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History of the Willamette National Forest

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HISTORY OF THE WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST By Lawrence and Mary Rakestraw 1991 USDA - Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION The Willamette National Forest - A Personal Perspective Description of the Willamette National Forest Vicinity Map Willamette National Forest Map History of the Willamette National Forest Table of Contents CHAPTER I - BEGINNINGS 1891-1897 Early Forest Reserve Proposal in 1889 Forest Reserve Act of 1891 Cascade Range Forest Reserve, 1893-1897 Coville Report on Grazing Notes - Chapter I Chronological Summary, 1891-1897 CHAPTER II - EVOLUTION TO PROFESSIONAL LANDMANAGEMENT, 1898-1905 U.S. Geological Survey Report on the Cascade Range Forest Reserve Forest Reserve Administration by the General Land Office General Land Office Forest Rangers Notes - Chapter II Chronological Summary, 1898-1905 CHAPTER III - TAMING A WILD FOREST: 1905-1933 Introduction Administration Lands The Timber and Stone Act Mining Claims Wagon Road Grants and School Lands Agricultural Lands, Homesteaders, and Squatters Lieu Lands and Land Fraud The Oregon Land Fraud Cases Grazing Wildlife Developments Recreation Amenity Values Research Fire Control Timber Sales Notes - Chapter III Chronological Summary, 1905-1933 CHAPTER IV: DEPRESSION AND WAR, 1933-1945 Introduction Administration Timber Sales Subsistence Homesteads Wildlife and Grazing Recreation, Amenity Values, Developments Relief Work—The Civilian Conservation Corps World War II Notes - Chapter IV Chronological Summary, 1933-1944 CHAPTER V: ERA OF INTENSIVE FORESTRY, 1945-1970 Introduction Mining and Grazing Wildlife Developments/Changes Forest Research Timber Harvest—Cutting Practices Fire Control Recreation—Background Changing Patterns in Recreation—McCredie Springs Marion Lake and Waldo Lake The Olallie Ridge/French Pete Controversy Recreation Notes - Chapter V Chronological Summary, 1945-1970 CHAPTER VI: ERA OF CONFLICT AND CONFRONTATION, 1970-1988 Introduction Societal Changes Administration Organizations Research Recreation Timber Management Epilogue: The Tasks Ahead Bibliographic Note Unpublished Sources Notes - Chapter VI Chronological Summary, 1970-1988 APPENDICES Chronological Establishment of the Willamette National Forest 1891-1990 Proclamations and Executive Order 1893-1933: 1893 Proclamation - Cascade Range Forest Reserve 1901 Proclamation (2nd) - Cascade Range Forest Reserve 1907 Proclamation (3rd) - Cascade Range Forest Reserve 1907 Proclamation (4th) - Cascade Forest Reserve 1911 Proclamation (5th) - Cascade National Forest 1911 Proclamation - Santiam National Forest 1933 Executive Order - Willamette National Forest Supervisors and District Rangers, 1893-1990 Map - RNAs, Experimental Forest, and Wildernesses Map - Hot Springs and Reservoirs Map - Mining Districts, Grazing Areas, and Railroads Fire Statistics, 1945-1989 Major Forest Fires Since 1893 (Greater than 40 acres) Reforestation Statistics, 1913-1989 Commercial Timber Sales, 1909-1989 Job Titles, Grades, Women, and Location of Employees PHOTOGRAPH SECTION INDEX (omitted from the online edition) Published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Willamette NationalForest, Eugene, Oregon. This history was undertaken as a volunteerproject by Larry and Mary Rakestraw. Further information or orderingof this history can be obtained from the Willamette National Forest,P.O. Box 10607, Eugene, Oregon 97440. INTRODUCTION THE WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST - A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE The Willamette National Forest is and has always been a very important unit of the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The prominence of the forest in the history of the Pacific Northwest Region has been well documented by Larry and Mary Rakestraw, who volunteered to research and write a history of the Willamette. It is hoped that this history will serve to inform the Forest Service personnel who manage the forest and the public of the interesting early history of the Willamette National Forest. This book, the result of several years of intensive research and writing about the Willamette, records the establishment, area and name changes, development, and administration encompassing almost 100 years of Federal management. This history will also serve to refresh the memory of the public of the circumstances leading to the current management of the forest. It is also designed to inform the public readers, and forest employees, of the rich history behind the national forest conservation movement in the late 1800s, as well as the efforts of the Willamette managers to develop and utilize the natural resources present for the benefit of the people and communities of Oregon and the United States. It has been my privilege to have worked on the forest in a variety of capacities over the past four decades and as Forest Supervisor in the 1980s. During all these years the forest has often been at the forefront in national forest management, with forest employees providing many new and innovative ideas. In the past, employees of the Cascade and Santiam National Forests, the immediate predecessors to the Willamette National Forest, formed the basis for some of the first practical management of any national forest. Whether it has been recreation developments, fire control procedures, timber harvest methods (including the testing of some of the first chain saws), road construction techniques, and researching the basic relationships in the old-growth ecosystem, the Willamette has been a leader. Since the end of World War II, the Willamette National Forest has been widely recognized as the top timber producing national forest in the United States. Most of the timber sold by the forest is processed in counties adjacent to the Forest. Many communities and individuals are dependent on these timber resources for their livelihood. Water from the major river systems, North Santiam, South Santiam, McKenzie, and Willamette Rivers, provides drinking water for rural communities and nearly 205,000 metropolitan users in the Willamette Valley. Over 25 percent of Oregon's population lives in the adjacent counties: Lane, Linn, Marion, Benton, and Polk counties. The populations of these counties have doubled since 1960, placing an increased pressure on the Willamette to provide for increasing public use. Recreation visitors to the Willamette can enjoy pristine wildernesses, several downhill and cross-country ski areas, many picnic and campgrounds, as well as numerous opportunities for hunting, fishing, and boating. The Willamette is currently embroiled in debates over the proper use of the national forests. There are many contending sides and each group believes it has the best answer for the future management of the forest. There will never be total agreement, but there are many opportunities for people to influence decisions from the project level to the forest level planning effort. I am proud to say that the Willamette has a rich diversity of employees that really care about the future of the forest. With around 1,000 employees, making it the largest single unit in the Forest Service, the Willamette National Forest employees range in specialization from archaeologist to warehouse worker. The hope for the future is that the Willamette National Forest will continue to show the leadership and innovation that has made it famous. With the growing population in the Willamette Valley and the continuing need for wood products, recreation developments, wilderness experiences, and many forest resources, the forest will have to create opportunities for future visitors, as well as provide the basic necessities for those dependent on the forest for their livelihood. As shown by the current controversies regarding the spotted owl, old-growth (ancient forest), and forest planning, there is much that needs to be done to address the concerns of citizens surrounding and using the forest. Decisions about the future management of the national forests nation-wide may well be resolved on the Willamette. This will put a tremendous responsibility on the future managers of the forest, but if the past is any predictor of the future, then the Willamette National Forest will show the way. I expect that the Willamette will be an even better place for people to work with even greater stewardship of the land and resources. I also believe that people who live near or use the resources of the Willamette will share the common ground of their national forest. MICHAEL KERRICK Forest Supervisor Willamette National Forest INTRODUCTION DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST The Willamette National Forest is an administrative unit of the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest headquarters is the Supervisor's Office located in Eugene, Oregon. There are seven Ranger Districts, with offices in Oakridge, Westfir, Lowell, Blue River, McKenzie Bridge, Sweet Home, and Detroit. The Willamette National Forest stretches for 110 miles along the western slope of the Cascade Range. There are over 1.7 million acres within the Forest boundary—1,675,408 of national forest land and 123,330 acres of land in private ownership or managed by other public agencies. It lies primarily in Lane, Linn, and Marion Counties, but also extends south into Douglas County, east into Jefferson County, and north into Clackamas County. The Willamette National Forest is located within Oregon's Second, Fourth, and Fifth United States Congressional Districts. Principal highways providing access to the Forest are State
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