To dwell solely on the scenery of this area would be to ignore the difference we humans have made. From the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, whose descendants have created a growing Gaming Center in Canyonville, to today's newly arrived residents, this area takes pride in linking its natural beauty to its human heritage. In 1846 Jesse and Lindsay Applegate, Levi Scott, and 13 companions explored a new route from the central Willamette Valley through Douglas County, California, and Nevada that connected with the California Trail. The California Trail branched from the Oregon Trail at Fort Hall, Idaho. Interstate 5 closely parallels the Applegate Trail through much of Douglas County including the route along Canyon Creek.
All facilities are free to the public.
Located at the confluence of Calapooya Creek and the Umpqua River, there is a park and place now commemorating the fort and its builders. This historical building was the commercial and social center of the upper Cow Creek Valley and was built for Thomas Towne in 1915. The lower story has always been a store. The upper was first a dance hall and then divided into rooms for a hotel. Cow Creek Historical Society .