Father of Medford

Known as the "Father of Medford," John Sullivan Howard arrived in Jacksonville, Oregon in 1859 with his wife and 3 children.
John had attended an academy in Chicago, where he trained to be a surveyor and an engineer. John worked as a carpenter upon arriving in Jacksonville, but was soon able to put his surveying skills to use by surveying many of the mining claims.
In 1883 he moved his family to the brand new town of Medford. Since he was one of the first to arrive, he set up a tent and began selling wares. When that proved to be successful, he built an actual store and became the first shopkeeper. He placed a cigar box on the counter and that served as the “post office.” John was named the first postmaster in Medford.
As the railroads expanded in Southern Oregon, John surveyed many of the routes for the railroad including the route from Rogue River to Klamath Falls. John was the chief engineer for the High Line Ditch which brought water from Rogue River to Gold Hill.
One of John’s most significant contributions to the valley, which is still in use today, was his surveying work for the road that connects Jacksonville to Medford.
Today’s episode of As It Was was written by Margaret LaPlante [La-Plant], the program engineer is Raymond Scully.  I’m Shirley Patton. As It Was is a co-production of JPR and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. To share stories or learn more about the series visit asitwas – dot- org
 
Source: 
Southern Oregon Historical Society vertical file.