A Brief History of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee NF History | Okanogan NF History

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)

2020

  • Administration of Tonasket Ranger District transferred to Colville National Forest

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)

2020

  • Administration of Tonasket Ranger District transferred to Colville National Forest