Rogue River Valley, Oregon - Southern Oregon is divided into three main river basins; the Umpqua River, the Rogue River, and the Klamath Basin. The Umpqua meets the Pacific at Reedsport, the Rogue mouth is near Gold Beach, and the Klamath empties at the Redwoods National Park in Northern California. All three rivers have their headwaters in the Cascade Mountains on the slopes of Crater Lake, Oregon's only national park. The Rogue River is a designated National Scenic River, and formed much of the backdrop for the Meryl Streep movie "The River Wild." Jet boat trips and white water rafting are very popular.

Rogue River Valley

Rogue River Valley, Oregon - A beautiful place to visit, a wonderful place to live. Come and find a place to call your own. Southern Oregon is a great place to own a home and grow your family.

Rogue River Valley
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today is a concrete structure that was constructed in 1911 to be used for electrical power but was never used. It is just a short walk to the dam site west of the manager's office at Tom Pearce Park.

If you are traveling to Rogue River on the old highway 99, turn left on Whispering Pines Lane and the dam site is between Whispering Pines and Gordon Way.

The Ament Dam, as the Golden Drift was more commonly named, was also the first irrigation dam of consequence from 1909 until it was removed just prior to the completion of the Savage Rapids Dam in November of 1921.

The next installment will be about the vital role the Ament Dam held in irrigating this end of the Rogue River Valley.

I would just like to mention in closing that Pierce Riffle, just below Savage Rapids dam was named for a homesteader by the name of Reuben Pierce and not Tom Pearce.

Rogue River Valley, Oregon - The Siskiyou Mountains stretch between the Cascade Mountains and the Coast Range at the California border. The entire area is more vertical than most other parts of the state, which leads to numerous waterfalls, lots of whitewater rapids, and some spectacular scenery. Rogue River Valley is outside the main population centers of the state and the area has a very rural flavor. Major industries are tourism, wood products and agriculture. The climate is generally milder and more Mediterranean than North Western Oregon. Average rainfallis about 20 % lower and the temperatures are a bit higher.