Sucker Creek Canyon

History Loop Tour - Cave Junction, Oregon

0.0 Intersection of Holland Loop Road. Continue toward Oregon Caves National Monument
Immediately past Holland Loop Road, pull into the large turnout on the right..

Oregon Caves Highway mile post showing the remaining distance to Oregon Caves National Monument. Highway 46, Cave Junction, Oregon The historic photo of the Caves Highway was taken in the 1930s from this approximate location. The wood post was installed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Oregon Caves located about five miles ahead on this tour. The post is engraved with the number of miles remaining (13 1/2) before arriving at Oregon Caves National Monument. The telephone line seen along the left side of the road is a phone line installed by the CCC crews.

The field seen on the left side of the picture is now part of the Bear Creek Vineyard (formerly the Siskiyou Vineyard and Winery). The Bear Creek Vineyard is currently an affiliate of Bridgeview Winery and is one of the historic stops on the Holland Loop section of the History Loop Tour.

If you look up toward the mountains on the left you can see a small structure on the top of the peak. This is the Little Grayback Fire Lookout, a 14x14' “L-4 cab” that was originally constructed in 1940 on top of a 20' wooden tower near the historic town of Waldo. At that time is was called the Waldo Hill Lookout and was staffed into the 1970's. It was moved in 1981 by helicopter to this location and is now staffed every summer by Oregon State Forestry employees.

Drive 0.2 miles to the next point of interest.

0.3 The cement blocks seen close to the pavement on both sides of the road are ports for carrying water of a historic water ditch under the road. These may have been installed when the road was constructed in 1922, a time when cars were smaller and moved slower. After the cement ports, the road crosses Bear Creek. Continue 0.1 miles to the next point of interest.

0.4 Bear Creek Road on the left follows the route of a trail that was known locally as the Althouse Trail, presumably because it was the shortest route from the Cold Springs Mountain Pack Trail (1852) to the mining district along Althouse Creek where Oregon’s largest gold nugget was found in 1859. Bear Creek Road goes over a low pass to Deer Creek where it meets Lake Shore Drive near Lake Selmac County Park, a distance of about 10 miles on a narrow but paved road.

Across from the entrance to Bear Creek Road is the Kellogg House, which was constructed 1890. During the 1870's Julius Kellogg purchased a tract of land in this area and set up a blacksmithing business. A wagon road that likely followed the general route of the Oregon Caves Highway connected their land to the main road, the Turnpike and Puncheon Road, into Kerbyville but did not extend any further up stream toward Oregon Caves. Wagon roads that went up stream may have been opened after the discovery of Oregon Caves in 1874.

Continue 1.4 miles to the next point of interest.

1.8 Mile Post 8 - Entering an Oregon State Scenic Highway: In 1983, Oregon State Legislators passed Senate Bill 643, which directed the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to conduct a study of the historic and scenic features of the state highway system and designate appropriate sections for preservation. In 1986, the Oregon Historic and Scenic Highway Program report was released. Twenty-five highways and structures were listed including a portion of Oregon Caves Highway. The scenic road begins at mile post 8 and continues to the boundary of Oregon Caves National Monument. A brown, “keystone” shaped sign with cream-colored lettering bearing the words “Scenic Highway Site” was to be installed at the beginning of the drive to make the drive readily identifiable to travelers. It is uncertain if this was ever done.

On the right a large burl can be seen on an oak tree in the lawn at Country Hills Motel and Campground. The patterns in the wood cut from burls have intricate designs, which is the reason that two of the three furniture makers in Kerbyville use burl wood, one of them using it almost exclusively for the production of their furniture.

Continue 1.5 miles to the next point of interest

3.3 Baldwin Ranch: The Raymond Baldwin House is the small structure partially hidden by trees in the open area below to the right. It was constructed about 1905 from hewn logs, which are now covered with shingle siding. This is one of two hewn log houses discovered through the efforts of the Kate Atwood survey.

Raymond Baldwin worked for many seasons as a guide at the Oregon Caves in the early years of its operation. The timber used for the construction of the Oregon Caves Lodge (Chateau) in 1934 was cut at the Baldwin Ranch and hauled to the Oregon Caves Mill (known at that time as the Villair and Anderson Mill), where it was cut into lumber for the lodge.

Continue 0.3 miles to the next point of interest.

3.6 Road to Little Grayback Fire Lookout and Holcomb Peak: The road on the left is the route that can be taken to drive up to the Little Grayback Fire Lookout. It is paved for the first half mile and then turns to gravel. The turn off to the Little Grayback Fire Lookout is about a half mile up the road on the left. This is a rough road. High clearance and four-wheel drive is recommended. If you continue straight ahead, it is possible to follow gravel roads to the paved Deer Creek-Cedar Creek Roads between Selma and Williams, Oregon. A Forest Service map is necessary to navigate to these points.

Continue 0.2 miles to the next point of interest.

3.8 Little Grayback Creek: Continue 0.2 miles to the next point of interest.

4.0 A privately owned fishing pond is located up the hill to the left where families can go to see what it feels like to reel in some pan size fish. They have poles that can be rented at the site. Ask them about taking your fish to Oregon Caves and having the chef in the historic chateau prepare a meal with your fish as the main course.

Continue 0.4 miles to the next point of interest.

A steam shovel was used for much of the construction of Oregon Caves Highway, Cave Junction, Highway 199 4.4 Sucker Creek is seen on the right. This creek was one of the first places in the region where gold was found and it was this discovery that spurred the Oregon gold rush of 1851. The Sucker Creek gold discovery carries the same significance in Oregon history as the Sutter Mill discovery carries in the history of California.

Continue for 0.2 miles.

4.6 The picture of the steam shovel scooping out ditch was taken in this approximate location. Continue for 0.2 miles to the next point of interest.

The Lind House was a hotel located on the Oregon Caves Highway about 11 miles from Cave Junction and Highway 199, Oregon. 4.8 Lind House (site): The E.J.Lind House was constructed about 1920 by E.J. and Anna Lind, who planned to use the structure as a hotel and boarding house. About 1921 when the Caves Highway was surveyed, the surveyors were boarded at this roadhouse and later the road crews used this facility. After the highway was finished the family continued to serve meals and provide accommodations for tourists who were on their way to the Oregon Caves. The inn was at that time known as "The Lind Home" (photo). The house is no longer there but the site can be seen next to the road just before mile post 11. The cabins across the field were part of the Lind assortment of accommodations. Continue 0.2 miles to the boundary of Siskiyou National Forest.

5.0 Boundary Siskiyou National Forest. Continue for 0.3 miles.

5.3 Grayback Campground (photo): The entrance to this beautiful and underused campground is on the right. A wheelchair accessible trail goes along the river and has viewing areas and benches. This barrier free wheelchair also connects with another barrier free trail that goes over a foot bridge and continues for a short distance up the other side of the river. Continue for 0.2 miles to the next point of interest.

5.5 Grayback Road (USFS 4611): This is a gravel surfaced road to Williams and Medford. A Forest Service map is highly recommended if you want to travel this route. This route can also be picked up at Oregon Caves National Monument by taking backcountry roads. See: Oregon Caves - Williams Back Country Road.

Across the road was once a bridge constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps crew living at Camp Oregon Caves. The picture below shows the bridge after completion and the other picture shows the bridge just before it was washed away during a flood.

Bridge constructed by CCC crews at Camp Oregon Caves, Oregon Caves Highway, Cave Junction, Highway 199. Civilian Conservation Corps crews struggle to save a bridge from being washed away in a flood. Camp Oregon Caves, Oregon Caves Highway, Cave Junction, Highway 199.

Continue for 0.1 miles to the historic Cedar Guard Station on the left.

5.6 Cedar Guard Station: The Cedar Guard Station was one of several Forest Service ranger outposts established in 1936 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews.

The site of Camp Oregon Caves, the main Civilian Conservation Corps facility in this region, was located in the flat area behind this building. The camp was established in 1934 and had a crew of 200 who worked on projects in this area during the winter and at Crater Lake during the summer.

There is a relatively level, one mile loop trail behind the historic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp. See: Cedar Guard Station Loop Trail. If you walk to the Grayback Creek Bridge and look up stream you will see some “V” shaped dams. These were installed for sediment control to stabilize the stream bed and make it better suited for salmon spawning. The Siskiyou Nature Man, also known as the Yankee Tarzan, walked naked into the woods on a survivalist publicity stunt sponsored by the San Francisco Examiner, 1914

Sucker Creek continues up toward the Red Buttes Wilderness and it was near the headwaters of this creek that the Siskiyou Nature Man did his “man against nature” publicity stunt in 1914 (photo right).

Another interesting historic fact about this area occurred in January of 1923, a year after the Oregon Caves Highway had been constructed. A group of Grants Pass investors applied for a permit to construct an "Oregon Caves Resort" on Siskiyou National Forest land near the confluence of Grayback and Sucker Creeks. They chose this site to put some distance between their facility and the Lind Home, which they thought might divert potential business away from their company-run store, filling station, lodge and auto camp they planned to have at the resort. The site would have been located where Cedar Guard Station, constructed in 1936, is located today. The investors decided it would be better to put their facility closer to the caves and this led to the construction of the Oregon Caves Chalet, which is now the location of the Oregon Caves National Monument visitor center just outside the entrance to Oregon Caves.

From this point the road climbs upward for the next eight miles to Oregon Caves National Monument. Drive 1.5 miles to the next point of interest.

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