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HomeMy Public PortalAboutChallis National ForestHISTORY OF THE CHALLIS NATIONAL FOREST A Compilation USDA Forest Service Intermountain Region Introduction This is a transcription of the Challis National Forest history cataloged in the R4 History Collection as R4- 1680 - 2006 -0238. It is apparent that various people added to the original compilation over a period of several years. Forest Service retiree LeAnn Tracy retyped the document so it could be available to and searchable by a wider audience. We have taken the liberty of correcting spelling and typographical errors, reformatting to improve readability (including the addition of headers), relocating some additions to their relevant sections, and generating a table of contents. The original compilation referred to appendices in a "separate folder" but we do not have these. They are: 1. Proclamations 2. Newspaper clippings 3. Progress reports 4. Challis fact sheets 5. Bibliography of historical books 6. Miscellaneous publications, periodicals, etc. 7. Old History File Folder 8. Charlie Langer Memorial 9. Photographs (see photo file for additional pictures) 10. Sawtooth Mountains Study Area Richa Wilson, Regional Architectural Historian October 2009 Cover: Supervisor's Office & Ranger Station compound in Challis, Idaho. Idaho, he went to the Salmon River Reserve and came to the Challis as Supervisor when it came into being by Presidential Proclamation in 1908. From the Challis, Mr. Laing went to the Boise National Forest. Ernest A. Renner, became Supervisor of the Challis National Forest in the spring of 1923, being transferred from the Salmon National Forest where he was Assistant Supervisor. Mr. Renner started his Forest Service career on the Targhee as a Forest Guard. Mr. Renner was transferred to the Lemhi at Mackay as Supervisor in April 1931 which position he occupied until his death in April 1934. James W. Farrell became Supervisor of the Challis National Forest in April 1931, coming to the forest from the Idaho National Forest where he had held the position of Assistant Supervisor. Mr. Farrell remained on the Challis National Forest until the spring of 1935 when he was transferred to the Regional Office at Ogden. From 1934 through 1936 the position of Supervisor on the Challis National Forest was something of a puzzle. In June 1934, Floyd W. Godden was appointed Supervisor of the Challis National Forest. At the same time, Supervisor Farrell was appointed Supervisor of the Targhee National Forest. Supervisor Godden spent four days on the forest and was then detailed to the Targhee National Forest retaining his title as Supervisor of the Challis National Forest. Supervisor Farrell remained on the Challis National Forest on detail although officially Supervisor of the Targhee National Forest. On January 16, 1935, Floyd Godden was appointed Supervisor of the Targhee National forest. Supervisor Farrell remained on the Challis National Forest until March 11, 1935, when he was detailed to Ogden although paid as the Challis National Forest Supervisor to July 31, 1935. No Supervisor was then appointed to the Challis National Forest until January 16, 1936, when Henry M. Shank was appointed. This appointment was in force until February 28th. Mr. Shank did not take over during that time. On March 1, 1936, Supervisor Godden was transferred back to the Challis National Forest. Records show that he was then on detail to the Targhee National Forest until March 11, was on the Challis National Forest from the l 11h to the 26th, was detailed to the Salmon National Forest from the 27th to May 16th, on which date he was formally transferred to the Salmon National Forest as Supervisor. Effective May 16, 1936, Arthur G. Nord became Supervisor and was on the Forest until June 30, 1936, when he was transferred to the Cache National Forest. On December 1, 1936, Ernest E. McKee officially became Supervisor by promotion from Assistant Supervisor. From June 1934 to January 1937, the Supervisor -ship changed hands five times with only two of the incumbents actually spending enough time in the position to take an active part in forest affairs. These were Supervisor Farrell and Supervisor McKee. Supervisor Godden spent four days in 1934 and sixteen days in 1936, Supervisor Nord was on the forest about one month, and Supervisor Shank spent no time at all. Supervisor Farrell was actually on the forest from April 1931 until March 1935. Mr. McKee was actively in charge after March 1935 the other men not 118 having time enough to get into the job. The sequence reads like a multiple baseball play — tp Godden to Shank to Godden to Nord to McKee. During this period, 1934 through 1936, the work load on the Challis National Forest was exceedingly heavy. In addition to the CCC, ERA, NRA, and other emergency programs, which were shared to a greater or lesser degree by other forests, the consolidation of the Lemhi and Challis National Forests took place. This was a considerable job in itself as the business of the two forests was handled separately making it necessary to keep two sets of accounts and all the attendant time - consuming details. This extra work was handled with no increase in the Supervisor's Staff and only minor increased clerical aid. From the time Supervisor Farrell left in the spring of 1935, the two forests were handled by Assistant Supervisor McKee and Executive Assistant Smith. In June 1936, a ranger was called in to assist in handling the fire organization (M. G. Markle, Stanley District Ranger). This organization carried the load until January 1937 when an Assistant Supervisor was appointed. However, the load was not appreciably lightened by the appointment of Assistant Supervisor Johnson as he was on detail elsewhere on AAA work during most of 1937. In 1934, the Challis - Lemhi National Forests had several NIRA Camps and one CCC Camp. In 1935, they had three CCC Camps and several ERA Camps. In 1936, they had four CCC Camps and several ERA Camps. Thus, from May 1934 until July 1938 the forest actually functioned as two separate units but with the supervisory and clerical staff of one ordinary sized forest, no additional personnel being furnished to assist in carrying the load. On April 30, 1948, Supervisor McKee retired. May 2, 1948, Andrew L. Bunch was appointed Supervisor of the Challis National Forest and served in this capacity until December 31, 1957, when he retired. On December 29, 1957, John W. Deinema was appointed Supervisor of the Challis National Forest. Supervisor Deinema transferred to the Challis National Forest in August, 1950, from the Payette National Forest and served as Assistant Ranger on two Districts, Ranger on two Districts, then transferred to the Teton National Forest. In October 1955, he was appointed Assistant Supervisor of the Challis National Forest and Supervisor in 1957. P. Max Rees transferred to the Challis as Supervisor on 10/30/60. At the time Rees was Staff Officer on the Uinta National Forest. He was reassigned as Supervisor of the Sawtooth National Forest 12/1/63. G. Wesley Carlson was promoted to Supervisor on 1/5/64 from the Regional Office, Division of Watershed and Multiple Use. On 9/18/71, Carlson was promoted and transferred to the Division of Watershed, Washington, D.C. 119 A History of the Salmon National Forest (Table of Contents) A History of the Salmon National Forest TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Preface Dedication PART 1 - EARLY DAYS, PRE- NATIONAL FOREST A. Geology of the Salmon River Area B. Indians in the Area C. Lewis & Clark Expedition 1805 D. Fur Trappers, Traders and Missionaries E. Mining F. Chinese G. Charcoal Kilns H. Settlement and Development I. Early Transportation PART 2 - SALMON NATIONAL FOREST, ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT A. Creation of the Salmon National Forest B. Personnel C. Administration of the Salmon National Forest 1. Administrative Sites and Improvements 2. Communications 3. Transportation 4. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) PART 3 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND FUNCTIONS A. Watershed Management B. Timber Management C. Range Management D. Wildlife Management E. Recreation and Land Use F. Fire Control PART 4 - MISCELLANEOUS A. Hermits in the Salmon National Forest B. Graves in the Salmon National Forest APPENDIX Page 1 of 2 http: / /www.foresthistory.org /ASPNET/ Publications /regionl4 /salmonlcontents.htm 6/18/2012 A History of the Salmon National Forest (Table of Contents) A. Place Names B. Early Mining Methods C. Personnel Statistics D. Road Inventory E. Bridge Inventory F. Grazing Statistics G. Recreation Area and Use Statistics H. Large Fire Statistics I. Legislation J. Bibliography Page 2 of 2 (region/4 /salmon/contents.htm 6/18/2012 A History of the Salmon National Forest (Part 2) 4. Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps came into being during the depression of the 1930's when hundreds of thousands of people were without work. A New Deal plan of D. F. Roosevelt, it became a program of self - sustaining public work. Most of the camps worked on projects in national, state, or private forests. CCC boys planted trees, fought forest fires, built roads and trails, thinned overcrowded timber stands, fought diseases of the forest such as bark beetles, gypsy moth, and pine blister rust. They re- seeded thousands of acres of grazing lands within western National Forests, and built recreational facilities still in use in many forests. The CCC program lasted from 1933 until 1942. 2,500,000 young Americans took part in it. At its peak between 1935 and 1937 there were 1500 camps with a top enrollment of 500,000.1 1 Orville Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture and Michael Frome, The National Forests of America (New York: G. P. Putman's Sons. In association with Country Beautiful Foundation, Inc., Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1968), pp. 88 -90. The camp activities of the enrollees were supervised by military personnel, while the field activities were supervised by civilians hired and directed by the agency responsible for the work. There were four CCC Camps in the Salmon Forest, with another CCC Camp on Haynes Creek under the Department of Grazing, a department dealing with non - forest public land. Those on the Salmon Forest were F -92 at Squaw Creek with Emmett Steeples, Superintendent; F -103 at Shoup; F -176 at the mouth of Panther Creek with Frank B. Bradley, Superintendent; and F -401 at Ebenezer Bar with Herbert St. Clair, Superintendent. About 200 men at a time were sent to each camp, plus their Army officers. They worked under direction of the district rangers on various projects in the Salmon Forest. Remembered most by the public was their work in building roads and recreational facilities. The CCC work extended the road from Shoup down the rugged Salmon River canyon to the Middle Fork, finished the road over Williams Creek summit, built the road up Panther Creek from the Salmon River, the Spring Creek road, and Anderson Mountain road along the Continental Divide. Recreational facilities included building the original facilities at Twin Creek, Cougar Point, Long Tom, Deep Creek, and Wagonhammer Spring. In addition they built telephone lines, bridges, a landing field, maintained roads and trails, and fought fire when needed. In the period from June 1, 1933 to January 1, 1936, they spent 11,054 man days fighting fire. The boys came from all over the United States. Some were from southern Idaho. Retired District Ranger Neale Poynor remembers that some of the boys from New York had never walked on ground except in a city park. Others with rural background could not write their names. The minimum age for the CCC program was 18 years, but there were older men also, who had wives and children left at home. The boys were not frightened or hostile, but were inexperienced, and in strange surroundings, and some did not know how to take care of themselves. Most of them were willing to learn, and anxious to do well. The CCC program gave them a chance to earn something on their own, and have a place to live. Many continued their schooling in night classes held in the camps. Neale and Laura Poynor recall attending an eighth grade graduation exercise held at one camp.I The construction for the Salmon Forest was something the CCC men could be proud of and they acquired worthwhile skills and a love of the country in which they had worked. Some CCC men remained in the Salmon River area. Forest Service personnel and local citizens voiced approval of their work and of the CCC program. I Interview with Neale and Laura Poynor, Boise, Idaho, November 18, 1969. One CCC project was construction of an emergency landing field on Hoodoo Meadows, to be used by planes on fire control work over the Primitive Area. In 1929 this meadow had been used as a base camp on the Wilson Creek fire. A 25 man CCC crew began work there in July 1935. The altitude is 9000 feet. Water froze every night. A PF radio set was used for communication. They were unable to finish the field that Page 1 of 2 http: / /www.foresthistory.org /ASPNET/ Publications /region/4 /salmon/part2.htm 6/18/2012 A History of the Salmon National Forest (Part 2) summer because work was interrupted by three different fire calls. One fire call was to the Big Horn Crags on Roaring Creek. There was no trail and the boys had to back pack their groceries and fire fighting tools. Leaving a 1 o'clock in the afternoon, they reached the fire at 2 a.m. the next morning. On one fire, one CCC boy was left at the Hoodoo Meadows camp to guard the supplies. When a Forestry foreman arrived at camp in the middle of the night he found the boy sitting in the midst of the food supplies with a meat cleaver in one hand and a double bitted ax at his side, for defense purposes.2 The Hoodoo Meadows Landing Field was completed during the summer of 1937. 2 "Hoodoo Meadows Landing Field," CCC Information Report, February 18, 1936. The Salmon Forest still had three CCC camps in 1937. There was only one camp operating during the summer of 1939, F -401, and two the following winter. Page 2 of 2 http : / /www.foresthistory.org /ASPNET /Publications /region /4 /salmon/part2. htm 6/18/2012