Did you know that Sarah Ish was one of the richest women in the Rogue Valley?
The Ish family plot is the most photographed plot in Jacksonville’s Pioneer Cemetery. Sarah’s husband, Jacob Ish, son of a Virginia plantation owner, had come west in 1861 to escape the Civil War. He purchased 320 acres about three miles from Jacksonville and started a ranch, now the site of Ish Ranch Estates off West McAndrews. When opportunity arose, Ish added to his holdings. He eventually became one of the largest landowners in Jackson County with over 5,000 acres, including the site of the Medford Airport. His fields were some of the most productive in the Valley, and his ranch became known for its “broad fertile acres, sturdy stock and immaculately maintained buildings.” Ish’s holdings supplied government troops at Fort Klamath and stage stations from Grants Pass to San Francisco.
Sarah was actually Jacob’s 2nd wife. He had originally married her sister Ellen. In 1877, when Ellen was dying of cancer, Sarah had left Virginia and sailed around the horn to care for her, arriving 2 weeks too late. Sarah stayed on to care for Jacob and Ellen’s daughter, Sophia, and her niece, Phenie. A year later, Jacob and Sarah were married.
The marriage lasted 3 years. In 1881, Jacob Ish died from bronchitis, leaving his wife Sarah one of the wealthiest women in the county. A “woman of strong character and rare business ability,” Sarah managed the Ish ranch for the next 25 years until her death in 1906.