The Summit Stock Driveway on the Ochoco Mountains
By Steve Lent, Museum Historian
One of the earliest projects undertaken on the newly established Deschutes National Forest was the construction of a trail known as the Summit Trail that traversed from the forest boundary on McKay Creek that followed the summit through the Ochocos to end at the Rock Pile Ranch on the South Fork of the John Day River. The thoroughfare was built between 1907 and 1909 under the supervision of Charles Congleton, Alex Donnelly and J. G. Gilchrist.
The trail was initially a three-foot wide trail which served as the main stock driveway by which ranchers could move stock across the mountains to their allotted range. Keeping the herds of stock up high along the ridgetops served to keep the animals from trampling the lower, wetter areas during their travels. It was the first main travel route through the Ochocos and opened up the country to activities and additional improvements necessary to effectively manage and access range allotments.
The Deschutes National Forest original boundary included what is now the Ochoco National Forest and the supervisor’s office was located in Prineville. The Summit Trail served ranchers from most of the river and creek valleys surrounding the Ochoco Mountains and included Hay Creek, Trout Creek, Muddy Creek, Ochoco Creek, Beaver Creek, Badger Creek, Mountain Creek, Rock Creek and the Crooked and John Day rivers.
One of the most important early administrative duties of the forest was to manage livestock allotments as ranchers were one of the most important early utilizers of the forest. The construction of the stock driveway led to the ridgetops becoming a primary focus of activity on the forest. Once the Ochoco National Forest was created in 1911 the importance of the Summit Trail continued. The trail was maintained by various ranger districts and work was performed by the ranger force. It was the primary travel route through the forest for several years.
Eventually forest administrative responsibilities expanded and the economic focus changed. The Summit Trail persisted as a key artery of travel and focus of activity well into the 1930s. By the late 1930s the Summit Trail was supplanted as the primary travel artery and marked the primary emphasis from range resource to forest resource. Today only traces of the old Summit Trail are still visible.