The Ghost town of Golden is located in Southern Oregon near Wolf Creek, just off Interstate 5. The area is preserved as a State Heritage Site and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can walk the grounds as well as enter several of the abandoned old buildings.
Golden was a mining town. Many miners came to California during the 19th century gold rush, and some of them settled in the area along Coyote Creek here in Southern Oregon. Activity here began in the 1850’s, but many abandoned their claims and headed east when gold was discovered in the Salmon River of Idaho. They eventually returned to Coyote Creek and were surprised to find their abandoned settlement taken over by Chinese immigrants, so they forced them out and reclaimed the mines.
Gold production began to ramp up during the 1870s, and in 1880 the Ruble family moved here and invented a more efficient hydraulic mining system called the Ruble Elevator or Grizzly. This invention moved twice as much material as previous systems. The success of their invention spurred the official establishment of the town of Golden in 1890. It was an interesting town, and was unique in that it had two churches but no saloon. Sadly the town was abandoned by the mid 20th century.
The church, school, general store and a few other buildings are still standing and can be toured by visitors today. In addition, across the road is a short trail that leads to the Coyote Creek Wetlands where the settlers used to mine for gold.
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