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Ceremony honors The Knoll MT file photo Hikers walk along a trail near The Knoll, the best viewpoint in a six-mile trail system in Jacksonville. The city will celebrate the preserving of this vantage point with a hike and ceremony Saturday. Dignitaries plan hike, speeches By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE - From The Knoll, a hiker can take a photo of Mount McLoughlin, glimpse the rim of Crater Lake or get a bird's-eye view of the Rogue Valley. Jacksonville will celebrate the preservation of this vantage point with a hike and a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, which is also Earth Day. Jacksonville named to top 12 historic destinations JACKSONVILLE - This historic landmark town was named one of the top 12 destinations for history lovers in the United States. Jacksonville joined Calistoga, Calif., and Beaufort, S.C., among others on a list created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. "We've already gotten a call from Preservation Magazine, which targets the older generation with more money and empty-nest syndrome," said Maryl Cipperly, of the Jacksonville Visitor's Information Center. "He said we will be seeing more visitors because of it." That USA Today newspaper and Parade Magazine published the list may also draw more visitors to Jacksonville, she said. This is the second year the National Trust recognized communities that preserve their historic character, said spokesman Gary Kozel. "Congratulations to Jacksonville," Kozel said. "It's quite an honor. Jacksonville got the award partly because of the six miles of public hiking trails created by the Jacksonville Woodlands Association. "We are a friendly walking town," said Jacksonville trail advocate Larry Smith. Jacksonville deserved the award, said Ashland resident George Kramer, who is a state adviser for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "There are few places where history and modern life are so linked as Jacksonville," Kramer said. The list also includes Eureka Springs, Ark., Silverton, Colo., Madison, Ind., Bonaparte, Iowa, Northampton, Mass., Red Lodge, Mont., Las Vegas, N.M., Doylestown, Pa., and Staunton, Va. Hikers should meet at 10 a.m. at the Rich Gulch Historic Mining District trailhead, located above the Britt Pavilion. They can collect pledges or pay a $15 fee, which includes a T-shirt and lunch at Doc Griffin Park. The ceremony will take place at 11:15 a.m. on The Knoll, which is about a half-mile from the trailhead. Speakers will include 18-year-old Justin Studebaker. He helped raise funds and persuade property owners to sell their land for the trail system when he was a fifth-grader in Larry Smith's classroom at Jacksonville Elementary School. Other hiking guests will include Jacksonville Mayor Jim Lewis, Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Jacksonville, and Sam Hodder, project manager for the Trust for Public Land. The Knoll is the best viewpoint in the six-mile trail system created by a grassroots group of residents and students called the Jacksonville Woodlands Association. But The Knoll could have just as easily become a 20-home subdivision. "It's a wonderful spot," said Medford lawyer Mark Burkhalter, one of three former property owners of The Knoll. "I like to hike and take my dogs up there. We got to thinking this place ought to stay the way it is. It fit right into the woodlands project." He and the other owners, former Jacksonville Mayor Tom Parks and Medford physician Mike Korpa, sold the land for $520,000 to the Trust for Public Land. The trust turned the ownership over to the city of Jacksonville and the Bureau of Land Management. "This is kind of an unusual situation where private enterprise and the public got together and made something nice and everybody profited from it," Burkhalter said. The Trust for Public Land preserves parks, greenways and trails by purchasing private property with grant money. Property owners then donate back a portion of their tax savings to continue the cycle. "(The Knoll) would have been a monster house if it weren't acquired," Hodder said. "It would have been a home for the wealthy instead of a picnic spot for the public." The Knoll was one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle, said Smith, a Jacksonville Woodlands Association founder. But he's looking at more parcels to add to the 300 acres crisscrossed with trails for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. One of the parcels is next to The Knoll near the Rich Gulch gold mining trail. The other would connect the trail behind the Beekman House to the rest of the system, Smith said. The trails are located five minutes from downtown Jacksonville. Maps are available at the Sarah Ziegler trailhead, located below the Britt Pavilion, and at the Rich Gulch trailhead. "I've walked along the ridge and the madrone is beautiful," Smith said of the proposed property that would connect the system. "It would preserve the forested backdrop of Jacksonville." Hikers who enjoy the views and the trails can thank the fifth-graders in Smith's classes over the past decade, according to Hodder. "It caught me up in its energy and it caught the landowners up in its energy," Hodder said. "It's a glowing example of what communities can do to protect their own landscape if they've got the energy, commitment and vision." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.