Bohemia Mining Days

01/19/2025

01/07/2025

Oglesby was a big name in The District and around our town of Cottage Grove. Here's a photo circa 1920's of Oglesby at the Warehouse near Lund' Park' pack station on the way up to Bohemia.
Credit to the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum archives.

01/03/2025

Hello Fans of Bohemia Mining Days,

If you are interested in continuing to see updates on the festival, and what the organization is doing as a whole, please follow us over at:

Spirit of BMD

Most of our content will be uploaded there and we will be using this page less as time goes on.

Best,
Matthew Hewlett
Spirit of Bohemia Mining Days

12/15/2024

We often hear about the harsh and rugged Bohemia but seldom read firsthand accounts of the folks upon 'er. Pull up your bootstraps and put on yer spectacles to read this excerpt from the letters of Merle Moore, a former President of Lane County Historical Society and his experience working a winter at the mines captured by various letters to his mother through the fall and winter 1914. It ain't no Christmas story but it captures the essence of hard work it takes to tame the wild mountains and why it is so meaningful to the spirit of this town.

Bohemia Dec 2, '14
My dear Mother: -
Your welcome letters received thisevening. Pardon for not thanking youfor the flowers before. I enjoyed them& still have them in my room. Wedon't see many flowers or hear muchmusic around here. Wish we had the old graphone up here. I wish that you would call on ClerkMcMurphey and get the things out ofmy private draw
- which is the upperleft hand draw
- also get a few letterheads & envelopes for soveigners, mycards and big check book.
- I want itfor a record (the stubbs). Thanks forthe blank checks, but I am sorry tosay that the Hards have put me offuntil the 10th but if $10.00 will doyou any good go ahead & fill out the forsaid amount amount. I hope to send acheck to the bank (next mail) for atleast $35.00
- my nov salary. I'm notthe only fellow that is having troublegetting any money.

On thanksgiving day I ran the Tramall day & ate dinner with the minersoutside the tunnel house in the sun. Inthe evening as I came out the house,Straight in front of me loomed oldBohemia over which the new moon &the evening star shone. Before I gotdown to the Camp night had "drawnher heavy curtains light" & theheavens were sparkling with stars.Friday morning I had the fire underthe boiler by 5 A.M. & 60 lbs of steamto blow the whistle on at 6:15. Afterbreakfast I put some wood down thechute until Char. came up to get meto fire the boiler because the "expert"foreman who was substituting thatclay was unable to keep steam up. Itwas threating rain. At 12:30 I startedup to run the tram. By the time I gotup there it had started to snow. Itsnowed up at the mine all afternoon.The wind was blowing the snow uphill. On the way down it snowed inmy face & I could hardly keep my buglit. Sat. it snowed & blew all day. Theminers broke the trail & I followed.Sunday morning about 1 ft of snow.Sunday night about 2'/2 ft of snow.Great to watch the storm all day.Mon. morning broke trail again.Helped wood-cutter fall a "giant of theforest" after digging out & carrying ina cord of wood to the boiler room.
- waded in snow waist deep. When Iwent up to run tram in afternoon thetrail was almost filled up with snowas it was at night 1 hr after minershad come down. Did not snow Tues.ran tram all day. delicate blue color.ran tram all day. Mt range not verypretty because wind had blown allsnow off of trees. Snowed about 8 or10 inches today - big flakes & almoststraight down. Had to stop at one ofthe water wheels on way down tonight& had to wade thru fresh snow, Iwould have to pick my way for sometimes I would get into snow where Icouldn't reach bottom & would have toback out & try another way. In theroom where I run the tram the snowsifts thru the cracks in the wall & Ihave to keep it swept off the floor etc.
- some days I can make tracks onfloor in 5 minutes afterwards. The bottom of the "trail" (up to the mine) isnow 2 feet above the ground with thesnow 1 ft & over (high) on the sides
-therefore when you step off the trailyou go into 3 ft of snow. They saythat when it starts to thaw that walking on the trail is just like walkingthe plank - it being higher than therest. The air in a small deep hole isdelicate blue color.
Took shovel & cleaned out wood chute

About Christmas
- I don't know.
Three possiblities: home to stay, homeon a visit, at Bohemia on the 25th. Anumber are talking about leaving
- theweather prevents continuation of theirjobs. There is not more than 3 daysrun of wood cut for the mill & it isgetting almost too cold to handle the(wet) ore
- it freezes overnight in thebins, & has to be thawed out of thetram buckets with a steam hose. Thebuckets almost drag in the snow. Itsowing to what kind of job I can getafter the mill shuts down. I will probably have to turn miner. Wet fromhead to foot with water every day &use a good deal of dynamite.

The cooks (widow & daughter) are leaving tomorrow & a little J*p cameup tonight to take their place. Wehave 14 men in camp now.
Mail contract is signed
- mail everyWed begining with today until 1st of May
With lots of love
Merle

12/12/2024

A side of Culp Creek that not many know.
This is a 1933 photograph of the "Main Street" at Culp Creek (Bohemia Mill). Shows the large investment into infrastructure in the area for the mineral and timber resources of the area.

12/07/2024

11/17/2024

Direct Your Taxes to Culture!

11/17/2024

"Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
-Robert Frost

Old photogragh of Bohemia City taken from the tailings pile looking over the city. In the distance you can see the Lundberg Stage House and the old Post Office which doubled as a cabin and general store. In the forefront is the covered ore cart tracks that came out of the main tunnel, to the right is the mill. The City also had a hotel/bunkhouse for the workers. Rumours have it that the work week consisted of 12 hour work days 6am to 6pm, 6 days a week.
(Photo of Musick Mine from Bohemia Gold Mining Museum)

10/30/2024

For a few, with winter fast approaching Bohemia City was still alive.

"If the Prospector be a lover of nature as well as a lover of gold, his interest in the revelations of these mysterious hills will be magnified many folks. The yellow-god may have its single charm, but this grand old mountain range for such will even be a treasury of delightful surprises......-'The Secrets of the Rocks, Samuel Frazier.

Bohemia City under a winter snow, notice the porch of the post office in the center of the photo, snow was likely 8-10ft.
[From the Curtis Irish Archives donated by Debra Monsive of the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society]

10/22/2024

Nothing captures the ruggedness and romantic draw of the Mining District more than the Prospectors of the day. A primitive camp in Bohemia Country courtesy of the Curtis Irish Archives with Cottage Grove Genealogical Society.

"To some it opens a field of sport and adventure, with possibilities of rich profits. To others a field of occupation for income building. To others a chance for a profitable tourist trip through the golden West. To all health and possibilities for a profit that has no tears up on it and makes no one poorer, no matter how much you appropriate from Nature's hidden treasure." -Dr.L.Stolfa, Prospecting for Gold 1932

09/26/2024

Most of us are familiar with the covered bridges of our area but our mining district also had gorgeous and now lost covered bridges. This one was the Champion Creek Covered Bridge that once stood where the Champion Creek turn off now is.
-photo is from the courtesy of Bohemia Gold Mining Museum archives