Kerby is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Josephine County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States, north of

Cave Junction Cave Junction is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,995. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves", and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwo ...

U.S. Route 199 U.S. Route 199 (US 199) is a U.S. Highway in the states of California and Oregon. The highway was established in 1926 as a spur of US 99, which has since been replaced by Interstate 5 (I-5). US 199 stretches from US 101 near C ...

. As of the 2010 census the population was 595. Despite its population and numerous businesses, it is often listed in tourist guides as a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

, because of the number of historic buildings left from its days as a gold-mining town. Kerby came into existence between 1854 and 1857.

History

Kerby was named for James Kerby (or Kerbey, as he sometimes spelled his name). The community was founded during the heyday of Josephine County

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...

and went through numerous name changes (and various spellings) in its early years. When Josephine County was established on January 22, 1856, a new

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

was to be chosen in the next county election. The original county seat was a place called "Sailor Diggings" (which was eventually renamed

Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...

). One of the polling places listed was called "Kirbey's Ranch". James Kerby and Samuel Hicks, partners in a general mercantile and supply business, probably founded the town of "Kerbeyville" for the county seat race, and the town was selected in the election of June 1857. An act of the territorial legislature of December 18, 1856, changed the name from "Kirbeyville" to "Napoleon", possibly because of the association of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

with the name Josephine. The new name was not popular, and a bill was introduced in the next legislature that would change it back. The bill passed the House but was then held up in the Senate judiciary committee. Though the county commissioners used the name "Napoleon" for a short time, they reverted to calling the place "Kerbyville" in about April 1860. The name "Kerbyville" was used officially for many years despite the failure of the legislature to restore it. The name was finally changed to "Kerby" for the sake of simplicity.

Grants Pass Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, along the Rogue River. The population was 39,189 at the 2020 census. History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunt ...

became the county seat in 1886. The history of the name of the post office in this locale is simpler: Kerby post office was established in September 1856; it was later made a rural station of Cave Junction. The post office was proposed to be closed in 2009.

Geography

Kerby is in southwestern Josephine County, along

on the east side of the valley of the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

, a north-flowing tributary of the Rogue River. Kerby is bordered to the south by the city of

. US 199 leads northeast to

and south through Cave Junction to

Crescent City, California Crescent City (Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California; it is also the county seat. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Kerby CDP has an area of , all of it recorded as land.

Demographics

Points of interest

*Kerbyville Museum, established in 1959

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Kerby has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Kerby, Oregon
/ref>

References

External links

Josephine County Historical Society: Kerby history
page at webtrail.com {{Authority control Ghost towns in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Josephine County, Oregon Census-designated places in Oregon Census-designated places in Josephine County, Oregon 1850s establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon 1856 establishments in Oregon Territory Former county seats in Oregon