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The Rogue's headwaters start at Crater Lake and twist and roar for 215 miles
through the Cascade, Siskiyou and Coastal Ranges before spilling into the Pacific at Gold
Beach. Numerous small towns dot its journey west, most notably the city of Rogue River,
which took its name from the river itself. As the river leaves the Cascade range it winds
its way through the Rogue valley. Gracious river homes line the banks where lucky
residents live amongst the natural splendor. From the relative calm of the valley the
river takes a dramatic turn as it enters the coastal range at Hellgate Canyon. From
Hellgate for the next 60 miles the Rogue takes a wild and scenic trip through the coastal
range towards its final destination: the Pacific Ocean.
A brief history.
The first settlers to come into the region were without
exception trappers and traders seeking valuable animal pelts. Long before the arrival of
white trappers, however, there were several thousand native peoples who lived along the
banks. As a matter of fact, the Rogue got its name from the Indians. 'The River of the
Rogues,"
Two developments triggered the flood of white settlement: the Donation Land Act, which
gave 640 acres to each settling couple, and the discovery of gold along the banks of the
Rogue late in 1851. Thousands of miners flooded the area in search of this precious metal.
Today gold-panning is a favorite occupation of many visitors as each year gold is washed
down from the mountains in the streams and lodges in gravel and between boulders. In its
heyday, over $70 million was taken from the Rogue in gold; $5 million alone from Tyee
Rapids by a group of Chinese miners. Gradually, however, the gold dwindled.
Since the rugged character of the Rogue prevented it from becoming a highway
of commerce and most of the valuable pelts had been trapped out, agriculture
became the major industry for the Rogue Valley. Although commercial salmon
fishing was once popular, it was outlawed in 1962 when state legislation
banned the use of gill-nets. Game fishing remains the major fishing industry
today.
In the 1930's the Rogue enjoyed a surge of Hollywood glitter as it
became the watchword in fishing for such luminaries as Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Zane
Grey and Herbert Hoover. Clark Gable was overheard to say at a star-studded Hollywood
dinner "Well, I'd rather be eating flapjacks at the Weasku Inn," an historic inn
located by the Savage Rapids Dam. Rooster Cogburn with John Wayne was filmed in Hellgate Canyon.
Nowadays movies are produced by the score using the dramatic backdrop of the Rogue River,
and many big Hollywood names such as Ginger Rogers and Kirstie Alley make the Rogue Valley
their home away from home.
A Recreational Paradise
The Rogue is one of eight rivers in the United States
designated as wild and scenic. Its beauty will always be protected for our visitors. It
remains a bird and wildlife watchers delight. Flying overhead one can find snowy egret,
blue heron, osprey Canadian geese great horned owls, grouse, partridge, pheasant, quail
and the majestic bald eagle. Along its banks graze deer and elk, and one can always catch
sight of an occasional river otter or beaver. In the canyon area are found bear, mink,
muskrat, fox, mountain lion and bobcat. And of course, there are the fish.
Although there are two major runs for the salmon and steelhead there
are fish in the Rogue all year round. You can catch Chinook and Coho salmon, steelhead,
brown trout, cutthroat, golden trout, catfish and in the lower part of the river there are
still sturgeon. The Chinook and steelhead run in the fall and spring to spawn upriver, and
there is also a Coho run in the fall. The nest spots for steelhead are from Battle Bar to
Johns Rapids and there's also a great salmon hole just below Rainey Falls - you can hike
there from Graves Creek. The fall Chinook fishery in recent years has been the healthiest
since fish counts were first logged; in 1989 a 60 pound salmon was recorded and in 1990 a
45 pounder was caught outside of Grants Pass. And just to show you how serious they take
their fishing on the Rogue, one of the earliest bridges built, Ament Dam, was unpopular
with the fishermen because they claimed the fish ladder was inadequate to allow spawning
salmon upriver. When nothing was done the irate fishermen attempted to dynamite the dam in
1912! Today all the fish ladders are deemed adequate.
There are many other activities on the Rogue besides fishing.
Rafting remains a favorite hobby since native Rogue Riverian Glen Woolridge blasted a
channel from Hellgate Canyon to Marial to allow boat passage. The stretch of river between
Gold Hill to Rogue River is an easy and safe float, while experienced rafters will want to
try the advanced rapids below Graves Creek. There are also many guide trips available for
the novice who wants to experience the thrill of advanced white water rafting. The Rogue
River is accessible without a launching fee at a number of locations from Gold Hill to
Graves Creek. Water-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and jet-skiing can all be
enjoyed on the river, especially at the lake portion just below the city of Rogue River.
Jet boat excursions remain a favorite of visitors; the shallow draft and powerful engines
propel the boats as fast upstream as they move downriver, in excess of 50 Mph!
For those who prefer out-of-water activities there are numerous
parks and trails. Rogue River Hiking Trail leads you through the wild region of the Rogue
on the north bank, from Graves Creek to Marial. Between June 1st and September 15 the wild
and scenic section of the river is controlled by a permit section; only permit holders are
allowed to use the river to limit the amount of people through it per day. Permits can be
obtained through guide services. There are also numerous parks to enjoy; Gold Rogue Sports
Park, Ben Hur Lampman State Park, Rogue State Park.. all have great picnic sites, tent
sites, trailer sites and of course, great fishing All Oregon State Park campgrounds are
open from mid-April to late October and more campground information is available from
Oregon State Park Campsite Information Center at 1-800-452-5687.
Be sure not to miss our Boatnik Festival, held in Grants Pass over
the Memorial weekend with parades, rafting, and other contests! And in September, a sight
not to forget.. .The Great Bath Tub Race, held from Gold Hill to Rogue River. It's a wild
and wooly race with winner take all in prize money!
We hope you enjoyed our brief history and we're looking forward to
when you come up and experience the river life for yourself.
Much of this page provided by Jennifer McKinney
Come Visit Soon.
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