Historic Hood River
“Ghost Forest”
8-9-2024
Notes
This image is simply labeled “Ghost Forest”. These bleached burned snags look like they’ve endured many winters. I believe the image is from the 1920s or 1930s. Perhaps this is what we now call “Ghost Ridge”? According to Lewis McArthur,
This ridge lies immediately east of Eliot Branch and runs from Cloud Cap down towards Inspiration Point. It takes its name from the whitened snags left after a series of early day fires. The first of these in 1886 was supposedly set by sheepman Johnny O’Leary who was trying to improve the grazing range. A series of natural fires came afterward but since World War II, new growth has gradually covered the ethereal remains.
Kalley
My friends and I just drove up The Cloud Cap in last week. Ghost Forest is an appropriate name. I didn’t realize that the fires were so long ago. It’s still such a beautiful drive up to Cloud Cap.
kmb
When I visited Cloud Cap Inn a few years back, the “Ghost Forest” on the drive up was an eerie sight to see. At the time I had looked it up online and was under the impression there had been a fire in that area within the past 20 years or so, but I don’t remember the year or the name of the fire. I am sure some of the locals on here will remember.
BethH
The ghost Forest these people saw along CC rd, was more recent- from the Gnarl ridge fire… 2008. Ghost ridge still has a fair amount of dead weathered white trees- but they do tend to fall down 15-20 after a burn. That’s why Cloud Cap Rd was closed for a year or two after the burn. The FS hired someone to go in and cut all fire snags within 20 ft of the Roadway, before they considered it safe to open to the public.
Hard to say where this pic is from….
L.E.
There is a place on the Washington coast called the Ghost Forest. A result of the 1700 tsunami. I think those are Spruce trees. I wonder what these are?
Jeffrey Bryant
It makes me wonder if the burn was associated with creating the path to Mt. Hood as mentioned in this article.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1927-08-18/ed-1/seq-2/