Oregon Hikers

Like most of you, I like digging through old USFS documents for forgotten places, and I think I found something pretty interesting! Would love some more eyes on this.

In 1976, the USFS published "An Impact Analysis: Clear Creek Planning Unit, Gifford Pinchot National Forest" (found here: https://archive.org/details/impactanalysiscl00unit)

On page 11, we find this: "The GPNF contracted with UW for a Cultural Resources Overview of the entire forest. This broad survey, completed in early 1976, indicates those areas where more intensive inventories should begin. The Overview lists eight cultural sites within the CCPU [now known as the Dark Divide Roadless Area]:
a. H. Hostetler House
b. F. Mehl House
c. Cabin of Hidden Treasure Mine
d. G. Crego House
e. C. L. Burbee House
f. H. A. Stowe House
g. E. R. Haywood Homestead
h. McClure House"

However, successive publications, such as the "Final environmental impact statement, land and resource management plan
(https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002225414)
published in 1990, make zero indication of these sites.

Newspapers.com has no leads on these people's names.

I tracked down the original Cultural Resources Overview that identifies these sites. It's unfortunately only available in print form, but I requested it from a regional university. The library entry says it has multiple color maps, which is encouraging!

What do you think?

I subscribed to this thread as I love this stuff. I know nothing about it however. Please let us know what you find. I'll do the same.

These sites may be identified by name as houses, cabins or other structures, but I have a feeling that if one were to investigate where these structures once stood, whatever still remained onsite in 2021 would be piles of the more durable sorts of rubble, a bit of rusted metal, some stones with mortar clinging to them, all overgrown by vegetation, and very hard to find. Good luck in your quest.

That's my hunch, as well. They didn't warrant further investigation by whatever standards were used at the time. Not to mention their potential burial in Helens' ash. Still curious about why these sites were chosen, and how specific the Overview describes their location.

Hiking off trail is more fun with a destination in mind, anyway. Never know what you might find on the way.

So I looked at the map of the CCPU in your link. It includes the western part of the Dark Divide, but is much larger. It appears to extend from somewhere near Northwoods at the bottom (near Swift Reservoir) all the way up to Windy Ridge. Therefore my guess would be that any structures are in the vicinity of the Lewis River.