Golden, OR - Ghost Towns on Waymarking.com

However, most of the settlers left when gold was found in the nearby Salmon River in 1850. The abandoned town was eventually used by Chinese miners, who took over the abandoned town.

A hydraulic mine was built, and in 1885, a schoolhouse was built about a 1/2-mile (0.80 km) downstream from Golden.

By 1892, over 150 people lived along Coyote Creek. A Campbellite church and general store were constructed, and in 1896 the Golden post office established. In 1915, a stamp mill was built.

In 1920, the post office closed.

The church was rebuilt in 1950. The general store, carriage house, and several homes are still standing today.

The Golden Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The town overlooks the dried up and mined out remains of once gold infused Coyote Creek, across the road.

Maintained by a local historic preservation society, the four weathered brown-boarded buildings of Golden are much as they were in 1892, when between 100 and 200 hardy gold miners and families lived here. Start by reading the historical information on the sign. Prospectors had worked Coyote Creek since 1850, but it was not formally founded as a town until Reverend William Ruble and his wife Ruth settled it, building the Church of Christ in1892.

The beautiful little church, its tall bell tower riding high above the peaked front, invites you up the wooden stairs through the modest entryway. The two churches played a major part in life here. There were no saloons and dancing was not permitted. One look at the photos of William and Ruth Ruble while you’re inside the church explains far better than words why Golden was a god-fearing place.

You’ll never see a more devout, staid and no-nonsense visage than that of William Ruble. His white hair and beard, deep inset eyes, thick eyebrows and grimly pursed lips say it all. Ruth Ruble’s countenance is equally as stern and righteous, her dark black hair parted in the middle and severely combed down (brushing would have been too pleasurable, I’m sure).

Eventually miners built a dance hall at Wolf Creek. The churchgoers from Golden would picket the dance hall, “praying away the devil”. The interior of this tiny church, about five paces by eight paces, is nicely restored with new wood paneling. There must have been interesting scenes here on Sundays as Ruble preached hellfire and damnation to the sinners. They sat packed together in their Sunday best suits and dresses, uncomfortably close to William Ruble as he strode up and down, thumping the altar with his bible.

The small cemetery next to the church is thought to have been in a scene from the television series, Gunsmoke. The old rotting wooden grave markers, now lying askew, with faint traces of writing etched in their faces, may well be the props used for the episode. You’ll also see a few real grave markers, one for Marion Ellis (1912-1992), marked, appropriately enough, “Gold Miner”.

At the back of the straw-stubble field is the low-lying carriage house, a small outhouse beside it. Your last building to explore is the sagging, dried out General Store, built in 1904, of vertically laid wooden clapboards. It’s perhaps the most picturesque building in the town, overshadowed by a couple of tall pines and firs, tufts of dried grass growing around its edges.

Its frontage is classic Wild West. A long vertical rectangular wooden façade adds to its height, and wooden railings and three wooden steps leading you up to the front porch looks like a scene straight out of the Maverick television series. Stand on the covered front porch, in the silence that wraps Golden, and listen carefully. You can hear the clump of miner’s boots, and the quiet conversation held here between shopkeeper and customers. It surely doubled as a social center for the residents. Photos in the front window show what people looked like back in the day.

The boom times in Golden were in the 1870’s—so much so that the Oregon-California Stage Company detoured to Golden to deliver mail, passengers and goods. There were still 36 children in the school in 1906. What became of Golden? Its glory days didn’t last of course. The Post Office closed in 1920, and the town’s fortunes slowly declined until the mid 20th century, when it was abandoned.

Reason for Abandonment: Economic Date Abandoned: 05/05/1955 Related Web Page: [Web Link]

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