Greensprings

Greensprings. . Named for its hundreds of fresh water springs, lush glades and meadows, the Greensprings has for millenia been a seasonal gathering place for Native Americans and later provided refuge for travelers. In 1846, Levi Scott and the Applegate brothers, Jesse and Lindsay, blazed what became known as the Applegate Trail. Pitched by Jesse Applegate as shorter and safer than the northern Oregon Trail. It was 225 miles longer and wrought with danger. Scott led over 75 covered wagons along the route in the fall of 1846. In 1847 he led a smaller group, beating wagons taking the northern route by almost a month. The trail was used until a new road was built by Jackson County in 1868. The state funded the "Southern Oregon Wagon Trail" in 1873. Current route of the Greensprings Highway was laid out by the state in 1919. Most emigrants had little understanding of the various unique Native American cultures encountered along the way or the destructive impact they were having on their livelihood. By 1853 emigrants had settlements in the Rogue River Valley. Today hundreds of people call the Greensprings home.