Here is where I went to Saw Camp last week. Love the old CCC era architecture. The inside of this is still pretty pristine. Inside it has a huge rock fireplace with a large portrait of old Gifford Pinchot staring down.
The walls are tongue and groove wood paneling--the thick stuff, and there are other original ornamentations inside. The fireplace just about has to be used to keep the place warm. We sat through a safety lecture on a rainy morning inside. Then watched a couple of old training films--guys running two man saws and using crosscuts and axes, in the evening. The building was built as a regional training site for the Forest Service, and has large photos of groups that trained there--lots of management types, from the 1930s and on.
I've been there before. Last time was for hazard tree identification.
The Wind River Nursery was done away with in the 1990's. What with little or no clearcutting occurring, and the push to contract more work out, the need went away. The nursery was developed to grow seedlings to reforest the Yacolt and Cispus Burn areas, which happened in the first part of the 20th century.
The nursery employed a big herd of people, and I remember it also had the most on the job accidents from back and hand injuries. The work was hard on those body parts.
It's kind of sad for me to see the buildings boarded up, houses with plastic covering the chimneys, and the fields no longer grow trees. Grass is growing now.
This is a bunkhouse building. I didn't go into the upper part. There was a crew finishing up an asbestos removal job inside. We used the bathrooms and showers in the basement. It was good to be short in the showers!
View attachment 237405View attachment 237406
The walls are tongue and groove wood paneling--the thick stuff, and there are other original ornamentations inside. The fireplace just about has to be used to keep the place warm. We sat through a safety lecture on a rainy morning inside. Then watched a couple of old training films--guys running two man saws and using crosscuts and axes, in the evening. The building was built as a regional training site for the Forest Service, and has large photos of groups that trained there--lots of management types, from the 1930s and on.
I've been there before. Last time was for hazard tree identification.
The Wind River Nursery was done away with in the 1990's. What with little or no clearcutting occurring, and the push to contract more work out, the need went away. The nursery was developed to grow seedlings to reforest the Yacolt and Cispus Burn areas, which happened in the first part of the 20th century.
The nursery employed a big herd of people, and I remember it also had the most on the job accidents from back and hand injuries. The work was hard on those body parts.
It's kind of sad for me to see the buildings boarded up, houses with plastic covering the chimneys, and the fields no longer grow trees. Grass is growing now.
This is a bunkhouse building. I didn't go into the upper part. There was a crew finishing up an asbestos removal job inside. We used the bathrooms and showers in the basement. It was good to be short in the showers!
View attachment 237405View attachment 237406
Last edited:
