The Story of Silver Falls State Park--Part 5

HUMAN HISTORY

Though artifacts have been found in the amphitheater behind North Falls, there have is no record of native tribes such as the Kalapuya visiting the park before settlers came into the region. So it is unknown if any of the waterfalls were sacred, or if the early inhabitants used the region for berry picking or for gathering medicinal herbs.

In 1888, a few homesteaders founded Silver Falls City, named after the South Falls which was said to be a silvery ribbon of water. As it was primarily a logging community and was situated near the present-day main parking lot. As the loggers had a difficult time getting in and out of the canyon, they mainly cut down trees outside of the canyon. Although a second growth forest has grown in place of the clear cut, you can still see the difference as the new forest does not have many snags, fallen trees, or above-ground roots so characteristic of a temperate rainforest like you see in the canyon.

Despite the fact the only trails in the canyon at that time were animal trails, many people still explored them. In the late 1800’s, locals from as far away as Salem would ride their horses up to the region to see South Falls. By the early 1900’s the locals had traded their horses for Model T Fords, though the road from Salem to South Falls was still a muddy one and many travelers likely became stuck after heavy rain. D.E. Geiser happened to own the piece of property that South Falls flowed over. As a way to make a buck, he charged visitors a dime to see the falls. If visitors wanted to witness stunts, such as pushing Model T Fords off the top of the falls, he would charge a quarter.

At one stunt, daredevil Al Faussett climbed inside a rubber canoe filled with the rubber tires from early Fords and went over South Falls. He survived with some bruised and broken bones and while he was in the hospital, his manager left with the money he made. He almost attempted another run over the waterfall, but after seeing less than 200 people show up, he returned everyone’s money back.

 

The ramp that Al Faussett used to go over South Falls (left picture) and Al Faussett being assisted at the top of the waterfall (right picture).

A nearby property owner ran a honky-tonk nearby, while another person played loud music that resonated off the walls of the canyon.

Around 1900, a photographer from Silverton, known as June Drake, began to take photographs of the various waterfalls to push for national park status. However, after an inspection by the National Park Service in 1926, the idea was rejected. This was due to both unattractive stumps that littered the region and most of what had not been cut down had been burned several years before.

Although the area would not become a national park, June Drake’s pictures would become “the spark that brought about this great park.”  On March 21, 1931, Superintendent Samuel H. Boardman of the Oregon State Parks division of ODOT purchased the first 100 acres that would become Silver Falls State Park. That first purchase, which included South Falls, had been owned by D.E. Geiser. Several purchases and donations of land continued, and on July 23, 1933, the land officially became Silver Falls State Park.

As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), it was announced that Silver Falls State Park would be a Recreational Demonstration Area. In 1935, CCC Camp Park Number 9 opened with 200 workers. With the help of WPA craftsmen and artisans, a seven-year project began that would create many of the buildings that you see today.

One of the first buildings to be completed, which is now the gift store, was a log building used as a Powder House for the women of those times to use. The Stone Shelter was another one of the early buildings to be created. Rock was quarried from nearby Scotts Mills. As sandstone isn’t the best material for construction, all buildings that were created after the Stone Shelter have been made of basalt.

Historic South Falls Lodge

The crown jewel of the buildings made by the CCC was the Historic South Falls Lodge, completed in the late 1930’s. This lodge is ADA accessible and s the location of the Mother’s Day Flower Show every year. From 1946 to the late 1950’s, it was used as a restaurant, and still houses tables and chairs that were crafted out of tow Myrtlewood trees. In 1983, the Main Lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Silver Creek Youth Camp was also listed at the same time.

In the late 1940’s, the size of Silver Falls State Park grew when the National Park Service deeded nearly 6,000 acres of land to the state of Oregon for the purpose of recreation. That land included Camp David where the CCC workers were housed while they worked. In 1984, 160 acres was added that once belonged to Leo Cieslak. More recent purchases along the north boundary of the park, including 365 acres in 2006 from the DeSantis family has enlarged the park to its present size of over 9,000 acres.



The sixth part of the series is here: http://beavercountryramblings.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-story-of-silver-falls-state-park_3084.html