We had lots to talk about because what was done at Crater Lake was being repeated at Timberline Lodge (14). At that time, the WPA Director for Oregon, E.J. Griffith, wanted to have a name distinctive of Timberline Lodge for its style of architecture. The only other style that was being discussed was rustic and the like. So somebody on the staff came up with the term Cascadian. Well being of course in the Cascade Range, it was decided that maybe the nomenclature Cascadian would be identical and almost just strictly for Timberline Lodge. It’s been called that ever since (15). The landscaping at Timberline Lodge reflected what I learned at Crater Lake. My relationship at Crater Lake had a lot to do with what we did at Timberline Lodge. I find that very interesting. Of course, I can’t say much about the way it looks now. I don’t want to criticize, but Timberline Lodge was completed in 1937. When it was dedicated by the President, and all the site development work was finished, it never looked any better. It was really a fine alpine Cascadian project. But unfortunately, I have to say that I am not pleased with the way it looks today. The Lodge itself has been beautifully maintained on the inside. The outside, the terraces, which were meant for real nice public use, are nothing but places to store wood. They have done so many things that have been opposite of what I think should have been done, but originally it was done just right, just according to our plans and the direction of Regional Forester C.V. Buck.
Along come World War II and I was directed by the Corps of Engineers to report to the Portland District. I was no loan from the Forest Service to organize the camouflage planning program, which I did. I was all over Oregon and eastern Washington and into Idaho on different airbase projects and the like getting projects toned down so that, at least, on first strike, the Japanese might have to take a moment to figure out where they were. And the objective was to deter them from their first strike. After the Battle of Midway, why, I then found my work to be on a maintenance basis because we didn’t fear the invasion of the Japanese on the west coast even though we had been bombarded in several places by Japanese submarines. This included their lightweight autogiro planes they assembled on the subs, which dropped incendiary bombs on the southwestern coast that were deployed mainly to get people away from the shipyards and the aircraft factories to fight fire. But that never panned out because our Forest Service lookouts put out those fires.
I went back to the Forest Service at Mount Hood after the war. They needed someone up there to take over the Project Work Budget planning. I was there for six months and the only time I ever sat down was when I had dinner. I was in the field all over that million-and-a-half acre forest, either by trail or on horseback coming up with the Project Work Budget. This consisted of thumbnail sketch studies of projects, how they could be planned, and estimates of man hours of labor and project costs. I was then sent back to the regional office to take over again that Project Work Budget planning for the whole region.
