Latest Articles

Where the Sage Keeps the Story - Part III: An Old Road Through the South Fork Country

Where the Sage Keeps the Story - Part II: Where the Trail Begins to Wander

Beyond the North Fork Malheur, the 1845 Meek Cutoff becomes harder to trace. Part II follows the diaries toward the South Fork and another possible route west.

Where Oregon’s Rainbow Hides in Glass

At Glass Buttes in Oregon’s high desert, dark volcanic glass can suddenly reveal an extraordinary spectrum of color. A personal find, ancient obsidian history, modern science, and an old rainbow story come together in this edition of The Treasure Outside.

The Illinois Valley: Where Wild Never Quite Left

The Illinois Valley has always been a little wild. From the rough mining camps of Browntown and Waldo to remote roads, old legends and the Triskett Gang’s missing gold, Part I follows the history of a place that has never felt completely tamed.

Where the Sage Keeps the Story - Part I: Before the Gold, There Was a Road

Before the Lost Blue Bucket became a legend, the Meek emigrants first had to cross the country where the story began. Part I follows the surviving 1845 diaries back to the road itself and one of the Oregon Trail’s most enduring mysteries.

A Quiet Survivor: An Oregon Friendship Album from the 1880s

A small nineteenth-century friendship album preserves handwritten names, dates and messages from Damascus, Eagle Creek and early Clackamas County.

Beyond the Footprints

History is almost everywhere we go. This article explores the author’s fascination with following old traces, learning from the past, and the rare possibility of reaching somewhere no one may have stood before.

Exploring Althouse Creek: Years of Gold Country, History, and Discovery

Years spent living near and exploring Althouse Creek offered a close look at Southern Oregon gold country, old mining remains, surviving cabins, local stories, and the landscape that later shaped a search for the truth behind the Lost Cabin Mine.

The Missing Two Miles, Part II: Where Did the Gold Go?

Rich placer ground reportedly appeared above and below a puzzling section of Althouse Creek. Part II examines what that missing gold could have represented, why miners kept searching, and one historical interpretation of what may have happened.

The Missing Two Miles, Part I: The Search for the Lost Lead

For generations, miners searched the Althouse Creek country for a lost lead they believed could explain one of Southern Oregon’s richest placer districts. Part I follows William Mackey, his father Martin Mackey, and the extraordinary effort spent chasing that answer.

Built Over Time, Part 2: The Mine Above the Creek

An abandoned shaft, a shovel left in stone, and two nearby cabins raise new questions about repeated occupation in one of Southern Oregon's richest mining districts.

Built Over Time: Two Cabins and a Forgotten Mining Site

Two nearby cabins, older framing, square nails, canvas fragments, and reclaimed mine workings suggest a site used and rebuilt across generations.