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History of the Umatilla National Forest
2008 marked the 100th anniversary of natural resource and conservation management on the Umatilla National Forest. During June and July, the districts held Open Houses, and the Forest hosted Umapaloosa! at the Umatilla County Historical Heritage Station Museum.
- Blue Mountain national forests chronology
- Brief History of the Umatilla National Forest
- A Short History of the Pomeroy Ranger District
- FS Today - Historic Forest Service Documents, Maps, and Photos from Oregon’s Blue Mountains
News Releases
Photos and Stories Submitted by Forest Service Retirees
- Calvin E. von Weissenfluh
- Gary Hodges - Stories and photos from the Pendleton Ranger District
- Harold C. Criswell Memoirs - Mr. Chriswell's remarks about his time on the Umatilla National Forest, where he worked as an assistant Ranger on the Heppner District before World War II. Chriswell’s reminiscences about his life and times on the Umatilla National Forest are provided in this excerpt from his larger memoirs.
Grazing
- Early Livestock Grazing in the Blue Mountains
- Photo of Desolation Stock Driveway, 1931 - cleared through dense lodgepole
- Photo of stock driveway near Long Creek, 1931 - Fenced lane – 30 miles long through which 30,000 sheep pass twice each year
- Photo of Lonerock Driveway, 1931
- Photo of Long Prarie Counting Corral on Lonerock Driveway, 1925
- Posting of driveway - Minimum requirements for posting driveways provide for center notices at intervisible distances.
- Photo of sheep on Tenderfoot Allotment, 1938
Timber Harvest
- Early Timber Harvesting in the Blue Mountains
- Photo of sawmill near site of Tucannon Ranger Station, 1906
- Photo of sawmill, Peola, WA - 1886
- Skidding logs photo
- The Camas Creek Timber Sale and Milton Box Company (pdf)
Milton Box Company - Pendleton, OR
Fire Lookouts
- Lookout Tower Verification Form
- Umatilla's Fire Lookouts
-
Historic Fire Lookouts of the Umatilla NF - A Determination of Eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places
- Photo - Table Rock Lookout
- Photo - Desolation Butte Fire Tower - 1930's
- Photo - New Desolation Butte Fire Tower being built near the old tower
- Osborne Fire Lookout Poster - North End
- Osborne Fire Lookout Poster - South End
- The Mottet Meadows Fire, Wenaha National Forest, 1919
Spout Springs Ski Area
- Spout Springs History
- Photo of Spout Springs Warming Hut - 1947
- Spout Springs Parking - 1947
- Forest Service Ski Class - 1966
- Forest Service Skier with Instructor - 1966
- Spout Springs Lodge - 1965
- Spout Springs T Bar Tow - 1966
Other documents of interest
- Douglas Fir-Tussock Moth in the Blue Mountains
- The Fire Chronicle; Growing up men in a time now gone
- The Jerry Chronicle; a horse, a mule, a kid
- Letter from the Regional Forester in 1942 about conserving rubber
- Pioneer Ranger Family - Story provided courtesy of National Museum of Forest Service History
- Photo of Dale Ranger Station, March 1924
- The Umatilla Barometer Watershed Story
-
Improving Watershed and Aquatic Conditions on the Umatilla National Forest
Historic Reference Material
The Umatilla National Forest also has a vast collection of historical documents, maps, and photos obtained from the National Archives.