Mines to majestic vistas: Exploring the history of Bohemia Mountain
The mining era of Bohemia Mountain is long gone. With caved-in or sealed entrances to mines and a ghost town of Bohemia City sitting between the trees, Umpqua National Forest is home to what used to be a bustling mining district.
Decades later though, the history of miners looking to strike it rich has made way for other traditions and some of the most beautiful landscapes in the state.
Southeast of Cottage Grove, the name of the mountain is probably best known for the town's annual festival. Bohemia Mining Days is held every summer and attracts a number of people from across the state and farther afield. But it's not just the festival that can be enjoyed — visitors can also explore trails, campgrounds and lots of mining history in the surrounding area as well.
Town-wide celebration relives the mining era
Bohemia Mining Days keeps the history of the mining district alive through town-wide celebrations every third weekend in July.
This year, Cottage Grove saw its 64th celebration. The festival stretches over three days and features multiple parades, a mustache and beard competition and cart races.
"A bunch of very brave humans jump into metal boxes and race down 10th street," Bohemia Mining Days' Christina Hester said. "They're nuts, and it's amazing. It's so fun to watch."
Back in 1993, Hester celebrated her first Bohemia Mining Days as a parade participant. Now, 30 years later, she's the festival's first female deputy. The tradition of celebrating the town's mining history is what keeps the community connected, she added.
“It celebrates a lot of things, but one of the things that we're most proud of is how Cottage Grove became a town,” Hester said. “And a lot of people came here for gold mining and silver mining. So the Bohemian Mining Day celebration is really a callback to a time where you had to sort of scrape it together to get by.”
Bohemia mining district's golden age
The Bohemia mining district’s history can be split into three different eras. It starts with the discovery of gold in 1863. James “Bohemia” Johnson, forever memorialized as a wooden statue at the local museum, stumbled upon a gold-bearing ore while dressing out a deer in the headwaters of City Creek.
He promptly filed 12 mining claims in the area, starting the local gold rush and eventually sharing his nickname with Bohemia Mountain and the mining district. From 1864 to 1880, the number of claims grew to 100 as more miners began to frequent the area.
And just as quickly as interest climbed, it plummeted after many unsuccessful excavations.
But that didn’t last for long — just a decade later, James Musick established the Musick mines which sit just feet away from Bohemia City.
The town saw three runs of its own, frequented from 1891 until 1906, again in 1912 and finally from 1935 to 1936. Now, the only standing building visible from the road is the rundown post office, also doubling as a general store.
A number of things caused Bohemia to become a ghost town, including an increase in the cost of producing gold while the price it sold for stayed the same.
After the town's third and final abandonment, buildings began to collapse beneath the weight of the snow in the winter.
What’s left today sits on private property. Some mines in the area are still active, even if the Musick mine isn’t and the U.S. Forest Service reminds visitors to stay off private land. However, those curious about the remains of the town and enjoy hiking have a few options to catch a glimpse from afar. A full map of where property lines sit and trail conditions can be found on the Forest Service's website.
Bohemia Mountain Trail #1440
A short, 2.5-mile round-trip hike on Bohemia Mountain Trail will take visitors above the ghost town. The view includes a glimpse of the Cascade Range stretching from Mount Hood. A detailed map for Bohemia Mountain Trail #1440 can be found on the Forest Service's website.
Fairview Peak Lookout
Another option does require a higher-clearance vehicle, or just the willingness to walk a little further.
The Fairview Peak Lookout provides an aerial view of the abandoned town – alongside an all-compassing view of Bohemia Mountain just across the way.
The peak features a 53-foot tall lookout tower, which is available to stay the night in early spring or late fall for $50 per night per group. The tower itself is used as an active fire lookout in the summer and is closed to visitors.
The view from the peak at sunset is not be missed.
Looking to stay overnight?
Overnight visitors have their pick of campgrounds. Along Brice Creek Road:
Cedar Creek Campground: nine first come, first serve $8 campsites.
Lund Park Campground: three sites are first come, first serve, seven sites can be reserved ahead of time at $8.
Hobo Camp Campground: four first come, first serve campsites. No fee.
All three campsites offer access to Brice Creek Trail #1403, a 5.7 mile hike that follows the creek through a small canyon. Different pools and small waterfalls are scattered along the path, making it a pretty popular walk in the summer. Visitors are also able to try their hand at panning for gold in Brice Creek. More information can be found on the Forest Service’s website.
Along Sharps Creek Road, two more popular campsites are open for the summer:
Mineral Camp Campground: three first come, first serve campsites. No fee.
Sharps Creek Recreation Area: seven first come, first serve campsites, five sites can be reserved ahead of time for $8.
Just across the street is a swimming hole. Featuring a large ledge that used to be home to a waterfall, swimmers are able to jump into the pool below. The area also has its own version of a kiddie pool with a shallow end opposite the boulders.
Campgrounds fill up quickly during Bohemia Mining Days, but dispersed camping is available at Bohemia Saddle. There are no developed sites or facilities in the area, but it’s well-maintained.
Miners' breakfast on the mountain
Every Sunday morning after the festival's activities have slowed, the group hosts a town-wide breakfast. As many as 1,102 people have made the hour-and-a-half drive up the mountain to join for pancakes and orange juice.
“We have a lot of support from Cottage Grove. A lot of people, they live for this,” said Bruce McDonald, president of the Cottage Grove Prospectors and Gold Diggers, who's been coming up to the area for the past seven decades. “It's quite a journey. It's 38 miles, and probably over half of that's gravel. Some of it's really rough but there's not many complaints. It’s just a good thing.”
Abigail Landwehr is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at alandwehr@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Mines to majestic vistas: Exploring the history of Bohemia Mountain
