Campgrounds – Union Creek OR

Description

The Union Creek Historic District on the upper Rogue River in Union Creek, Oregon, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places because it is a fine representative of a type of rustic resort popular in the early 20th century and has been little altered since the 1930s.  There are almost one hundred buildings and other facilities in the Union Creek Historic District, almost all of which conform to the Forest Service plans of the 1920s and 30s.  Roughly a third were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1942, working out of the Upper Rogue seasonal CCC camp just south of the Union Creek Resort.

CCC works include three campgrounds, Union Creek, Farewell Bend and Natural Bridge, all built in 1933-34.  

Union Creek campground is the most central, lying just west of the core resort area where Union Creek meets the Rogue River.  The original 23 CCC campsites with stone stoves and piped water are intact, even though the campground was subsequently expanded.

Farewell Bend campground lies north of the resort. It was heavily modified after a flood on the Rogue River in 1964. We do not know if any CCC elements remain intact.

Natural Bridge campground is south of the resort, just upriver from the natural bridge viewpoint on the Rogue.  The CCC built nine spacious campsites with stone stoves that remain despite subsequent expansion of the campground.

Some facilities at Union Creek, like the lodge, amphitheater and old stone fountain, look like CCC work but are not.  They were built by private actors with permission and plans from the Forest Service. NB: The Wikipedia entry on Union Creek is wrong in attributing everything at Union Creek to the CCC.