Have you ever wondered why state Highway 238 zigs and zags its way around and through Jacksonville? In the mid-1960s a more direct route had been planned—a route that would also raze 11 of the town’s historic buildings. Led by Robertson “Robbie” Collins, Jacksonville residents rose up in protest—and in some cases lay down in protest, quite literally lying in the streets along the proposed route.
Collins persuaded Glen Jackson, then head of the Oregon Department of Transportation, to visit the town and revisit ODOT’s proposal. As a result of Jackson’s visit, the highway was rerouted. And Jackson purportedly said to Collins, “All right. You’ve got the buildings. Now what are you going to do with them?”
The group that was formed to envision a future for the town evolved into the Jacksonville Boosters Club. The vision they created led to the establishment of Jacksonville’s National Historic Landmark District, the first West Coast buildings to be listed on the National Historic Register as a group!