Settlement History

This area isn't known to have been regularly settled by Native Americans due to its steep landscapes, although some believe the Santiam Kalapuya Indians, who inhabited the Willamette Valley, visited the area on spiritual journeys.


White men began to establish mining and gold settlements in the late 1850's. Today there is still many artifacts and mining shafts that can be seen throughout this wilderness area.  The term "Bull of the Woods" typically refers to the head of a mining operation which is most likely how this area received its name.