Oregon Map

Rogue River Valley

Jackson and Josephine Counties

Merlin

Josephine County, 97532

Gateway to the Wild and Scenic Rogue River

White water rafting is big in Merlin now, but when timber was king in the 1950's Merlin cut its share of the lumber. As a lad of about 10 I remember once when my father took a log scaling job in Merlin to tide us over a lengthy labor strike in Myrtle Creek. In the days before interstate highways the trip took two hours each way. I never really knew where Merlin was in those days so was pleased on a recent trip (2008) to see the old mill's skeleton still standing. I wish I knew the origin of the name for "Jump Off Joe" creek that winds through the area. I understand the location originally used that name. The later designation apparently came from the Merlin falcons (or pigeon hawks) seen in the area.