Illahe, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Illahe is an unincorporated community
and the site of a former post office in Curry County, Oregon
, United States
. Located along the Rogue River
about 8 miles (12.9 km) upriver from Agness
, the area was home to Takelma
Indians, then to white and Karok
settlers, before becoming part of a designated wilderness. In the 21st century, it is a stopping place for hikers, boaters, and other visitors. The area has a riverside lodge and a nearby campground, both named Illahe.
Illahe is located in the Klamath Mountains
in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The Lower Rogue River Trail, a National Recreation Trail
runs roughly parallel to the river between Grave Creek
and Illahe through the Wild Rogue Wilderness
. The 36 miles (57.9 km) stretch of the river between these two points is designated Wild and Scenic
and is "one of the best-known whitewater runs in the United States".
and Agness. After the Rogue River Wars of 1855–56 and the forced removal of most of the Takelma and other native people who lived along the river, a small number of newcomers began to settle along or near the canyon. These pioneers, some of whom were former gold miners married to Karok Indian women from the Klamath River
basin, established gardens and orchards, kept horses, cows, and other livestock, and received occasional shipments of goods sent by pack mule
over the mountains. Until the 1890s, the settlers remained relatively isolated from the outside world. In 1883, one of them, Elijah H. Price, proposed a permanent mail route by boat up the Rogue River from Ellensburg (later renamed Gold Beach
) to Big Bend, about 35 miles (56.3 km) upstream. The route, Price told the government, would serve perhaps 11 families and no towns. Although the Post Office Department
resisted the idea for many years, in early 1895 it agreed to a one-year trial of the water route, established a post office at Price's log cabin at Big Bend, and named Price postmaster. Price's job, for which he received no pay during the trial year, included running the post office and making sure that the mail boat made one round-trip a week. He named the new post office Illahe. The name derives from the Chinook Jargon
word ilahekh or iliʼi, meaning "land", "earth" or "country".
In 1897, the department established a post office near the confluence of the Rogue and the Illinois
rivers, 8 miles (12.9 km) downriver from Illahe, at what became Agness. A third post office, established in 1903 about 20 miles (32.2 km) upriver from Illahe, was named Marial. To avoid difficult rapids, carriers delivered the mail by mule
or horse between Illahe and Marial, and after 1908 most mail traveling beyond Agness went to both upriver communities by pack animal
. The Illahe post office closed in 1943. Congress
established the Wild Rogue Wilderness in 1978.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and the site of a former post office in Curry County, Oregon
Curry County, Oregon
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located along the Rogue River
Rogue River (Oregon)
The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...
about 8 miles (12.9 km) upriver from Agness
Agness, Oregon
Agness is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located near the confluence of two Wild and Scenic rivers—the Lower Rogue and the Illinois. Agness post office was established October 16, 1897. It was named after Agnes, the daughter of the first postmaster, and...
, the area was home to Takelma
Takelma
The Takelma were a Native American people that lived in the Rogue Valley of interior southwest Oregon, with most of their villages sited along the Rogue River. The name Takelma means Along the River.-History:...
Indians, then to white and Karok
Karuk
Karuk is an indigenous people of California in the United States.The tribal headquarters, located off State Route 96, is in the town of Happy Camp, California. Currently the tribe has three tribal board meeting places, in Yreka, Happy Camp, and Orleans...
settlers, before becoming part of a designated wilderness. In the 21st century, it is a stopping place for hikers, boaters, and other visitors. The area has a riverside lodge and a nearby campground, both named Illahe.
Illahe is located in the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The Lower Rogue River Trail, a National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
runs roughly parallel to the river between Grave Creek
Grave Creek (Oregon)
Grave Creek is a tributary, about long, of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States. The creek begins near Cedar Springs Mountain just north of the Douglas County – Jackson County border and flows generally southwest through Jackson County and Josephine County to its...
and Illahe through the Wild Rogue Wilderness
Wild Rogue Wilderness
The Wild Rogue Wilderness is a wilderness area surrounding the eighty-four mile Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, U.S. to protect the watershed. The Wilderness was established in 1987 and now comprises...
. The 36 miles (57.9 km) stretch of the river between these two points is designated Wild and Scenic
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
and is "one of the best-known whitewater runs in the United States".
History
Illahe was the first of three post offices established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries along the canyon of the lower Rogue River between MarialMarial, Oregon
Marial is an unincorporated community and the site of a former post office in Curry County, Oregon, United States. Located along the Rogue River about from its mouth on the Pacific Ocean, the area was home to Takelma Indians, then to white and Karok settlers, before becoming part of a designated...
and Agness. After the Rogue River Wars of 1855–56 and the forced removal of most of the Takelma and other native people who lived along the river, a small number of newcomers began to settle along or near the canyon. These pioneers, some of whom were former gold miners married to Karok Indian women from the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
basin, established gardens and orchards, kept horses, cows, and other livestock, and received occasional shipments of goods sent by pack mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
over the mountains. Until the 1890s, the settlers remained relatively isolated from the outside world. In 1883, one of them, Elijah H. Price, proposed a permanent mail route by boat up the Rogue River from Ellensburg (later renamed Gold Beach
Gold Beach, Oregon
Gold Beach is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, Oregon, United States, on the Oregon Coast. The population was 1,897 at the 2000 census.-History:...
) to Big Bend, about 35 miles (56.3 km) upstream. The route, Price told the government, would serve perhaps 11 families and no towns. Although the Post Office Department
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
resisted the idea for many years, in early 1895 it agreed to a one-year trial of the water route, established a post office at Price's log cabin at Big Bend, and named Price postmaster. Price's job, for which he received no pay during the trial year, included running the post office and making sure that the mail boat made one round-trip a week. He named the new post office Illahe. The name derives from the Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word ilahekh or iliʼi, meaning "land", "earth" or "country".
In 1897, the department established a post office near the confluence of the Rogue and the Illinois
Illinois River (Oregon)
The Illinois River is a tributary, about long, of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains part of the Klamath Mountains in northern California and southwestern Oregon. The river's main stem begins at the confluence of its east and west forks near Cave Junction in southern Josephine...
rivers, 8 miles (12.9 km) downriver from Illahe, at what became Agness. A third post office, established in 1903 about 20 miles (32.2 km) upriver from Illahe, was named Marial. To avoid difficult rapids, carriers delivered the mail by mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
or horse between Illahe and Marial, and after 1908 most mail traveling beyond Agness went to both upriver communities by pack animal
Pack animal
A pack animal or beast of burden is a working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back; the term may be applied to either an individual animal or a species so employed...
. The Illahe post office closed in 1943. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
established the Wild Rogue Wilderness in 1978.
Works cited
- Giordano, Pete (2004). Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers, fourth edition. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-815-9.
- McArthur, Lewis A., and McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) Oregon Geographic Names, seventh edition. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- Meier, Gary and Gloria (1995). Whitewater Mailmen: The Story of the Rogue River Mail Boats. Bend, Oregon: Maverick Publications. ISBN 0-89288-216-6.
Further reading
- Atwood, Kay (1978). Illahe: The Story of Settlement in the Rogue River Canyon. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. ISBN 0-87071-539-9.