The Long Way
Jackson County
A grassy clearing surrounded by green trees under a blue sky.
Plate I. Grassy lawn, TouVelle State Recreation Site. From oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com
Rogue River, TouVelle State Recreation Site.
Plate II. Rogue River, TouVelle State Recreation Site. Photograph by Finetooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TouVelle State Recreation Site

Central Point, Jackson County, Oregon. Day-use state recreation site.

Details

Map. Central Point, Jackson County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
8400 Table Rock Rd, Central Point, OR 97502. Directions
When
Winter hours: main park side 8 AM-4 PM; boat ramp side sunrise to sunset.
Getting there
From the main park, take Table Rock Road across the bridge to reach the boat ramp and picnic tables on the opposite river bank.
Fees
$10 day-use vehicle parking permit; park use itself has no fee.
Access
Swift currents and hidden underwater obstructions are present; a life jacket loaner station is available at the boat ramp.
Walk-in or reserve
Picnic areas can be reserved online up to six months in advance.
Phone
541-630-0663
Established
1946.

A Rogue River day-use park at the foot of Table Rock with picnicking, fishing, boat launch, swimming, and a 2-mile trail.

Notable Events

  1. 1946The Highway Commission approved the name Elizabeth Blosser TouVelle and Frank LeBlond TouVelle State Park on February 25, 1946. npshistory.com
  2. 1946Deeds of January 23, 1946 (24.71 acres) and April 3, 1946 (9.85 acres) gave the land on both sides of the Rogue River at Bybee Bridge to the state as a gift. npshistory.com
  3. 1947A deed covering 0.73 of an acre, given May 31, 1947, completed the gift of the park land. npshistory.com
  4. 1964An additional acreage was purchased from the Tou Velle estate, completing the park's two-phase acquisition. stateparks.oregon.gov

People

  • Elizabeth Blosser TouVelle, Wife of the donor; the park gift was made as a memorial to her (died 1931).
  • Frank LeBlond TouVelle, Donor of the park land; former Jackson County Judge and former State Highway Commissioner (Jackson County Judge 1913-1919; State Highway Commissioner 1935-1939).

Sources

  1. stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=72
  2. travelmedford.org/touvelle-state-recreation-site
  3. oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/touvelle-state-recreation-site/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=OR&parkId=410302
  4. travelmedford.org/state-and-national-parks
  5. npshistory.com/publications/oregon/history/sec5.htm
  6. jacksonvillereview.com/judge-frank-leblond-touvelle-orchardist-politician-philanthropist-by-carolyn-kingsnorth