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County Parks Dept. assumes management of Cascadia State Park for year

Scott Swanson

Starting immediately, Linn County Parks Department has taken over management of Cascadia State Park for the next year.

Linn County Commissioners signed a one-year agreement March 5 to transfer the park management to the county. The deal was signed off later in the week by state officials, county Parks Director Brian Carroll said.

“It’s a one-year agreement for us to operate with the intention that long-term management be transferred to the county,” Carroll said. The intergovernmental management agreement will run through March 2020.

Sarah Steele, district manager for Oregon State Parks, called the arrangement a “win-win.”

“It’s a really good thing,” she said. “This is the start of a really good partnership.”

Cascadia, located almost exactly 10 miles east of Sweet Home on Highway 20, is one of the state’s smallest parks and is remote, operated out of Detroit, he said. Linn County can manage it more efficiently, though it is one of the larger parks in the county, acreage-wise.

The park, which is open May 1 through September, has 25 “primitive” campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis, two reservable group tent areas and two reservable group picnic areas, along with ADA-accessible restrooms and showers, according to the state parks reservations webpage.

The park is located at the juncture of Soda Creek and the South Santiam River. It includes a hiking trail through a lush old-growth forest to the 134-foot Lower Soda Creek Falls.

Carroll said the idea of the county managing Cascadia is not new.

“I remember conversations about it 18 years ago,” he said. “Every five years the state would bring it up to us or we’d bring it up to the state – a lot of times. The conversation would always be that we should consider this.”

Changes in administration at the state often sent the idea to a back burner, he said.

The arrangement makes sense on a number of points, Carroll said.

“We’re driving by it every single day,” Carroll said. “Oregon State Parks is traveling long distances to get to it. For us, we’ll be able to give it higher priority in terms of operations.

“We think, with the efficiency of operations and everything, we can do it for a better cost, and it will benefit the taxpayers and residents of the county.”

In addition to the camping facilities, the park stands on the site of the Cascade Resort, which once included the Geisendorfer Hotel in the early 1900s, located alongside Soda Springs. The odorous water mineral springs were believed to have medicinal value when consumed. As many as 2,000 people would visit the resort on Sunday afternoons. George and Jennie Geisendorfer ran the popular resort for nearly 45 years before selling it to the state of Oregon in 1941.

Steele said management by Linn County fulfills both the state’s and the county’s missions in providing park facilities.

“Cascadia is a beautiful park and it’s perfectly situated,” she said, adding that it has been “sometimes difficult” for the state to respond to needs in the park.

“This partnership seems to be a really good fit. Brian and his team have been a pleasure to work with. They’re dedicated and enthusiastic.”

She said that if the arrangement works well, the goal would be to make it permanent.

Carroll said he’s heard from “a lot” of local residents who favor more local management.

“They consider it their park. There’s the history of it. They like the idea of some local control.”

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