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= Upper_and_Lower_Table_Rock =
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Introduction
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Upper Table Rock and Lower Table Rock are two prominent volcanic
plateaus located just north of the Rogue River in Jackson County,
Oregon, U.S. Created by an andesitic lava flow approximately seven
million years ago and shaped by erosion, they now stand about 800 ft
above the surrounding Rogue Valley. The Table Rocks are jointly owned;
The Nature Conservancy is responsible for 3591 acre, while the Bureau
of Land Management is responsible for 1280 acre.
Native Americans have inhabited the Table Rocks area for at least
15,000 years before European-American settlement. Starting in the
mid-19th century during a gold rush, the settlers forced the Takelma
tribe away from the Table Rocks and into reservations. The surrounding
area was quickly developed. The Table Rock post office was established
in 1872, an airstrip was built atop Lower Table Rock in 1948, and a
very high frequency omni-directional range (VOR) aviation tower was
constructed on Upper Table Rock in the 1960s. The Table Rocks were not
protected until the 1970s.
The rocks are home to over 70 species of animals and 340 species of
plants, which includes over 200 species of wildflowers. Vernal pools
atop the plateaus fill during the rainy season in winter and spring
because the andesite is impermeable. The dwarf woolly meadowfoam, a
species of wildflower, grows around these pools, and is endemic to the
rocks. The pools are also one of only a few places where the federally
threatened species of fairy shrimp, 'Branchinecta lynchi', can be
found. To protect these and other threatened species, the Bureau of
Land Management has listed the rocks as an Area of Critical
Environmental Concern since 1984.
The Table Rocks are one of the most popular hiking locations in the
Rogue Valley, with over 45,000 visitors annually. Two trails, Lower
Table Rock Trail and Upper Table Rock Trail, were cut across the
plateaus' slopes in the early 1980s by the Youth Conservation Corps,
Boy Scouts, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. This effort was
coordinated by John Ifft, a forester for the Medford Office of the
BLM.
The plateaus are named for their relatively flat tops. Upper and Lower
refer to their location along the Rogue River, not their height. Upper
Table Rock, 2091 ft above sea level at its highest point, is located
upstream, while Lower Table Rock is farther downstream, with an
elevation of 2049 ft.
Geology and climate
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Starting approximately 40 million years ago in the middle Eocene, a
braided river system called the "Ancestral Rogue River" flowed through
the region where the Rogue Valley is now carved. For about 2.1 million
years, the river deposited what is now known as the Payne Cliffs
Formation by laying down a thin conglomerate, followed by arkosic
sandstone and siltstone. Between 10 and 20 million years ago, the
uplift that created the nearby Klamath Mountains caused an incision
that formed the Rogue River valley. Vertical erosion, or downcutting
of the Rogue River continues to keep pace with the recent uplift, with
about 690 ft of erosion occurring in the past seven million years.
Approximately seven million years ago in the upper Miocene, a 44 mi
long trachyandesitic lava flow that likely came from Olson Mountain
near present-day Lost Creek Lake flowed down the Ancestral Rogue River
and its tributaries and spread throughout the valley. This lava formed
a hard cap over the Payne Cliffs Formation. At Lost Creek Lake, the
lava attained its maximum thickness of 730 ft and thinned to about 100
to to the north of Medford.
Since the Olson eruption, the Rogue River has eroded 90 percent of the
solidified lava. Though the andesite prevented much erosion to the
caps of the Table Rocks, the andesite-capped cliffs eroded from the
side as the softer sedimentary units of the Payne Cliffs Formation
gave way. This erosion created expansive talus fields which surround
the plateaus on all sides, creating slopes capable of supporting
abundant plant and animal life. Upper and Lower Table Rock both stand
800 ft above the valley floor, and just over 2000 ft above sea level.
There are approximately 300 acre of level ground on Lower Table Rock,
and 500 acre on Upper Table Rock.
The Table Rocks offer an example of inverted relief, in which previous
topographic lows are filled with a resistant rock and become new
topographic highs after the erosion of the surrounding region. Each
plateau is shaped roughly like a horseshoe because the lava followed
the meanders of the Ancestral Rogue River.
Two caves and two former gold mines are located at the base of the
andesite cap on Upper Table Rock. The caves were created by natural
fractures in the cap, and the gold mines were excavated by prospectors
searching for gold in the 19th century. Three are large enough to walk
into, with an average width of 8 ft, while one is a small pit,
dropping 30 ft vertically into a pond of water.
Human history
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Humans have lived in the Table Rock area for at least 15,000 years,
based on the age of Clovis points that were discovered nearby. The
region surrounding the Table Rocks was home to the Takelma people.
They gathered food such as acorns and tarweed seeds, and caught salmon
in the nearby Rogue River. The Takelma also used deer hides for
clothing. They had several names for the rocks, including 'Di'tani'
("rock above"), 'Titanakh' ("little Indian plums"), and possibly
'Kwenphunkh'. The first use of the names Upper Table Rock and Lower
Table Rock is unknown, however the first recorded use was by mountain
man James Clyman in 1845.
Some of the first European Americans to visit the area were fur
trappers led by Peter Skene Ogden in 1827. In 1841, the United States
Exploring Expedition passed through the Rogue Valley. Neither Ogden
nor the expedition mentioned the Table Rocks. The gold rush of the
early 1850s brought many emigrants to the area, and Table Rock City
(soon renamed Jacksonville) was established several miles south of the
rocks. The sudden increase of settlers created conflicts with the
Rogue River Indians. These conflicts turned into warfare, and several
treaties were signed in an attempt to end the hostilities. In June
1851, soldiers of the United States Army led by Major Philip Kearny
attacked the Takelma near Lower Table Rock, but the Takelma were
prepared. One soldier died, and three others were injured. Major
Kearny returned with volunteers from Yreka soon after, accompanied by
Oregon Territory delegate Joseph Lane.
Hostilities resumed in 1853, culminating in the Battle of Table Rock,
which actually took place in the Evans Creek drainage. In September
1853, the Native Americans signed a peace treaty with Joseph Lane, and
the Treaty with the Rogue River with Joel Palmer, which resulted in
their ceding 2500 mi2 of land in exchange for $60,000, $15,000 of
which was to be used to repay white settlers for losses sustained in
the hostilities and $5,000 of which was set aside to purchase
agricultural implements and other improvements benefitting the Native
Americans. The Takelma population underwent their first forced
migration into the Table Rock Reservation, located between Upper Table
Rock and nearby Evans Creek. This reservation remained open for three
years, while the inhabitants were moved to other reservations. In
January 1856, 400 Native Americans were moved to the Grande Ronde
Reservation, 263 mi to the north. Most of the rest were relocated to
the Siletz Reservation in May.
Development of the area commenced immediately and in 1872 the Table
Rock Post Office was established just south of Upper Table Rock and
east of Lower Table Rock. The Table Rock School District was created
in 1879. In 1895 the post office's name was changed to Tablerock, and
it was closed in 1906. Telephones arrived in 1908, and the Table Rock
Mutual Telephone Company was established. The school district was
merged with Central Point's district in 1948.
In November 1948, John Day, a local cattle rancher and developer,
built a 3/4 mi airstrip on the surface of Lower Table Rock to impress
visiting celebrities from Hollywood. Day funded residential lots near
the landmark with the intent of marketing the lots to the celebrities
who used the grassy runway. The runway was closed in the late 1980s,
but small airplanes still occasionally attempt to land on it.
VORTAC located on Upper Table Rock
The Federal Aviation Administration has operated a 25 ft tall very
high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) aviation tower on Upper
Table Rock since the 1960s. The tower's purpose is to broadcast
precise coordinates to nearby aircraft to assist in navigation. The
facility is closed to the public due to the threat to the safety of
the occupants of the aircraft. However, the structure sustained
$40,000 damage in 1997 when vandals unsuccessfully attempted to steal
aluminum antennas from the 15 ft tall fiberglass shell on the roof of
the building.
The Nature Conservancy became concerned about overdevelopment in 1978
and launched its largest fundraising project to that date. After
collecting over $500,000 they purchased 1881 acre of Lower Table Rock,
creating the 'Lower Table Rock Preserve'. Projects include prescribed
burning and invasive species removal. In 1981, the Youth Conservation
Corps constructed the Upper Table Rock Trail. A year later, through
the efforts of John Ifft, the Lower Table Rock Trail was constructed;
the first 400 ft were built by a Central Point Boy Scout troop, and
the rest was built by the Oregon Department of Forestry. In 1984, the
Table Rocks were designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern
by the Bureau of Land Management. In May 2009, The Nature Conservancy
bought another 1710 acre of land on the Table Rocks for $3.9 million,
ending private ownership of the rocks.
Ecological habitats
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Four overlapping ecological regions have been identified on the Table
Rocks, with considerable differences in the variety of wildlife found
in each. From the outermost base of the rocks, three regions
consisting of oak savanna, chaparral, and mixed woodland surround the
relatively flat tops. The andesite cap is covered by the fourth
region, mounded prairie. This region formed when the caps were slowly
eroded by the freezing and thawing of water that seeped into the
ground (ice erosion), which created layers of mounded soil. Vernal
pools fill in from October to June in the mounded prairie area due to
the andesite's impermeability. The pools support species of plants and
animals.
Over 340 species of plants grow on the rocks, including approximately
200 species of wildflowers. Some of the most common wildflowers are
western buttercups, desert parsley, bicolor lupine, and California
goldfields. Camas and death camas also grow on the rocks. Camas
produces an edible bulb, while death camas is poisonous and was used
by the Takelma as an anesthetic.
More than 70 species of animals are known to live on the Table Rocks.
Lizards such as the western fence lizard, southern alligator lizard,
and western skink have been seen in all four regions of the Table
Rocks. Western rattlesnakes and two species of garter snakes also live
in all regions. Black-tailed deer, coyotes, and bobcats are some of
the mammals that live on the Table Rocks. The rocks are also home to
western black-legged ticks, although they are mainly found in the
chaparral region. Many species of birds live on the rocks.
The Table Rocks experience a Mediterranean climate. The average wind
speed in the area is less than 6 mph, and the annual precipitation is
approximately 18 in due to the rain shadow created by the Klamath
Mountains. It rarely snows in the winter.
Oak savanna
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Oak savanna is a type of grassland with scattered oak trees, found on
the lowest slopes of the Table Rocks. The Takelma tribe often set
fires in the oak savanna and chaparral regions to prevent brush
overgrowth, creating foraging areas for animals such as deer and elk.
It also prevented large wildfires. Oregon white oak and ponderosa pine
are the most common trees found in the region. Buckbrush, sticky
whiteleaf manzanita, Pacific madrone, deerbrush, birchleaf mountain
mahogany, and Pacific poison oak are also common.
Snakes such as the ringneck snake, western yellow-bellied racer,
striped whipsnake, and Pacific gopher snake live in the oak savanna
region. Birds such as the oak titmouse, ash-throated flycatcher,
white-breasted nuthatch, western bluebird, violet-green swallow, acorn
woodpecker, black-headed grosbeak, and American kestrel have also been
found in this region. The rocks are known to be the northernmost place
blue-gray gnatcatchers inhabit. Gall wasps live in this area, often
creating galls in oak trees by injecting their larva into their leaves
and branches.
Chaparral
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Chaparral is a type of shrubland, receiving very little precipitation.
Sclerophyllous plants such as manzanita and buckbrush grow in this
area, both relying on fire to reproduce. The rare Gentner's fritillary
also grows in this region.
American black bears have been spotted in the chaparral region,
usually in the fall. The most common birds include titmice and the
acorn woodpecker. Blue-gray gnatcatchers, lesser goldfinches, and
Anna's hummingbirds have also been seen.
Mixed woodland
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The mixed woodland region is a dense forest with many species of
trees, located near the tops of the plateaus. The forest canopy shades
the ground, resulting in a cooler temperature. The canopy also reduces
the amount of water evaporation. California black oak, Douglas fir,
Pacific madrone, incense cedar, and other plants grow in the mixed
woodland. Shrubs such as Oregon grape, honeysuckle, blue elderberry,
and Pacific poison oak also grow here. The soil in this area is mostly
loam.
Rodents such as the California ground squirrel, western gray squirrel,
and dusky-footed woodrat live in this region. Birds such as grosbeaks,
flycatchers, western tanagers, and lazuli buntings are common in the
area. Nine species of warblers, three species of vireos, and two
species of thrushes can also be found. The pileated woodpecker has
been spotted rarely in large pine trees.
Mounded prairie and vernal pools
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The mounded prairie region is located on top of the plateaus,
characterized by many species grasses and wildflowers around the
vernal pools, with mounds of soil created by erosion. The dwarf woolly
meadowfoam, a plant endemic to the Table Rocks, grows near these
pools. They bloom for about ten days in April. When filled in the
winter and early spring, the pools are also a known habitat for the
vernal pool fairy shrimp ('Branchinecta lynchi'), a threatened
species.
Two types of amphibians are found in the mounded prairie region,
typically around vernal pools. The Pacific tree frog lives in large
numbers on the rocks, while tadpoles of the rarer western toad can be
seen between March and May. Mammals such as California voles,
Heermann's kangaroo rats, raccoons, and long-tailed weasels can also
be found in this region. The western meadowlark and two species of
sparrows are the most common types of birds that are seen in the area.
Turkey vultures, rock wren, three species of hawks, and other birds
patrol the cliffs on the sides of the plateaus.
Trails
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The Table Rocks offer one of the most popular hiking locations in the
Rogue Valley, with over 45,000 visitors annually. Over 4,600 people
per year participate in guided hikes through the Table Rock
Environmental Education Program, hosted by the Bureau of Land
Management and The Nature Conservancy. Lower Table Rock features a
walking trail, which climbs approximately 780 ft to the top of the
plateau over a distance of 1.75 mi. It has eight interpretive panels
along its length, explaining the history, flora, and fauna of the
region. Upper Table Rock also has a walking trail, 1.25 mi long,
ascending approximately 720 ft. The trails are the most popular with
hikers between March and May, when the wildflowers are in bloom.
Another peak occurs in September through October. Landmarks such as
Mount McLoughlin, Mount Ashland, Roxy Ann Peak, and Pilot Rock are
visible on clear days from the edge of the rocks.
The Youth Conservation Corps, Boy Scouts, and the Oregon Department of
Forestry built the trails leading to the tops of the Table Rocks in
the early 1980s, around the same time the plateaus were being
nominated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. In June 1999,
only two small trees were cut when Shady Cove contractor Randy Hodges
rerouted a 3/4 mi section of the Lower Table Rock trail to accommodate
the growing number of visitors. The project involved decommissioning
the old section, expanding the parking lot, and installing 2200 ft of
new trail. Measures to protect the trail were implemented, such as
installing rock waterbars and a layer of shale gravel over the clay.
In 2005, a program to build an interpretive trail began on Lower Table
Rock near the trailhead. Prior to construction, some persons with
disabilities, children, or the elderly may have been prevented from
using either of the Table Rocks due to the steep terrain and narrow
paths. The finished project involved making a 500 ft section of trail
accessible and adding a 1/2 mi long section of new trail for general
public use.
Both trails lead to extensive views of the surrounding areas, but have
inherent dangers as well. The thick andesite caps are heavily eroded,
leaving tall crumbling columns near their edges. At least six people
have fallen from the Table Rocks since 2006, including a man from
Central Point who tumbled through a rock shaft on Lower Table Rock to
his death in May 2007 and was not found for over nineteen months.
Another man from Murray, Utah fell 200 ft from Lower Table Rock and
died in September 2009.
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License
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All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_and_Lower_Table_Rock
