OREGON'S HIGHWAY PARK SYSTEM: 1921-1989 An Administrative History

By 1989, Oregon had a highway-oriented state park system of some 89,934 acres, including parks, waysides, monuments, recreation areas and parcels of land adjoining rivers. From the system's beginnings under the State Highway Commission in 1921, emphasis was placed on protection of roadside beauty and planting trees along highways. With the appointment of Samuel H. Boardman as parks engineer in the Highway Department in 1929, particular effort was directed to park areas on the Oregon coast. Although a few parks were acquired at some distance from major highways, such as Saddle Mountain, Cove Palisades and Golden and Silver Falls state parks, this was done with difficulty. Most areas adjoined principal roads.

Development of the parks for day use was limited in the Boardman years, but was boosted measurably by the emergency conservation work of the federal government during the Depression era, 1933-1942. Sam Boardman's greatest interest was in acquisition and protection of major scenic features. In this, he was most successful, expanding the system from 4,070 acres to 60,000 acres and 161 sites by the time of his retirement in 1950.

In the next 10 years, under Superintendent Chester H. Armstrong, the system was vigorously developed for use, and parks were opened to overnight camping. Operations were expanded to include recreation liaison activities with cities and counties. In the 1960s, the agency acquired the responsibility for statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation planning.

After David G. Talbot became State Parks superintendent, shortly before the end of the year 1964, the agency's external programs expanded dramatically to encompass ocean shores access, the Willamette River park system, historic preservation, scenic waterways and recreation trails. By 1979, the Oregon State Parks organization gained separate but equal status alongside the Highway Division in the Oregon Department of Transportation. In 1980, at a time of severe oil price increases, the public voted to eliminate use of the gas tax-supported Highway Fund for state parks. This placed the Parks agency more directly under control of the Oregon Legislature because it was dependent upon General Fund monies for much of its operating budget. While public awareness of state park operations increased, adequate fiscal support for the system had become more difficult to obtain.

Efforts to look to the future and secure a stable source of funding for growth led to creation of an ad hoc long-range planning advisory committee, and a strategic plan to be implemented by the year 2010 was prepared by the staff. Presentation of the plan to Governor Neil Goldschmidt resulted in a 1989 legislative act creating an independent State Parks and Recreation Department, effective January 1, 1990. A seven-member State Parks and Recreation Commission replaced the former Parks Advisory Committee.

In the following memoir, based on a series of recorded interviews, Dave Talbot, who continued as director of the new department until his retirement at the end of June, 1992, reflected on the organization he shaped and defined over a period of 28 years with the help of employees, advisers, legislators and the public at large.