There was an impressive vegetable garden at the “Warehouse” on the way to the Bohemia Mines. The produce was hauled up to the mines to help feed the many men working up there.
Miners with Veggies
The Hotels of the Bohemia Mining District
There were some hotels in the Bohemia Mining District to serve the many people who traveled to and from the mines for work, business or just to gawk.The lovely Painted Post Ranch on Sharps Creek Road was often the first stop on the long trip to the mines. They offered food, lodging and fresh horses for the wagons going up to the mines. None of these hotels were fancy. They were put up quickly with local lumber. There were no formal dining rooms or linen tablecloths, just rough-hewn common tables and simple but filling food. Sadly, none of these buildings have survived.
Winter Fun at the Bohemia Mines
William Reeves was the Chief Engineer at the Helena Mine. He and his wife and two children lived at the mine year-round from 1936 until 1939. All of the winter provisions for the family were brought in during November and the family was not able to leave the mine until March. As the photo shows, the Reeves made the best of it and kept themselves entertained. Here they are skiing down the mill roof.
The Fashion-forward Women of the Bohemia Mining District

This woman wears a practical split skirt to ride from the Lund Hotel on up to the mines in the earliest days of the 20th century.
At a time when decent women were expected to wear dresses and remain ladylike, the women of the Bohemia Mining District were breaking all the rules.

Mabel Crouch, pointing on the left, would have scandalized the townsfolk with her trousers, but up at Fairview Lookout comfort and practicality were the order of the day. The gals with the grit and determination to travel the long, hard roads to the mines were way ahead of their time when it came to appropriate clothing for women.

Georgeann Jennings combines sass and practicality in her cute homemade outfit. The Jennings were a prominent early mining family. Georgeann is pictured with her father, George, and her mother, Lenora. These photos are from Ivan Hoyer’s excellent book, Bohemia Gold. The Bohemia Mining Museum on 10th St in Cottage Grove has one copy left, so hurry in if you want it!
Random Fun Stuff: Bohemia Mines Edition
I found a couple of cool old photos of the Bohemia Mines on Pinterest. The first shows a woman riding the ore tram from one mine to the other. The caption says Margie Knowles but I do not know if that was the person in the photo or the photographer. Anyway, it looks like it was a fun way to get around up on the mountain.I found a couple of cool old photos of the Bohemia Mines on Pinterest. The first shows a woman riding the ore tram from one mine to the other. The caption says Margie Knowles but I do not know if that was the person in the photo or the photographer. Anyway, it looks like it was a fun way to get around up on the mountain.
This one shows the aftermath of a tough trip up Hardscrabble Grade. Even today a trip up the Grade often results in an overheated engine.
Old Row River Valley Post Offices
At one time there were numerous small Post Offices in the Row River Valley, but now only the Dorena Post Office remains. The first Post Office in the valley was Star. It opened in 1891 and closed in 1923. It was located near Sallee Road about a mile up river from Dorena School.

Bohemia Post Office
From 1896 until about 1922 there were numerous small Post Offices in the Bohemia Mining District. Among these were Bohemia, Champion, Mineral and Orseco.
This Disston Post Office was established in 1906 and was open until the 1970s. The Row River Post Office was established in 1911 and closed in 1914. The Rujada Post Office was opened in 1916 and closed in 1918. Rujada County Park is located in the vicinity of this long forgotten little office. The Wildwood Post Office opened in 1888 and closed in 1914. It was located on a ranch adjacent to Wildwood Falls. There was a Post Office called Bluff from 1892 until 1899. The exact location of this office is unknown.
The Culp Creek Post office was established in 1925 and was closed in 2007. It was located in a private home until the early 1980s. It was certainly one of the last offices in the state to be located in someones living room. The history of the Dorena Post Office was detailed on the first post on this blog back in December of 2009.
Some Early Photos of the Bohemia Mining District
For more information about the mines, see the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum at
308 S 10th St, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 541 942-5022.
They have a great collection of mining memorabilia, books and photos.
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