Topsy Grade - Klamath County, OR - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

Located at the Klamath County Museum is a historical marker which was originally placed by the Daughters of the American Colonists in 1970 along what is known as Topsy Grade Road and then relocated to this museum in 2008. The marker reads:

THIS MARKS THE ROAD TO TOPSY GRADE In 1846, first crossed the Applegate Trail. The Southern Wagon Road and Topsy Road made original junction. An Indian Trail, at first; then the Soldiers traversed these roads and in 1863, the Pony Express Trail was used to carry messages from Fort Klamath to nearest telegraph line at Henley, California.

There is a placard near this marker that explains in more detail the history behind Topsy Grade Road and this marker and reads:

Topsy Grade
Topsy Road, the first good road into the Klamath Basin, was built in the 1870s (by H.C. Tichnor). The most difficult section, known as Topsy Grade, was chiseled from the southeast side of the Klamath River Canyon. Though narrow and steep, the road remained the primary route leading south from Klamath Falls for more than 30 years.

Stagecoaches and freight wagons plied the route daily until a railroad reached the Klamath Basin in 1908.

The Daughters of the American Colonists placed this historic marker near the north end of the Topsy Road in 1970, but later removed the marker after it was vandalized. The marker was put on display at this location in 2008, with funding from the DAC in memory of longtime member Isabelle Silver Porter (1906-2004).

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The following coordinates will place you at the spot where this historical marker once stood:

42.1352570
122.029814

There is also a 'Beaver Board' historical marker located across the highway from Topsy Grade Road, not far from where this historical marker was located and highlights the Applegate Trail that once passed near this area in the 1840s, when the first pioneer settlers into Southern Oregon were making their way north.

There are a number of historical 'T' Markers located along Topsy Grade Road. They include the Topsy Station site, a former post office, stage and freight stop location; Robber's Rock, a popular spot along Topsy Grade Road where stagecoaches and freight stages were often held up; and the Kerwin Ranch, a wayside stopping point along Topsy Road for travelers (no traces of this former ranch exist, other than an old wooden and barbed wire fence line).

It should be noted that the community of Henley, CA that is mentioned on the marker is part of the larger town of Hornbrook, which is located in Siskiyou County and close to Interstate-5.

Topsy Grade Road is a very bumpy and rocky road in many sections and if anyone wants to travel this very historic road, it would be wise to take a vehicle with high road clearance, such as a 4x4. The views of the Klamath River along this road are truly spectacular and very worth the drive.

Road of Trail Name: Topsy Grade State: Oregon County: Klamath Historical Significance: This historic road has seen multiple parties traverse its meandering path along the Klamath River, both by the local Native Americans and then by the incoming settlers into Southern Oregon. This road was the main/only source of travel from Yreka (south) heading north into Klamath County for many years until the railroad line was established in 1908, thus eliminating the stage and freight line through here. Years in use: Hundreds if you include the Native Americans How you discovered it: Visiting the local Klamath County Museum and saw this marker standing in the SW corner of the building. Why?: This road was a former Native American passageway, then later utilized by soldiers who arrived to protect the incoming settlers and pioneers into Southern Oregon in the mid 1800s that followed the nearby historic Applegate Trail. This road then became a stage road for passengers and freight as well as a telegraph road for the Pony Express. The road was the main source of travel between Yreka and Klamath Falls until the railroad line was built in 1908 Directions: This waymark is located at the Klamath County Museum. The coordinates to the original location of this historical marker are posted above. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Not listed Website Explination: Not listed

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