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History
Umatilla is an Indian word meaning "water rippling
over sand." Explorers Lewis and Clark passed this
way in 1805, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman crossed the
Forest in 1836 to establish a mission near Walla Walla,
Washington. Thousands of emigrants followed the Oregon
Trail westward, and many remained in Blue Mountain
country.
The Umatilla National Forest is composed of what was
originally three separate forests:
The Wenaha was
recommended as a Forest Reserve 1902 and established on
May 12, 1905, with headquarters in Walla Walla. It
covered that portion of the present Forest lying north of
the Old Oregon Trail.
The Blue Mountains National Forest,
with headquarters in Sumpter, Oregon, was comprised of
what is today's North Fork John Day Ranger District. In
1908 it was renamed the Whitman National Forest, and
headquarters were moved to Baker City, Oregon.
The Heppner Forest Reserve
was withdrawn from homestead entry on May 29, 1903 and established on July 18, 1906, with headquarters in
Heppner, Oregon. It was renamed the Umatilla National
Forest on July 1, 1908.
In 1911, the Whitman National Forest, (formerly the Blue
Mountains National Forest), was transferred to the
Umatilla National Forest. The Wenaha National Forest was
consolidated into the Umatilla National Forest in 1920
with headquarters in Pendleton, Oregon.
Historical
Reference Material
The Umatilla National Forest silviculture library
includes an archives containing a variety of historical
reference materials. It was initiated in 1993, primarily
in response to several situations requiring access to
historical information.
Since the archives were intended to provide background
information for characterization of vegetation reference
conditions and historical range of variability (HRV),
many of the reference materials pertain to vegetation
conditions. However, it also includes accessions about
range management and livestock grazing, wildlife
management, hydrology, and other natural resources.
The archives contain materials pertaining to the entire
Blue Mountains, not just the Umatilla National Forest
portion. That decision was made because national forest
boundaries changed over time; much of the North Fork John
Day Ranger District, for example, was included in the
Whitman or Malheur National Forests at one time. With few
exceptions, only items produced before 1950 are included
in the history archives.
Visit our historical Reference Site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma/history/
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