Gold discovered on the beaches at the mouth of the Rogue River in the mid-1800s brought miners to the area and led to the Rogue River Indian Wars of 1855-56. The community was known as Prattsville and Ellensburg before officially becoming Gold Beach in 1890. In the 60’s, returns from beach mining began to shrink, and commercial salmon fishing became the principal industry. The first ferry across the Rogue at Ellensburg was established in 1857, and in 1890 a wagon road connected Gold Beach with the north and south. The Roosevelt Highway (HIWY 101) was completed in 1932 with the opening of the Rogue River Bridge. Gold Beach had been the county seat of Curry County since 1859 and became an incorporated city in 1945.