Sterlingville, Oregon

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Sterlingville was a boomtown along Sterling Creek in Jackson County, Oregon. It started in 1854 after gold was found by James Sterling and Aaron Davis, and soon had hundreds of residents. At its peak more than 1,500 people lived there, with stores, a bakery, a casino, a dance hall, saloons, and many homes. The Sterlingville School District formed in 1869. In 1877 the Sterling Mine Company built a 23-mile water ditch from the Little Applegate River to hydraulically mine gold and chromite, making Sterling Mine the largest hydraulic mine in Oregon and possibly the western United States. Owner Captain A. P. Ankeny reportedly earned over $64,000 in gold. A post office opened in 1879, then closed in 1883 as the ore ran out. Hydraulic mining stopped by 1910; the school district closed in 1937. There was a brief revival during the Great Depression (1933–1957). The mines devastated the landscape, washing away soil and moving large piles of rock. After the mines closed, Sterlingville was abandoned and destroyed.