Crescent City to Grants Pass Highway 199 Road Guide - California & Oregon Redwood Highway

Oregon Caveman Country

ZERO ODOMETER at River Bank Road before crossing Applegate Bridge

Diorite, Siskiyou Mountains near Grants Pass, Oregon 0.0 River Bank Road
The Applegate River Bridge marks another significant change in geology. The large valley around Grants Pass marks the perimeter of what once was the molten roots of ancient volcanic activity that occurred in this region about 135 million years ago. The molten rock was originally located 3-4 miles below the surface where it cooled slowly and crystallized into a type of rock called diorite (see picture), a rock that looks like granite but has a different composition. Over the millennia, the surrounding terrain was uplifted and erosion weathered the landscape down until eventually these ancient volcanic roots were brought to the surface. Diorite is susceptible to weathering and the individual crystals break down to sand that is more easily and quickly washed away than the other rocks in the region. The rapid erosion of these ancient volcanic roots has resulted in the creation of the Rogue River Valley with the walls of the valley marking the perimeter of these ancient volcanic roots.

0.7 The old Redwood Highway crosses Hwy 199 from left to right.

1.9 The old Redwood Highway crosses Hwy 199 from right to left.

3.0 Entering the outskirts of Grants Pass:

Prior to the establishment of Grants Pass, the Rogue River Valley was the home of the Native American tribe that became known by early explorers as the Rogue Indians. The name “Rogue” was first given to the tribe by the French fur trappers in the early 1800s, likely because of troubles the French encountered with the Natives. The name “Les Coquins” (The Rogues) and “La Riviere aux Coquins” (The Rogue River) was given to the country by these men. By 1833, trappers of the Hudson Bay Company were using the term River Coquin and the Wilkes Expedition of 1841 was the first to use Rogue River, the name it has been known by ever since.

By the 1840s, settlers had started to move cross country on the Oregon Trail to the new Oregon Territory on the Oregon Trail. Cattle were needed for Oregon’s growing agriculture and these were purchased from Spanish land owners in California and herded into Oregon over the Siskiyou Trail, a route that follows closely to Interstate 5. In the late 1840s, the Applegate Pioneer Trail was established as an alternate route to the Oregon Trail. This trail entered the Rogue Valley near Medford and then continued north along the same general route as Interstate 5.

In 1851, gold was discovered in the Siskiyou Mountains and several towns were established in the Illinois Valley, the central region of the Highway 199 corridor. Supplies for communities in southwest Oregon were carried over pack trails and wagon roads from the port of Crescent City. Grants Pass did not exist as a community at this time.

Grants Pass was established in 1885 when construction of the Oregon and California (O&C) Railroad from Portland arrived in this area. The line was completed when it connected to the line at Dunsmir, California near Mount Shasta in 1887 and became the main north-south transportation route on the west coast. From the time of its establishment and up to 1926, Grants Pass was a railroad town.

Trucks used during the construction of Highway 199 in 1922. Grants Pass, Oregon. Around 1920 and just after World War One, several things happened that would change the course of Grants Pass’ future. This included news that the railroad would be rerouted through Klamath Falls a project that would start about the same time that three new roads would be constructed in this region; the Redwood Highway (Highway 199) to Crescent City, the Pacific Highway (Route 99), and the Oregon Caves Highway (Highway 46) to Oregon Caves National Monument. Business owners realized that tourism would be one of the best options for the future economy of Grants Pass and it was from this series of events that the Oregon Cavemen were formed, one of history’s most innovative tourism promotion organizations.

There are several hiking trails and road guides in the Grants Pass area. To find out more about these options, see the Rogue River Valley web page.

4.6 The old C&OC Railroad merges with Highway 199 from the right. The onramp follows the same curve that was once followed by the railroad. Demaray Road follows the old railroad route and is named after the owner of the railroad.

6.1 The old Redwood Highway merges from left

6.4 Josephine County Fair Grounds (left)

6.7 Downtown Grants Pass (right):
This road takes you into the Grants Pass historic district where you can find, art museums, antique stores, walking tours, jet boat rides, and access into the River Park next to the Rogue River. You can also follow this to an onramp for north or south bound traffic on Interstate 5. The picture shows people enjoying chalk art during one of the Grants Pass festivals.

7.0 Intersection of Williams Highway 238:
The Applegate Valley Road Guide begins at this intersection and goes to the right to hiking trails and wineries in the scenic Applegate Valley.

7.1 Old Pacific Highway - Route 99:
Route 99 was the main north-south road in Oregon and California prior to the construction of Interstate 5. It is possible to drive from Grants Pass to Medford and Ashland on this road.

__ Intersection before river - River Park to left
The historic Applegate Pioneer Trail, established in 1846 for settlers going to claim land in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley, would have passed through this vicinity following the river to the Vannoy Ferry crossing near the mouth of the Applegate River. The volume of the river is now high due to water coming out of Lost Creek Dam near Crater Lake. Without this dam, water would normally drop significantly during the dry summer months. Crossings would have been much easier. Maps show a crossing near the present Pierce Park that was probably used for summer crossings and the Vannoy Ferry was probably used during the winter. The Applegate Pioneer Trail Museum north of Grants Pass has excellent displays about the history of the trail and the settlement and mining that took place afterward.

One of the biggest factories in Grants Pass history, the Utah and Idaho Sugar Company (U&I), was constructed here. Up until about 1980, the Utah and Idaho (U&I) brand sugar was for many years one of the most recognizable brands on store shelves in the West. The company started in 1889 in Utah and in 1907 merged with smaller beet sugar companies in Idaho to form the U&I Sugar Company. In 1913, the sugar beet industry fell into hardship when the U.S. removed tariffs from cane sugar imported from Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines. When World War One broke out in 1914, the price of sugar went up and U&I built new plants including the one in Grants Pass, Oregon. For two years the California and Oregon Coast Railroad hauled sugar beets to "the sugar factory," located just south of the Rogue River railroad bridge. This "million dollar establishment" included a Tabernacle and a feed lot where cattle were fattened on beet pulp. The plant was finished in time to process the 1916 crop about the same time that the war ended and sugar prices dropped resulting in the Grants Pass processing plant being dismantled late in 1917. The fate of U&I was further exacerbated in other parts of the nation by an epidemic outbreak of a plant disease called curly top resulting in more of its processing plants being shut down. The company survived into the late 1970s when beet sugar could no longer compete with cane sugar and inexpensive corn syrup. Slowly, the U&I brand disappeared from stores.

__ Rogue River Bridge
During the Christmas flood of 1955, the railroad bridge over the Rogue River washed down stream, the timbers passing safely between the piers of the Sixth Street Bridge, much to the excitement of the stopped traffic.

__ M Street Skateboard Park (one block to the left)

__ Tom Pierce Park (right)

Tom Pierce County Park is located about a mile to the right. Turn and follow this road and continue straight ahead at the stop sign. The road turns and goes under the freeway. Turn right on the road just before going under the freeway. This will take you to Tom Pierce Park.

In 1924, Tom Pierce became Josephine County’s first water master, the person who maintained records of water flow in local rivers, assured water rights were not violated, and settled disputes over the use of water. In 1938, Tom and his wife Watta purchased a hundred acres of land east of Grants Pass which was eventually turned over to the county to make a park. The park was dedicated to Tom Pierce in 1977.

__ Interstate 5 Freeway: Right lane goes to the on ramp for south bound traffic; left lane goes to the on ramp for north bound traffic.

Interstate 5 follow the approximate same route as followed by both the Applegate Trail and Siskiyou Trail, the main route between Portland Oregon and Sacramento California.

End of Tour

Highway 199 Road Guide text and photography by Roger Brandt, Highway199.org
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Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...