Kerby is located in Josephine County, southwest of Grants Pass, between Selma and Cave Junction along US Hwy 199. The Illinois River Forks State Park and California border are nearby. Kerby is also situated within the Siskiyou National Forest along the banks of the Illinois River.
Kerby has been known as "Kerbyville", "Kerbey" and "Napoleon." The different versions of the name are due to a lack of spelling proficiency, even to the spelling of one of the founders, James Kerby's, own name. When gold was discovered at Sailor Diggins (Waldo) in 1852, the gold rush to the Illinois Valley began. James Kerby (or "Kerbey") arrived in 1854 and settled a Donation Land Claim on May 15, 1855.
The Kerbyville Museum, hunting and fishing are popular attractions for this quite Southern Oregon town.
