Two miles west of the McKenzie Pass summit and the Dee Wright Observatory, and is the John Craig Memorial. John Templeton Craig was born in 1832 and grew up in the McKenzie Valley. By 1871 and for 25 years thereafter he was in charge of the McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road. To read a more complete history of the life of "John Tom" click here.

Craig's McKenzie Salt Springs / Deschutes Wagon Road After its completion the government routed the Eastern Oregon / Upper Willamette Valley mail over the road. In summer the mail was carried on horseback. In winter it was carried on John Craig's back. To accommodate the mail carrier, a cabin was erected about half way across, in which he could spend the night.

On December 3, 1877 John Craig set out from the McKenzie Bridge, heading east, with the Christmas mail in a heavy backpack. He never returned. His death was not confirmed until spring 1878, when two men reached his cabin and found his body curled in the ashes of his fireplace. It s believed that Craig, suffering from exhaustion and possibly ill, reached the shelter built a fire and fell asleep. When he awoke he found the fire had gone out. Attempts to rekindle it apparently failed and the half frozen man crawled into the warm ashes and died.

In 1930 the John Craig Memorial was built. It was dedicated by 400 of Oregon's rural mail carriers. The John Craig Memorial Ski race was first held in 1934 but after 2 years it floundered-only to be revived in the 1940s. WWII interrupted the race again but in 1951 it was revived. It failed to catch on once again. It was not until 1972 when the Oregon Nordic Club revived it. It has been running continuously ever since.