By Kim Maley, Park Interpreter
Eighty seven years ago, Silver Falls was dedicated as a State Park. At the time of this dedication, the park looked very different than what we enjoy today. Contrary to what many people assume, this space has been not only utilized as a popular recreation destination for decades, there was a city of 200-300 population from the 1880’s until the 1930’s. A fascinating history indeed! The transition, therefore, from the homestead era to the public lands era required a lot of hard work! Who better to task with this monumental task than the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) - an ingenuous program designed by Franklin Roosevelt as a solution to the Depression-era unemployment problem.
June 1, 1935 marks the start of CCC Company 611 at Silver Creek Falls. Over the next 7 years the boys of the CCC would build trails, buildings, bridges, walls and picnic shelters. Below is an excerpt from an interview with a gentleman who was a stonemason hired to help build Silver Falls and some of the buildings you see today. This and other recollections gathered from an oral history project can be found in Andy Nelson’s book “We Were There”, sold at the Silver Falls Nature Store:
