Spanish Artifacts of Southwest Oregon
Stories from the heart of the
Siskiyou Mountains, Cave Junction, Oregon
In the early history of Illinois Valley, miners discovered three
artifacts that appear to give evidence of
possible Spanish exploration in the region, possibly in the
1780s. This exploration may have taken place more than 50 years
before the Hudson Bay Company came to the area in 1825 and more
than seventy years before the Illinois Valley gold rush of 1851.
The first evidence of early explorers was
really more of a casual observation than an artifact. This
happened in 1852 just one year after the first gold had been
discovered in Illinois Valley near present-day Cave Junction. A
group of prospectors found an old trench and they were certain
it had been used for some sort of mining operation. Based on the
amount of weathering, they speculated the trench had been made a
long time ago, possibly as much as a hundred years.
Some time later, and in the same area as
the old trench, a worn and corroded crucifix was washed from the
gravels into a sluice box. The miners who found the artifact
felt that this gave a possible clue to who may have dug the old
ditch.
Fifty years later, in 1902, a small pendent
similar to those worn by Franciscan friars was found in the same
area and, a decade after this discovery, a Spanish coin bearing
the date of 1784 was also found.
There was some speculation that the date on
the coin provides an approximate date of when the Spanish may
have been in this area. However, there is no historic data to
support this.
The crucifix, pendant, and coin were on
display at the Grants Pass Courier newspaper office in July
1916. No mention was made that gives a clue as to where they
might be located now. No photos of the artifacts could be
located for this article.
The artifacts were found at the Logan mine,
which was later sold to a man who renamed it the Esterly mine.
These pits have since filled in with water to create small ponds
identified on local maps as the Esterly Lakes.
If you would like to see the general area
where these artifacts were found, drive south out of Cave
Junction on Highway 199 and immediately after crossing the
bridge, turn left on Rockydale Road. Drive to the end of this
road and look for the lakes on your right just before the
intersection with Waldo Road.
Story written by Roger Brandt
Esterly Lake fills the old mining pits where the
Spanish artifacts were found. |
