Bagby Guard Station
Encyclopedia
Bagby Guard Station is a rustic cabin located in the Mount Hood National Forest
in western Oregon
, United States
. It is adjacent to Bagby Hot Springs
. The guard station was originally built to house fire crews
assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest
. The Bagby Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
After World War II
, the Forest Service greatly expanded its road network, allowing employees to get to most National Forest areas within a few hours. As a result, guard stations lost their utility. The Forest Service found new uses for some stations, but most were demolished or abandon.
The Bagby Guard Station is located in the Mount Hood National Forest forty miles southeast of Estacada, Oregon
, just outside the boundary of Bull of the Woods Wilderness
area. It was built next to Bagby Hot Springs in 1913 by Phillip F. Putz, the Forest Service guard assigned to the area. Putz also built a small storage shed adjacent to the cabin. In the years following its construction, the guard station was used as a barracks for Forest Service fire crews that patrolled the surrounding forest during the summer fire season. In 1925 Putz built his own home in Colton, Oregon
.
During the 1920s, summer fire crews built a barn, dam, bathhouse, and additional shelters at the site. However, all of these facilities are now gone. Over time, the original guard station fell into disrepair so the Forest Service built a new cabin for the Bagby guard in 1974. Because of its rustic architecture and the cabin’s unique historic value as an early Forest Service guard station, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 2006, volunteers from Northwest Forest Conservancy and Friends of Bagby worked with the Forest Service to repair and preserve the original Bagby Guard Station cabin."Volunteering - Bagby Hot Spring", Mount Hood National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sandy, Oregon, 14 March 2008.
, western hemlock
, and western red cedar.
The guard station is a traditional log cabin structure with a wood shingle roof and a stone foundation.http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryl_hill/289509326/ It has a single room measuring 24 by 16 feet (4.9 m). The logs were cut and peeled on the site so the cabin blends into the surrounding forest landscape
. The original shed still sits next to the guard station cabin.http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryl_hill/289509164/in/photostream/ Both historic structures were renovated in 2006. However, they are not open to the public.
In addition to the two historic structures, there are seven other building at the Bagby site. These include the new guard station and storage shed built in 1974. There are also three bathhouse
s built between 1983 and 1986 plus two outhouses for public use.
The guard station is located in the middle of Bagby Hot Springs. There are three major springs and several minor outlets that make up Bagby Hot Springs. The largest spring flows twenty-four gallons per minute at 138 degrees Fahrenheit. The two secondary springs produce 15 gallons per minute at 136 degrees and 3 gallons per minute at 120 degrees. There are three bath houses at the site. The Main Bathhouse has five cedar log tubs each in its own rustic, but private room. Nearby, the Lower Bathhouse has three log tubs and a large round tub located on an open deck. The Upper Bathhouse is located approximately 100 yards (91.4 m) southeast of the Main Bathhouse. It has one large round tub on an open deck. Bagby Hot Springs are open for day-use only. Camping
is not permitted at the hot springs or along the trail to Bagby.
The 27427 acres (111 km²) Bull of the Woods Wilderness is only about a half mile up the trail from guard station, so visitor can easily access the wilderness trail network from Bagby. Bull of the Woods Peak is at the center of a 68 miles (109.4 km) trail system. The Pansy Lake Trail takes hikers to peak’s 5523 feet (1,683.4 m) summit where an old lookout tower commands a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Wilderness trails lead to a dozen scenic lakes with native trout populations, Twin Lakes and Elk Lake are the most popular. The headwaters of the Collawash
, Breitenbush
, and Little North Santiam Rivers are all found in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness.
It is approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) from Estacada to the Bagby trailhead. To get there from Estacada, take Highway 224 for approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) to Ripplebrook
Guard Station. Then follow Forest Service Road 46 for 4 miles (6.4 km) to the junction with Forest Service Road 63. Turn right and follow Road 63 for 4 miles (6.4 km) to Forest Service Road 70. Turn right onto Road 70 and follow it for 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Bagby Trailhead. A $5 Forest Service permit is required to park at the trailhead. Bagby is normally open year around, however, access roads to the trailhead may be close after some winter snow storms.
Mount Hood National Forest
The Mount Hood National Forest is located east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes...
in western Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is adjacent to Bagby Hot Springs
Bagby Hot Springs
The Bagby Hot Springs are natural hot springs located in the Mount Hood National Forest about southeast of Portland, Oregon, United States and about east of Salem, Oregon. The springs are within the Cascade Mountains in a heavily forested area at elevation 2280 ft...
. The guard station was originally built to house fire crews
Wildland fire suppression
Wildfire suppression refers to the firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wildland areas requires different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated areas...
assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
. The Bagby Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
In the 1920s and 1930s, National Forests road networks were not well developed. To get to job sites, Forest Service 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, the Forest Service built guard stations at strategic locations throughout the forest to house fire patrols and project crews.After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Forest Service greatly expanded its road network, allowing employees to get to most National Forest areas within a few hours. As a result, guard stations lost their utility. The Forest Service found new uses for some stations, but most were demolished or abandon.
The Bagby Guard Station is located in the Mount Hood National Forest forty miles southeast of Estacada, Oregon
Estacada, Oregon
Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Portland. The population was 2,695 at the 2010 census. -History:The Estacada post office opened in February 1904 and the city was incorporated in May 1905...
, just outside the boundary of Bull of the Woods Wilderness
Bull of the Woods Wilderness
The Bull of the Woods Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Mount Hood National Forest in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, United States. It was created in 1984 and consists of including prime low-elevation old growth forest, about a dozen lakes of at least and many large creeks and...
area. It was built next to Bagby Hot Springs in 1913 by Phillip F. Putz, the Forest Service guard assigned to the area. Putz also built a small storage shed adjacent to the cabin. In the years following its construction, the guard station was used as a barracks for Forest Service fire crews that patrolled the surrounding forest during the summer fire season. In 1925 Putz built his own home in Colton, Oregon
Colton, Oregon
Colton is an unincorporated community located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 211. Colton is located between the cities of Estacada and Molalla....
.
During the 1920s, summer fire crews built a barn, dam, bathhouse, and additional shelters at the site. However, all of these facilities are now gone. Over time, the original guard station fell into disrepair so the Forest Service built a new cabin for the Bagby guard in 1974. Because of its rustic architecture and the cabin’s unique historic value as an early Forest Service guard station, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 2006, volunteers from Northwest Forest Conservancy and Friends of Bagby worked with the Forest Service to repair and preserve the original Bagby Guard Station cabin."Volunteering - Bagby Hot Spring", Mount Hood National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sandy, Oregon, 14 March 2008.
Structure
The Bagby Guard Station is located in a remote area of the Clackamas Ranger District on the western slope of the Cascade Mountains, at 2272 feet (692.5 m) elevation. It is a rustic cabin surrounded by undisturbed old-growth forest of mainly Douglas-firDouglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
, and western red cedar.
The guard station is a traditional log cabin structure with a wood shingle roof and a stone foundation.http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryl_hill/289509326/ It has a single room measuring 24 by 16 feet (4.9 m). The logs were cut and peeled on the site so the cabin blends into the surrounding forest landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
. The original shed still sits next to the guard station cabin.http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryl_hill/289509164/in/photostream/ Both historic structures were renovated in 2006. However, they are not open to the public.
In addition to the two historic structures, there are seven other building at the Bagby site. These include the new guard station and storage shed built in 1974. There are also three bathhouse
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
s built between 1983 and 1986 plus two outhouses for public use.
Recreation
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
is not permitted at the hot springs or along the trail to Bagby.
The 27427 acres (111 km²) Bull of the Woods Wilderness is only about a half mile up the trail from guard station, so visitor can easily access the wilderness trail network from Bagby. Bull of the Woods Peak is at the center of a 68 miles (109.4 km) trail system. The Pansy Lake Trail takes hikers to peak’s 5523 feet (1,683.4 m) summit where an old lookout tower commands a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Wilderness trails lead to a dozen scenic lakes with native trout populations, Twin Lakes and Elk Lake are the most popular. The headwaters of the Collawash
Collawash River
The Collawash River is a tributary of the Clackamas River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of Elk Lake Creek and the East Fork Collawash River in the Cascade Range, it flows generally north-northwest from source to mouth through the Mount Hood National Forest. The largest...
, Breitenbush
Breitenbush River
The Breitenbush River is a tributary of the North Santiam River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains a rugged, forested area of the Cascade Range east of Salem....
, and Little North Santiam Rivers are all found in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness.
Access
There is no road to Bagby Guard Station; visitors must hike a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) trail from a Forest Service parking area to get to the site. It is a relatively easy hike with only a 200 feet (61 m) gain in of elevation along the way. The trail is maintained by the Forest Service and volunteers from the Northwest Forest Conservancy.It is approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) from Estacada to the Bagby trailhead. To get there from Estacada, take Highway 224 for approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) to Ripplebrook
Ripplebrook, Oregon
Ripplebrook is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the eastern terminus of Oregon Route 224, at an intersection with forest highways 46 and 57, in the Mount Hood National Forest. It is near the confluence of the Clackamas River with the Oak Grove...
Guard Station. Then follow Forest Service Road 46 for 4 miles (6.4 km) to the junction with Forest Service Road 63. Turn right and follow Road 63 for 4 miles (6.4 km) to Forest Service Road 70. Turn right onto Road 70 and follow it for 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Bagby Trailhead. A $5 Forest Service permit is required to park at the trailhead. Bagby is normally open year around, however, access roads to the trailhead may be close after some winter snow storms.