Cave Junction is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway (U.S. Route 199) and Caves Highway (Oregon Route 46). As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,071. Following World War II, timber became the main source of income for residents. As timber income has since declined, the city is attempting to compensate with tourism and branding itself as a haven for retirees.

History For thousands of years, the Takelma Indians inhabited the Illinois Valley. Their culture was destroyed when gold was discovered in the early 1850s, causing the subsequent Rogue River Wars. After an 1853 treaty, most of the Takelmas lived on the Table Rock Reservation. In 1856, after the wars ended, they were forcibly removed to the Grand Ronde Reservation and the Siletz Reservation.

The first gold in Oregon history was found in the Illinois Valley, as well as the largest gold nugget (). In 1904, more than 50 years after prospectors had started combing the valley for gold, an 18-year-old named Ray Briggs discovered what newspapers at the time called "the most wonderful gold discovery ever reported in Oregon history." While hunting along Sucker Creek, he discovered gold lying on the ground. He staked a claim and called it the "Wounded Buck Mine," which produced of gold. The "mine" was a small vein of gold wide, long and deep.

As gold mining in the Illinois Valley became exhausted in the 1860s and 1870s, the residents diversified into ranching, fishing, logging, tourism, and agriculture. In 1874, Elijah Davidson found a cave while on a hunting trip, and is now credited with discovering the Oregon Caves. In 1884, Walter C. Burch heard about the cave from Davidson, and staked a squatter's claim at the mouth of the caves. He and his brothers-in-law charged one dollar for a guided tour. According to their advertisement in the Grants Pass Courier (now the Grants Pass Daily Courier), this included camping, plentiful pasture land and "medicinal" cave waters. They attempted to acquire title to the land, but as the land was unsurveyed, they abandoned the idea a few years later.

President William Howard Taft established the Oregon Caves National Monument on July 12, 1909, to be administered by the U.S. Forest Service. In 1923, the Forest Service subcontracted the building of a hotel and guide services to a group of Grants Pass businessmen. By 1926, the monument had a chalet and seven two-bedroom cabins. Traffic into the caves led to a community developing at the junction of the Redwood Highway and the branch highway to the caves (now known as Oregon Route 46). Cave Junction, originally known as Cave City, was established in 1926 on land donated by Elwood Hussey. In 1935, a post office was applied for and was named "Caves City", however postal authorities disapproved of the name, partly because "City" implied the place was incorporated. Among the other names suggested was "Cave Junction", which was adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1936 with the post office being renamed the same year. The locality was incorporated as Cave Junction in 1948, and is the only incorporated area in the Illinois Valley.

In 1950 Cave Junction had a population of 283, which decreased to 248 in 1960 and increased to 415 in 1970. Its growth was fast in the 1960s, increasing at an average of 6.8 percent annually. The city population's primary growth period occurred in the 1970s, with an average annual increase of 9.9 percent. Growth slowed in the 1980s when the population increase averaged only 1.7 percent annually.

The rate fell between 1990 and 1998, averaging 1.6 percent. The population decrease over the next several years starting in 1990 was due to the loss of timber jobs from the Spotted Owl decisions. The spotted owl was placed on the Endangered species (IUCN status) as “threatened” in 1990, and the following year, a federal order to stop logging in spotted owl territory was granted until a plan was in place for total ecosystem conservation.

Forest fires A number of wildfires have threatened Cave Junction over the years. The Longwood Fire in 1987, part of the Silver Fire complex, was ignited by lightning strikes following a three-year drought. Numerous residents of Cave Junction evacuated.

In 2002, the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires converged, creating the Biscuit Fire. This fire threatened Cave Junction, Kerby, Selma and a number of Northern California communities. Ultimately, the Biscuit Fire lasted 120 days, burned in southern Oregon and northern California, and destroyed four homes and nine outbuildings in the Cave Junction area. In 2003, a wildfire destroyed a home in Cave Junction. In 2004, a downed power line caused a fire that briefly threatened over 100 homes and forced 200 people to evacuate. One person died, apparently of stress related to the fire.

Labor Day of 2020 sparked hundreds of fires across the entire North American west coast, including the Slater fire, which swiftly moved north from Happy Camp overnight to the Illinois Valley. Wildland firefighters, experienced community members, and the inversion layer created by the intensity of smoke stopped the fire from moving much further. The nearby Devil fire and the Slater fire continued to burn through November 2020 but did not grow much at all or take with it any structures in the IV community.

Geography Cave Junction is located on U.S. Route 199 at its junction with Oregon Route 46. It is about southwest of Grants Pass, Oregon, and northeast of Crescent City, California. The city lies in the Illinois Valley, on the northwest slope of the Siskiyou Range, at an elevation of about above MSL. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Climate Cave Junction has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with summers featuring cool mornings and hot afternoons, and chilly, rainy winters.

Cave Junction has an average low of in January and an average high of in July. The record hottest temperature is on August 14, 2008; however, the hottest morning on record is a mere on July 21, 1994 and July 3, 2013. The coldest temperature is on December 10, 1972, and the only other mornings below were on the adjacent mornings of December 8 and 10 that year. Only sixteen afternoons have ever failed to top freezing; the coldest afternoon being on the same day as the record cold minimum. The coldest month since 1962 has been December 2013 which averaged and had a mean maximum of only .

On average, there are 196 sunny days, and 108 days with precipitation. The city receives an average of of rain each year. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1973 to June 1974 with , and the driest was from July 1976 to June 1977 with .NOWData; National Weather Service Forecast Office: Medford, Oregon The wettest month was December 1996 with , and the wettest day was December 22, 1964, with .

Snowfall averages ; the most snowfall in one month was in January 1982, and the most in one season was from July 1981 to June 1982. The most snowfall in one day was on January 3 and again on January 18 of 1982.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cave Junction had a population of 2,071. The median age was 46.6 years.

21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.2 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 878 households in Cave Junction, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.6% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 968 housing units, of which 9.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.0% were owner-occupied and 35.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.8%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 1,773 85.6% Black or African American 16 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native 28 1.4% Asian 14 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 <0.1% Some other race 28 1.4% Two or more races 211 10.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 200 9.7%

2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 1,883 people, 815 households, and 469 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 916 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.3% White, 0.4% African American, 2.0% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.3% of the population.

There were 815 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 43 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 1,363 people, 603 households, and 356 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 730 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.3% White, 0.3% African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 603 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, the age population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $17,161, and the median income for a family was $22,500. Males had a median income of $20,893 versus $16,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,556. About 23.6% of families and 28.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over. Government and politics