Oregon State Park System

Booklet that is a reprint of  from the Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 55, Number 3, September 1954.  Introduction by Thornton T. Munger (1883 – 1975), a pioneering research scientist for the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest, known for founding research operations at the Wind River Experimental Forest.

In the introduction of this booklet, Munger shares that there are 13 of the 15 "historic and descriptive sketches of some of the parks" written by S.H. Boardman "Father of the Oregon State Parks System," before Boardman's death in 1953. The Portland Chamber of Commerce (PCC) thought that these writings should be shared with the public, and formed a Recreational and Natural Resources Committee that contained members of the Highway Commission, Forest Service, and Oregon Historical Society (OHS): Arthur R. Kirkham, Arhtur L. Crookham, Francis Lambert, and Thornton T. Munger. The Highway Commission did the editing, the OHS offered to print them in their Quarterly, and a staff member of the PCC typed the manuscripts.

From the introduction: In their original form, these "sketches" of the parks included numerous recommendations for additions and development of the parks, directed particularly to Boardman's successor, which these editors have omitted. They have also deleted material that appeared in more than one "sketch," and condensed certain passages. They also omitted some too personal references and added a few footnotes and introductory phrases. Two of the original papers that had to do with proposed projects, Owyhee and Columbia Gorge, were not published in this booklet.