Jackson County

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, 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.

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 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.

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 parallels China Ditch. See China Ditch, Jackson County. Reference: MapQuest; U.S.G.S. 30x60’ series, Medford, Oregon.

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 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.

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 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 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.

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 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 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 was an alternate name for Jacksonville Chinatown. See Jacksonville Chinatown, Jackson County. Reference: LaLande 1981: 23.

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 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 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.

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.

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 was the location of Chinese placer mines in the late 1870's. Reference: Atwood 1976: 14.

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.

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 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 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 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.

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.”

References

Allen, Cain. 2003. “Gin Lin Trail.” Oregon History Project. http://ohs.org/ Accessed October 29, 2010.

Atwood, Kay. 1976. Minorities of Jackson County, Oregon. Gandee printing Center, Inc.

Atwood, Katherine and Frank A. Lang. 1995. As Long as the World Goes On: Environmental History of the Evans Creek Watershed. U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District. http://www.blm.gov/ Accessed March 7, 2011.

“China Ditch Road.” MapQuest. http://www.mapquest.com/ Accessed December 15, 2010.

“China Gulch Road.” MapQuest. http://www.mapquest.com/ Accessed December 15, 2010.

Eastman, Janet. 2022. "Buck Rock Tunnel." https://www.oregonlive.com/ Accessed February 16, 2022.

Fowler, Connie and J.B. Roberts. 1995. Buncom: Crossroads Station. Jacksonville, Oregon. Buncom Historical Society.

“Grave Creek to Foster Bar Trail Log.” U.S. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Land Management. http://www.blm.gov/ Accessed December 14, 2010.

Halverson, Douglas. 2018. "China Quarter." https://www.hmdb.org/ Accessed November 12, 2021.

Jackson, Kerby. “Browntown and Hogtown.” Oregon Gold. http://www.oregongold.net/ Accessed October 10, 2010.

LaLande, Jeff. "Chinese Mining in Oregon." Oregon Encyclopedia. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/ Accessed February 6, 2022.

LaLande, Jeffery Max. 1985. “Sojourners in Search of Gold: Hydraulic Mining Techniques of the Chinese on the Oregon Frontier.” Industrial Archaeology. Vol. 11, No. 1: 29-52.

_______. 1981. “Sojourners in the Oregon Siskiyous, Adaptation and Acculturation of the Chinese Miners in Applegate Valley, circa 1855-1900.” Masters thesis. Oregon State University.

“Lithia Park.” Ashland Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage. http://www.nps.gov/ Accessed November 25, 2010.

Mead, George. 2006. A History of Union County with An Appendix the Chinese in Oregon. LaGrande, Oregon: E-Cat Worlds.

Mariner, Cosmos. 2018. "Crossroads of Cultures." Historic Marker Database. https://www.hmdb.org. Accessed April 6, 2019.

McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur. 2003. Oregon Geographic Names. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press.

National Historic Landmarks Program. http://www.nps.gov/ Accessed December 3, 2010.

“Sterling Mine Ditch Trail System.” Asland Resource Area, Medford District, Recovery Act Program, Bureau of Land management. http://www.blm.gov/ Accessed December 13, 2010.

“Unlike Most Chinese Immigrants of His Time, Gin Lin Found Respect and a Mountain of Gold.” http://www.articlesbase.com/ Accessed March 6, 2011.

U.S. Forest Service. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Recreational Activities-Trails, Gin Lin Trail 917. http://www.fs.fed.us/ Accessed October 29, 2010.

U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Carberry, Oregon, 1996.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Goldhill, Oregon, 1983.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, McConville Creek, Oregon, 1983.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Mount Reuben, Oregon, 1998.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Ruch, Oregon, 1996.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Sterling Creek, Oregon, 1996.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Tallowbox Mountain, Oregon, 1996.

_______. Quadrangle 7.5’ series, Wimer, Oregon, 1996.

_______. 30x60’ series, Medford, Oregon.

Whitewilson, Jeanena. “Chinatown.” Jacksonville Review. http://jacksonvillereview.com/ Accessed June 13, 2013