Oregon Caves Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Oregon Caves National Monument

Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12 Cultural Landscapes Program

The Oregon Caves Historic District is a 14.75-acre district within Oregon Caves National Monument, which is located in southwestern corner of Oregon in the Siskiyou Mountains. The historic district includes a cluster of buildings sited at the upper end of a narrow canyon and a system of trail corridors that extend throughout the entire 480-acre park unit. The historic district was listed in the National Register in 1992 and includes the Chateau, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. In 2012, the district was expanded with a boundary increase include the historic trail system. The district is nationally significant under Criterion A, for its association with the development of Oregon Caves National Monument, and Criterion C, because it is an excellent example of rustic architecture and landscape architecture, much of which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The historic district retains integrity to the period of significance, 1922-1942. Oregon Caves National Monument is one of the few national monuments that experienced concession development prior to the mid-1930s. The construction of a hotel, rental cottages, employee housing, roads, trails, and other tourist facilities by the concessionaire and the NPS served the growing number of visitors coming to tour the caves. The buildings, rock walls, trails, and native plantings in the central plaza exemplify the tenets of rustic architecture and naturalistic landscape architecture as practiced in national parks and forests before World War II. Most of the rustic features are of high design quality, and the buildings were adapted to the sever topography and natural environment. The district appears today much as it did during the period of significance and retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Features contributing to the cultural landscape include the Chateau, Chalet, Guide Dormitory, Ranger Residence, Upper and Lower Pools, Lake Mountain Trail, Big Tree Trail, No Name Trail, Cliff Nature Trail, which are all listed on the national register, as well as historic rock walls, the service road, the upper and lower pools, historic walkways, and historic benches, lighting, and signs. The historic character of the Oregon Caves Historic District is still evident in the following landscape characteristics: Natural Systems and Features, Spatial Organization, Circulation, Buildings and Structures, Small Scale Features, and Vegetation. Based on the evaluation of these characteristics, the cultural landscape at Oregon Caves Historic District was found to exhibit key patterns, relationships, and features that convey the historical significance of the district.

Oregon Caves Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Oregon Caves National Monument

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