The "Donation Land Claim Act" of 1850 allowed settlers a free claim of 320 acres for a single male and 640 acres for a married couple for establishing farms in the Oregon Territory. On January 6th 1852, Robert Hargadine and his partner Sylvester Pease arrived in the Rogue Valley. Once there, they took up a Donation Land Claim and camped on the land now occupied by the Ashland railroad yards. Five days later, Abel Helman and his friend Eber Emery, both from Ashland County, Ohio, made their way to the tree lined valley and took up land claims. Satisfied with the prospects they found here, Helman returned home to bring back Emery’s and his own family. The trip took him almost a year.

Helman and Emery, who had mined together in California, knew that with the growing population in the valley, the demand for lumber would be great. In response, they built the first sawmill. The mill was powered by water from Ashland Creek.

Late in the year of 1853, the first large group of settlers arrived with several thousand cattle, sheep, and horses. Seven hundred men, women, and children crossed the mountains to establish homes in the surrounding Rogue Valley. They also brought with them household and agricultural tools.

In 1854, Abel Helman, Eber Emery, and M.B. Morris built the Ashland Flouring Mills. The mill sat on what is now the entrance to Lithia Park. With people coming from all over for the lumber and the flour, Helman was eager to see a town started, so he donated 12 building lots surrounding the mills, to create a permanent town site. The post office was established in 1855 and the town with 23 residents, officially became the town of “Ashland Mills”. The word “mills” was dropped in 1871.

In 1857, School District No. 5 was started with 22 students and was taught out of Eber Emery’s home. In 1860, Robert Hargadine donated the land to build the first public school. In 1872, J.H. Skidmore started the Ashland College.

Life in the 1870’s, and the 1880’s was becoming easier, businesses were doing well, the first edition of the Ashland Daily Tidings was printed in 1876, and orchards soon started to pop up all over the valley.

On May 4, 1884 the railroad line being built from the north finally made it is way into Ashland. The Golden Spike that connected the Southern Pacific Railroad’s San Francisco to the Portland line was driven on December 17th 1887. This day was important for the entire nation, for it marked the completion of the circle of railroads around the United States.

The Ashland Electric Power and Light Company was organized in 1888, water rights from Ashland Creek were obtained, and a power plant capable of producing enough electricity to light city streets and homes was built. The rates charged for electricity depended on the business and how late you kept your lights on. If your lights were off by 9:30 every night, you were charged 75 cents a month. Saloons in general had the highest rates. By this time, Ashland’s population was 1,784.

Chautauqua, a nation-wide traveling program of lectures, seminars and entertainment originated in New York. Originally, Chautauqua was slated to be located in Central Point, but the Rev. C.C. Stratton of Portland University urged that Ashland, with its small college and wooded acreage above the plaza would be a more suitable spot. A local businessman, George F. Billings stressed, that Ashland had electric lights, city water and better hotels than did Central Point. Therefore, Chautauqua came to Ashland in 1893 and was housed in a domed building that stood atop the hill overlooking the Plaza. It soon became the centerpiece of town. On January 1, 1900, Ashland had grown to be the largest town in the Rogue River Valley with over 3,000 residents.

In 1912, the doors were opened to the new Ashland Public Library at a total cost of $17,673. Thanks to the help of the Women’s Civic Improvement Club, the city provided the site to build on and most of the money had been donated to erect the library. The original building still stands on the corner of North Main and Gresham.

A man by the name of John McLaren, who designed the San Francisco Golden Gate State Park, was retained in 1914 to landscape 19 acres of land, soon to be known as Lithia Park. On July 4, 1916, Lithia Park was formally dedicated. A major feature of the park was the three fountains that bubbled with the natural spring water know as Lithia water. This water has a high concentration of lithium, which had been used for years by the Native Americans for the sick and the elderly.

After World War I and the Depression, unemployment was high, businesses were closing, and a lot of property changed hands. However, in 1927, Ashland suffered its worst blow. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company opened a more efficient and economic route between Oregon and California. It eliminated the Siskiyou Mountain Grade, and nearly eliminated Ashland. Repair Shops for the trains were kept in Ashland, but all of the fast freight and most passengers’ services were re-routed. The economic impact on Ashland was disastrous.

The Chautauqua Dome had been abandoned for years by the time Angus Bowmer arrived in Ashland, in 1931. He came to teach English at the Southern Oregon Normal School, but the once a year course in play production he taught was his real passion. In 1935, while Ashland was preparing for their July 4th celebration, Bowmer was encouraging the city to include a three-day festival of Shakespeare plays. Plans were sketched for a simple stage inside the Chautauqua shell, Romeo and Juliet and the Merchant of Venice were to be the first plays. The festival was considered a big hit, and plans got under way for next years festival. In 1959, a new Elizabethan Theatre replaced the old domed building, and has since been updated.

Over the years improvements continued to be made as the town and its people grew. 1963 brought winter sports to the area, with the opening of the Mount Ashland Ski Lodge. In 1966, Interstate 5 opened from Ashland to the California state line. The freeway from north end of Oregon to the south end was now complete. Trees, planters and decorative lighting were added, in 1967, due to concerns over the appearance of downtown Ashland. The 70’s brought restoration to Ashland, people began to buy and restore older homes and business buildings. A committee of 5 women was appointed to serve as the city’s first Historic Preservation Committee.

In 1999, the Ashland Railroad District was added to the National Historic Registry. This area spans from Lithia Way, East Main, Oak Street, A Street, and 8th Street. Ashland’s Downtown District; roughly bounded by, Lithia Way/C Street, Church Street, Lithia Park/Hargadine Street, and Gresham Street, was added to the registry in 2000.

Sources for this article include Ashland, the First 30 Years by Marjorie O'harra, The City of Ashland, the National Historic Registry and Help4You.com.