A ford across the Rogue River, one-quarter mile south of this point, was used by the Hudson's Bay Company as early as 1827, by the U.S. Navy Wilkes Expedition in 1841, and by pioneers of the Applegate Trail. Mr. Long built the first permanent non-Indian dwelling in the Rogue Valley near the ford in 1850 and started ferry service. James Vannoy and James Tuff bought the ferry in 1851, and Vannoy took up a donation land claim in 1853. In October 1855, as Rogue Indians became a threat, settlers converged here and crude cover was hastily erected. Though never truly fortified, it served as headquarters for the Oregon Volunteers during the 1855-1856 Indian Wars.