Editing Ashland, Oregon (section)

==History==
Prior to the arrival of White settlers in mid-19th century, the [[Shasta people]] lived in the valley along Ashland Creek approximately where today's city is located.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|p=137}} Early [[Hudson's Bay Company]] hunters and trappers following the [[Siskiyou Trail]] passed through the site in the 1820s. In the late 1840s, mainly American settlers following the [[Applegate Trail]] began passing through the area. By the early 1850s, the [[Donation Land Claim Act]] brought many to the [[Rogue Valley]] and into conflict with its native people. These often violent clashes, known ultimately as the [[Rogue River Wars]], continued until 1856.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|p=137}}

[[File:1881 Ashland Woolen Mills.jpeg|left|thumb|The Ashland Woolen Mills {{circa|1881}}]]
In 1851, gold was discovered at Rich Gulch, a tributary of Jackson Creek, and a tent city grew on its banks, today's  [[Jacksonville, Oregon|Jacksonville]].<ref name="History of Ashland">{{cite web|title=History of Ashland|publisher=City of Ashland|url=http://www.move2ashland.com/ashland/history_of_ashland.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720140119/http://www.move2ashland.com/ashland/history_of_ashland.htm| archive-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> Settlers arrived in the Ashland area in January 1852, including Robert B. Hargadine, Sylvester Pease, Abel D. Helman, Eber Emery, and others.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=138–41}} Helman and Hargadine filed the first donation land claims in Ashland.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=138–41}} Helman and Emery built a sawmill along what was then called Mill Creek to turn timber into lumber for settlers.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=138–41}} In 1854, they and another settler, M. B. Morris, built a second mill, Ashland Flouring Mills, to grind local wheat into flour. The community around the mill became known as "Ashland Mills". A post office was established in Ashland Mills in 1855 with Helman as postmaster.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=138–41}}

During the 1860s and 1870s the community grew, establishing a school, churches, businesses and a large employer, Ashland Woolen Mills, which produced clothing and blankets from local wool. In 1871, the Post Office dropped "Mills" from Ashland's name. In 1872 Reverend J. H. Skidmore opened a college, Ashland Academy, a predecessor of [[Southern Oregon University]].{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=142–44}}

[[File:Depot Hotel, South Wing (Ashland, Oregon).jpg|thumb|left|The south wing of the Depot Hotel, listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], is the primary reminder  of the city's railway heritage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ashland Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage: Ashland Depot Hotel, South Wing|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/adb.htm|publisher=National Park Service|year=2001|access-date=March 11, 2013|archive-date=June 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628135545/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/adb.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
In 1887, [[Portland, Oregon]], and [[San Francisco, California]], were joined by rail at Ashland. Until 1926, when most rail service began taking a different route (east through [[Klamath Falls, Oregon|Klamath Falls]] to avoid the steep grade through the [[Siskiyou Mountains]]), Ashland thrived on rail trade of local products, including pears, peaches, and apples.<ref name="History of Ashland"/>

In 1908, the Women's Civic Improvement Club petitioned for the creation of community space along Ashland Creek, which became Ashland Canyon Park. The discovery of [[lithia water]] near Emigrant Lake around the same time led to a plan to establish a [[mineral spa]] at the park. Voters approved bonds to pay for the project, which included piping the mineral water from its source to Ashland. The town engaged [[John McLaren (horticulturist)|John McLaren]], landscape architect of San Francisco's [[Golden Gate Park]], to design the park, renamed Lithia Springs Park, later shortened to Lithia Park. Although the park was popular, the mineral spa plans proved too expensive for local taxpayers and were abandoned in 1916. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs took to bottling and selling mineral waters from the area's springs.{{sfn|Davidson|1995|pp=35–45}}

During the [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] celebration in 1935, [[Angus L. Bowmer]] arranged the first performances of what would become the [[Oregon Shakespeare Festival]]. The festival has grown since then, and has become an award-winning and internationally known regional theater company.{{sfn|Peterson|2009|p=93}}

Ashland was a [[sundown town]] at least until World War II.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maynard |first=Guy |date=April 11, 2016 |title=Just People Like Us |url=https://oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/root-spring-2016/just-people-like-us/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |work=[[Oregon Humanities]]}}</ref>

Many of Ashland's historic buildings have been preserved and restored. The city has 59<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oregon Historic Sites Database |url=http://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/index.cfm?do=v.dsp_main |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=heritagedata.prd.state.or.us}}</ref> individual structures and four historic districts<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Districts - Map Center - City of Ashland, Oregon |url=https://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=8765 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.ashland.or.us |language=en}}</ref> (Downtown District, Siskiyou-Hargadine District, Railroad District, Skidmore Academy District) on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="NPS Intro">{{cite web |title=Ashland Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage: Introduction |url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/intro.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 10, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724194558/http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/intro.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The structures include the Enders Building (home of the [[Columbia Hotel]]), which from 1910 to 1928 contained the largest mercantile establishment between [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and Portland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashland, Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage: Enders Building |url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/end.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 9, 2013 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021230116/http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/end.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of Ashland's houses built before 1900 are: the Orlando Coolidge House (1875),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stayashland.com/coolidgehouse/ |title=Coolidge House &#124; Ashland, Oregon }}</ref> the Isaac Woolen House (1876),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/isaac-woolen-house.htm |title=Isaac Woolen House (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref> the W. H. Atkinson House (1880),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/w-h-atkinson-house.htm |title=W. H. Atkinson House (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=W. H. Atkinson House|website=NPGallery, National Park Service|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/fd8d0b5c-d99e-48e0-9604-39b357232e5f}}</ref> the John McCall House (1883),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://noehill.com/or_jackson/nat1977001101.asp |title=National Register #77001101: H. B. Carter House in Ashland, Oregon }}</ref> the [[Nils Ahlstrom House]] (1888), the H. B. Carter House (1888),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/john-mccall-house.htm |title=John McCall House (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref> and the Colonel William H. Silsby House (1896).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://noehill.com/or_jackson/nat1985000365.asp |title=National Register #85000365: Colonel William H. Silsby House in Ashland, Oregon }}</ref> The E. V. Carter House (built in 1909) is in a remarkably good state of preservation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ashlandcarterhouse.com/?page_id=8 | title=Historic Names and Timeline &#124; the Carter House Inn | date=10 January 2014 }}</ref>