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Historic Curry County in Pictures and Stories, 0 Highway 101, Gold Beach, OR (2026)

01/11/2026

Rogue River Trail, 1908
Work is progressing constantly on the government trail down the Rogue River, and as soon as the bridge plans are returned from Washington, where they were sent for approval, work will commence, and soon a seven-foot bridge with a 150-foot span will be placed across the river. The completion of this trail, which will be about July 1, will open Curry County to the world by land. The people of that county have promised assistance in the work, and the county is expected to take an appropriation toward the expense. The five miles of this trail completed will be the very best trail in the west, and about half of the distance was blasted from the solid rock at an expense of over $1000 per mile. In places, the workmen had to be let down from above by ropes in order to drill for the blasts, and much more of the work was very dangerous. This route was reported on adversely by several Engineers and others said it could not be done, but through the persistence of Supervisor Anderson, the work has been accomplished, and soon we will have a connecting link between Josephine and Curry Counties, which will be open winter and summer, and is on a water grade.

Much more work is planned for this section, one improvement being the construction of a telephone line 35 miles to the mouth of Whiskey Creek. Twenty-five miles of the line is to be a metallic circuit and all constructed in a thorough manner. Cedar poles are to be used, and they will be treated with preservative No. 9. The wire is to be strung from Galice west. Work will commence on the telephone line about May 1.

Mr. Anderson will have on hand between $17,000 and $18,000, which will be available about May 1, outside of salary rolls, and he hopes to carry on the work during the remainder of the season without interruption. (Rogue River Courier, 1908)

Photographer, Benjamin A. Gifford
The photograph is a Silver Gelatin Print of miners on the RR trail.

06/01/2025

Shasta Costa Ranger Station 1911, Agness.

03/26/2025

Pistol River, c.1930s

03/14/2025

Gold Beach looking north, the courthouse would have been on the right side just past the cedar trees. On the left is the Breakers Hotel, 1912

08/28/2024

About 1862, John and Emma I. Cresswell settled on a ranch north of what is now Brookings where they raised sheep and cattle and cut timber. Because their new ranch was 5 miles from the nearest neighbor, they called it "Lone Ranch." One day John Cresswell noticed an outcrop of a kind of "chalk" on the banks of Lone Ranch Creek, about 500 yards from the ocean and 20 feet above the creek level. Chalk was in demand in the region, and the material was soon in use by carpenters and by coopers at fisheries on the Rogue River.

George S. Harris--who, the records indicate, bought some land in 1878 from the Cresswells--thought that he and Cresswell could mine the white mineral, which by this time had been shown to be a borate. They attempted to sink a 75-foot shaft but had difficulty with water and finally gave up. In 1885, the Cresswells sold 897 acres of their land, containing the borax deposit to Dennis Tryon for $6,000. Subsequently, the property was obtained by Mary and Frank Smith, who in turn sold it in 1890 to the Pacific Coast Borax Company, predecessor to U.S. Borax.

The company donated land, west of Highway 101, (containing the original mining site) to the Oregon State Parks Department, while retaining ownership of the remaining property. In the next few decades, the property was used for cattle grazing and timber harvests.

08/26/2024

Morris Fritsche was a tall, blonde, and gruff Prussian who lived on the lower Rogue River for possibly over 50 years. He was born in Germany, left an orphan at seven years and took to the sea at Hamburg at an early age. He visited the main seaports of the world and then picked out a homestead under Wild Horse Prairie about 16 miles up the Rogue from Gold Beach and two or three miles south from the river at about 2,000 feet elevation. From there he could see the ocean nearly 20 miles away and many miles of the lower Rogue River. He had a good mountain and water view from his door.

Morris raised a little garden for many years, before the Siskiyou National Forest was placed under administration and he ran a small herd of cattle on Wild Horse Prairie some five or six miles by trail above his house. He built a trail from the river to his cabin and several cattle trails leading from his ranch to the grazing lands. For many years he "held domain" over the surrounding country, claiming it as his own, and greatly resented the enforcement of the payment of a fee for the grazing of his cattle on Wild Horse Prairie after the Forest Service took over.

He threatened to kill "Dick" Helm, an early Agness ranger, who tried to collect the grazing fee. He threatened another Agness rancher when he was allotted part of the Wild Horse range for his cattle that Morris did not even need. Morris also threatened the writer during early timber examinations in that area. He resented the coming of more people and looked on early Forest officers as intruders. In his prime, he was a rough customer. However, Morris was a man who mellowed some on further acquaintance and possessed a world of reminiscences concerning 50 years or more of living in the mountains.

Morris' cattle, without the protection of barns, corrals, and fenced pastures, were beset by predatory animals who took their toll year in and year out. Morris, like all early stockmen in the mountains, carried a rifle whenever he looked after his cattle and gradually became a great hunter of the bears and cougars that molested them. He always had a well-trained mongrel dog or two that aided him in the hunt. He chased many bears from his grazing range down into the bluffs along Rogue River, where either he or his dogs ran the varmints out of the caves, and he shot them. He showed courage as a hunter and had small respect for the fighting ability of either bear or cougar.

One year while pruning an apple tree Morris Fritzsche fell catching by the foot in the crotch of an apple tree. He hung head down for quite a time. He saved himself by swinging back and forth until he could reach a limb and pull himself to an upright position. His leg was badly wrenched causing him considerable suffering.

In February 1922, while he went visiting for a few days, his cabin caught fire and burned to the ground. On his return he found that his gatherings of many years had been destroyed. This was a hard blow to an old man. Morris, however, built another cabin on the old site and carried on for many more years. He never married. He said he could have married a Indian but wanted an white woman instead. He died in 1944 at probably close to 90 years of age. He was a picturesque character and not a bad sort during later years.

Photo - Dick Helm and Morris when Morris was a fire lookout on Wildhorse Mountain, 1930s RRSNF
Henry E. Haefner, early forester

03/26/2024

Julia Megginson was born in 1833 on Floras Creek north of the Sixes River. On the Siletz Reservation, she was known as “Sixes Julia”. She spoke Chinuk Wawa as well as English and was an exceptionally good basket maker.
Julia married George Megginson an English immigrant on the same day she met him in 1860. George was working as the Boss Farmer at Lower Farm on the Siletz Reservation at that time. It was decided that they would move to a homestead at Yaquina Head on the north slope of Cape Foulweather where they would operate a cattle farm. The two had three children together: Jeffrey (1861-1887), William (1869-1894), and Janey (1872-1908).
After George Megginson died in 1888, Julia moved to Newport and sold the coal mining rights to her land holding on Yaquina Head. She lived in Newport for the remainder of her life, passing on 17 Sep 1930 at the age of 97. Julia outlived all three of her children.

Thanks to Robert Kentta, Siletz.
Thanks to the Lincoln County Historical Society Newport Oregon for the photo.

02/23/2024

Boat's Arrival Averts Famine At Wedderburn

Marshfield, Or., Dec. 25, 1909 --After being without food supplies for three months the people of Wedderburn, in Curry County, were relieved of a threatened famine by the arrival of the gasoline schooner "Wilhelmina" of Marshfield which took a cargo of rations to Wedderburn, which is the center of the estate of Robert D. Hume.
Roads in Curry County have been bad on account of the continued rains and three months had elapsed since a boat had entered the port. Supplies for Wedderburn and the people living in that locality are always taken down on the boat.
The people of Wedderburn were unable to obtain flour, coffee or sugar, and other staples. Charles Thom, the boat's owner, aboard the Wilhelmina, left Coos Bay with 163 tons of general freight. The arrival of the schooner at Wedderburn was a great event. School was dismissed and men, women, and children were so anxious to get supplies that it was difficult to unload and get the freight to the dealers and ranchers to whom they were consigned.

Wilhelmina ship, 1909

01/15/2024

Gold Beach in 1911 was beautiful.

12/24/2023

Christmas in Langlois, December 1905

Santa Claus is on the road pushing rapidly for Langlois; the little folks have heard about it, and are getting ready; the old ones are falling into line to assist with music, etc. Santa has engaged the church for his headquarters on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24th and the whole community will turn out to receive him.
The Woodman of the World will give a Mask Ball on Christmas night, December 25th at Bowman Hall. The committee on arrangement informs us this will be the big holiday dance for Langlois, and those attending will certainly enjoy themselves.
The grand march will take place at eight thirty promptly, and the dancers will unmask at eleven o'clock. The music will be first-class in every respect, and the floor management good. H.B. Smith, J. G. Russell, and A. H. Boice will have charge of the floor, and any attending outsider will be made to feel at home among them.
Supper will be served at the Langlois Hotel at midnight.

The spirit of improvement is rife in our little town.
Dr. T.C. Green has put a line of drugs in the new store, the rest of the store being occupied by E. Cheever with hardware.
The new brilliant gasoline light has been placed in the Rackleff and Cheever stores, adding materially to the pleasure of evening shopping.
Bowman Hall is being weather-boarded and repaired in other ways.
A continuous line of substantial plank sidewalks will soon be completed through the town.
Rackleff has a very pretty line of holiday goods which are selling rapidly. He expects a new consignment of attractive wares soon.

12/20/2023

William Bernard Milbury was born in Nova Scotia. He started working young as a streetcar conductor in Boston, then went to the Klondike for 2 years. In 1902 Milbury took up a homestead in Eden Valley, there, he passed the ranger examination in about 1907 and soon after was sent to Port Orford where he became the first forest ranger in that area. He was above average size, had big features, a handlebar mustache, and wore a derby hat when dressed up. One of Bill's big jobs during the first few years as a district ranger, besides fighting fire, was to help straighten out land matters. He reported adversely on many homestead claims that were fraudulently going to patent, and this made him many enemies. He also made some enemies through his active enforcement of the game laws.

Besides making some enemies, Milbury made many friends through his fairness in making decisions in his reports on these same land matters and also in the general manner in which he conducted himself and carried on his work. The man had stability and character. He was independent and fearless in doing his duty as he saw it. His enemies tried to run him out of the country and even tried to shoot him once during an ambush, putting a bullet through his hat. Milbury, however, was not scared easily, he paid little attention to them, and through the years lived his enemies down.

Milbury chose an abandoned homestead on the Middle Fork of the Elk, 11 miles southeast of Port Orford, as his headquarters and established what was later known as the McGribble Ranger Station. At first, he lived in a small cabin in a small clearing on the claim. Milbury was, among other things, a good carpenter, and between field trips or during stormy weather began to improve the place.

Milbury cut a large cedar tree and split out clapboards, shakes, 2x4s, 2x6s, etc. He finished the boards and shakes with a draw knife and hand plane and built two rooms with an attic as an addition across the front of the cabin. He put in a fireplace and ceiled the new addition as well as the cabin. He built a woodshed, a barn for three horses and a cow, with a harness room and storage space for a few tons of hay, and then fenced the clearing with a split picket fence. When all was completed, these comfortable and practicable buildings and fence, all shiny and new, made a rather striking appearance in the little green clearing surrounded by tall timber. Milbury built this ranger station that filled the need of the times practically single-handed and from one Port Orford cedar tree.

Bill was about 38 or 39 when he entered the Service. He served the Port Orford District until 1914, then retired to a small farm near Myrtle Point and raised poultry, there he died a few years later of a heart ailment. Milbury served well as the first ranger in a rather lawless community and through his fearlessness and general stability established an early prestige that made it easier for his successors to carry on.

Milbury Mountain and creek were named in his memory.
Photo from Greg Walter
"Some Reminences Of An Early Forester" by H. Haefner

12/18/2023

When the Antler Hotel at Harbor, Curry County, was burned last week, together with a dozen other buildings in the place, one of the most unique hostelries on the Oregon coast was destroyed.

Harbor is a small town on the south side of the Chetco River, seven miles north of the California state line. On the opposite side of the river is Brookings, where the C. & O. Lumber company's plant is located. The fire at Harbor was caused by burning timber.

The Antler Hotel stood on a high point that overlooked the river and commanded a fine view of the ocean. It was made entirely of logs and was probably the largest log house in Oregon. When the hotel was built the logs were dragged two miles from the mountains, and trees of the same size were selected for use in the structure. The interior was finished in the woods peculiar to the locality. The hotel was on the main coast highway between California and Oregon and was a delightful place for auto tourists to stop.

The fire which caused the loss of the hotel almost wiped out the village of Harbor. A few years ago a tidal wave did much damage at Harbor, washing away the buildings that were near sea level.

OHS photo of the Antler Hotel, 1910
Article date: July 1, 1918
(This is a repost from earlier this year. The photo was accidentally deleted)

Historic Curry County in Pictures and Stories

01/11/2026

06/01/2025

03/26/2025

03/14/2025

08/28/2024

08/26/2024

03/26/2024

02/23/2024

01/15/2024

12/24/2023

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12/18/2023

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