Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
29 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Lyons Jawbone Flats Mining Museum
AO Edited

Jawbone Flats Mining Museum

1920's mining camp and environmental education center is serving to protect the surrounding forest, one of the last of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Lyons, Oregon

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewf/3201021...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewf/3201021...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/weapher/72687...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyvdavids/4...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/donaleen/
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/donaleen/
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyvdavids/
View of the meadow between Jawbone and the trail to Opal Pool  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the year 1859, miners came to Opal Creek Forest and struck gold. By 1931, what used to be land used by the Santiam Kalapuya Indians for vision quests and trade routes became a bustling mining camp by the name of Jawbone Flats.

After a successful run of producing lead, zinc, copper and silver, the mining company ceased activity in 1992, but not before a group of environmentalists calling themselves “The Friends of Opal Creek” focused their attentions on the land that the mines inhabited. Formed in 1989 and dedicated to preserving the 35,000-acre Opal Creek watershed, the group was rewarded for their commitment to the area when the Shiny Rock Mining Co. gifted to them 151 acres of land – Jawbone Flats and a stand of old-growth forest worth $12.6 million.

The Friends of Opal Creek have since taken up residence in the abandoned camp, and turned it into an educational center, focusing on teaching visitors about Opal Creek's uncorrupted ecology, including its temperate rain forest conditions and 800-1,000 year old Douglas firs and Western red cedars. The camp itself is still pretty much right where the Shiny Rock Mining Co. left it.

The accoutrements of the camp, early 20th and late 19th century Cascade mining and logging equipment, old cars and hauling trucks, and a scraggly band of rough-hewn cabins, lay scattered around the property unattended. Rusted and forgotten, the forest so carefully protected has begun to overcome the equipment of industry, and is slowly devouring it. Classified as the largest repository of Cascadia mining equipment in the world by the USFC, the dinosaurs of the mining industry now serve as a rustic backdrop for the ancient trees they lie amongst.

Now renamed Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, the buildings in the abandoned town are being restored, and the cabins can be rented. It's a favorite spot for hiking enthusiasts due to its incredibly scenic views as one of the last uncut old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, with the occasional dilapidated 1950's pickup thrown in the mix.

Update as of November 2021: Access to this location is currently limited due to a fire. 

Related Tags

Museums Mines Open Air Retro Tech Ghost Towns Horticulture Ruins Plants

Know Before You Go

From Salem head E on Hwy 22, take left onto North Fork road, continue until gate, walk trail into Jawbone. From Bend, take 22 West until North Fork Rd, continue until gate, take trail to Jawbone...

Community Contributors

Edited By

Martin, Sun, Rachel, eo

  • Martin
  • Sun
  • Rachel
  • eo

Published

June 27, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Jawbone Flats Mining Museum
End of the Road, North Fork rd.
Lyons, Oregon, 97358
United States
44.859449, -122.274834
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bagby Hot Springs

Clackamas County, Oregon

miles away

Silver Falls State Park

Mehama, Oregon

miles away

The Gordon House

Silverton, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

Nearby Places

Bagby Hot Springs

Clackamas County, Oregon

miles away

Silver Falls State Park

Mehama, Oregon

miles away

The Gordon House

Silverton, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

Related Places

  • Bankhead

    Bankhead, Alberta

    Bankhead Ghost Town

    The ruins of the "20-year town" lay out among the mountains of Alberta.

  • North American collection

    Washington, D.C.

    National Bonsai Museum

    One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.

  • Water tower and other building in Fordlandia, Brazil.

    Aveiro, Brazil

    Fordlândia

    Henry Ford's failed rubber plantation in the middle of the Amazon rain forest.

  • Church ruin layered with centuries of destruction in the distance

    Zaña, Peru

    The Not-So-Abandoned Town of Zaña

    After an epic flood washed away its enslavers, this city has been part ghost town, part cultural wildcard for the past three centuries.

  • Aston Hall

    Birmingham, England

    Aston Hall

    This ornate English estates "Prodigy House" still bears the cannonball marks of civil war.

  • Nuttallburg

    Fayetteville, West Virginia

    Nuttallburg

    Hikers can still stroll beneath the long conveyer of this abandoned mining facility hidden in a West Virginia river gorge.

  • The courtyard of the Rose Museum.

    Kazanlak, Bulgaria

    Rose Museum

    Said to be the only museum in the world dedicated to the most classic of all blooms, the rose.

  • Shattuck, Oklahoma

    Shattuck Windmill Museum

    Over 50 historic windmills whir away at this outdoor museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.