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Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is a United States National Forest located on both sides of the border between the states of Oregon and California. The formerly separate Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests were administratively combined in 2004. Now, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest ranges from the crest of the Cascade Range west into the Siskiyou Mountains, covering almost . Forest headquarters are located in Medford, Oregon.

The National Forest is home to some stands of old growth, including Port Orford cedar and Douglas fir in the Copper Salmon area.

Rogue River National Forest is located in parts of five counties in southern Oregon and northern California. In descending order of land area they are Jackson, Klamath, Douglas, Siskiyou, and Josephine counties, with Siskiyou County being the only one in California. It has a land area of 628,443 acres (981.9 sq mi, or 2,543.2 km²). There are local ranger district offices located in Ashland, Butte Falls, Grants Pass, Jacksonville, and Prospect.

Siskiyou National Forest is located in parts of four counties in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. In descending order of land area they are Curry, Josephine, and Coos counties in Oregon and Del Norte County in California. It has a land area of 1,094,726 acres (1,710.5 sq mi, or 4,430.2 km²). There are local ranger district offices located in Brookings, Cave Junction, Gold Beach, and Powers.

History

Siskiyou National Forest was established on October 5, 1906. On July 1, 1908 it absorbed Coquille National Forest and other lands. Rogue River National Forest traces its establishment back to the creation of the Ashland Forest Reserve on September 28, 1893 by the General Land Office. The lands were transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1906, and it became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 Ashland was combined with other lands from Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou National Forests to establish Crater National Forest. On July 18, 1915 part of Paulina National Forest was added, and on July 9, 1932 the name was changed to Rogue River.

World War II bombing

On September 9 1942, an airplane dropped bombs on Mount Emily in the Siskiyou National Forest, turned around, and flew back over the Pacific Ocean. The bombs exploded and started a fire, which was put out by several forest service employees. Bomb fragments were said to have Japanese markings. Stewart Holbrook vividly described this event in his essay "First Bomb". It was later confirmed that the plane was indeed Japanese, and the incident became known as the Lookout Air Raid. It was the first bombing of the continental United States by an enemy aircraft.