Grants Pass 1885
Josephine County is available for adoption.
If you have a local connection to Josephine County
or an interest in Oregon in general,
Please consider joining the ORGenWeb as a County
Coordinator.
Contact Bob
Jenkins if you are interested.
In addition:, we would appreciate any
contribution that you would like to make to this
site: biographies, obituaries, birth,
marriage, death info, grave info,
photographs....etc
Josephine County, Oregon
Josephine County was established on January 22, 1856, carved from Jackson County during Oregon’s territorial days. It was named for Virginia Josephine Rollins, the first white woman to settle in the region, who accompanied her father and fellow miners during the Southern Oregon gold rush. Early discoveries at Sailor Diggings (later Waldo) and Josephine Creek drew thousands of prospectors, shaping the county’s beginnings.
The county’s early years were marked by the Rogue River Indian Wars (1855–1858), as settlers and Native peoples clashed over land and resources. The first county seat was Sailor Diggings, later moved to Kerby, and finally to Grants Pass in 1886, which remains the county seat today. The arrival of the railroad cemented Grants Pass as a hub for commerce and migration.
Josephine County is unique as the only county in Oregon named after a woman, and its history reflects the blend of pioneer resilience, Native heritage, and the boom-and-bust cycles of mining and settlement.
