Shotgun Creek
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The Mohawk Valley
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Shotgun Creek Park, located 24 miles northeast of Eugene, has been around for many years, and it seems as though the activities and tradition that it has to offer still live on today. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Shotgun Creek offers 20 acres of developed day-use area and 240 acres of natural characteristics. In addition to the Douglas fir that's dominant, the area boasts many species of plant and wildlife. There are 22 picnic areas, 2 group shelters that sit 110 people each, beach and swimming areas, a volleyball court, a softball diamond, horseshoe pits and 5 miles of nature trails according to John Hackbarth, Bureau of Land Management's lead engineer for Shotgun Creek. Not only does Shotgun offer recreational areas, for years it has been known for its OHV area, an Off Highway Vehicle area, where people ride their ATVs and motorcycles. People have been riding at Shotgun for years, and in many families it is a tradition. It is a very well known local riding area that holds it ground for popularity. This OHV area is located 12 miles into the small town of Marcola. The trails here cover a highly modified landscape crossing many logging roads and through a forest of second growth Douglas-fir growing on tree plantations. Several creeks run throughout the riding area. A popular challenge area involves a BPA PowerLan corridor having steep ascents. The land is characterized by a checkerboard ownership pattern of BLM and private lands managed for timber. The history of Shotgun is actually quite interesting. The park was engineered in 1954 by two men, John Hackbarth, and Jon Hoeck. The Park was actually built by a construction company called Hellsgate Construction, a small construction company from Medford, Oregon. It took the company from the spring of 1975 to the spring of 1977 to actually complete the park. And that was just the recreation day use area. According to John Hackbarth, the Park's engineers had originally designed the park to have overnight camping, but the resources were not plentiful enough to complete the original plan. Another thing that really sets Shotgun apart from other recreation parks is that it actually has its own sewage system unlike most other parks that just have septic tanks. Yet because of the old age of the park, the sewage system has to be worked on, and the Park Managers have to spend most of their funds to repair it.
Many people are curious about how Shotgun actually got its name. The story behind the name has to do with a young man from the 1800s who left his shotgun at the park and later had to retrieve it. He ended up calling the park Shotgun. According to John Hackbarth that name just eventually lived on as time passed considering this event occurred before the park was actually developed. The history and culture of the Valley lives on. With the same industries running, and the same adventurous places to visit, Shotgun Creek still proves to be a popular place for the towns people and offers recreational activities that the pioneers of its early days enjoyed.
Below is a map of Shotgun and the Mohawk Valley Unfortunately the parks keepers have to spend most of their funds just to keep the park maintained, and do not have enough money to make any new improvements. For more information contact the Bureau of Land Management. |
