its mouth facing the Applegate River about 1 ½
miles west of the community of Ruch. Reference: U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’
series, Ruch, Oregon, 1996.
China Gulch4. Jackson County.
China Gulch4. Jackson County.
China Gulch4 has a
northeast-southwest orientation with its mouth facing Kane Creek. The gulch is
about two miles southeast of Gold Hill. Reference: U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’
series, Goldhill, Oregon, 1983.
China Gulch5. Jackson County.
China Gulch5. Jackson County.
The stream flowing through
China Gulch5 moves in a northwest direction where it enters Ferris Gulch, about
2.5 miles southwest of the community of Applegate. Reference: U.S.G.S.
Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Tallowbox Mountain, Oregon, 1996.
China Gulch6. Jackson County.
China Gulch6. Jackson County.
China Gulch6 is on the
north bank of Grave Creek. Chinese placer miners operated throughout the area
in the late 1800's. There is an unimproved campground at the gulch. Reference:
“Grave Creek to Foster Bar Trail Log.”; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Mount
Reuben, Oregon, 1998.
China Gulch Road. Jackson County.
China Gulch Road. Jackson County.
China Gulch Road is
parallels China Gulch3 west of the community of Ruch. Its name is derived from
the nearby gulch. Reference: “China Gulch Road.”; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’
series, Ruch, Oregon, 1996.
China Shacks. Jackson County.
China Shacks. Jackson County.
China Shacks was an
alternate name for Jacksonville Chinatown. See Jacksonville Chinatown, Jackson
County. Reference: LaLande 1981: 23.
Chinese Quarter. Jackson County.
Chinese Quarter. Jackson County.
Chinese Quarter was an
alternate name for Jacksonville Chinatown. See Jacksonville Chinatown, Jackson
County. Reference: LaLande 1985: 30; Halverson 2018; Whitewilson.
Crossroads of Cultures Panel. Jackson County.
Crossroads of Cultures Panel is near the intersection of Astor Street and 9th Street, City of Jacksonville. Located in a park-like setting, text and photographs on the marker detail much of the early Chinese presence in the city. Reference: Mariner 2013.
Evans Creek Chinese Mines. Jackson County.
Evans Creek Chinese Mines
were a series of placer claims along a 13-mile-long portion of Evans Creek.
Various groups of Chinese worked the area for almost 30 years, starting in the
late 1800's. Reference: U.S.G.S.
Quadrangle 7.5’ series, McConville Creek, Oregon, 1983; Atwood, Katherine and Frank A. Lang 1995: 29.
Flumet Gulch Mine. Jackson County.
Flumet Gulch was the location of one of several gold mines owned and worked by Gin Lin. The mine is within the Palmer Creek Diggings Mining District.
Reference: U.S. Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Gin Lin’s Camp. Jackson County.
Gin Lin’s Camp. Jackson County.
Gin Lin’s Camp was located
on the south side of China Gulch1 by 1881. It consisted of a residential structure,
storage sheds and outbuildings. Gin Lin purchased his first claim on the Lower
Little Applegate River in 1864. He moved from China Gulch1 to the Rogue
River near Galice Creek in 1885. Gin Lin returned to China in 1894 where he died in
1897. The camp is within the Palmer Creek Diggings Mining District. See Gin Lin's Camp, Josephine County. Reference:
LaLande 1981: 182-187; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Ruch, Oregon,
1996. Photo.
Gin Lin Ditch. Jackson County.
Gin Lin Ditch. Jackson County.
Gin Lin Ditch ran parallel
to Little Applegate Creek for about five miles, bringing water to the Little
Applegate Mine. The ditch was dug by Chinese laborers and is within the Palmer
Creek Diggings Mining District. The ditch is also known as China Ditch. See China Ditch, Jackson County. Reference: LaLande 1985: 30, 42.
Gin Lin Mining Trail. Jackson County.
Gin Lin Mining Trail. Jackson County.
The Gin Lin Mining Trail
begins at Flumet Flat Forest Service campground on the Applegate River. It is a
loop pathway approximately three quarters of a mile in length featuring
remnants of one of Gin Lin’s hydraulic mines of the 1880's. The trail is within
the Palmer Creek Diggings Mining District. Reference: LaLand 1981:
191; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Carberry Creek, Oregon,
1996; Allen 2003. Map.
Ginko Creek. Jackson County.
Ginko Creek, approximately
10 miles in length, begins near Red Blanket Mountain and flows into Mill Creek
north of the town of Prospect. The name is reportedly derived from a gingko tree
though to have been planted by Chinese miners near their camp. The seed and
leaf are important components of Chinese medicine. Reference: McArthur and
McArthur 2003: 403.
Grand Applegate Ditch. Jackson County.
Grand Applegate Ditch. Jackson County.
The six miles long, north
flowing Grand Applegate Ditch diverted water from Carberry Creek to the Grand
Applegate hydraulic mine. Chinese laborers constructed the canal during the
winter of 1878-1879. The claim itself was purchased by a Chinese mining company
in 1886. Reference: LaLande 1981: 200-202.
Jackass Creek Chinese Mines. Jackson County.
Jackass Creek Chinese Mines. Jackson County.
Jackass Creek was the
location of Chinese placer mines in the late 1870's. Reference: Atwood 1976: 14.
Jacksonville Chinatown. Jackson County.
Jacksonville Chinatown. Jackson County.
Jacksonville Chinatown was
located near the intersection of W. California Street and S. Oregon Street in the
town of Jacksonville. The location is within today’s Jacksonville National
Historic District, itself a National Historic Landmark. Archaeological evidence
places Chinatown’s origins at about 1852, prompting the suggestion that it was
the first Chinatown in the state. By 1880, it occupied both sides of Main
Street. Fires and out-migration of residents prompted all the Chinatown’s
buildings to be gone by 1930. Reference: National Historic Landmarks Program;
LaLande 1981: 23, 28, 220, 295; Whitewilson. Photo.
Klippel/Squaw Creek Ditch, Jackson County.
Klippel/Squaw Creek Ditch, Jackson County.
Chinese workers dug the Klippel/Squaw Creek Ditch in the 1870s. Reference: LaLande, Jeff.
Kanaka Gulch Ditch. Jackson County.
Kanaka Gulch Ditch was
constructed by Chinese laborers in 1878-1879. It was five miles in length.
Reference: Mead 2006: 281.
Palmer Creek Diggings. Jackson County.
Palmer Creek Diggings. Jackson County.
Palmer Creek Diggings was
the site of one of Gin Lin’s hydraulic mining effort. Reference: U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Carberry Creek, Oregon, 1996; Allen 2003.
Palmer Creek Ditch. Jackson County.
Palmer Creek Ditch was
five miles long and moved water from Flumet Creek past China Gulch, flowing
through the Gin Lin Mining Trail site. The ditch was dug by Chinese laborers with its
water being used for hydraulic mining. See Gin Lin Mining Trail, Jackson County. Reference: U.S. Forest Service, Rogue
River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Pleasant Creek Chinese Camp. Jackson County.
Pleasant Creek Chinese
Camp consisted of five dwelling that housed the Chinese placer miners in 1880.
Reference: Atwood, Katherine and Frank A. Lang 1995: 39; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle
7.5’ series, Wimer, Oregon, 1996.
Sterling Mine Ditch. Jackson County.
Sterling Mine Ditch. Jackson County.
Sterling Mine Ditch
brought water from the Little Applegate River to the mine on Tunnel Ridge.
Chinese laborers constructed the three-foot deep, 26-mile-long canal in 1877.
It is presently part of the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail System, open to hikers
and equestrians. Reference: “Sterling Mine Ditch Trail System”; LaLande 1981:
30; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Sterling Creek Creek, Oregon, 1996. Photo.
The Chinese Wall. Jackson County.
The Chinese Wall. Jackson County.
The Chinese Wall is
located at the Palmer Creek Diggings. The wall is 300 feet in length and 12-15
feet in height and 6-9 feet wide at its top. The stacking of cobbles and
boulders associated with hydraulic mining was accomplished by Chinese miners
who removed the material left by the hydraulic mining and stacked it out of the
way to retrieve small amounts of gold. Gin Lin was the owner/operator of the
mine. Reference: LaLande 1981: 195-199; U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Ruch,
Oregon, 1996.
Tree of Heaven. Jackson County.
Tree of Heaven. Jackson County.
The +100-year-old Tree of
Heaven within Lithia Park is in the town of Ashland. The tree is thought to
have been planted by Abel Helman’s (1824-1910) Chinese cook. It was a common
practice for Chinese in the 1800's to plant a Tree of Heaven wherever they went because its berries, bark, and roots have medicinal properties. The park was placed
on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1982. Reference: “Lithia Park.”
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