Rogue River History

Settlers of the Rogue River

The Thomas family began homesteading Clay Hill in the late 1800s. The son, George Thomas, received the patent in 1919. The home was built in 1914 and still stands on the property.

Hathaway Jones carried mail by mule trail in the canyon and married Flora Thomas, whose father homesteaded Clay Hill. Flora's younger sister, Ethel, is buried at Clay Hill. The homestead stills stands today about 200 yards up the trail from Clay Hill Lodge. Hathaway was the "Tall Tale Teller" of the Rogue River.

Glen Wooldridge began guiding the river in 1917 and was the first man to run it upstream. He bought Clay Hill in 1942 from George Thomas and began using the homestead to accommodate his fishing clientele, which included Clark Gable, Herbert Hoover, Victor Moore and Ginger Rogers.

Novelist Zane Grey felt the draw of this beautiful area, he wrote many of his western books in a cabin which still stands at Winkle Bar along the Rogue River today. The area is steeped in history and lore from Native Americans to recent pioneer stories.

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Clay Hill Lodge<
P.O. Box 216
Stayton, Oregon 97383
phone:
clayhilllodge@gmail.com