The Illinois River and its tributaries gave up thousands of dollars in gold during the Southern Oregon gold rush and for several decades afterward. Miners from the Northern California strikes swiftly moved into the Illinois Valley shortly after gold was discovered at the mouth of Josephine Creek in the early 1850s, and their numbers were soon multiplied by gold-seekers from the Willamette Valley settlements. The increasing encroachment inevitably led to conflicts and skirmishes with the many small local tribes who had long fished, hunted and lived along the river. The Illinois, seen here as it flows west toward the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, has been designated a Wild and Scenic River since 1984.