Gold Ray is gone, but not forgotton Traditional Cache
GeoCrater: I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from nor action by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note.
GeoCrater
Geocaching.com Community Volunteer Reviewer
Gold Ray is gone, but not forgotton
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Take HWY 234 from Table Rock Road or from Gold Hill.
Between Table Rock Rd.and Gold Hill, Turn onto John Day Road where you see the sign for Gold Ray estates.
Follow John Day Rd. to the end (~2miles) where you will find a locked gate and just beyond a keyosk with a map of the site (river will be visable to your right). Park at the gate and walk a few hundered feet beyond on the dirt road.
This is county land and open to the public during daylight hours.
The dam is gone but the history remains, and the future is unfolding as the river reclaims it's natural channel.
You are standing at river mile 125.7, the former site of Gold Ray Dam. The original dam built at this site was a log crib dam constructed in 1904 to divert water for a power generator that provided electricity to a mine run by the Ray brothers. In 1941 the dam was rebuilt using concrete. The concrete dam was 394 feet wide and 40 feet tall. There was a fish ladder, and later a counting station, on this side of the dam which allowed passage of salmon and steelhead, but was considered one of Oregon’s worst fish passage structures.
The dam, powerhouse, and associated structures, along with the surrounding 280 acres were donated to Jackson County by Pacific Power in 1972. The county accepted the liability for the dam in exchange for the lands which were intended to be developed into a park and recreation site. The development of a park never occurred but the dam continued to degrade with time and became a major liability to the county.
In 2010 Jackson County received $6 million dollars from NOAA and OWEB to remove the dam. After a vetting process Slayden Construction was hired to do the removal. By October of 2010 the dam was gone and rehabilitation of the site had begun.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ghpxrq va gur ebpxf, k znexf gur fcbg
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