Golden Coyote Wetlands, Inc. / News
Golden Purchased by Oregon Parks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amy Wilson, USDA Coordinator
Phone: 541-476-5906
amy.wilson@or.usda.gov
Historic Golden Purchase By Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Wolf Creek, OR – May 11, 2006 – After years of anxiously protecting historic Golden, the volunteer board has turned over the town to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The ghost town of Golden is now a State Heritage Site managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department out of the Southwest Oregon management unit in Rogue River.
More than eight years ago the board of Golden Coyote Wetlands fearlessly voted to borrow the funds needed to purchase the ghost town rather than standing by to watch it sell. To their dismay, they found that grants were not available to pay off the debt. Although the price tag was modest, local fundraising proved challenging and diverted attention from needed stabilization and interpretation at Golden.
Eventually with the help of local legislators, Jason Atkinson and Susan Morgan, they got the ear of State Parks Director Tim Woods who proposed purchase of the property to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission. The decision was not too difficult for the Commission as Golden is noted as a site of statewide importance, showing elements of mining and early settlement in the region. Purchase of Golden and sites like it fulfills state goals for the protection of heritage resources and proved a worthy use of Oregon Lottery funds. The State will be working with the board of Golden Coyote Wetlands to develop a “Friends of” group to continue community involvement in interpretation and stabilization work.
Southwest Oregon Resource Conservation and Development Council provided major support to this project from the beginning when work focused on reclaiming the mining area. Working with the non-profit board of Golden Coyote Wetlands and many agency partners they accomplished the listing of Golden on the National Register of Historic Places. Safety, stabilization and cleanup projects have been accomplished at the site with the help of Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, Fourway Community Foundation Kinsman Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust.
Golden is 3 miles east of Wolf Creek, for more information visit www.historicgolden.org.
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