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

Hay Hill, Oregon

SET ODOMETER TO ZERO at the intersection of Highway 199 with Illinois River Road and Deer Creek Road

0.0 Selma

0.2 The Farmers Market on the right has many locally grown products on sale during the summer.

0.6 Draper Valley Road (right) loops around and returns to Highway 199 about two miles ahead.

Anderson Station was a stage stop along the 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road between Crescent City, California and Jacksonville, Oregon. 2.4 Fort Hay and Anderson Station (right)
A historic marker at the turnout on the right tells the story of a fortified farm house built by the Hay family in the 1850s that was used by local settlers as a refuge during the Rogue Indian War of 1855-1856. It became known as Fort Hay. The site of the home was on the other side of Highway 199.

After the 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road was constructed from Crescent City to southwest Oregon, a stage stop was established here by the Anderson Station before burning down in 1951. Highway 199 near Selma, Oregon. Hay Family. It was later purchased by the Anderson Family and became known as Anderson Station. The historic Anderson Station, which was destroyed by a fire in 1951, was located on the other side of Highway 199 approximately across the road from the Historic Sign. The upper picture was probably taken from about the same places as the sign. The other photo was taken of Anderson Station before it burned down.

Draper Valley Road returns to Highway 199 on the right.

3.4 Begin divided Road

3.9 Onion Mountain Road (left):

Onion Mountain Road, also known as the Briggs Valley Road, is a back country route that takes you through the Briggs Valley to the Rogue River near Galice. There is another route down Shan Creek to River Bank Road (see end of this section), which makes this an adventurous alternate route to Grants Pass. Several hiking opportunities and campgrounds are found in the Briggs Valley about 20 miles from here. Spalding Pond Campground and the Onion Mountain Fire Lookout are other features accessed by this road.

4.2 End divided road:
A section of the original 1922 Redwood Highway goes to the right. This section of road is paved and is about three miles long. It returns to Highway 199 about a mile and a half ahead. About a quarter of a mile down the old road you can pull over into one of the turnouts on the left and look over the embankment to see what probably was part of the 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road. The photo may have been taken of the 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road on Hay Hill.

5.6 Bottom of Hays Hill:
The old road returns to Highway 199 on the right.

Across the road, in the open area on the left was the site of Loves Station, a stagecoach stop established in the 1800s to provide overnight accommodations for travelers. Love’s Station was established when the 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road between Crescent City, California and Jacksonville, Oregon was still being used. When the Oregon and California Railroad was constructed in 1884, traffic remained fairly active along this part of the road as freight wagons hauled supplies from the railroad to the Illinois Valley. In the early 1900s, the station got an additional boost in business when a logging road was constructed to Swede Basin by the Spalding family and lumber began to be hauled out of the mountains to the C&OC Railroad yard near Waters Creek (two miles ahead). The road that goes to the left follows this old logging road, now called the Old Onion Mountain Road. This road is closed about a mile from Highway 199.

Wagons loaded and ready for the trip from the Grants Pass railroad yards to a mine in Takilma. This is an example of the type of traffic that would have passed Love's Station. If you just drove down the old road, imagine what it would have been like to steer this procession of mules and three wagons through the curvy road you just went over. The process is explained in the short story about freight wagons.

6.0 Butcher Knife Creek

6.2 Slate Creek Bridge

7.4 The site of the California and Oregon Coast (C&OC) Railroad yard (right):
This railroad yard marked the end of the track for the C&OC Railroad, a line that was established around 1902. The main freight hauled from this location in the early 1900s was lumber from the Spalding Mill in Swede Basin and copper ore from mines at Takilma, located near O’Brien, Oregon. The C&OC Railroad remained in operation until the bridge over the Rogue River washed out in the flood of 1955.

Look on the right side of the picture and you can see where someone wrote "wagon road" (upside down). Highway 199 follows the approximate same location as the wagon road and you are now traveling from the "d" in road toward the "w" in wagon. The site of the yard will be on your right.

8.2 Wonder General Store (right):

At the time this store was established, there wasn’t much traffic or commerce in this area so most people wondered why the owner set up a store at this location. As local lore goes, the word “wonder” stuck and it has been known by that name ever since.

After Wonder you might be able to see some of the old C&OC Railroad road bed about 100-200 feet from Highway 199 on the right.

10.3 Spalding Mill (right)

The cement foundation on the right across from Round Prairie Road marks the location of one of several lumber mills established by the Spalding Brothers. The first of these mills was established in 1907 at Swede Basin, now a campground known as Spalding Pond. The mill at this location was established in the 1920s and flourished until the mid-Depression years when it closed. The structure burned a short time later but this site represents evidence of the many small rural mills which flourished throughout this region before World War II.

11.4 Wilderville Road is a segment of the original 1922 Redwood Highway and goes through the small town of Wilderville and then returns back to Highway 199 about a mile ahead. The present store at Wilderville is a remnant of the historic Camp O’ the Woods auto camp.

Camp O’ The Woods was developed as a tourist accommodation during a period of active tourist travel between Grants Pass and the coast in the 1930s, perhaps the result of tourism promotion efforts by the Oregon Cavemen. The first cottages were built in 1930 with additional log houses constructed across Slate Creek in 1931. The lodge was completed in 1933. Several prominent Californians made Camp O’ The Woods a regular vacation spot. These included Dr. and Mrs. Coolidge of Palm Springs, cousins of Calvin An explosion of dynamite is used to clear debris from the Applegate River Railroad Bridge, Oregon. Coolidge, and T.V. Hamlin, cartoonist of the Alley OOP comic series. Hamlin would always include places and people from Wilderville when working on comics while visiting this area. In the comic strip, Wilderville was Tamerville and New Hope was No Hope. Camp O’ The Woods operated successfully until 1944 and the end of World War II.

A familiar sound around Wilderville during high water used to be the constant dynamiting of the log jams that built up against the C&OC railroad bridge over the Applegate River. The Applegate Bridge was washed out for the last time in 1950. It was not rebuilt.

Both chrome ore and marble rock from the Marble Mountain quarry, located about two miles to the right, were among the things shipped out of Wilderville. The picture to the left shows a loading ramp at Wilderville for trucks to dump chrome ore directly into railroad cars.

12.5 Wilderville road returns to Highway 199

13.0 River Bank Road: ZERO YOUR ODOMETER at River Bank Road.

There are a number of things to see and do on River Bank Road. Griffin Park is located about six miles from Highway 199 and has camping, picnicking, a play ground and access to the Rogue River.

Limpy Creek Interpretive Trail, Grants Pass, Oregon Limpy Creek Botanical Trail offers an interesting one mile loop hike located about five miles from Highway 199 on River Bank Road. Chief Limpy was a prominent leader of the local Native Americans during the Rogue Indian War of 1855-1856. The Creek was named after him because his encampment was near where this creek merges with Rogue River.

Shan Creek Road Guide, Grants Pass, Oregon

The Shan Creek Road Guide (above) takes you on a scenic backcountry road to the crest of the mountains where you can turn left and follow the paved Onion Mountain Road (Briggs Valley Road) to Highway 199 or to the Wild and Scenic Rogue River near Galice. These routes provide access to the Onion Mountain Fire Lookout, Briggs Valley campgrounds, several hiking trails, and Spaulding Pond campground. The total distance to follow this backcountry route to Highway 199 or Galice is about 30 miles from this intersection.

The Highway 199 Applegate River Bridge near Grants pass, Oregon washed out in the floow of 1955. The Redwood Highway originally crossed the Applegate River about a quarter of a mile down stream (left) from here. A portion of this bridge washed out in the 1955 flood, the same flood that washed out the C&OC Railroad bridge over the Rogue River. The picture shows the section over the Applegate River that was washed out. The newspaper caption said “The south approach to the bridge broke when a truck and trailer started to cross. The trailer hurtled into the raging river as the span gave away, but pulled loose from the truck. The rear end of the truck was pulled out from the strain but the driver walked to safety”.

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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...