Oregon Sites

The Colonial Revival style Adjutant General's house at Camp Withycombe was constructed by Works Progress Administration workers in 1938. Although a military facility since 1909 when it was developed as a rifle range, Camp Withycombe had few permanent structures before the Depression era. During World War I, the camp received inductees who were housed in tents. When it became a supply depot in the 1930s, additional structures were required. Salem based architect Lyle Bartholomew designed the Adjutant General's house using details that have been referred to as the Oregon Rustic style. These include a coursed stone chimney and stone landscaping decoration. The...

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation authorized construction of the Agency Valley Dam, on the North Fork of the Malheur River, in 1933. The Hinman Brothers, of Denver, began work on the 110 foot high, earthen structure in March 1934 and the project was completed in December 1935. The reservoir capacity of the dam project is 59,200 acre-feet. Authorization of the dam was based on the needs of the Vale Project, an irrigation and water control plan serving the Malheur River area. It is the second of three dams serving the project and the only one constructed during the Depression. The Warm...

Aimee Gorham created a large wooden marquetry at the rear of Ainsworth auditorium. The piece is usually hidden behind band equipment and room dividers. In danger of damage unless acknowledged as US property, not Portland Public School property. According to Barry N. Ball (2004) "During the WPA period, Gorham did a large number of documented marquetry projects, actually starting in 1933 under the short-lived Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) when she demonstrated her sculptural skills with a bas relief of Abigail Scott Duniway, shown at the Portland Art Museum in 1934. She also did watercolors of fairy tales and prints of civilian...

During 1935, Civilian Conservation Corps workers made improvements to Ainsworth State Park, thirty-six miles east of Portland on the Columbia River Highway. John C. Ainsworth, former chairman of the State Highway Commission (1931-1932) donated the original forty acres for the park in 1933. CCC enrollees worked on picnic facilities and trails in the park. Perhaps the most distinctive improvement made by CCC workers involved the stone work steps and fountain that provided public drinking access to the park's spring.

Several years after the State purchased land from Lane County, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees improved the Alderwood State Wayside. The work was conducted in 1935. As noted in the Oregon State Park's 1965 publication: "The facilities at Alderwood are not extensive, being a small area for parking cars, two foot-bridges, trails, tables and sanitary facilities, all constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps." Necessary maintenance at the wayside has resulted in replacement of some of the improvements but the basic lay-out remains the same.

Located in the Snow Mountain Ranger District of the Malheur National Forest (transferred from the Ochoco National Forest in 2003), the Allison Ranger Station can be described as historically  significant given its age and continuous use in the administration of the Forest Service’s responsibility for this relatively remote area in the Ochoco Mountains of eastern Oregon. The timber and summer forage have been important to the local economy’s lumber and stock-raising industries. The Allison Ranger Station served as the administrative headquarters for the district from 1911 until the 1950s when the headquarters was moved to Hines, Oregon. At that time, the...

The bridge over Alsea Bay (mouth of the Alsea River) in Oregon was constructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934-36.  It was one of five PWA-funded bridges over Alsea Bay, Coos Bay, Siuslaw River, Umpqua River, and  Yaquina River that completed the Oregon Coast Highway. All but the Alsea River bridge still stand. The coast highway was developed after 1914 by the state and county highway departments, but money ran out in the Great Depression before the job could be finished.  With the advent of the New Deal, the PWA offered $1.4 million and a loan of...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from Camp New Benson Park improved the Columbia River Gorge hike to Angel's Rest in 1934-1935, This involved building bridges over streams as well as grooming the trail. Angel's Rest is one of the most popular hikes in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area, considered by many a "must" for local hikers. In 1934, a reporter for Portland's Oregon Journal stated: " Perhaps the most beautiful hike out of Benson Park is the trail to Angel's Rest, where at an elevation of 1600 feet one may see up and down the Columbia River Gorge for 50 miles." The...

CCC work in the area includes a picnic area, gazebo, and historic rock fireplaces as well as a guard station now used as a lodge.

Built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Antlers Guard Station was originally used to house project and fire crews. Later on, guard stations lost their utility, because the Forest Service had quicker ways to get to forest areas without these stations. Starting in the 1990s, the Antlers Guard Station was rented out to the public, and in 1991 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a camp at Steamboat Creek from 1933 to 1941. It was a US Forest Service camp serving Umpqua National Forest.  The enrollees made many improvements along the North Umpqua River, including campgrounds, trails and bridges. One of the campgrounds developed by the CCC was Apple Creek along the North Umpqua River and Highway 138.  It is a small, plain campground without special features. Apple Creek Campground was closed when we visited in 2022, probably a carryover from the pandemic. The entrance sign is covered in black plastic, which may be protection against winter deterioration, but the...

In February 1936, to complete the portion of Highway 101 between Cannon Beach and Manzanita, the Oregon Highway Department approved construction plans for a 1227-foot-long tunnel through Arch Cape. The federal Public Roads Administration provided critical funding for the project. At the time of its construction, it was the longest tunnel on the Oregon Coast Highway. Difficulties associated with the long bore through both the cape's sandstone and basalt stretched the construction project out over almost four years. The presence of soft sandstone required the construction of a timber lining to prevent a cave-in. Construction workers struggled with difficult conditions including exposure...

Bandon's History Museum occupies a structure built by Work Progress Administration (WPA) workers to house the community's City Hall. After the destruction of the town in the Bandon Fire of September 26, 1936, priority was given to constructing a new base for the city's operation. As local historians note, the City Hall was one of the first buildings to be completed after the fire - second only to a local tavern. Construction began in October 1936 with WPA funds. It was completed in early January 1937 with a brief interruption of building activity to allow WPA workers to construct 36 temporary...

"During the Great Depression the Works Progress Administration paid for work on the school's athletic fields, with the project completed in 1936."   (wikipedia.org)

Currently serving as the National Park Service's administrative office for the Fort Vancouver - McLoughlin House Unit, the Dr. Forbes Barclay House shares more than proximity with its better-known neighbor (the McLoughlin House). The two structures not only housed important figures of the Hudson Bay Company, who then retired to Oregon City and contributed to the development of the town, their preservation and restoration are linked in several efforts of the New Deal era as well. Built in 1849, the Barclay House is one of Oregon's oldest examples of Classical Revival architecture. As such, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) funded local...

A Public Works Administration (PWA) $27,000 grant contributed to the funding of the $60,000 Barclay Grade School in Oregon City. The PWA also provided a $33,000 loan that was repaid with approval of a local bond initiative. This simple Colonial Revival style, wooden structure was designed by noted Portland architect Carl Wallwork.  The Salem firm Odum Construction built the structure during 1936 and it opened for fall classes that year. Noted for his work in wood, Wallwork's design included a hexagonal belfry with iron weathervane, a pedimented porch entry with square columns and pilasters, arched lights in the transome over the...

In 1935, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was located at Battle Mountain State Park to improve that state recreational property. The CCC workers built a water system with drinking fountains and a large granite fireplace as well as placing picnic tables throughout the park. The park is located on State Highway 395, nine miles north of the town of Ukiah.  

Stabilization of Clatsop County's coastal dunes was the primary work project of CCC enrollees from Camp Warrenton from 1933 to about 1940. Soon after the completion of the south jetty on the Columbia River in 1913, beach erosion became a significant issue on the county's coastline as far south as Gearhart, Oregon. Soil scientists encouraged experimentation with planting Holland Dune Grass to stabilize dunes and to prevent road closures and property damage due to blowing sand. By 1936, soil scientists and local residents already noted improvements. In 1940, the success of the experiment was established. A 1940 article in The Oregonian reported: "There...

While less famous than its contemporary, Timberline Lodge, this New Deal sponsored mountain resort also is significant as an Oregon example of WPA log architecture. The Skyliner Lodge is located in the Deschutes National Forest, west of Bend. It was completed by WPA workers in 1936 for the Skyliners Club, a group founded in 1927 to promote winter recreation in the central Oregon Cascades as well as provide search and rescue services.  Thus, the facility became an important headquarter for a group associated with developing the region’s winter recreation industry and environmental education mission. As described in the National Register of...

In 1933, the City of Portland gave permission to the federal government to establish a Civilian Conservation Camp (CCC) in its Columbia River Gorge Park. What had been Benson Park became CCC Camp Benson. Between 1933 and 1935, CCC enrollees groomed the surrounding parkland, creating the New Benson Park. Today, the lowland, timbered park serves as a day use picnic area with swimming and fishing in the park’s Benson Lake. It also serves as the western anchor to a system of trails connecting Multnomah Falls to the east and Wahkeena Falls to the south. The work of the CCC established these amenities...

Beulah Reservoir, also known as Agency Valley Reservoir, was created with the completion of the Agency Valley Damn in 1935. Throughout 1939, the Bureau of Reclamation supervised enrollees at a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) spike camp. They built a stone parapet wall on the upstream crest of the new damn. The spike camp was CCC Camp Vale, or Company BR-45 which worked on the Vale Project. The basalt stone wall runs on both sides of the road that crosses the top of the damn. The stone signature plaque left to commemorate their work is located on the eastern end of the...

The National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for the former Big Elk Guard Station (now a camping residence for seasonal rent) tells the history of the garage/storage shed located nearby: "A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)-built Garage/Storage Shed, erected ca. 1938, lies about 50' east of the cabin. This rectangular, single-story building measures approximately 18' x 16' feet in plan and approximately 8' 6" feet from the top of the corner boards at the eaves to the ground. The building has a medium-pitch gable roof with wood shingles and exposed rafter ends. The exterior walls are composed of horizontal "double-run molding"...

"Development of the Bly Ranger Station began in 1935 when the Forest Service acquired a 4-acre (16,000 m2) site in Bly for a district ranger station to manage the western part of the Fremont National Forest. The Forest Service paid $625 for the property. The ranger station was built by Civilian Conservation Corps workers stationed at nearby Camp Bly with the help of some experienced local men, all under the supervision of Forest Service district ranger Perry Smith. Construction was based on designs by E.U. Blanchfield, architect for the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Region. The seven original buildings at the...

“The Civilian Conservation Corps and local experienced men, under the supervision of the U.S. Forest Service, constructed the Bly Ranger Station compound between 1936 and 1942. The compound, made up of both administrative and residential buildings, continues to service and house employees of the Fremont National Forest to this day. The Bly Ranger Station compound is on the National Register of Historic Places (March 11, 1981). Historically and architecturally, the Bly Ranger Station compound is important to the community of Bly and to the residents of the Sprague River Valley. As administrative headquarters of the Bly Ranger District, it represents the...

“As a Division of Grazing camp, project work was planned and supervised by DG personnel. The basic mission for the project work was to construct infrastructure in the Bonanza Grazing District to allow orderly management of the public rangelands. Rangelands of the Bonanza Grazing District are located on the high plateau east of Langell Valley, known today as the Gerber Block. The north and east boundaries are the Fremont National Forest and the south boundary is the Oregon-California state line and the Modoc National Forest. Most of the lands were federal public domain managed by the Division of Grazing for...

Dams on the Columbia River for hydropower, navigation and irrigation had been eyed by Northwestern industrial, shipping and agricultural interests well before the New Deal.  The Army Corps of Engineers published a report in 1929 that recommended ten dams on the river and the Bureau of Reclamation also had plans for irrigation development upstream, called the Columbia Basin Project.  The Roosevelt Administration supported both agencies in their pursuits; with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) the two anchor dams, Bonneville and Grand Coulee, were begun in 1934. Bonneville lock and dam were built by the Army Corps of Engineers and completed...

The Burnside Tunnel, historically referred to as the Barnes Road vehicle tunnel, improved traffic movement through Portland’s West Hills by straightening the roadway and removing steep grades.  Completed in 1940, it was one of three tunnels constructed in the West Hills with the help of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), along with the NW Cornell Tunnels. The 230 foot long concrete-lined tunnel is wide enough for vehicles lanes in each direction as well as sidewalks on either side of the roadway. The Burnside Tunnel features beautiful stone masonry portals made of rubble and squared local basalt. Further design details include decorative...

In 1933, the Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with the State of Oregon, investigated the possibility of developing a storage structure on Burnt River to provide a late summer water supply. The project was constructed following the plan developed from this investigation. Authorization The project was found feasible by the Secretary of the Interior on September 25, 1935 pursuant to section 4 of the Act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat. 836) and subsection B of section 4 of the Act of December 5, 1924 (435 Stat. 702). Funds were provided by the President on August 13, 1935, under the Emergency Relief...

Forty miles southeast of Bend, Oregon, the Cabin Lake Guard Station served as a district ranger station and headquarters for the Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest from 1921 through 1945. Members of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, located adjacent to the ranger station from 1934 to 1938, contributed to the area’s development for recreational use as well as improved its function for the Forest Service. The CCC camp members built seven buildings for the ranger station, including the existing guard station building.  Six of these structures (ranger residences, a warehouse, maintenance shop, and a gas station) remain...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Sisters (F-110, Company #1454) at Camp Sherman, Oregon operated near the headwaters of the Metolius River in Jefferson County from 1933 to 1942. It was just one of the average 60 CCC camps that worked each year in the state during that period. Originally planned to be near Sisters, Oregon rather than at the unincorporated Camp Sherman site, its name tends to confuse Oregonians. The CCC, however, found this position on the Metolius more in keeping with project needs so located it where the (Camp Sherman) Riverside Campground is found today. The CCC men constructed...

Interest in winter sports, particularly skiing, grew in Oregon during the 1920s. Given the Willamette National Forest (WNF) management's commitment to recreation and the availability of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) labor, US Forest Service Staff worked with local outdoor groups such as Eugene's Obsidian Club to identify locations within the forest for ski areas as early as 1934. The White Branch Recreational Area was  one of the first such projects. A survey crew from CCC Camp Belknap located land for the White Branch project and CCC enrollees began work in the summer of 1934. They built a two-story lodge, ski and...

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...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working out of the Steamboat CCC Camp under the US Forest Service built four campgrounds nearby, including Canton Creek.  The campgrounds were all built sometime between 1933 and 1941, probably earlier than later in this case. Canton Creek campground has a picnic structure, or gazebo, that looks to be CCC and remains in good condition. Unfortunately, Canton Creek campground was closed when we visited and the entrance sign rather rudely covered with a plastic garbage bag. That appears to be a carryover of the pandemic or it might be winter protection. The settlement of Steamboat has long since...

Land for Cape Arago State Park was donated to Oregon State Parks in 1932 but lay undeveloped until Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees began improvements in 1934. Over a two-year period, they completed a considerable amount of work.  As noted in a 1965 history of the Oregon State Parks, their tasks included: constructing roads, trails, fire breaks and fire hazard reduction, clearing a picnic area, setting up tables and stoves, constructing a water system and erecting a park foreman's cottage. A CCC camp operated at Cape Arago for the period of time required to provide basic amenities for day use at...

Acquired for state park use in 1935, the State Park plans for this beautiful stretch of coastline in Tillamook County initially focused on its use as an undeveloped, natural preserve. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees built the first major improvement, a 5.2-mile trail to the end of the cape in 1939-1940. They also created a minimal picnic area at Jackson Creek. To provide road access to the park, Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers were employed in the early 1940s. Progress on improvement of the primitive road was halted by lack of funds. Work on road access resumed in the early 1950s.

Located adjacent to Cape Creek at the foot of Cape Perpetua, the Cape Perpetua Campground occupies the former site of the first Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in this part of the Siuslaw National Forest. A small crew of CCC workers lived here in 1933 while constructing the nearby, more permanent Cape Creek CCC Camp. CCC enrollees from Cape Creek went on to develop the site for public camping as part of a plan to increase tourist activity in the area. The CCC improvements made a significant impact on tourist use of the Cape Perpetua area. This success was anticipated in...

After the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp in 1933 at the foot of Cape Perpetua, the young men began to develop the area currently known as the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area for public recreational use.  Their projects included a campground, a network of trails, the West Shelter observation point near the top of the cape, and a roadway to that elevation. Located in the Siuslaw National Forest, Cape Perpetua was among the first areas identified in Oregon for CCC work. In addition to the usual reforestation and conservation assignments associated with US Forest Service land, recreational development became a...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees began development of the 537-acre Cape Sebastian State Park as early as October 1934. The promontory, covered by spruce forest, offers striking views of the Pacific below. CCC workers developed the roads and trails necessary for the public's access to those views. Parking areas, defined by low rock walls, in the northern and southern parts of the park complete access to the cape's perspective. As summarized by Portland's newspaper, the Oregonian, in 1940: "A lofty promontory, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean; one of the most striking coastal features along the Coast Highway. Good roads here, trails...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from Camp Nehalem were charged with constructing a truck trail, or fire road, along the lower Nehalem River to create greater access to the forested land in that part of Tillamook County. One of the first requirements involved building a bridge to cross the Nehalem River just north of their camp. Construction of the bridge near Camp Nehalem drew attention since it was judged to be one of the largest bridges in the northwest built as a CCC project. The Oregon Journal reported: ". . . the boys cut the trees, hewed the timbers, mixed and 'applied' the...

Contributing improvements in forest management and recreation development, CCC Camp Belknap operated in the Willamette National Forest for five years. From spring 1933 to summer 1938, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees strung phone lines through the forest, and constructed roads and trails. They built lookouts and guard stations with water systems, and fought several major fires. They opened new parts of the forest to camping and other recreation opportunities, building campgrounds, picnic areas, and ski lodges and ski runs. Perhaps the most distinctive of the projects completed by Camp Belknap's "CCC boys" is the Dee Wright Observatory near McKenzie Pass. Although...