Bagby Guard Station is a rustic cabin located in the

Mount Hood National Forest The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of fore ...

in western

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is adjacent to

Bagby Hot Springs The Bagby Hot Springs are natural hot springs located in the Mount Hood National Forest about southeast of Portland, Oregon, United States and about east of Salem, Oregon. The springs are within the Cascade Mountains in a heavily forested are ...

. The guard station was originally built to house fire crews assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest. The Bagby Guard Station is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

In the 1920s and 1930s, National Forests road networks were not well developed. To get to job sites, Forest Service employees often traveled many miles on foot or horseback, carrying all the equipment need to perform field work. This made it impractical for employees to make daily round-trips. To facilitate work at remote sites, the Forest Service built guard stations at strategic locations throughout the forest to house fire patrols and project crews.Jacoby, Jayso
"Rustic Forest Service cabins available for rent"
, '' Baker City Herald'', Baker City, Oregon, 27 April 2006. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Forest Service greatly expanded its road network, allowing employees to get to most National Forest areas within a few hours. As a result, guard stations lost their utility. The Forest Service found new uses for some stations, but most were demolished or abandon. The Bagby Guard Station is located in the Mount Hood National Forest forty miles southeast of

Estacada, Oregon Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about southeast of Portland. The 2020 population is estimated to be 3,700. According to the 2010 census, the population in 2010 was 2,695. It is the 89th largest city in Oregon and t ...

, just outside the boundary of

Bull of the Woods Wilderness The Bull of the Woods Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Mount Hood National Forest in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, United States. It was created in 1984 and consists of including prime low-elevation old-growth forest, about ...

area. It was built next to Bagby Hot Springs in 1913 by Phillip F. Putz, the Forest Service guard assigned to the area. Putz also built a small storage shed adjacent to the cabin. In the years following its construction, the guard station was used as a barracks for Forest Service fire crews that patrolled the surrounding forest during the summer fire season."Bagby Hot Springs"
Mount Hood National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sandy, Oregon, 7 March 2007. In 1925 Putz built his own home in

Colton, Oregon Colton is an unincorporated community located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 211. Colton is located between the cities of Estacada and Molalla. Colton was named in about 1892 by two residents, Joshua Gorbett and a m ...

. During the 1920s, summer fire crews built a barn, dam, bathhouse, and additional shelters at the site. However, all of these facilities are now gone. Over time, the original guard station fell into disrepair so the Forest Service built a new cabin for the Bagby guard in 1974. Because of its rustic architecture and the cabin's unique historic value as an early Forest Service guard station, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999."Bagby Guard Station"
''Archiplanet'', http://www.archiplanet.org, 5 December 2006. In 2006, volunteers from Northwest Forest Conservancy and Friends of Bagby worked with the Forest Service to repair and preserve the original Bagby Guard Station cabin."Volunteering - Bagby Hot Spring"
Mount Hood National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sandy, Oregon, 14 March 2008.

Structure

The Bagby Guard Station is located in a remote area of the Clackamas Ranger District on the western slope of the Cascade Mountains, at elevation. It is a rustic cabin surrounded by undisturbed

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

of mainly Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar. The guard station is a traditional log cabin structure with a wood shingle roof and a stone foundatio

It has a single room measuring 24 by . The logs were cut and peeled on the site so the cabin blends into the surrounding forest

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

. The original shed still sits next to the guard station cabi

Both historic structures were renovated in 2006. However, they are not open to the public. In addition to the two historic structures, there are seven other building at the Bagby site. These include the new guard station and storage shed built in 1974. There are also three Public bathing, bathhouses built between 1983 and 1986 plus two outhouses for public use.

Recreation

The guard station is located in the middle of Bagby Hot Springs. There are three major springs and several minor outlets that make up Bagby Hot Springs. The largest spring flows twenty-four gallons per minute at 138 degrees Fahrenheit. The two secondary springs produce 15 gallons per minute at 136 degrees and 3 gallons per minute at 120 degrees. There are three bath houses at the site. The ''Main Bathhouse'' has five cedar log tubs each in its own rustic, but private room. Nearby, the ''Lower Bathhouse'' has three log tubs and a large round tub located on an open deck. The ''Upper Bathhouse'' is located approximately southeast of the Main Bathhouse. It has one large round tub on an open deck. Bagby Hot Springs are open for day-use only.

Camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

is not permitted at the hot springs or along the trail to Bagby. The Bull of the Woods Wilderness is only about a half mile up the trail from guard station, so visitor can easily access the wilderness trail network from Bagby. Bull of the Woods Peak is at the center of a trail system. The Pansy Lake Trail takes hikers to peak's summit where an old lookout tower commands a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Wilderness trails lead to a dozen scenic lakes with native trout populations, Twin Lakes and Elk Lake are the most popular. The headwaters of the Collawash, Breitenbush, and Little North Santiam Rivers are all found in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness."Bull of the Woods Wilderness"
Wilderness.net, College of Forestry and Conservation Wilderness Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 30 June 2008.

Access

There is no road to Bagby Guard Station; visitors must hike a trail from a Forest Service parking area to get to the site. It is a relatively easy hike with only a gain in of elevation along the way. The trail is maintained by the Forest Service and volunteers from the Northwest Forest Conservancy. It is approximately from Estacada to the Bagby trailhead. A $5 Forest Service permit is required to park at the trailhead. Bagby is normally open year around, however, access roads to the trailhead may be close after some winter snow storms.

References

External links

Mount Hood National Forest
{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County, Oregon Residential buildings completed in 1913 Buildings and structures in Clackamas County, Oregon 1913 establishments in Oregon