Lane County Historian
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Lane County Historian oq /7 L1wt 2)1m-,U2 e , '-1 -71/ J L44tJb43'4kJ J14- &_l.. fr1'.-4-t4 L ,d4 ,Zo U42t.. 7Z1 64t1 .ayLi 2V ttr& '.. 'L L-'- lJ-d D- o-'- - ,- ,) ieLa4 i4/Q . -1A44 L1)-aiL 2O1r R FIELD NOTES, AUGUST 19-23, 1904 OF RANGER CARL HENRY YOUNG LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Vol. XVI, No. 4 Eugene, Oregon Winter, 1971 LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Mrs. C. A. Huntington, 740 West 13th Street, Eugene, Oregon 97402 President Stuart W. Hurd, Rt. 2, Box 345, Eugene, Oregon 97401 Membership Secretory LANE COUNTY HISTORIAN Inez Long Fortt (Mrs. James 0. Fortf) Editor 3870 Watkins Lane, Eugene, Oregon 97405 The Lone County Historian is a quorterly publication of the Lane County Historical Society, a non-profit organizotion. Membership in the Lane County Historical Society includes subscription to the Lane County Historian. Annual dues: $3.00; family membership: $5.00. CONTENTS LIFE AS A FOREST RANGER IN 1904 . 63 By Inez Long Fortt, Editor, Lane County Historian THE JENKINS FAMILY- Grandfather Stephen, Son Shelton and Grandson Wayne 75 By Loris Inman, freelance writer Saddle Mountain Trail, Bohemia Mining District The Siuslaw Pioneer 62 ai a7orei1 )eanjerin 1904 By Inez Long Fortt "I am against the man who Gifford Pinchot, one of only two skins the land," proclaimed Theo- American-born professionally dore Roosevelt in a ringing voice trained foresters in the U n i ted at the American Forest Congress States was appointed as head of in Washington, D.C. in 1905. the Bureau. Lumberman at the Congress were The Bureau was a turning point indignant. Neither were they in national forestry. pleased with the creation of a Bur- In 1907 western opposition at- eau of Forestry even though it was tached a rider to the Agriculture little more than an agency for the Appropriation Bill w h i c h would distribution of technical informa- reserve to Congress the authority tion on forestry and forest fire instead of the President to create control. reserves in six western states. On March 3, 1891 the U.S. Con- Roosevelt circumvented the situ- gress passed an Act which gave ation. While the bill languished on the President of the United States his desk for seven days, Roosevelt authority to create forest reserves; signed thirty-three proclamations jurisdiction of the forest lands was which added sixteen million acres assigned to the Department of the to the forest reserves. Interior. A small force of young trained The forest reserves did not repre- foresters moved in on the forest sent controlled or managed forests reserves under the jurisdiction of but closed areas. Within six years the Secretary of Agriculture, James forty million acres were established Wilson. The public domain was to as reserves. be administered "for the public The reserves were very unpopu- good for the greatest number." lar. So much opposition developed, The majority of the new foresters especially in the west, Congress were graduates of the Biltmore was forced in 1897 to "open the Forest School of Dr. Carl Aiwin land to settlers, miners, stockmen Schenck. and lumbermen" for their us e. In 1895, Dr. Schenck, a German- Rules and regulations were estab- born trained forester, was brought lished by the Secretary of the In- to America by George W. Vander- terior for control of such use in bilt as forester for the Vanderbilt order to preserve the forests from estate at Asherville, North Caro- destruction. lina. In 1898 Schenck started the Unfortunately no one in the De- Biltmore Forest School where 25 partment of the Interior knew any- to 40 men mostly the sons of lum- thing about forestry. The Division bermen, received practical training, of Forestry in the Department of acquired technical skills and studied Agriculture w a s w e 11 informed forestry textbooks written b y about forestry but had no forests Schenck. The school which con- to supervise. tinued until 1909 furnished the first Nothing was d o n e until 11901 corps of trained foresters in the when President Roosevelt in his United States. No longer would first message to Congress urged foresters be regarded as "men with the transfer of supervision of the foolish new notions who could be Forest reserves to the Department tolerated but never encouraged." of Agriculture. The west was slow to accept for- Not until February 1, 1905 was estry as more than fire control. the U.S. Forest Service established. Not until January 5, 1909 was the 63 Pacific Northwest Forest Protec- roads, he packed two bales of hay, tion and Conservation Association c 10 t h i n g,utensils and supplies officially organized by the states of which included flour, soda,salt, Washington, Oregon, Idaho a n d dried fruit, coffee, bacon, etc. Montana. In 1910 when California Equipment furnished by the gov- joined, the name was changed to ernment was some cloth with "Fire Western Forestry and Conserva- Warning" signs to be put up in tion Association. areas threatened by fire an d a scribe ax to be used for marking timber. The State of Oregon was in the On July 1st, Ranger Young left vanguard of the forestry move- Eugene for his post in the pano- ment. Forest rangers were serving ramic region of high mountains, in the forests of Lane County in deep canyons laced with creeks and the early 1900's. rivers and the rugged timbered In the spring of 1904, Carl Henry slopes, to begin a three month's Young, a resident of Eugene, ap- term of service. His duties were to plied to the Forest Service for patrol the district daily, to look work. In his application he stated out for fires, to protect the green he could use a compass, measure timber and conserve t h e young boundaries for claims and consid- growth. ered himself well able to survive in Ranger Young kept a detailed the woods. There were no examina- and precise journal during his three tions for applicants. month's period of service. In the Young received an appoointment journal, each day, he listed his as forest ranger from Binger Her- mileage and the hours spent on the man, then Secretary of the In- job. terior and to report at the Musick Mine in the Bohemia Mining Dist- FIELD NOTES* rict in the Cascade National For- 1904 rest "not later than July 1, 1904." July 1 to October 15 The salary would be $60 a month. by With no experience, Young was Carl Henry Young appointed the first resident forest "July 1, 1904Left Eugene for ranger for the Bohemia Mining Bohemia Mining District as per District, an area of about six by instructions from Supervisor S. C. eight miles, located 35 miles south- Bartram to assume the duties of east of Cottage Grove and eighty Forest Ranger. Left Eugene at 6:20 miles east of the coast in the Cala- a.m. via Cottage Grove. Camped 6 pooya Mountains. The mountains miles up river, 6:00 p.m. served as a divide between the Wil- July 2Resumed o u r n e y up lamette and Umpqua Rivers. Super- Row River to Sharps Creek and viser of the District was S. C. Bart- Red Bridge to Hardscrabble Moun- ram. tain. Travel, 18 miles, tim e 10 Equipment w a s n o t furnished. hours. Camped." Young secured two horses, a saddle, Editorial Note:Sharps Creek, a tribu- bridle, water bag and feed bag for tary of the Row River, was named for James Henry Sharp known as Bohemia the horses, etc. In a light buck- Sharp, an early prospector and road board wagon which could travel builder. In the 1860's, Sharp settled on over the rough dirt and r o c k y a high ridge 8 miles up Row River, the * Field Notes, manuscripts, from the collection of Mrs. Robert C. Huston (Charlotte Young) the daughter of Carl Henry Young. Varied reminiscences of her father re- called by Mr& Huston. Editorial Note:Our appreciation to Lawrence (Larry) Chapman, secretary-treasurer, Bohemia Lumber Co., for his kind assistance. 64 trees so huge and high, he had to lean thick enough to take out and spread on back to see the sky. He called it Crow's a board. The dough was patted down Nest. and rolled into a long roll. Editorial Note:Red Bridge, a covered Ireland "pinched" off pieces of the bridge built in 1872, called Red Bridge dough and dropped into pan. He didn't because painted with red barn paint. call them biscuits, he called them "horse Editorial Note:Hardscrabble Mountain poops.', is not a moimtain as such but a long Young reported the biscuits good; the hard pull trail, later a road, around the left-over ones were eaten for breakfast shoulder of the spur west from Fairview. the next morning. It had a six mile steep grade. "Mon. 4With assistance of Editoria! Note:Young camped in the Ranger Ireland, repaired old cabin middle of the road where a spring was located. It was impossible to camp on fo r use as headquarters camp. either side of the road, one side was Worked 10 hrs." straight up, a sheer wall, the other side, Editorial Note:In his official journal, a complete drop-off into the valley below. Young did not describe the 4th of July Young soon learned that in the moun- celebration at the camp. tains it was either "straight up or straight On the 4th, the miners put up a high down" whichever way one looked. flag on the top of Fairview Mountain, "July 3Resumed journey up 50 feet higher than Bohemia Mountain.