Rand National Historic Site: Ranger Station Additions - Galice OR

City:: Galice, OR
Site Type:: Forestry and Agriculture, CCC Camps
New Deal Agencies:: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Work Relief Programs
Started:: 1933
Completed:: 1941
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: Yes
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

The Rand National Historic Site is located on the west side of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass and 3 miles downstream from Galice. Rand’s history covers the Gold Rush, establishment of the Siskiyou National Forest and the 2oth century logging era, plus the postwar recreation era that followed designation of the Rogue as a National Wild and Scenic River.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a central role in that history, with some of the CCC’s work still very much visible. The CCC built and occupied Camp Rand from 1933 to 1941.

After establishing their camp, the enrollees renovated the original buildings of the Rand Ranger Station, erected in 1916 by the US Forest Service. (The BLM map, shown below, is wrong in stating that those buildings were constructed in the CCC period, 1933-34).

From 1933 to 1936, they added a number of auxiliary structures to the Ranger Station: fire warehouse, barn, blacksmith shop, gas and oil house, garage, woodshed, and extensive masonry walls. A couple other buildings were added in the 1950s (see map).

Rand was purchased by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) c 1970 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1999.