A Brief History of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
The Forest is celebrating 100 years! Visit our Centennial page for more information, photos and events.
HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Click photos to enlarge
Forest Headquarters in Leavenworth, 1908
New Truck Fleet on the way to Wenatchee
Icicle Valley Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp, 1934
Chelan Ranger Station, 1941
Dirtyface Lookout 1943
Wenatchee NF
1908
- Wenatchee NF established with headquarters in Leavenworth
- A.H. Sylvester, first Forest Supervisor ($1800-$2500/year)
- Nearly 150,000 sheep graze the Forest
- 8 Ranger Districts - Chiwaukum, Chumstick, Cle Elum, Easton, Icicle, Lake Wenatchee, Liberty, Peshastin; plus the Entiat watershed
1909
- Forest summers 60 percent of the sheep in Washington State
1910
- Entiat watershed transferred to the Chelan NF
1913
- 7 Ranger Districts - Chiwaukum, Chumstick, Cle Elum, Easton, Icicle-Peshastin, Lake Wenatchee, Liberty
1914
- A whopping $250 spent on Road Improvement and Construction
1916
- 63 Ranger Stations /Administrative Sites
1920
- Forest headquarters moved to Wenatchee
- Entiat watershed returned to the Wenatchee NF from the Chelan NF
- 6 Ranger Districts – Cashmere, Chiwaukum, Easton, Entiat, Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee
1928
- 39 permanent employees
1933
- Taneum and Manastash portions of Rainier NF added to Wenatchee NF
1933-41
- 15 Civilian Conservation Corps Camps on the Forest
1955
- Chelan RD (Chelan NF) becomes part of the Wenatchee NF
1964
- Goat Rocks Wilderness and Glacier Peak Wilderness established
1974
- Naches and Tieton Ranger Districts transferred from the Snoqualmie NF to the Wenatchee NF
1976
- Alpine Lakes Wilderness established
1981
- 7 Ranger Districts – Chelan, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Entiat, Lake Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Naches
1984
- William O. Douglas Wilderness; Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness; Norse Peak Wilderness; Henry M. Jackson Wilderness established
2000
- Okanogan and Wenatchee NFs administratively combined as the Okanogan - Wenatchee National Forests
- Geographic boundaries of each forest remain unchanged
- 8 Ranger Districts – Chelan, Cle Elum, Entiat, Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, Naches, Tonasket, Methow Valley,plus the Okanogan Valley Office
- Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth Ranger Districts administratively combined
- Forest headquarters is in Wenatchee
2006
- Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth Ranger Districts renamed Wenatchee River RD
2007
- Administrative name changed to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
2008
- 450 permanent employees (as combined forests)
Okanogan NF
1908
- Chelan NF established with headquarters in Chelan. The Forest extends from the Cascade Crest to the Okanogan River and from the Canadian border to the divide between the Chelan and Entiat watersheds
1911
- Okanogan NF formed from the Okanogan County portion of the Chelan NF with headquarters in Okanogan
- First Ranger Districts - Conconully and Twisp
1911–1915
- 6 Ranger Districts - Conconully, Loomis, Squaw Creek, Sweat Creek, Twisp and Winthrop
1920
- Okanogan NF transferred to the Chelan NF. The name “Okanogan” is discontinued
- 7 Ranger Districts - Chelan, Loomis, Squaw Creek, Stehekin, Sweat Creek, Twisp, Winthrop
1925
- Portions of the Loomis and Sweat Creek Ranger Districts transferred to the State for a state forest (Loomis)
1930
- Squaw Creek Ranger District absorbed by the Twisp Ranger District
- FS Monument 83 lookout constructed in Canada by mistake - Oops!
1930’s
- 8 Civilian Conservation Corps Camps
1936
- Pasayten Ranger District created from a portion of the Winthrop Ranger District
1940
- Ranger District offices at Chelan, Conconully, Early Winters, Stehekin, Twisp and Winthrop
1942
- Tonasket Ranger District transferred to the Chelan NF from the Colville NF
1944
- Conconully Ranger District becomes the Okanogan Ranger District with headquarters in Okanogan
1955
- Chelan NF renamed the Okanogan NF. The name “Chelan” is discontinued
- Okanogan Ranger District renamed the Conconully Ranger District to avoid confusion with the Forest name change
- 5 Ranger Districts – Conconully, Pasayten, Tonasket, Twisp and Winthrop
- Chelan Ranger District transferred to the Wenatchee NF
1966
- Pasayten Ranger District absorbed by the Winthrop Ranger District
- Aerial project at Twisp becomes the North Cascades Smoke Jumper Base, a separate administrative unit of the Forest
1968
- Pasayten Wilderness established by Congress. This action adds 200,000 acres to the Okanogan NF
1978
- Okanogan NF headquarters moved from downtown Okanogan to its present location on State Highway 20
1982
- Conconully Ranger District absorbed by the Tonasket Ranger District
1984
- Lake Chelan - Sawtooth Wilderness established on the Okanogan and Wenatchee NFs
1994
- Twisp and Winthrop Ranger Districts combined to become the Methow Valley Ranger District
2000
- Okanogan and Wenatchee NFs administratively combined as the Okanogan - Wenatchee National Forests
- Geographic boundaries of each forest remain unchanged
- 8 Ranger Districts – Chelan, Cle Elum, Entiat, Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, Naches, Tonasket, Methow Valley, plus Okanogan Valley Office
- Forest headquarters is in Wenatchee
2007
- Administrative name changed to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
2008
- 450 permanent employees (as combined forests)
