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Title: Oregon State Park Sites and Timber Reserves Maps, 1922-1928

Predominant Dates: 1926-1928

ID: MAPS ParkSites

Primary Creator: Oregon. State Highway Department

Extent: 0.3 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: This collection is arranged in two series. I. Park Sites Maps, 1922-1928; II. Timber Reserves Maps, 1926-1928.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Oregon State Park Sites and Timber Reserves Maps consist of maps of park sites acquired for the State of Oregon by the Oregon State Highway Commission. The collection also includes maps of land acquired for the Blue Mountain and Wallowa Timber Reserves in northeastern Oregon. The maps depict road right of ways, property lines, legal descriptions, streams, design parameters, and property corners.

The Oregon State Park Sites and Timber Reserves Maps document lands acquired by the Oregon State Highway Commission for park sites throughout Oregon as well as lands for the Blue Mountain Timber Reserve, bordering the Old Oregon Trail, and the Wallowa Timber Reserve. Most of the maps are large scale; many are at a scale of 1 inch to 200 feet. The maps show details of the property lines, roads, streams, land features, and county boundaries as well as the legal description of the area according to the Public Land Survey System and the acreage of each parcel. The individual from whom the land was acquired is also indicated.

There has been an interest in maintaining areas for public use and enjoyment in Oregon since the earliest years of statehood. One of the first examples of private land being set aside for public use was in 1871 with the donation of Sodaville Mineral Springs by Thomas Summers. In 1921, the Oregon State Parks System was established as a function of the Oregon State Highway Department and the Oregon State Highway Commission. These agencies guided the Oregon State Parks System from 1921 through 1989, when the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department was established.

State Parks in Oregon grew rapidly in the 1920s. Beginning in 1921, the Highway Commission was authorized to acquire the rights-of-way within 300 feet of highway center lines, which is documented in this collection. In 1925, Oregon State legislation allowed acquisition of areas beyond the 300 feet from centerline to create larger park areas. These efforts soon faded as the Depression took hold and made funds for further park development scarce. However, federal government programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted in maintaining and improving state parks when state funding was limited during the 1930s.

More Extent Information: 59 maps; 1 oversize box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The maps were received by the Oregon State University Library in 1965; they were transferred from the Oregon State University Libraries' maps collection to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2013.

Related Materials: The Gifford Photographic Collection (P 218) includes many photographs of state parks in Oregon. The Oregon State University Libraries general map collection includes more recent maps of the Oregon State Parks system.

Preferred Citation: Oregon State Park Sites and Timber Reserves Maps (MAPS ParkSites), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Oregon. State Highway Department
Oregon State Highway Commission

Blue Mountains (Or. and Wash.)--Maps.
Columbia River Highway (Or.)--Maps.
Forest reserves--Oregon.
Memaloose State Park (Or.)--Maps.
Natural Resources
Pacific Coast (Or.)--Maps.
Parks--Oregon.
Wallowa Mountains (Or.)--Maps.

Maps (documents)