GPS Coordinates: 42.6824981, -123.3477896

EXPERIENCE > YOUTH ACTIVITIES > LIFE IN RUINS
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The tiny town of Golden was established in 1892. This area had long served as a campsite for prospectors searching for gold along the nearby Coyote Creek. Even at its height, Golden was a rather sleepy place which contained no saloons and experienced little of the “wild west” chaos typical of mining camps from that era.

​Today, if you plan to visit Golden, you’ll have to keep a sharp eye on the edge of the road as only four buildings remain standing, including the mercantile and a very picturesque church. Next to the church is a graveyard some sources claim is not authentic and was actually created when a TV western filmed on the site in the 1960s.

Reclaiming the Creek:

Below the townsite is Coyote Creek. The creek’s shoreline has changed dramatically since the 1850s when gold was first discovered here. Originally, a gentle slope led down through thick trees to the water’s edge. But years of gold mining using high-pressure water to separate the soil from the gold it contained ravaged the area. Similar techniques continued until the 1960s when growing concerns about the water quality downstream stopped development. By that time, decades of mining had cut apart and washed away acres of topsoil and the natural embankment. Today, there’s a steep cliff separating the townsite from the creek.

In the early 1990s, a nonprofit organization was founded to reclaim the creek — though the original landscape around it was forever lost. Volunteers reworked the landscape, constructing pools and wetlands to catch rainwater, slow erosion and provide a stable habitat for fish, amphibians, waterfowl and mammals such as the American beaver.

Download the exploration tools at the bottom of this page to help explore this site and determine how wild species are now using them. 
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​Today, the Coyote Wetlands are jointly administered by Oregon State Parks and Recreation and Josephine County.

Representative Species of Golden and Coyote Creek:

Suggested Activities for Golden:

Downloadable Resources: