Historic Hood River
Yocum Falls
8-29-2018
Notes
How have I never heard of Yocum Falls? Tom Kloster gives me an excuse in his Wyeast Blog on the subject: “… Camp Creek canyon hides a once-famous series of cascades that make up Yocum Falls. These falls are seldom visited today…”. I guess I’ll make a visit soon.
L.E.
I was thinking this was the area they were going to do work to restore some of the huckleberry habitat for Native Americans, but Tom Kloster’s photos of the area don’t look like the right terrain. Looks pretty rugged.
Arthur
This photo matches Tom’s photo of "Yokum Falls on Camp Creek" but I’m not sure I understand the directions to access it. I assume it’s seldom visited because access isn’t easy anymore.
another hukari
Whats the guy doing with that stick and, hmm, hammer? -up on the rock to the left?
Arthur
Good eyes! There are actually two people in the photo– one looks like he is tying his shoes, and the other has just popped out of the woods just above him.
another hukari
Saw the guy with the hat on in the trees, just couldn’t figure out what the fellow on the shore was doing! Is that a stick, or a fold in the photo I wonder? for a minute I thought he was spear fishing and removing a fish!
Kenn
There was a trail from the old highway into this lower area of Yocum falls. The Mirror Lake trail is above the falls. I have pictures of the old highway fountain at the Yocum Falls trail head. Of six fountains on the loop highway I maintain the only one still running, Buzzard Point on Barlow Pass.
Kenn
Surprised the Wy East blog does not mention an abandoned trail from the west end of TDH ridge to Wind Lake, although a bit obscure after it tops the ridge. Seems it would be easier to open it rather than build a new trail..
Tom Kloster
Kenn, I’ve got a half written blog article on the loop highway fountains, and I only know of three that still exist – Buzzard Point, Sahalie Falls and Robinhood CG. Are there others surviving? I’ve seen photos of a fountain at Government Camp that I don’t think survives. Thanks for the info on the west route to Wind Lake, too – it shows up as a secondary route on very old maps, but I assumed it had been lost to time.
The route to Yocum Falls is straightforward: park at the Laurel Hill turnout, then hike the short trail to an abandoned section of the old Loop Highway. Turn right and follow the old highway past a continuation of the Laurel Hill trail on the left and then another 1/4 mile or so to an obvious hairpin turn to the left in the ho,d highway. Here, a steep user path on the right descends about 100 yards to Camp Creek and Yocum Falls.
L.E.
Kenn, you amaze me with what you have seen, what you have done and are still doing and your knowledge of the area of so many HHR photos.
Oliver C. Yocum was five years old when his parents, Jesse and Minerva Cooper Yocum traveled the Oregon Trail in 1847.
As a young man he moved to Portland where he learned saddle making. To make up for his deficiency in schooling, in his spare time, he studied law and Shakespeare. He joined a troupe of actors who worked the mining camps of Idaho. In 1870 he returned to the Willamette Valley, married, and began farming in the Newberg area.
In 1878 he moved to Dayton, and two years later moved to Portland and worked as a photographer for I.G. Davidson.
In 1882 he moved to Mount Tabor and set up his own photography business. It is thought, he was the first in Oregon, to use dry plates.
Then he became interested in mountain climbing, with his camera. He became one of the first, if not the first to take a photo from the top of Mount Hood.
In 1890 he took out a claim on a piece of land that bordered the Barlow Road. Yokum platted the area into blocks and streets and established a post office. He applied for the name Government Camp, which was refused, so chose the name Pompeii.
In 1894, along with 105 others he became a charter members of the Mazamas.
Yocum became one of the top mountain guides and and many landmarks carry his name.
Yocum built his hotel, the Mountain View House in 1899 and stayed there year round. In 1910, he sold to Elijah Coleman. Coleman is the one who changed the name to Government Camp.
In 1911, at age 69, Yocum gave up guiding and became an assistant chemist at a dental college in Portland.
Six years later he moved back to Dayton.
He passed away in 1928. His wife in 1931.
(Information from an article in "The Newberg Graphic".
jeremiah jenkins
didn’t know that bit about Govy being named "Pompeii" originally. Was this before or after the discovery of the charred remains of the inhabitants of the city?
nels
L.E. thank you so much for the biography of Mr. Yokum. Such a talented man that he could do anything and seemed to have endless curiosity. Needs a place named after him so we don’t lose his contributions.
If I disappear you will probably find me on that trail going to Yokum Falls. How beautiful.
Kenn
We have looked for a Pompeii postmark for years, apparently there was none. With so little mail at the time I can see a slash with a pen doing the job.
Fountains are long gone from Yokum Falls trail head, Govt camp and I believe there was once one at Sherwood. The Sahalie Falls fountain will soon be gone if the FS will not move it back from the edge, proved a possible task as the one west of Elgin was moved into town. The Yokum Falls fountain was removed when the old highway hairpin curve Tom mentions was widened long ago, the earlier alignment obvious into an even sharper curve.
Kenn
Tom, the Buzzard Point fountain has recently lost a couple rocks and may fall without some attention. I contacted the Hood River Ranger district archeologist and Lloyd Musser at the Govt Camp museum with no apparent interest from either. I have now contacted Debbie Ortiz the archeologist for the entire MHNF, still some hope. If my call it would be on the national register, and If I knew a good stone mason I would sneak him in there, easier to get forgiven than to get permission ~
Kenn
Tom mentions the "hair pin turn", it could be bad. Normally we did not use a trailer drag chain uphill, only for braking downgrade. This was the only left curve with super elevation, if you lost the trailer here you blocked the entire road and no one could get past to hook on. Thankfully there was little nighttime traffic before night skiing began.