We recently toured the Fish Lake Interpretive Site. It's located in the Cascade Mountain range and was once a refuge for travelers with livestock, pack animals, and even those bringing freight that came west for a better life. It was opened for provisions in the mid-1800s and was used for fire crew housing and fire lookout for the Santiam National Forest up until the end of 1960. Fish Lake has been a site where many travelers and visitors have come and gone. Indian tribes used the area to hunt, fish, and even stay for a day or two before moving across the Cascade Mountains. It was said to have no less than 100 wagons lined up along the lake side between July and September. There's gravesites, wagon ruts, and old signs of times gone by still to this day. The most recent history with Fish Lake is the use of the site for the Forest Service as a remounting site until 2005 and the buildings and still provide some housing and lodging, as well was workspaces for personnel. It's a wonderful place to learn history, preservation, as well as appreciate the landscape and the many people that have passed through the area over the last 150 years. Definitely a site to add to your Oregon bucket list. There's no fee and it's open May-September with an interpreter onsite.
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