History sign at Canyon City City Hall.
Marker Name: Welcome to Canyon City - Gold Discovered Here in 1862
Marker Text: In June 1862, a company of miners from northern California were heading east over the Strawberry Mountain Range, when one of the men discovered gold on Whiskey Flat, half a mile south of here. Miners from all over the area flocked into the area and the new settlement quickly became called Canyon City. According to historical records, more than $26 million in gold was taken from Canyon Creek and the nearby mountains during the Gold Rush, 1862-1880.
Tradition says that between 1862-1864 Canyon City had the greatest population of any town in Oregon, with at least 2500. The town boasted numerous saloons, mercantiles, blacksmiths, liveries, a red light district and a Chinese district, and it became the seat of Grant County in 1864. In the 1870’s and 1880’s Canyon City was well-known as a main stop along the route from points east to the Dalles. Mules, oxen, and horses pulled heavy freight wagons laden with goods, passengers, emigrants and gold. Canyon City was also a major stagestop for the stagecoach service which ran from Austin Junction to Burns in the 1870’s.
In 1870 a fire destroyed much of the early town, including the first courthouse. In the late 1870’s Indian wars raged throughout Grant County and in 1885 Canyon City’s Chinatown burned to the ground. In 1896 a sever flash flood destroyed much of the town. In 1898 and 1937 the community was once again ravished by fire. One of the earliest churches, St. Thomas Episcopal (built in 1876) still stands near the center of town, as does the old Sels Brewery, a former saloon and brewery which operated in the late 1800’s. The yellow former schoolhouse on Rebel Hill marks where early settlers loyal to the Union tore down a Confederate flag erected by sympathizers to the South during the Civil War. The Old 62 Hall on the South edge of town hosted decades of rowdy dances and community celebrations.
At the site of this park stood the Elkhorn Hotel, a jewel in its day. Here in the heart of Grant County Canyon City’s colorful past happened just yesterday, and if one listens quietly one may yet hear the steady plink-plinking of miners’ picks on the hillsides.
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