| Silver Falls State Park Concession Building Area | |
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| (U.S. National Register of Historic Places) | |
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| Nearest city: | Sublimity, Oregon |
| Built/Founded: | 1934 |
| Architect: | Isted, J. Elwood |
| Added to NRHP: | June 30, 1983 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 83002164 [1] |
| Governing body: | State |
Silver Falls State Park is a state park located near Silverton, Oregon. It is the largest state park in Oregon with over 9,000 acres (36 km²) containing over 24 miles (38.6 km) of walking trails, 14 miles (22.5 km) of horse trails, and a 4 mile (6.4 km) bike path. Its 8.7 mile (14.0 km) Canyon Trail/Trail of Ten Falls runs along the banks of Silver Creek and by ten waterfalls, from which the park received its name. Four of the ten falls have an amphitheater-like surrounding that allows the trail to pass behind the flow of the falls.[2] The park's most visited waterfall is South Falls, a 177 ft/53.9 m cascade.[3] Remote Double Falls, however, is the highest waterfall in the park, plunging 178 ft/54.3 m in a small tributary side canyon deep within the Silver Creek Canyon.
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History
Silver Falls City formed in 1888 and was primarily a logging community with a few homesteaders, and the area was extensively logged. By 1900 a Silverton photographer June Drake began to campaign for park status, using his photographs of the falls to gain support. In 1926, however, an inspector for the National Park Service rejected the area for park status because of a proliferation of unattractive stumps. In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that the Silver Falls area would be turned into a Recreational Demonstration Area. Private land that had been logged was purchased, and workers in the Civilian Conservation Corps were employed to develop park facilities, including the historic South Falls Lodge, completed in the late 1930s. It was used as a restaurant from 1946 until the late 1950s and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983[4]. The Silver Creek Youth Camp was also added to the National Register at this time.
Geology
The formation of the canyon stretches back about 26 million years ago to the Oligocene period, when most of Oregon was covered by ocean. After the waters of the ocean receded about 15 million years ago, the flood basalt flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group covered the sandstone that had been the ocean floor. The softer layers of sandstone beneath the basalt sheet eroded over time, creating pathways behind some of the waterfalls which Civilian Conservation Corps workers widened to make safe for public use. Another geologic feature are many tree "chimneys" or casts, formed when hot lava engulfed living trees and disintegrated them.[5]
Waterfalls
There are ten waterfalls in Silver Creek State Park. Listed in order from north to south.
- Upper North Falls (65 ft/19.8 m)
- North Falls (136ft/41.5 m)
- Double Falls (178 ft/54.3 m)
- Lower North Falls (30 ft/9.1 m)
- Drake Falls (27 ft/8.2 m)
- Middle North Falls(106 ft/32.3 m)
- Twin Falls (31 ft/9.5 m)
- Winter Falls (134 ft/40.8 m)
- Lower South Falls (93 ft/28.4 m)
- South Falls (177 ft/53.9 m)[5]
References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- ^ Silver Falls State Park. Oregon Parks and Recreation. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ Recreation in Salem Oregon. Salem, Oregon Convention & Visitors Association. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- ^ Oregon Hikes - Silver Falls. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ a b Silver Falls Trailmap. Oregon Parks and Recreation. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
External links
- Silver Falls State Park official website from Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department
- Silver Falls State Park from the Oregon Tourism Commission
- Friends of Silver Falls State Park
- Silver Falls State Park is at coordinates Coordinates:
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| National Park System |
National Parks: Crater Lake |
| Wildernesses |
Badger Creek • Black Canyon • Boulder Creek • Bridge Creek • Bull of the Woods • Cummins Creek • Diamond Peak • Drift Creek • Eagle Cap • Gearhart Mountain • Grassy Knob • Hells Canyon • Kalmiopsis • Mark O. Hatfield • Menagerie • Middle Santiam • Mill Creek • Monument Rock • Mount Hood • Mount Jefferson • Mount Thielsen • Mount Washington • Mountain Lakes • North Fork John Day • North Fork Umatilla • Opal Creek • Oregon Islands • Red Buttes • Rock Creek • Rogue-Umpqua Divide • Salmon-Huckleberry • Sky Lakes • Steens Mountain • Strawberry Mountain • Table Rock • Three Arch Rocks • Three Sisters • Waldo Lake • Wenaha-Tucannon • Wild Rogue |
| State Parks |
State Parks: Ainsworth • Alfred A. Loeb • Beverly Beach • Bob Straub • Bullards Beach • Cape Arago • Cape Blanco • Cape Lookout • Carl G. Washburne Memorial • Cascadia • Catherine Creek • Collier Memorial • Ecola • Elijah Bristow • Fort Stevens • Guy W. Talbot • Harris Beach • Hat Rock • Hilgard Junction • Humbug Mountain • Illinois River Forks • Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial • L. L. "Stub" Stewart Memorial • Lake Owyhee • LaPine • Mayer • Memaloose • Milo McIver • Molalla River • Nehalem Bay • Ona Beach • Oswald West • Port Orford Heads • Prineville Reservoir • Rooster Rock • Shore Acres • Silver Falls • Smith Rock • South Beach • Starvation Creek • Sunset Bay • The Cove Palisades • Tumalo • Umpqua Lighthouse • Valley of the Rogue • Viento • Wallowa Lake • White River Falls • Willamette Mission • William M. Tugman State Natural Areas and Sites: Bandon • Cape Kiwanda • Clay Myers/Whalen Island • Coquille Myrtle Grove • Darlingtonia • Devils Punch Bowl • Erratic Rock • Fort Rock • George W. Joseph • Golden and Silver Falls • Munson Creek • Saddle Mountain • Seneca Fouts • Shepperd's Dell • Succor Creek • Tokatee Klootchman • Tryon Creek • Vinzenz Lausmann Memorial • Wygant • Yachats Ocean Road State Heritage Areas and Sites: Champoeg • Emigrant Springs • Fort Yamhill • Frenchglen Hotel • Geisel Monument • Kam Wah Chung • Sumpter Valley Dredge • Willamette Stone • Wolf Creek Inn State Scenic Corridors and Viewpoints: Bald Peak • Battle Mountain Forest • Blue Mountain Forest • Boiler Bay • Bolon Island Tideways • Booth • Bradley • Bridal Veil Falls • Cape Meares • Cape Sebastian • Cline Falls • Crown Point • Face Rock • H.B. Van Duzer Forest • Heceta Head Lighthouse • John B. Yeon • Muriel O. Ponsler Memorial • Neptune • Ochoco • Otter Crest • Peter Skene Ogden • Pilot Butte • Pistol River • Portland Women's Forum • Prospect • Rocky Creek • Samuel H. Boardman • Ukiah-Dale Forest • Umpqua • Unity Forest • Wallowa Lake Highway Forest State Trails: Banks-Vernonia • Historic Columbia River Highway • OC&E Woods Line State Recreation Areas and Sites: Agate Beach • Arcadia Beach • Beachside • Benson • Bonnie Lure • Casey • Clyde Holliday • Crissey Field • D River • Dabney • Del Rey Beach • Deschutes River • Detroit Lake • Devils Lake • Dexter • Driftwood Beach • Fall Creek • Farewell Bend • Fogarty Creek • Gleneden Beach • Goose Lake • Government Island • Governor Patterson Memorial • Hug Point • Jackson F. Kimball • Jasper • Joseph H. Stewart • Koberg Beach • Lewis and Clark • Lost Creek • Lowell • Manhattan Beach • Mary S. Young • Maud Williamson • McVay Rock • Minam • Neskowin Beach • North Santiam • Oceanside Beach • Ontario • Otter Point • Paradise Point • Roads End • Sarah Helmick • Seal Rock • Seven Devils • Smelt Sands • Stonefield Beach • Sunset Beach • Tolovana Beach • TouVelle • Unity Lake • W. B. Nelson • Warm Springs • Winchuck • Yachats • Yaquina Bay State Waysides: Alderwood • Chandler • Ellmaker • Hoffman Memorial • Holman • Red Bridge • Tub Springs • Washburne Other: Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center • Fort Rock Cave • Whale Watching Center |
| National Forest System |
National Forests: Deschutes • Fremont-Winema • Malheur • Mount Hood • Ochoco • Rogue River-Siskiyou • Siuslaw • Umatilla • Umpqua • Wallowa-Whitman • Willamette |
| State Forests |
Clatsop • Elliott • Santiam • Sun Pass • Tillamook |
| National Wildlife Refuge System |
Ankeny • Bandon Marsh • Baskett Slough • Bear Valley • Cape Meares • Cold Springs • Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge • Klamath Marsh • Lower Klamath • Malheur • McKay Creek • Nestucca Bay • Oregon Islands • Siletz Bay • Three Arch Rocks • Tualatin River • Umatilla • Upper Klamath • William L. Finley |
| State Wildlife Areas |
Bridge Creek • Dean Creek • Denman • E.E. Wilson • Elkhorn • Fern Ridge • Irrigon • Jewell Meadows • Klamath • Ladd Marsh • Lower Deschutes • Phillip W. Schneider • Prineville • Riverside • Sauvie Island • Snake River Islands • Summer Lake • Wenaha • White River • Willow Creek |
| National Landscape Conservation System |
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| Others | |
| Heritage registers: National Register of Historic Places • National Historic Landmarks • National Natural Landmarks • World Network of Biosphere Reserves | |
