MT HOOD History

Good Work from Hard Times

Historic Building Projects of the 1930's

If you’re a history buff visiting the Mt. Hood area, you’ll have a grand time looking out for the historic Oregon buildings tucked among The Villages.  In fact, fire lookout towers are among the treasures you’ll find in the Mt. Hood National Forest, where they were built throughout the area from the early decades of the 20th century.  At one time there were up to 50, including a 1915 structure at Mt. Hood’s peak that collapsed in 1944.  Now that fire monitoring is more commonly done from the air, six remain in the forest as a whole, two within Zigzag Ranger District:  Hickman and Devil’s Peak.

Hickman Lookout (4385’ elevation) is situated in the Bull Run watershed and is closed to public access; you need an official escort in order to visit.  The first lookout in that location was a tent camp built in 1906, replaced in 1933 by a 40’ tower.  The present 41’ tower was constructed in 1952 and is currently staffed by volunteers.  Its closeness to the watershed makes the lookout an important defense against fire impacting Portland’s water supply.

You can visit Devil’s Peak Lookout (5045’ elevation), which is now inactive and completely open to the public.  This structure, a 10’ tower, was also constructed in 1952, but the site had been occupied since a log cabin lookout was built there in 1924 and its replacement in 1933.  Left unlocked, the cabin is currently used by hikers and is in fair condition.  Though trees have now grown up around the unused lookout, good views are still to be had.  There’s an eight-mile trail (Hunchback Ridge) to the lookout from Zigzag Ranger Station.

Zigzag Ranger Station is also a historic location.  Though some of its buildings date from the 1920’s, many were constructed from 1933 to 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Depression-era work program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Young men from economically affected families joined the CCC to construct conservation projects in rural areas, working for hours a week for $30 a month plus room, board, and clothing.

The Ranger’s Office, probably the best known to the general public, was but one of many structures built for the ranger station in these years. Others include the Fire Warehouse, the Carpenter Shop, a two-story bunkhouse, and the Ranger’s Residence.  Even the rock walls built near the station are CCC constructions, and you can certainly appreciate that it would take many strong hands to make them happen!

The CCC also built campgrounds, such as Tollgate and Camp Creek, and many of the firepits are still there.  Tollgate has a picnic shelter, built of peeled logs, with a flagstone and concrete floor.  Camp Creek also has one very small structure you might have fun finding:  a fieldstone drinking fountain, about 3’ tall.

So next time you’re up in The Villages of Mt. Hood, think about a forest lookout hike, or visit the Zigzag Ranger Station, take a walk around the grounds to admire the stout rock walls or enjoy the Rhododendron gardens (more in our next issue). 

You can also learn more about the history of the CCC at the Mt Hood Cultural Center and Museum in Government Camp.  The lower level is dedicated to an exhibit about the CCC projects in the Mt Hood area.  There is a miniature replica of a fire lookout tower as well as many pieces of memorabilia. Either way you’re getting great views of the area’s landscape and history, and there’s always more to discover.

The author would like to thank Lloyd Musser (Mt Hood Cultural Center and Museum) and Christy Covington (Mt Hood National Forest) for their knowledge and assistance in writing this story.  March 2008 is the 75th anniversary of the CCC.
           

March/April 2008

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