A series of early fires plagued the Southern Oregon hamlet of Linkville, Ore., greatly retarding its growth for at least 20 years.
George Nurse founded the town in 1867 on the Link River that connects Upper Klamath Lake with Lake Ewauna. By 1892, the town and its post office had been renamed Klamath Falls.
The first big fire, at 2 a.m. on Sept. 6, 1889, destroyed nearly the entire business district, including Forbes’ Saloon, the Smith and St. Charles hotels, the Gleim Livery Stable, drug stores, and the post office.
No one died and only Ben Monroe was injured, suffering head burns. He reportedly had fallen asleep in a back room of the Forbes’ Saloon while smoking a pipe that ignited the disastrous fire.
Three years later, a morning downtown fire on April 8, 1892, consumed a general store, hotel, barber shop and a saloon.