Historic Browntown, Josephine County, Oregon
A current hike through what was one of the richest areas on earth when it was first discovered.
Not much has changed
since the 1800's, as far as the mining laws are concerned. The deserted
valley looks peaceful, and lies quiet in the afternoon sun. Where once
there were hundreds of gold miners, and the camp followers who preyed
upon them for their own income, the silent ghosts of the past are but a
memory of another era. Our files on this boomtown are thin. The
pioneers who lived here are long gone and mostly forgotten.
Browntown
was established in 1853 and named for Henry "Webfoot" Brown. Webfoot
was most likely a reference to his being from Oregon, and our state's
reputation for high rainfall. That's why the University of Oregon has
football playing DUCKS.
Browntown was built on
Althouse Creek which was named for the Althouse brothers who first
discovered gold here. The importance of Browntown to the area must have
been great, as it was host to a dozen stores, a hotel, an Opera House,
blacksmith shops, several saloons, and the traditional houses of ill
repute.
Closer
to my heart was the fact they even had a Masonic Lodge. There were
reported to be over a hundred cabins along this narrow gulch, and the
Althouse trail led to Happy Camp California. Back then of course, no
one could be sure of what state they were actually in. When tax
collectors came representing California, they became Oregonians, and the
Oregon tax boys were told to "get out of California."
The Althouse Creek
flows quietly past as it journeys to join the Illinois River for their
plunge to link-up with the mighty Rogue River in its rush to the Pacific
Ocean, and freedom from the confines of the sheer canyons it has helped
to carve through our beautiful Oregon Wilderness.
The old roads that we
walk, are not those upon which Browntown was originally erected. Those
have long since washed away. Gone are any signs of the golden past.
There
was also another Browntown built by necessity, as it so often happened
in these camps when the return started to diminish - The miners ended up
mining away the entire town, and the buildings were torn down for the
earth underneath them. The town was rebuilt in name only, but the miners
realized that their wealth was fleeting and never again invested in
permanent sites to chase their dreams.
The docile looking Althouse is a far cry from the raging torrents that arrive in the Spring.
It was really big news
when the opera house went up! Can you imagine; a professional opera
house in what even today seems like the "middle of nowhere", and having
travelling entertainers drawing throngs of well-paying and appreciative
customers.
The
miners were said to have thrown gold coins, and nuggets on the stage
for child star Lotta Crabtree, and she left with a small fortune.
Ten
years later, she was said to have returned, but this time her act was
highly patriotic, since it was in 1863, and the entire region was
composed of Southern sympathizer's; she was not well received and
quickly departed, never to return.
You can walk for miles in this rugged valley. It becomes even more impressive when you realize that not far from here , a seventeen pound gold nugget was found! That's right - 17 pounds of solid GOLD!
Looks a lot prettier now, doesn't it?
Over the years
everything has been flooded, and years after Browntown achieved its'
glory, a commercial venture dammed and flooded the valley, and dredged
away everything. Now when we walk through the paths and roads, we are
on and between rows of tailings; like small mountains of leftover rock.
The hike is scenic and
quiet. Typical of the area; no planes, vehicles, or signs of anything
other than the occasional deer, and myriads of birds, and the
ever-present fish.
Keep in mind if you
visit here that every inch of this area is subject to the mining laws.
It is ALL off limits to the public for mining, panning, or even picking
up rocks. This entire creek has Federal Mining Claims on it.
You
may visit, but please pick up your trash, and leave it as you found
it. We made our trip thanks to the President of the Waldo Mining
District, and good friend: Tom Kitchar.
Just to stand here and realize that once there were miners all along the Althouse is a rewarding experience in itself.
Now, and then you can see signs of the early miners.
These trees were here through all the changes. Wish they could talk.
Nature's jigsaw on the magnificent forest giants.
Even our Schnauzers enjoyed the trip, but it seemed almost too quiet without their brother.
No, our dogs didn't do this. They said it was a Sasquatch.
The forest is full of trees that have witnessed the rise and fall of Browntown.
The forest is regenerating.
This is evidence of the hydraulic mining of the past.
The new and unimproved Browntown up ahead.
Tailings mark the way.
Winding up the Althouse Creek.
Scared the snake right out of his skin.
Old cables are in evidence all over the valley floor.
There is reportedly an
old graveyard on the slopes above us. Adhering to their culture, the
Chinese miners have long since been exhumed and returned to their
ancestral homeland.
The rock formations are striking!
