7. Klamath River: Mile marker
87.7
Cinnabar Springs near Klamath River
Photo courtesy Tony & Freda
DeAvilla
|
|
Services: Groceries, deli, post
office, lodging, RV parks, golf course and guide service.
- In the late 1800s, Siskiyou Quicksilver Mining Co. extracted
mercury from the cinnabar located up Beaver Creek. Tunnels were
dug following gold veins and later used as storerooms for bootleg
whiskey.
- In the 1890s, Job Garretson patented the same ground and built
a two-story hotel and resort. The hotel and heated medicinal baths
attracted the wealthy to the area. It was claimed that drinking
and soaking over a period of two months in the stinky water cured
blood diseases. The water also was marketed commercially. Croquet
and horseshoe pits were sporting diversions for guests.
- Bill Quigley built a home and ran a ferry on the south side of
the river. Willis "Moon" Quigley had a home and post office
substation on the north side in the late 1800s. Moon got his
nickname by delivering "moonshine" whiskey.
- Bill Quigley's home was later purchased and transformed into a
private summer home complete with exquisite gardens and Japanese
servants to cater to the owners.
- The Crocker family, famous in California for their banking and
railroad empires, bought H. R. Barton's hotel at Oak Bar, turning
it into a personal estate in 1926.
- The community of Klamath River is about 11 miles long and
includes both sides of the river. The population is sparse at 190
and covers the whole area from Gottville to Kohl Creek.
8. Brown
Bear: Mile marker 77.9
|
Stage at Oak Bar
(Near current Brown Bear
location)
Photo courtesy Brian Helsaple
(Left) Old footbridge at Oak Bar across the
Klamath
Photo courtesy Siskiyou County
Museum
|
- Across the river behind the willow lined banks, you can see
the Klamath River School. This expansive meadow was the Campbell
Ranch. The Campbell brothers provided fresh horses for the
stagecoaches that traveled through in the early 1920s.
- The numerous elementary schools from Ash Creek to Scott Bar
were consolidated in 1960, resulting in the Klamath River School
District. In the early days before bussing, children attending
high school had to board or move to Yreka.
- This nice river access was built with slide materials in
cooperation with CalTrans and is a launching spot for kayaks and
rafts.
Previous Page 