Takilma
Takilma is a small, unincorporated community about 10 miles south of Cave Junction, on the East Fork of the Illinois River. It's about a mile southeast of the site of Waldo, the gold-rush town that was once the county seat. The 2020 census counted 423 people here.
The name dates from the copper-mining days. It was first spelled Taklamah, probably by Col. T. W. Draper of the Waldo Copper Company, and it was changed to Takilma in 1902, the same year the post office opened. The post office closed in 1967. The name is usually traced to the Takelma people of the Rogue River, though some local researchers have questioned whether the Takelma lived in this part of the valley.
The back-to-the-land years
Starting in the winter of 1968, young people from the back-to-the-land movement began moving into the Illinois Valley, and many of them settled in Takilma. They stayed, and some of what they started is still here. The Takilma People's Clinic opened in 1973. After the 1987 fires forced it to move, it became the Siskiyou Community Health Center in Cave Junction. The Dome School, an independent school, opened in 1975.
Takilma is a place where people live rather than a tourist stop, so keep to public roads and trails.
The East Fork of the Illinois River
The East Fork flows down from the Siskiyou Wilderness, runs past Takilma, and meets the West Fork just south of Cave Junction to form the Illinois River. What happens downstream, from swimming holes to the Wild and Scenic canyon, is on Rivers.
East Fork Illinois River Trail
The best way to see the upper East Fork is on foot. East Fork Illinois River Trail #1274 follows the river upstream into the Siskiyou Wilderness. The Forest Service's directions run from Cave Junction on Takilma Road, then onto Forest Road 011. The last 0.3 mile of road winds through old roads and meadows, and the Forest Service recommends a high-clearance vehicle.
Know before you go:
- No services: the trailhead has no water, no toilets, and no fee.
- River crossings: the trail crosses the river 4 times, and the crossings mean wading in swift, cold water. The trail enters the wilderness at the fourth crossing. Don't try them in high water.
- Trail conditions: expect downed trees, thick brush where shrubs grew back after fire, and unmarked junctions. Bring a map.
- Water: there's no reliable water on the trail. Treat any water you take from the river.
- Wilderness rules apply past the boundary.
Check the Forest Service trailhead page for alerts and fire restrictions before you go.
Treehouses
Takilma is home to Out 'n' About Treesort, a treehouse bed and breakfast on Page Creek Road. The treehouses, prices, and booking details are on Stay.
Up to Bolan Lake
From the Waldo area, the Waldo/Happy Camp Road heads east into the mountains toward Bolan Lake. Directions and campground details are on Lakes and mountains. For the gold-rush story of Waldo and its cemetery, see History.
On the map in Takilma
- Out 'n' About Treesort: A treehouse bed and breakfast and campground in Takilma, with about a dozen treehouses up to 47 feet off the ground, a cabin, lodge rooms, tent and RV sites, and ziplines, trail rides, and summer rafting.
- Waldo Cemetery (old Waldo townsite): All that survives of Waldo, the gold camp that was Josephine County's first seat: a pioneer cemetery with burials from 1858 to 1918, and the separate Waldo Chinese Cemetery nearby.