Show GOLD FEVER HITS OREGON COMMUNITY sizable nuggets are found hi in back yards jacksonville ore the methodist church here built in 1853 and said to be the oldest protestant church west of the rocky mountains may be razed to make way for another of Jackson villes backyard back yard mines during the depression almost every resident of jacksonville the second oldest city in oregon sunk a shaft in his yard and went into gold mining on a small scale some made as high as in a single day working over territory that had been combed fifty years before it has been estimated that more than in gold nuggets rests in the three unexploited spots in Jackson jacksonville vine the site of the old church the old courthouse grounds now abandoned since the county seat moved five miles east to medford and california street the main thoroughfare the county court has rejected hundreds of applications to mine the courthouse grounds the church had refused mining rights and the city council had vigorously protested all efforts to mine under california street which in 1850 rang to the boots of miners at one of ore gons richest gold strikes two rich creek beds run through the town daisy and jackson streets carrying placer gold the church and the courthouse are near these creek beds but their grounds are as yet unworked and a mystery as far as the yellow metal content is known A few years ago despite the efforts of the city council amateur miners miners drifted their tunnels under california street and a large block of paving caved in caverns over abandoned mines are not uncommon it if the church is sold to private interests and the methodist council ci 1 has announced it is on the block the building probably will be razed and several shafts sunk residents hope to retain the building as a historic landmark and make a museum of it it is said gamblers helped to build it |