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Golden, Oregon, was a mining town in the 1890s, near the Coyote Creek in Oregon. During its heyday, it boasted 150 residents, 2 churches, a mercantile and post office, and most notable, no saloons. Within 20 years, the mine was tapped out and today, Golden, Oregon, is a ghost town.
During our recent trip to Wolf Creek Campground, we had plenty of time to explore a bit. Just 3 miles away was Golden. Our daughter has a bucket list of things to do before she’s 12 and visiting a ghost town is on it. Clearly, we had no choice but to go check it out!
Golden, Oregon, is just a few minutes off I-5 and is a fun way to stretch your legs. Golden is now maintained by Oregon State Parks and is open for anyone to visit.
Parts of the TV show “Bonanza” and several movies were filmed in Golden in the 1950s-1970s, so rumor has it that everything you see isn’t necessarily as old as it looks. But even if it’s not 100% authentic, it’s an adventure and it’s listed as a Heritage Site.
The Church
There’s a wide spot in the road for parking. One interpretive sign stands amidst the remaining buildings, inviting visitors to learn more. When we arrived, we all jumped out of the van and fanned out to explore. No one was around, except for some free-ranging chickens. We had the place to ourselves.
The Mercantile
Near the church is the mercantile and post office building. The main part of the building was the store and post office, and the smaller addition on the left was apparently living quarters for the shopkeeper.
The School
A bit beyond the mercantile is a white school building. As late as 1906, they still had 36 children enrolled here.
3 comments
I am in Florida. Family in Oregon. I lived in Oregon for 11.5 years but raising two very active children in sports left little big travel time. Now I want to start road trips to see the history of the great North west.. I love all the views posted… Thank you..
Today, I just heard of Golden, and thought to do a search about it. Glad I came across your page – It’s fantastic. Thank you.
It’s a lovely little spot to visit. And there are chickens!