Quartzville - Oregon Ghost Town

QUARTZVILLE

NAME: Quartzville
COUNTY: Linn
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 4
CLIMATE: Can be wet in Winter, mild all year.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Quartzville mining area is at about the mid point of the Quartzville Backcountry Byway. The area is about 22 miles east of Sweet Home on Quartzville Road, which is paved all the way to its junction with U.S. Highway 22 near Marion Forks. .
REMAINS: None.

The first legal claim in the Quartzville area was filed by Jeremiah Driggs on Sept. 5th, 1863. Within four years over 500 claims had been filed and more than a 1000 people lived in Quartzville. The name of the town was taken from the gold bearing rock that came from the mines. In about 1870 the town was abandoned. The mining had proved unprofitable, due to the inefficiency of the mills rather than the absence of gold. In 1888, the Lawer and Medina Companies resumed mining in the area and the town was resettled. This time it had a Post Office opened by George Whitcomb who also started a regular pack train to get supplies to the mines. However in 1892 the area was again abandoned. In thirty years of mining in the area about $200,000 worth of gold and silver was extracted. The old town site is on private property and nothing but a second growth forest occupies the site now. There are a few abandoned mine shafts in the area giving evidence to the areas hard rock mining history. With only 2 private claims remaining in the area a large section of the Quartzville Corridor is reserved for Recreational Mining. There is camping at the Yellowbottom Recreation Site, along Quartzville Creek. Yellowbottom is usually open from mid May to mid September. Submitted by: Bill Firestone

The first legal claim in the Quartzville area was filed by Jeremiah Driggs on Sept. 5th, 1863. Within four years over 500 claims had been filed and more than a 1000 people lived in Quartzville. The name of the town was taken from the gold bearing rock that came from the mines.

In about 1870 the town was abandoned. The mining had proved unprofitable, due to the inefficiency of the mills rather than the absence of gold.

In 1888, the Lawer and Medina Companies resumed mining in the area and the town was resettled. This time it had a Post Office opened by George Whitcomb who also started a regular pack train to get supplies to the mines. However in 1892 the area was again abandoned. In thirty years of mining in the area about $200,000 worth of gold and silver was extracted.

The old town site is on private property and nothing but a second growth forest occupies the site now. There are a few abandoned mine shafts in the area giving evidence to the areas hard rock mining history.

With only 2 private claims remaining in the area a large section of the Quartzville Corridor is reserved for Recreational Mining.

There is camping at the Yellowbottom Recreation Site, along Quartzville Creek. Yellowbottom is usually open from mid May to mid September.

Submitted by: Bill Firestone

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