Bohemia Mining Days proudly celebrates over 65 years as an official Oregon Heritage Tradition, honoring the people, places, and stories that shaped our region. This page serves as a living archive of our shared past, featuring original documents from the Bohemia Mining District and independent research conducted by our Executive Director, Matthew Hewlett.
Note: All historical content presented here is based on Matthew's extensive research. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, some information may be subject to change as new findings emerge. This is an evolving collection, and we welcome continued learning and discovery.
Written by Matthew Hewlett, Executive Director of Spirit of Bohemia Mining Days Author’s Note: This historical report was compiled and written by the author based on personal research using local archives, oral histories, museum records, and available documentation. While care has been taken to ensure historical accuracy, some accounts are drawn from memory, folklore, or incomplete records and may contain inaccuracies. This document represents the best understanding at the time of writing and may be updated as new information or research becomes available. The Bohemia Mining District is located thirty-five miles southeast of Cottage Grove. It spans approximately nine square miles and is among the most productive mining areas in Oregon’s Western Cascades. Known especially for gold and silver, the district also produced copper, lead, and zinc—yielding an estimated $1 million in total value during its peak years. Major operations included the Champion, Helena, Musick, and Noonday mines. In 1858, W. W. Oglesby and Frank Bass, miners from California, found placer gold on Sharps Creek, a tributary of the Row River flowing out of the mountains. In the early spring of 1863, George Ramsey and James Johnson, fleeing from Roseburg after killing an Indigenous man, made their way into the Calapooya Mountains. One day, while Johnson was dressing a deer, his eye caught the glitter of gold quartz. He unearthed it and, after dressing the deer, returned to camp. Both men left the area, followed the Coast Fork River, and came to civilization. The part of the country became known as “Bohemia Johnson’s Mines,” and later simply the “Bohemia Mines.” The first known discovery of gold in the area occurred in 1858 at Saylor Gulch—sometimes called Sailors Gulch—where Adams, Oglesby, Shields, and Buoy made what they described as a “handsome little stake.” This spot has been mined continuously ever since and is considered the true birthplace of the Bohemia Mining District. By 1866, Bohemia City had formed, complete with saloons, hotels, and housing. Cottage Grove provided freight and food via rough wagon roads. In the 1890s, a company-era town emerged around the Musick Mine, with bunkhouses, processing facilities, and a U.S. post office that operated from 1893 to 1922 under postmaster John B. McGee. The district was governed by a miner-written “Code of Laws” that set claim sizes, limited ownership, and encouraged development. Camps often housed families and seasonal workers. Cookhouses, boarding houses, and even schoolteachers became part of daily life. Holidays like July 4th brought music, whiskey, storytelling, and celebration. Along the route to the mines, various waystations and gathering points developed. Mineral became an overnight stop for freight and passengers, with a large barn, hotel, and assay office. Painted Post Ranch marked the end of the original wagon road and the start of the packhorse trail. Places like Dean’s Cabin, Glenwood Camp, and Red Bridge each served unique roles in transporting goods and housing travelers. Red Bridge in particular became known for its two-story saloon and red-light house, a social hub for miners coming down either creek. Charles Oglesby arrived in Oregon in 1853 and, by 1858, was among the first white men to find gold in Sharps Creek. A prospector, physician, Civil War soldier, and later mayor, Oglesby led 55 teenage volunteers into Oregon’s last recorded Indigenous conflict in 1878. He discovered the Annie Mine in 1890, built Cottage Grove’s first water system, and remained active into his 80s. A college-educated civil engineer who reportedly knew prominent Civil War figures, Sharp built the first road into the Bohemia Mining District. Never paid for his work, he became the district’s first postmaster and local eccentric. After allegedly killing a Native man near Roseburg in 1863, Johnson fled with Ramsey into the mountains and discovered gold. By 1866, Bohemia City had formed. His true identity remains a mystery. Legacy: Oglesby, Sharp, and Johnson embodied the contradictions of Oregon’s frontier. Their contributions shaped the physical and cultural landscape of Bohemia. Early miners used sluice boxes and hand tools. As operations advanced, the Champion and Musick Mines became leaders in mining technology. Champion developed a 150-stamp flotation mill. Musick was among the first to use cyanide ore processing. A narrow-gauge electric tram connected mines for ore transport. Geological surveys by DOGAMI and the U.S. Bureau of Mines revealed significant yields in gold, copper, zinc, and lead. Helena Mine samples recorded gold up to 3.9 oz/ton and high levels of sulfide minerals like galena and chalcopyrite. These findings underscored Bohemia’s industrial value beyond surface gold. Miners lived hand-to-mouth. A foreman once wrote, “A miner are always a better man when he are busted than when he got his pockets full of money.” Owners preferred workers who spent freely. Camps had vibrant social lives. Cookhouses were central. Boarding houses welcomed families. Independence Day was a highlight with music and dancing. Stories of haunted claims and eerie tunnels circulated as legend. Mail and supplies traveled by rail, wagon, and horseback. Frank Jones, son of Disston founder J.I. Jones, often carried mail when Alec Lundberg was too drunk to ride. He stopped at Lund Park, stayed at Musick, and recalled huckleberry wine hidden in the barn. The train from Cottage Grove—nicknamed the "Old Slow and Easy"—was so slow that passengers sometimes walked ahead and re-boarded. The trail network included engineering feats like Hardscrabble Grade—a six-mile hill road built in 1898 by a combination of miner donations, $6,000 from the Musick Mining Company, and $700 from Lane County. The Old Electric Tramway connected the Musick and Champion mines and ran ore via a narrow-gauge rail line to a consolidated mill. Other landmarks like Staples Bridge and the Knott Trail reflect the ingenuity and tenacity of the region’s early roadbuilders. In 1916, Frank ran the mail route from Cottage Grove to Disston and later to Champion and Vesuvius. A 1919 snowstorm made travel impossible by horse, and couriers had to improvise or wait out the season. Life in Bohemia was dangerous. Snow often reached twenty feet. Dynamite had to be kept warm to avoid freezing. Homemade snowshoes were crafted from screen wire. In 1909, Charles Rattan died in a mine explosion. Another miner was crushed in Musick. Weaver and Donner froze in a storm. A man vanished near Noonday Ridge. Survival stories became local legend. In 1911, Lee Whetmore fought off a bear near Brice Creek with the help of two dogs. Camp cook Jack Klopfenstein was renowned. Bohemia Smithy, infamous for his drinking, was once found hanging in a tree, jug still in hand. Many tragedies struck travelers on the mountain. Downings Point was named after a man who froze beneath a log during a snowstorm while hiking out from the Noonday Mine. Weaver Creek marks the location where his companion, Weaver, was later found frozen upright against a stump. These stories, among others, are reminders of the extreme conditions faced by those traversing the district. Though the gold rush faded, its impact remains. Tailings piles line creek beds. Collapsed tunnels and rusted equipment mark the hillsides. Arsenopyrite was historically a concern due to its arsenic content, but recent ecological surveys conducted by the Secord family—current owners of the Evening Star and Champion mines—have shown that their modern containment methods are effective. As a result, the water flowing from the Bohemia Mining District today is considered some of the cleanest in the region. Logging in the area has been conducted responsibly and has played a role in preserving the historic character of the district. In some cases, it has even helped protect the remaining buildings from the threat of wildfire. Mining activities, while leaving their mark on the rock through tunnels and shafts, have not caused significant ecological damage. In fact, efforts by current stewards have helped ensure the landscape remains remarkably well-preserved. Though it may seem quiet, the Bohemia Mining District is still alive with activity. Several mining claims in the area are privately owned, and individuals continue to dredge, pan, and explore the creeks in search of gold. The terrain is rugged and access can be challenging, deterring many, but for some, the district remains a second summer home. Members of the Bohemia Mine Owners Association help maintain roads and trails, preserving access and protecting the area’s history. Ironically, while private stewards work to care for the land, some Forest Service policies have made it increasingly difficult for mine owners to preserve the very history that defines the district. Bohemia’s legacy is not just in gold, but in the people who dreamed, toiled, and endured—and in those who still do.
Origins of the Bohemia Mining District
Early Settlement and Community Development
Key Figures in Bohemia’s History
Dr. Charles L. Oglesby (1837–1920): The Pioneer Surgeon of the Cascades
James H. "Bohemia" Sharp (1837–1917): The Impossible Man
James "Bohemia" Johnson: The Man Who Named the Mountains
Mining Practices and Technological Advances
Life in the District: Work and Daily Routines
Trails, Trains, and Couriers
Hardship, Survival, and Loss
Environmental Legacy
Sources
On Row River Road, just east of town, is the site of the Milton Knox donation land claim. The Knox house was located where a gas station now is and Knox owned about 3,000 acres of land around here. He was one of the area’s first settlers. Alcohol Springs is located on the old road, on the west side of the creek. Freight wagons on their way to the mines stopped here for the teamsters to quench their morning after thirst and cool their fevered brows after a big night in Cottage Grove. Stewart and a Frenchman stopped here in the very early days and the Frenchman said that he could live here Cerro Gordo and so named it. On the north shore of the dam above Rat Creek, Chimney Rock was respected by the Indians who sometimes called it “Chief.” At this rocky ridge just above the upper end of Calapooia Lake at Rocky Point was quite a battle between the Calapooias and Klamath Indians. The Klamaths had raided the Calapooia camp and carried off the women. Pursued, they were caught and brought to battle and the women rescued. Arrow and spear heads are still found here. Built in 1879, the first covered bridge was painted red. It was the turn of place for traffic up Sharp’s Creek to the mines. Near here was situated a two-story saloon and “red light” house for the convenience of miners coming down either creek. The Hawley Ranch, known as Painted Post Ranch, was the end of the wagon road as it was first constructed and was the starting point of a packhorse trail to the mines. It was a famous stopping place for man and beast at the end of a long trip from Cottage Grove. Here lived the hermit, Staples, in a little homestead. He was a bridge carpenter and did beautiful axe and adz work on huge timbers. Some of his work is visible on the old bridge timbers. He was killed in a fall from a rock. Old Bohemia Sharp, on another hermit, lived here all alone, clad in his long-handled underwear. A man of good education, living in the hills through choice, he had a horse, some hay in a field, good fishing and hunting. Originally from St. Louis, he lived in Bohemia all his mature life. He had a mining claim called “Sharp’s Bird Nest.” At Walker Creek was the largest arrastra of Spanish gold mill ever built in the United States. Driven by water power, it was a primitive form of ore grinder depending upon rocks dragged around by a merry-go-round affair for crushing ore. Dean’s Cabin was a way station on the road to the mines up both creeks. Here was a large placer mine, worked by whites and then Chinese. This was the site of the first discovery of gold in the Bohemia district. Here in 1858 Adams, Oglesby, Shields, and Buoy discovered placer gold in the gulch and made a “handsome little stake.” It has been mined continuously ever since. Here was the overnight stopping place for freight and passengers before devoting the next day to the long climb ahead. A large barn for teams and a two-story hotel for travelers were here, as were an assay office and a post office first called Benson and then Mineral. Hardscrabble Grade, 1898, is a six-mile hill road, first built by donation labor of the miners of the camp, aided by $6,000 from the Musick Mining Company and $700 from Lane County. Glenwood camp is the turnoff for Shane’s Saddle and Monte Rico Mines. Here was an old arrastra and now a large hydraulic placer mine. Covering the entire southwest slope of Fairview peak, this large patented mine yields gold, silver, copper, and lead and has more than a mile of tunnels. First worked by Grabers and Simkins, Germans, in the 1890s, and then by F. J. Hard, a Colorado mining man, it is the site of the first cyanide process used here and has been somewhat active since. It has been reopened and is again being operated by the well known historian, Ray Nelson. Elevation of the saddle is approximately one mile. The high Cascades are in view to the far east and the Coast range to the far west. The saddle is the dividing line between the Willamette watershed and the Umpqua watershed. Lane County Parks and Recreation Department maintains a campground out along a side road. Discovered by James Musick in 1891, this is one of the three largest producers of gold in Bohemia. It ran from 1891 to 1906, again in 1912, and again in 1935-36. It is now a ghost camp with the old post office, store, stage house, hotel, and the ruins of the 10 stamp mill, with tunnel sheds, etc. Snow gets 25-feet deep here in the winter. It has been reopened by a long tunnel from the west side of the ridge. Here on this level road ran a narrow gauge electric railroad from Musick to Champion Mines. Ore was hauled from the Musick to the consolidated mills at Champion. The old Knott trail in 1870 followed the ridge top coming down off Fairview peak, crossing here and going on east to the Knott, Annie, Hardscrabble, and Helena Mines. The road continuing along the ridge top is the new road to these mines and to the Johnson Meadows trail. The Champion mine is a famous producer of both low- and high-grade gold ores and is the most highly developed mine in the district. It has had a 10-stamp, and 30 stamp, and now a 150 stamp flotation mill. The boarding house is the original, built in the early years. The Champion camp had a post office, named first Oresco, then Champion. The mine had the first electric power in the district. It produced ores running to $3,000 a ton. Owned by the Oregon Securities Company, West Coast Mines Co., and the Bartels family at various times. It has the longest production record of any mine in camp. This name is a corruption of Gould and Curry, the first name of the mine, which was named after the famous mine at Virginia City, Nevada, and was one of the first locations in camp. An original rickrack board can be seen on the creek just below the road. The Trixie Mine was a good prospect on the old Champion Trail. Free gold ores show on the trail above. It is a good example of the early-day efforts of the first prospectors. Located by Masterson, it was later owned by Andy Nelson, pioneer electrician. A man named Downing, hiking out from the Noonday mine, was caught in a snow storm, got off the trail, finally lay down under a log on the snow and froze. He was not found until the snows melted months later. Bohemia Smith fell over here. Smith, local prospector and mine owner, loved his liquor straight. He drank straight alcohol, washed down by a drink from the nearest spring. One night he left Lundpark for Champion, but failed to arrive. Searchers at this point heard singing. Looking over the edge, they found Smith sitting astraddle a small tree growing from the cliff side, still holding the jug of “alky” and completely unharmed. The companion of Downing, a miner named Weaver, who had parted company with Downing in the storm, was found much later, frozen where he sat with his back against a stump. He also had wandered off the trail above. Here, directly under the bridge, was located the dam for the first electric power plant in the district. A flume led to Lundpark on the north side of the canyon. Somewhere up this creek lies the Lost Trestle Creek Mine. A man out hunting with a companion found good ore and did not want to share it. He kept still and came back later and made many trips, but never found it again. Lundpark, formerly the “Warehouse,” was named for Harry Parker and Alex Lundberg. Parker ran the hotel there and Lundberg was the mail and freight man. Buildings consisted of a large two-story hotel and saloon, a two-story log store and post house, a warehouse for freight, and a large barn. They had their own water system and electric lights from the nearby power plant. Gleason Cabin was the site of a large scale, early day placer working. Many tons of rock were washed here by suction box and Long Tom. Disston is the town and post office at the end of the railroad which was built by Oregon Securities Company to carry freight to the mines. The town was named for Disston saws used in the local sawmill.
KNOX DONATION LAND CLAIM
ALCOHOL SPRINGS
CERRO GORDO
CHIMNEY ROCK
ROCKY POINT
RED BRIDGE
PAINTED POST RANCH
STAPLES BRIDGE
BOHEMIA SHARP’S RANCH
ARRASTRA
DEAN’S CABIN
SAYLOR [OR SAILORS] GULCH
MINERAL
HARDSCRABBLE GRADE
GLENWOOD CAMP
VESUVIUS MINE
BOHEMIA SADDLE
MUSICK MINE
OLD ELECTRIC TRAMWAY
KNOTT TRAIL
CHAMPION MINE
GOLDEN CURRY MINE
TRIXIE MINE
DOWNINGS POINT
BOHEMIA SMITH FALLS
WEAVER CREEK
POWER DAM
TRESTLE CREEK
LUNDPARK
GLEASON CABIN
DISSTON
Drive east on Main Street Cottage Grove, follow pavement past Dorena Reservoir to Culp Creek, keep right at Red Bridge, return by Grass Creek.
