It’s History Trivia Tuesday!
Historic Jacksonville shares tidbits from Jacksonville history every Tuesday on our Facebook and Instagram pages. “Like” us on Facebook at Historic Jacksonville (historicjville) or “follow” us on Instagram (historicjacksonville) and enjoy our tales and stories of the people and places that made Jacksonville the major hub of southern Oregon in the late 1800s. And visit the Southern Oregon Historical Society Library and Archives for access to the historical images included in our posts.
It’s Jacksonville History Trivia Tuesday, and Historic Jacksonville, Inc. is winding down its summer tours of the 1863 C.C. Beekman Bank, Jacksonville’s original Wells Fargo agency and the oldest financial institution in the Pacific Northwest. One of the questions docents are frequently asked is “Was the bank ever robbed?” It turns out there’s a “yes” and “no” answer!
In December 1938, long after the bank had been closed and declared a museum, some guns were stolen. No other losses were reported.
However, there was a “yeggman’s plot to rob the Bank in 1913 that was thwarted by the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the local sheriff.” According to the March 17, 1913, Ashland Tidings¸ “Because of its isolation and the lack of police protection it was viewed by the yeggs as ‘soft.’” The Pinkertons had received a “inside” tip to this effect and arranged for men to guard the building and watch incoming trains. As a precautionary move, much of the money in the safes along with valuable papers were shipped elsewhere. After local residents became curious as to why armed men were wandering around the building at night, the sheriff’s office admitted there was a plot to rob the Bank. Once the robbers’ plans became public, the attempt was never made.
Don’t miss your chance to “Step Behind the Counter” of the Beekman Bank this weekend! Museum “banking hours” are 11am to 3pm. You can take a self-guided tour of the or interact with a costumed docent who will gladly share as little or as much information as you might like about 19th century banking practices and Beekman’s personal way of doing business.