Part 2: Oregon Gold Rush Country

History Loop Tour - Cave Junction, Oregon

Holland Loop Road:
Turn on to Holland Loop Road and drive 0.3 mile to the next feature.

Salvage Brothers Lumber Mill: A moderate sized lumber mill was located in the wooded area on the left. This mill operated for about five years during the 60’s and was one of two mills in the valley at that time that used hydraulic cylinders rather than a cable to move logs through the saw. Drive 0.2 mile to the next feature.

Sucker Creek Bridge: This stream was given the name “sucker” because miners who first prospected on this creek during the Oregon gold rush of 1851 were from Illinois. Illinois is known as the Sucker State. The first gold strikes in Oregon were made on this creek. Continue 1.1 mile.

Aloysius: In 1888, a post office was established in a small community that was once located in this vicinity. The post master named the post office by the name of Aloysius (Al-oh-ish-us), probably taken from the middle name of post masters son. A 1918 topographic map of the area shows a cluster of homes located near the foot of the hill about a half a mile to the left and this may have been where the town and post office was located. Not much more is known about it. Aloysius is the patron saint of the young, and the name was frequently given to Catholic children during that time in history.

Holland School was constructed around 1910 and served mostly children from farms and ranches in this part of Illinois Valley, Oregon Holland School: The white building on the left is a one-room school houses called the Holland School. Children from the surrounding farming and ranching community came to this school. A 1918 topographic map shows the driveway on the right side of the school as once being a road that connected to the cluster of houses, possibly the town of Aloysius, near the foot of the mountains behind the school. This building was constructed around 1910 and was in use until the 1940s when all of the one room school houses were consolidated at the Kerbyville Union School. Continue 0.5 mile.

Holland Loop Road as it appeared before being paved. Illinois Valley, southwest Oregon Old Holland Road: A small piece of the original road can be seen on the left forking away from the main road. If you want to see what it was like driving on the old Holland Road, you can turn here and it for about a quarter of a mile to where it turns sharply to the right and continues for another quarter of a mile back to Holland Loop Road. The picture to the left appears to have been taken where this historic section of road begins looking back in the direction you just came from. Continue 0.4 mile to Holland. TURN LEFT on Kendall Road to follow the tour route.

Holland: The Holland store was built in 1935. A hotel was once located to the left of the store. The store served as the post office as well as the office of the operator who worked at the switch board for the party lines in this area. The picture below left shows the hotel next to the store. The picture to the right shows Isabele Mellow, the phone operator sitting in front of her switch board at the Holland Store. Continue 0.5 mile on Kendall Road go RIGHT at the fork.

Holland Store is seen on the right and the Holland Hotel is on the left. The locust trees growing on this side of the hotel can be seen growing next to the Holland Store, a good marker for where the building once stood. Isabele Mellow was the switch board operator for party lines in the eastern part of Illinois Valley, Oregon. Her switch board was located in the Holland Store.

Althouse post office and store was an important social center for miners working in the gold fields of Althouse Creek, Oregon Althouse (site): Older maps indicate that the town of Althouse was located in this approximate area. Althouse began as supply station in the 1850’s for miners looking for gold in Althouse Creek. Gold was first discovered on Althouse Creek in 1852 and is the location where Oregon’s largest gold nugget, weighing about 17 pounds, was found. Go RIGHT at the fork to continue the tour. Drive 0.3 mile to next feature.

Mayfield Mill: An old truck on the left with the words Oregon Caves Lbr [Lumber] Mill written on the door marks the approximate site of the Mayfield Lumber Mill. This was one of the few mills in the valley that cut wood using a water powered saw. Drive 0.5 mile to the next feature. Stay right at the fork to continue to Foris Winery.

Foris Vineyards and Winery: In the 1870’s, miners diverted the water in Althouse Creek (on the other side of the hills to the left) through two drainage tunnels each about a half a mile in length. The vineyard and winery sit on the outwash gravel and soil from one of these tunnels. Foris vineyard continues to get water from Althouse Creek through the Emerald Tunnel, drilled through the mountain in the early 1870’s. Return to Holland Loop, turn left, and drive 2.0 miles to the next feature.

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Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...