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The town of Jacksonville had become a fading backwater when local residents decided to restore its gold-rush character. The turn-around began with the restoration of the U.S. Hotel, a cooperative effort of U.S. Bank, the Southern Oregon Historical Society and Jacksonville itself. Some 10,000 people visited Jacksonville on Jan. 16 and 17, 1965, for the grand opening of the new U.S. Bank on the ground floor of the U.S. Hotel. On Friday evening, people wearing heirloom gowns and others in the latest Paris fashions attended a grand ball in the restored ballroom on the building’s upper floor. On Saturday morning, the star of the television series “The Virginian,” Randy Boone, rode shotgun on an authentic Wells Fargo stage coach at the head of a parade that led to the front door of the bank. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, visitors visited the modern bank and marveled at its old-fashioned look, from chandeliers to bank desks and other antiques. Even the telephones and adding machines were cleverly concealed inside desks and counters. Two years later, Jacksonville joined other culturally significant districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Sources: Medford Mail Tribune. Jan. 15 and 18, 1965. As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society . As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org .