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The famous Bullis Logging engine
accident, July 21, 1917.
The Bullis Logging rail bed today.
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To learn more about the Bullis Logging rail-trail project, contact RTC's Western Regional Office at 415.397.2220.
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| | Oregon Rail-Trail Project Revives Community's Mining Past
As Jacksonville, Ore., prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary, a new rail-trail project along the Bullis Logging rail bed will help commemorate the city's history dating back to the first discovered gold deposits in the mid-1800s.
Following some of the richest strikes in the West, the once small community of Jacksonville grew rapidly into the main commercial trading center for southwest Oregon. After two decades of prosperity, though, the Southern Pacific Railroad bypassed the town in 1884—and the community quickly began to decline. Jacksonville tried to reclaim its place in the market by hastily building a five-mile, short-line rail corridor to link with heavier rail traffic in Medford. The tiny rail company using these tracks, dubbed the Rogue River Valley Railroad (RRVRR), operated for 24 years but never made a profit.
From 1916 to 1918, the Bullis Logging Railroad operated as a division of the RRVRR. The line's most famous, or infamous, moment was a major fatal engine accident that occurred during Bullis Logging's time. As a result, the trail in development along the corridor bears the Bullis Logging name.
Local advocates believe the proposed pathway represents a key segment in creating a connected system of trails in Jacksonville's Forest Park. The Jacksonville Woodlands Association  (JWA) has been instrumental in promoting both the trail system and Jacksonville's natural offerings. "The forests surrounding the proposed rail-trail have become a veritable treasure for Jacksonville's residents and visitors," says Larry Smith, executive director of JWA. "Avid hikers and railroad enthusiasts eagerly seek out our trails that show evidence of Jacksonville's gold mining and railroad days."
The Bullis Logging rail-trail, when developed, will provide a perfect showcase and symbol of that local mining history. Jacksonville already has the distinction of being a designated National Historic Landmark City, and the community and its residents maintain a close connection with the city's heritage. This rail-trail conversion would further that connection and add to Jacksonville's recreational attractions.
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