2016-04-28 Upper Applegate Valley

The Applegate River originates in northern California and drops into its own serene valley past Jacksonville before contributing to the Rogue River a few miles west of Grants Pass. Miners heavily exploited the river for placer gold from 1850 to 1890, badly disrupting the salmon fishery in the upper valley. It’s hard to see the past damage today. The valley features wooded areas and green pastures. People named the river to honor Lindsay Applegate, an early Oregon Trail pioneer. Prospectors discovered a substantial copper deposit in the early 1900s, and they developed the Blue Ledge Mine on the California side of the border. They built the town-site “Copper” and, because it was such a boomtown, it had its own post office from 1924 to 1932. Settlement and development of the valley demanded road development to replace the old wagon trails of past years.

In 1964, Congress approved construction of a dam on the Applegate to mitigate flooding and assist in irrigation, but it wasn’t until 1976 that the Corps of Engineers began work on the project. In 1980, they filled the lake and inundated the old town-site of Copper.

One element that remains from the heyday of the mines is an old covered wooden bridge called the McKee Bridge. Builders constructed it to accommodate road travellers and ore haulers during the time of the mining activity. It has taken a series of restoration efforts, both public and private, to revive the bridge from the ravages of time and weather. Today, pedestrians use it, and it serves as the hub for local celebrations. A civic-minded group called “Mckee Historical Covered Bridge Society” maintains the bridge.

I first visited this valley last year in June. The area was amidst a long drought period. The water level at Applegate Lake was about 25 feet below the level I saw on this day. Storms have delivered a healthy dose of moisture and snow this year. It would seem the drought is over here in Southern Oregon.

Images from this day can be seen below: