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The Infamous Black Bird Southern Oregon History, Revised


Medford Business Directory 1888

The many discontinuities from year to year suggest that listing in this directory was by subscription; don't assume that a business' absence from this listing is necessarily evidence of its absence from Medford.


MEDFORD. A city on the Oregon & California Railroad, in Jackson County, 323 miles south of Portland and 5 east of Jacksonville, the county seat. Settled in 1884, it contains Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist churches, a sash and door factory, a furniture and a broom factory, and sustains a weekly paper, the Southern Oregon Transcript (Dem.). Stages daily to Jacksonville and tri-weekly to Big Butte; fares, 50 cents and $1.50. Ships wheat and fruit. Telegraph Western Union and Pacific Postal. Express Wells Fargo & Co. Mail daily. Population 500. D. H. Miller, postmaster.

Adkins & Webb (Benjamin F. Adkins, Benjamin S. Webb), hardware.
Angle & Plymale (William Angle, Francis M. Plymale), general store.
William S. Barnum, planing mill.
Mathew E. Beatty, real estate.
Rev. G. W. Black (Baptist).
W. A. Bodine, fruit grower, 3 miles northeast.
Charles B. Carlisle, proprietor, Southern Oregon Transcript.
August Carlson, saloon.
A. Childers & Son (A. and Spencer C.), brick yard.
George W. Crystal, blacksmith.
Mrs. Abbie A. Cunningham, lunch and lodging house.
John C. Elder, general store.
Mrs. Lucina J. Foster, millinery.
Charles K. Fronk, agent, Oregon & California Railroad and Western Union Telegraph Co.
Edward P. Geary, fruit grower, 4 miles southwest.
William Gore, teacher.
Jacob G. Grossman, wheelwright.
Charles Hall, jeweler.
Hammond Bros., fruit growers, 5 miles south.
Haskins and Lawton (George H. Haskins, Dennison T. Lawton), drugs and stationery.
Thomas A. Harris, meat market.
J. S. Higinbotham, wagonmaker.
Olaus Holtan, tailor.
James S. Howard, general store, agent, Wells Fargo & Co. and mayor.
Fortunatus Hubbard, agricultural implements.
Robert T. Lawton, real estate and insurance.
Miss Mollie Merriman, teacher.
Miller & Baker (George W., Henry E.), grain warehouse.
John S. Miller, marshal.
John Perdue, boot and shoemaker.
Elder M. Peterson (Christian).
Benjamin W. Powell, barber and lawyer.
Pryce & Geary (Roland Pryce, Edward P. Geary), physicians.
Mahlon Purdin, blacksmith.
H. B. Reed, fence manufacturer.
Riddle House, John B. Riddle, proprietor.
Ira B. Riddle, agent, Pacific Postal Telegraph Company.
John B. Riddle, proprietor, Riddle House.
John Robinson, truckman.
Rogue River Fence Co., H. B. Reed, proprietor, combination fence.
Simeon Rosenthal, general store.
Henry Smith, general store.
Southern Oregon Transcript, Charles B. Carlisle, proprietor.
J. H. Stewart, fruit grower, 3 miles south.
Riley Strait, gunsmith.
William N. Turner, contractor and builder.
William Ulrich, insurance agent.
Vrooman, Miller & Co. (Mrs. Christina Vrooman, David H. Miller, Charles Strang), hardware and drugs.
Judge Walton, city recorder.
Jacob S. Walz, fruit grower.
Isaac A. Webb, furniture and undertaker.
J. D. Whitman, fruit grower.
Elder Williams (Methodist).
Rev. M. A. Williams (Presbyterian).
Williams & McCallister (George W. Williams, Simon McCallister), broom factory.
Daniel Wilson, harness and saddlery.
Isaac Woolf, grocer.
Charles W. Wolters, baker, confectioner and city treasurer.
Edwin Worman, livery, proprietor, Medford and Jacksonville stage.
R. L. Polk & Co.'s Oregon, Washington and Idaho Gazetteer and Business Directory 1888,
page 299     Names inverted and abbreviations spelled out to facilitate searching.



Medford business names taken from advertisements in the March 13, 1888 issue of the Southern Oregon Transcript:
Adkins & Webb, hardware
H. E. Baker, hay, livery
C. B. Carlisle, editor and proprietor, Southern Oregon Transcript
A. Childers & Son (A. Childers, S. Childers), masons
F. W. Clayton, watchmaker, jeweler, Hamlin Block
W. G. Cooper & Son, harnessmaker
Willard Crawford, lawyer, notary, Williams Block
S. Danielson, physician, Walton's Building, Main and Bartlett
J. C. Elder, grocer, Main and Bartlett
Farmers' Store (William Angle, F. M. Plymale), dry goods
J. G. Grossman, wagonmaker
Haskins & Lawton, drugs
J. S. Higinbotham, wagonmaker, Main Street near Riverside
Olaus Holtan, merchant tailor
G. W. Howard, insurance
R. T. Lawton & Son, loans
J. G. McAllister, broom manufacturer

Medford Market (Hanley & Love), meats
Medford Planing Mill (W. S. Barnum)
Miller & Strang, hardware, drugs
B. F. Powell, attorney, notary, insurance
Pryce & Geary, physicians, Williams Block, upstairs
Mahlon Purdin, blacksmith
Railroad Exchange Saloon (John Noland)
Rogue River Fence Co. (E. G. Hurt)
Simeon Rosenthal, dry goods, Main "opposite the post office"
Henry Smith, dry goods, "in front of depot plaza"
Isaac Woolf, grocer, sewing machines
Union Livery and Feed Stable (E. Worman)
Vrooman, Miller & Co.--superseded by Miller & Strang
Henry Wolters, baker, grocer, confectioner
Wrisley & Miller (John B. Wrisley, J. S. Miller), real estate


Hop Wah Lung merchant, Ashland, Or
Wa Lee laundry, Ashland, Or
Wing Chung laundry, Ashland, Or
Tong Kee merchant, Jacksonville, Or
Wo Hop merchant, Jacksonville, Or
Northern Pacific Coast Directory 1888-89, Niles-Retnschler Directory Co., San Francisco, May 1888, page 957



Last revised May 4, 2020