Wilderville Store and Post Office, OR
The history of Josephine County gets more interesting as we go!
John Tracy is the owner of the Wilderville Store.
John is a member of E Clampus Vitus, whose mission is to study and
preserve our Western heritage, especially the history of the "Mother
Lode" and gold mining regions.
The Wilderville Post Office
began as the Slate Creek Post Office on September 30, 1858, and on
August 12, 1878 it was renamed, after its Postmaster, Joseph Wilder.
The Wilderville Store
was started in 1920. This store began as the Stringer Store, and was
located just west of here. It burned down three times before
being established where it is now.
The old Post Office was later moved into the store.
The story behind this important landmark, the Wilderville Store and Post Office, is one of geographic location.
In the developing Josephine County of the late
1800's, the mountains to the north were impassable by wagon, and to
bring supplies to this burgeoning area, the only logical way was by ship
to Crescent City, California. From there, the only practical route was
by wagon to meet the California and Oregon Railroad, which came later.
Wilderville was central to the gold fields, and the growing timber industry later on.
The location was known as "Camp of the Woods," which was a
central "jump off" area for the vast timber harvesting companies that
stretched to the North, West, and South of here.
Timber bosses built cabins and a lodge for their
supervisors and those who ran the crews. For those who couldn't afford a
room, tent sites were rented out at 25 cents per night to the loggers. There was a small city of hundreds of people living around the camps.
Later on; "Camp of the Woods" became a tourist stop for those traveling the Redwood Highway between Grants Pass and the coast.
These cabins are part of the first of the "auto camps," the rest of the cottages and the lodge all burned down.
Just above here on Marble Mountain are caves with formations similar to those at Oregon Caves National Monument.
Old timers in the area feel the caves are linked together, and are one "vast" network.
Stop in when you're traveling, to see the Wilderville Store and Post Office. It's just a short two minutes, and links back to the Redwood Highway.
Grab something to eat or drink, and walk over to Slate Creek. It's worth it!
