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Dick B
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Dick B
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PostWed May 24, 2023 5:40 pm 
The Hurricane Ridge thread has certainly created a lot of buzz. Recently Logbear posted a link on that thread about the Park Service preparing to let a contract(s) for 4 site restoration projects. It appears that the object is to "leave no trace". I thought a separate thread to address the issue of what might happen to old facilities might be of interest to the Hikers followers. There has been considerable conjecture as to what sites might be targeted. The sites might include the Dosewallips Campground, Enchanted Valley chalet, Qweets RS, various sites up the Elwha and others. The discussion also created opinions as to whether cleaning up some possible sites is really necessary. Thoughts range from, yes removing all vestiges of past use, to letting whatever is there stay and revert back to nature. I have not spent a lot of time in the Park. As such, I have no thoughts one way or another as to what should happen to the 4 sites, whatever they may be. It is obvious that a lot of you have some very strong feelings about any changes made within the Park. My concern is that there may be some significant historical information lost to future generations if these sites are allowed to just disappear. Pictures of sites that might be targeted, both while they were active and what they have become since being deactivated would be interesting. Any historical info also.

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kiliki
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kiliki
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PostWed May 24, 2023 6:27 pm 
Dick B wrote:
My concern is that there may be some significant historical information lost to future generations if these sites are allowed to just disappear.
It's an understandable concern but any time you are dealing with a resource on federal land that's over 50 years old the National Historic Preservation Act kicks in. It's enforced by the state historic preservation office (in WA that's the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation). Various surveys, inventories, historical reports, cultural landscape reports, archaeological reports will be produced. A LOT of documentation is produced and it has to pass muster with the state who are...stringent. It wasn't always the case that parks always did what they were supposed to do but right now, in WA, it is. The public can access most of these reports by looking at sites like npshistory.com, NPS IRMA, or for some properties, where the state had mandated that the NPS produce Historic American Buildings Survey documentation for a removed or altered property, the HABS/HAER/HALS online collection via the Library of Congress. The latter will include large format photos, construction drawings, etc. For example here is the HABS documentation for Enchanted Valley Chalet though they haven't gotten around to digitizing the large format photos yet. Of course this is by far not all of the documentation produced for that building. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/wa0923/

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Riverside Laker
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PostWed May 24, 2023 7:36 pm 
In Death Valley National Park, there are quite a few mining sites with junque, garbage dumps full of rusted tin cans, old cars, etc. But they are part of the history. So they don't want them removed or even messed with. Just saw a dump of historic cans just off the Granite Creek trail (NCNP) recently.

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Dick B
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PostWed May 24, 2023 7:56 pm 
Kiliki Thanks for the info. Yes I am somewhat familiar with NHPA. I belong to an archeological group here in Central Oregon, and work quite closely with the various Federal agencies in the area. I will be helping to lead a group next month to visit a number of railroad sites that were abandoned after the Great Northern and Union Pacific pushed their way up the Deschutes Canyon back in the early 1900a. Also I will lead a group to visit an old 1870s wagon road up on McKenzie Pass in the fall. So I would like to understand what historical records might be available for sites that the Park Service may remove. I will use the campground at the upper reaches of the Dosewallips as an example. What historical details would the Park Service be required to record? Would they be available for the general public? Since it's been abandoned for some time, are there records available now, or would they only have to be produced prior to the whole site being removed? These same questions would apply to the Elkhorn CG. on Forest Service land.

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Ski
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PostThu May 25, 2023 8:43 am 
Nothing in the area of the Queets Ranger Station would qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure was built in 1985. My understanding is that the plan is to remove all evidence of the structure, possibly including the cement foundation. I doubt anything at the Dosewallips Campground would qualify for listing either. Any structure that had seen serious modifications/upgrades would be disqualified, per the NHPA. The Enchanted Valley Chalet is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the State Historic Preservation Officer saw to it that efforts were made to save the structure from certain disaster, but unfortunately due to time and budget constraints, they didn't move the structure far enough. It remains to be seen what will happen there.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Dick B
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Dick B
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PostThu May 25, 2023 8:27 pm 
Riverside Laker wrote:
n Death Valley National Park, there are quite a few mining sites with junque, garbage dumps full of rusted tin cans, old cars, etc. But they are part of the history. So they don't want them removed or even messed with.
We have similar can dumps on Forest Service lands here in Central Oregon. They are there for a different reason. The railroad came into Bend in 1911, This opened up the vast mature ponderosa pine stands for exploitation. 2 huge sawmills were built in Bend, and logging railroads were built to transport the logs from the woods to the mills. The mills provided housing for the loggers and their families. The small houses were built to be transported by rail. A "town site" would be set up in an unlogged area, and when that area was logged out, the houses would be transported to a new site. Each of the sites had a large residual can dump and are still in existence if you know where to find them. I have seen several in my travels around the area. I am with an archeology group, and I once monitored one of the old sites. They sure did leave a lot of old tin cans, but little other junk. The Forest Service considers these can dumps to be historical sites and are protected. They don't want anyone to haul off these old, rusted cans to perhaps be used as yard art. :>)

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sarbar
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PostMon Jun 05, 2023 12:14 pm 
There's a junk pit up near Obstruction Point, near Pumpkinseed Lake. It's historic. Rusty tin cans and old shoes. Soooooooo historic lol clown.gif

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