Rogue Valley - History

History

In the early 19th century, before the first European American settlers arrived, the river valley was inhabited by the Shasta, Takelma, and Rogue River tribes of Native Americans. The early fur traders named this river the "River of the Rogues". A flood of white settlers began to arrive in the valley after the Donation Land Act, which allocated 320 acres (2.6 km²) of land to each married couple. Between 1836 and 1856, the valley was the scene of a series of bloody conflicts between white settlers and the Rogue River tribe. In 1851 gold was discovered in the nearby mountains. The mining activity was centered on the now-restored town of Jacksonville west of Medford. At the peak of the gold rush some $70 million was extracted from the Rogue.