The Scott-Applegate Trail, the first route through Southern Oregon, crossed Myrtle Creek where it flows into the South Umpqua River. The gold rush of 1849 and the subsequent discovery of gold in Southern Oregon sent waves of miners down this trail in their quest for gold. Attracted by Myrtle Creek's rich and picturesque valleys, many returned to file their land claims here. Stores and mills were built to supply the gold miners, and the town rapidly...