Following the 1852 gold rush, Jacksonville suffered from an inadequate domestic water supply for 60 years despite two seasonal creeks. The Beekman Bank Well was one of several wells dug in downtown Jacksonville to supplement creek water, and early photographs and insurance maps show this 30-foot well and its twin across the street next to Redman Hall in use by the early 1870s. Both wells provided drinking water for downtown shops and stock animals. A 16-foot square brick-lined cistern was built in the middle of California Street between the two wells to ensure an adequate water supply for the town’s hand-drawn fire pumper. The fire cistern and the two wells fell into disuse after the town built a 35,000,000-gallon open reservoir at the headwaters of Jackson Creek in 1912. Within 15 years Jacksonville’s new reservoir, fed by clear mountain spring water, was leaking at an alarming rate. In 1953 the town was connected to Medford’s Big Butte Spring, and clear mountain spring water once again flowed to Jacksonville’s residents. In 1900 this tree-shaded oasis provided a refreshing stop for a young boy and his best friend on a hot Southern Oregon day.