From inland, traveling westward, the Rogue River travels through Grants Pass, Galice and other towns and ends up here at Gold Beach. The Rogue River is a rafters paradise for excitement and nature watching. But be careful, parts of this wild river are very dangerous to raft. Please check with an experienced river guide before proceeding. This area is famous for it's Steelhead fishing, and there are plenty of fishing guides available.

The early story of Gold Beach is a weaving of Native American cultures and wars, Spanish explorers and European fur trappers, ranchers, gold miners, loggers, fishermen, mill workers and town folk � all building a special kind of life in an amazing place that�s never lost its natural allure. Gold!
 
The history of the area that has most influenced the Gold Beach you see today began in the mid-1800�s. In 1853, a short time after gold was discovered in California, the shiny stuff was found in the beach sand near the mouth of the Rogue River. Gold Beach was born, and established fast. Originally given the name of Ellensburg, in 1858 the town became the county seat of the newly formed Curry County.
But everyone called it Gold Beach.
 
Prospectors poured into the area and set up their sluice boxes, and soon a number of small enterprises sprang up around them, with people making a living on salmon, logging, tanning and simply keeping all those folks stocked with food and dry goods. Copper and other minerals were also mined and at one point there was even a jade mine above Agate Beach. None of the mines ever amounted to much, compared to the gold fields elsewhere, but there are still a few gold mining operations in the upriver area and gold can still be panned on the beach.
 
The prospectors are long gone, but many small outposts on the Rogue still ply goods to a different kind of fortune hunter � the angler.
 
Hard to imagine, but in the late nineteenth century it wasn�t known that salmon would take a hook and line; for years salmon was heavily harvested with seine and gill nets. In 1876, Robert D. Hume established a canning operation and very quickly came to dominate the industry locally. In 1878 he built the first fish hatchery in the area at Hatchery Gulch just south of Indian Creek.
 
In 1896, a Mr. Frank was fishing for trout near the mouth of the Rogue River using a fly rod and small spinner. To his and everyone else�s surprise he reeled in an 18-pound salmon, and Rogue River sport fishing was born.
 
Salmon has played an important role in contributing to the local economy since. As gold mining, fur trapping and the lumber industries declined in importance locally, each forced a large number of people to leave the area in search of work. After 1908, commercial fishing on the Rogue expanded rapidly and the salmon fishery was largely depleted in a very short time; in 1935 commercial fishing on the Rogue was ended by state legislation. Since then sport fishing has taken off and a number of enthusiasts have formed organizations to protect and increase the salmon population not only in the Rogue, but also in other coastal rivers up and down the state. Today the salmon, steelhead, trout and other sport fish draw enthusiasts from around the country to this small town.

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