Whiskey Run Gold Nearly Missed!

What if there had been no gold rush to the beach at Whiskey Run in 1853?

Would a mining camp town have been established there?

Would Randolph have become a local place name?

As described previously (It Began at Whiskey Run), eighteen months after the news spread that gold had been found near the mouth the Coquille River, violent winter storms and a turbulent sea washed away much of the gold from the ocean beach. Had it not already been discovered by July 1853, in all probability “Randolph” would not have materialized.

Historical Evidence

The map below shows travel in southern Oregon between 1826 and 1856:

Expeditionary accounts suggest that the gold was either not there or, in the accounts from the early 1850s, it was overlooked.

The first land-based record of travel along the southern Oregon Coast comes from the journal of Alexander McLeod who led a beaver trapping expedition for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The journal suggests that on October 26, 1826, the group arrived at or near Whiskey Run beach and walked on the beach southwards to the Coquille River.

There is no mention of gold on the ocean beach in the McLeod Journals.

After crossing the Coquille River while traveling northwards in early July 1828, members of the Jedediah Smith expedition likely camped one night on the beach near Whiskey Run before continuing northwards along the coast.

There is no mention of gold on the ocean beach in the Smith and Rodgers journals.

Focused on punishing Indians, Lt. Col. Silas Casey’s Army Dragoons traveled as far north as the mouth of the Coquille River, where they camped for a few weeks in November-December 1851. The army mostly focused its military campaign near Myrtle Point.

There is no mention of gold on the ocean beach in the Casey Correspondence.

In the hopes of finding wealth, the Coose Bay Commercial Company left Jackson County headed to Coos Bay, actively prospecting for coal or gold along the way. Nineteen members of the company crossed the Coquille River in June 1853 and camped near the site which, unbeknownst to them, would be known as Whiskey Run just one month later.

There is no mention of gold on the ocean beach in the historical accounts of the Coose Bay Commercial Company expedition (until after its discovery by others).

Conclusion

Mining exploration from Port Orford, Empire City, and Coquille City would have undoubtedly expanded toward the mouth of the Coquille River. However, by the time miners found their way to Whiskey Run Creek—even as early as Spring 1855—vast amounts of beach gold would have already been washed away.

Thus, those who discovered the gold deserve more than a mention in the history of Randolph, and I intend to write about them in upcoming posts. Before I do that, though, I want to examine the geological context of the beach gold to understand why it might have been missed by earlier travelers on the beach.

Sources Cited

“ORWW Coquelle Trails: Study Area Maps, 2012. “Map_01_Historic_Trails.Jpg (JPEG Image, 1571 × 2000 Pixels) — Scaled (45%).” Accessed February 5, 2024. http://www.orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/Maps_1856-2012/Study_Area/Map_01_Historic_Trails.jpg. Fair use permission stated on website: “digital and print maps intended specifically for the use of students, teachers, and interested public.

“ORWW Coquelle Trails: Historical Accounts: McLeod Journals 1826-1827.” Accessed February 5, 2024. http://www.orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/History_1826-1875/Journals/McLeod_1826-1827.html.

“ORWW Coquelle Trails: Historical Journals: Jedediah Smith & Harrison Rogers 1828.” Accessed February 5, 2024. http://www.orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/History_1826-1875/Journals/Smith-Rogers_1828.html.

“ORWW Coquelle Trails: History: Casey Correspondence 1851.” Accessed February 5, 2024. http://www.orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/History_1826-1875/Correspondence/Casey_1851.html.

“ORWW Coquelle Trails: History: Coose Bay Commercial Company, 1853-1875.” Accessed February 15, 2024. http://www.orww.org/Coquelle_Trails/History_1826-1875/5_Coose_Bay_Co_1853-1875.html.