Table Rocks

The Table Rocks are prominent features of southern Oregon’s Rogue River Valley. This aerial photo, which shows Lower Table Rock in the foreground and Upper Table Rock in the background, was taken in August 1947 by Oregon Journal photographer Herb Alden.

These unique geological features were formed millions of years ago when molten basalt flowed down a deep, meandering river canyon, filling it to the top. Over the millennia, in a process known as inverted topography, the surrounding sandstone eroded away while the harder basalt remained, resulting in the horseshoe-shaped, flat-topped mesas that we see today.

The Table Rocks played an important role in the cultural traditions of the Takelma, the Native peoples of the Upper Rogue River Valley. The Takelma associated prominent natural features with supernatural beings, to whom they prayed and made offerings of food and valuables. In addition to the Table Rocks’ spiritual significance, the rich root grounds and abundant game of the area also provided sustenance.

White settlers brought many changes to the landscape after the removal of the Takelma from the valley in the 1850s. They took up land claims in the Table Rocks area, clearing the land for farms, building roads and fences, and grazing their livestock on the Rocks’ slopes and summits.

In 1979, the Nature Conservancy purchased several thousand acres around Lower Table Rock to preserve the area from further development. Much of Upper Table Rock is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which classified the land as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1984. These preservation measures have helped protect the Table Rocks’ rich biological diversity.

Further Reading:
Reyes, Chris, ed. The Table Rocks of Jackson County: Islands in the Sky. Ashland, Oreg., 1994.

Atwood, Kay. “‘As Long As the World Goes On’: The Table Rocks and the Takelma.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 95, 1994: 516-533.

Written by Cain Allen, © Oregon Historical Society, 2003.