Dee Wright Observatory – Blue River OR

City:
Blue River, OR

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Forestry and Agriculture, Fire Lookouts

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Completed:
1935

Description

The Dee Wright Observatory in the Willamette National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and was completed in 1935. It was named after the construction crew’s foreman who died a year before the observatory was completed.

“The observatory is an open shelter built with lava stone found at the construction site. The viewing windows are cut to specifically highlight the neighboring mountains. These “lava tube” viewing holes allow visitors to easily identify the different Cascade peaks. There is also a 36 inch (90 cm) diameter, bronze azimuth-like “peak finder” on the observatory’s roof to help visitors locate nearby geologic features as well as the surrounding mountain peaks. From the top of the observatory, visitors have a panoramic view of the Cascade Mountain Range including Mount Hood in the far north.”   (wikipedia)

Source notes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Wright_Observatory

Site originally submitted by Elise Tam Cooc on December 18, 2013.

Location Info


Old McKenzie Highway
OR 97413
Lane County

Coordinates: 44.260154, -121.80138

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One comment on “Dee Wright Observatory – Blue River OR

  1. Georgie Miller

    while cutting across Oregon on a trip with my 15 yr old daughter in 1970s, we stumbled upon this. I was in awe!
    I’m leaving home in 2 days to fulfill some of my bucket list and this is high on my list to revisit! I am 76 years of age

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Contribute to this Site

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One comment on “Dee Wright Observatory – Blue River OR

  1. Georgie Miller

    while cutting across Oregon on a trip with my 15 yr old daughter in 1970s, we stumbled upon this. I was in awe!
    I’m leaving home in 2 days to fulfill some of my bucket list and this is high on my list to revisit! I am 76 years of age

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

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