This is one of several statewide caches designed to connect you
with forests and with history, and to commemorate the centennial
year of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Oregon’s
biggest fire department. To appreciate the wider story of
Oregon’s forest history and the evolving work of ODF, be sure
to check out the entire series.
Often confused with the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon
Department of Forestry is Oregon’s state agency (“the
other guys”) responsible for management of about 1 million
acres of state-owned forest; protection from forest fires on about
16 million acres of public and private forest; and implementation
of standards and rules to protect natural resources during forest
operations on private lands.
We started out as a fire department in 1911 with two paid
employees. Since then, our mission has grown to include planting
and management of the Tillamook, Santiam, Clatsop, Elliott, Sun
Pass and Gilchrist State Forest, and other scattered forest lands.
Today, we operate offices in 17 Oregon communities statewide, and
have about 800 full-time employees. Much has changed in 100 years:
land ownership, harvest practices, the economy, transportation
systems. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to serving
people and protecting Oregon’s forests.
As you seek out this cache, we hope you’ll appreciate the
history behind the place you’re going as you take a moment to
see the forest and the trees.
Safe and happy cachin!
Klamath-Lake
Headquarters
Penny Spring Guard
Station
In the 1920s and 1930s, forest road
networks were not well developed. To get to job sites, employees
often traveled many miles on foot or horseback, carrying all the
equipment need to perform field work. This made it impractical for
employees to make daily round-trips. To facilitate work at remote
sites, both the U.S. Forest Service and ODF built guard stations at
strategic locations throughout the forest to house fire patrols and
project crews.
Research is ongoing for the history and
timeline of the Penny Spring guard station that was at this
location. You can still see the flag pole in place. The guard
station was abandoned in the mid 1960's.
