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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Oregon Preservation Partners,</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office is pleased to announce the recent listing of the McKenzie Highway Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places.</FONT></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">McKenzie Highway</st1:address></st1:Street>, designated as State Highway 242, runs across the Cascade Range from Lane to <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Deschutes</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> and is <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s latest entry in the National Register of Historic Places. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The road that would become the <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">McKenzie Highway</st1:address></st1:Street> was first constructed in 1862 as a wagon route across the middle Cascade Mountains to link the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Willamette</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType> with the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bend</st1:place></st1:City> area. Recognizing the importance of the route, the Oregon Highway Commission indentified the road as one of five included in the first highway plan in 1914 and subsequently improved the route in 1917. Increasing traffic lead to the construction of a modern highway starting in 1921 and which was finished in 1924. Built by the Forest Service and the US Bureau of Public Roads in <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>, the <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">McKenzie Highway</st1:address></st1:Street> was specifically designed to encourage tourism by offering motorists sweeping views of forests and mountain and volcanic vistas from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">McKenzie</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Pass</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> as they travelled through National Forest lands. Upon completion, the highway carried a large amount of local traffic, as well as tourists from all over the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and was known for its scenery and recreational opportunities such as hunting and fishing, hot-spring resorts, hotels, and campgrounds. Seeking to further encourage tourism, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the Dee Wright Observatory at the pass in 1935. Constructed of volcanic rock, the building offers visitors breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains and volcanic lava flows.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Oregon</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the highway’s nomination in December 2009. Almost 2,000 historic <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> properties are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">National Park Service</SPAN> under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">More information about the National Register and recent <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> listings is online at <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org/"><FONT color=#800080>www.oregonheritage.org</FONT></A></B> (click on “National Register” at left of page).</SPAN></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>************************************************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ian P. Johnson, Historian</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oregon SHPO</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>725 Summer Street NE, Suite C<BR>Salem, Oregon 97301</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ph: (503) 986-0678<BR>Fax: (503) 986-0793</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Visit our website: </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org/">www.oregonheritage.org</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org/"></A></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Comments or suggestions:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="mailto:Heritage.Programs@state.or.us">Heritage.Programs@state.or.us</A><A href="mailto:Email.Heritage-Programs@state.or.us"></A></FONT></DIV>
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