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Mining towns forge link Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Jacksonville�s original buildings have survived long enough for the city to become a historical landmark and a destination for a large portion of Southern Oregon�s tourists. The once bustling mining town wants to form a sister city relationship with Yreka, Calif., a nearby city with a strikingly similar history. Yreka, Jacksonville seek sisterhood on their 150th birthdays By Melissa Martin JACKSONVILLE � Two mining towns that shared the fame of the gold rush hope to capitalize on their parallel histories as they celebrate their 150th birthdays. Merchants in Jacksonville and Yreka, Calif., want to create a partnership between the two towns, whose residents used to attend each other�s dances and receive mail from the same express riders. "There are hardly two cities that could claim this kind of relationship," said Jacksonville historian Marshall Lango. The City Council in Jacksonville, population 2,270, approved a type of sister-city relationship between the towns that are 60 miles and a mountain pass apart. And the City Council in Yreka, population 6,000, is expected to do the same. A dedication of the partnership is planned June 30 during "Americana Jubilee," celebrating Jacksonville�s gold strike 1851. The birthday bash calls for square dancing, bluegrass music, Civil War reenactments, gold mining demonstrations and a chili cook-off, said organizer Jeffrey Levin, owner of MacLevin�s Whole Foods in Jacksonville. Yreka will celebrate its 150th gold-strike anniversary on March 31. "We see it as being a link in terms of tourism and sharing information and support," said Stan Eisner, Yreka city manager. The discovery of gold at Sutter�s Mill on the American River in California Jan. 24, 1848, sent a flood of Oregon men over the Siskiyou Pass, said Richard Silva, of the Siskiyou County Historical Society in Yreka. Jacksonville, the Rogue River Valley�s most populous town at the time, and Yreka, the hub of the Shasta River Valley, were connected by a wagon road that carried miners, supplies and socialites over the summit, Silva said. In 1853, the (Yreka) Mountain Herald noted the festivities shared by the two towns: "The long anticipated ball came off at the Robinson House (now the U.S. Hotel in Jacksonville) last night. It was a grand affair for a new country." The old wagon road also carried ponies and riders with mail for the mining camps. When an express company in Yreka went bankrupt, one of its employees, Cornelius Beekman, moved to Jacksonville to start Beekman Express Business, according to Lango. Beekman went on to be Jacksonville�s leading banker and one of its most revered pioneers. Besides sharing Beekman, the towns shared the pain of losing the railroad when the Central Pacific started building north. Central Pacific took the most direct route through Montague instead of looping through Yreka and did the same in Medford when Jacksonville refused to pitch in $20,000 to cover the cost of looping the rail line west. Yreka remained the county seat and its commerce was eventually saved by Interstate 5. But Jacksonville lost the county seat to Medford and the trade that went with it. The towns also shared their first experience with the telephone. Using idle telegraph lines, Mr. Peck of Yreka and Mr. Autenrieth of Jacksonville made a telephone connection on Dec. 8, 1878. "Curious folk filled the telegraph offices to observe and listen to the new, astonishing discovery," according to Lango�s research, while cornets and singers echoed in the background. "Voices were clearly recognized as if the person speaking was in the room." From the days of the telegraph to today�s fiber optics, Jacksonville has become a modern community. But it still battles economic downswings, Levin said. He hopes the Yreka partnership will drum up more summer business to help offset winter doldrums. "We want to help the city of Jacksonville become a thriving community financially and culturally so the merchants don�t have to go out of business in the winter," Levin said. "Hopefully, our efforts will carry through even when there�s not a festival going on." 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.