Benson State Park - once the site of CCC Camp Benson
Description
One of three Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps located in the Columbia River Gorge, CCC Camp Benson occupied what was then the City of Portland’s Benson Park between 1933 and 1935. Enrollees at this early CCC camp made significant contributions to the development of recreational amenities in the Columbia River Gorge.
Camp Benson provided workers for much of Eagle Creek Campground’s construction in the Cascade Locks area, as well as improvements at the picnic areas at Wahkeena Falls and Benson Park itself. Commenting on the progress of Camp Benson enrollees at Benson Park, The Oregonian reported: “Crews of CCC workers assigned to beautifying the park, develop trails, build bridges and extend the picnic and hiking facilities, have already transformed the park into one of the most interesting places of its kind in the country.”
CCC Camp Benson enrollees also provided firefighting services in the Mount Hood National Forest along with Camps Wyeth and Latourell, the other Columbia River Gorge CCC camps.
Source notes
"Park near City Attracts: Benson site, 32 miles east of Portland, Invites Motorists," The Oregonian. June 3, 1934. p. 39.
Peterson, Ernest W. (1934) "Great Columbia Highway Park System Nears Completion," Oregon Journal. September 9, 1934.
Project originally submitted by Judith T Kenny on January 22, 2022.
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