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50-418: 45°32′N 123°17′W  /  45.54°N 123.29°W  / 45.54; -123.29 The first fire started in a ravine at the headwaters of Gales Creek on August 14, 1933. The exact cause of the first fire is unknown; however, the common narrative states that as logging crews were wrapping up operations early due to fire hazard restrictions, a steel cable dragging a fallen Douglas fir rubbed against

100-576: A bond to finance reforestation , which narrowly passed in 1948. In a book published that same year, Stewart Holbrook wrote about the Tillamook Burn in Northwest Corner: Oregon and Washington : [Reforestation] can never compensate for that tragedy we call the Tillamook Burn, as somber a sight as to be viewed this side of the Styx . There they stand, millions of ghostly firs , now stark against

150-528: A decades-long reforestation program. Much of the lands of the Tillamook burn had come to be owned by the counties of Tillamook , Yamhill , and Washington through foreclosures on unpaid property taxes; at the time of the forest fires, most of the land was owned by timber companies, which also paid the cost of fighting the fires. A measure was submitted by the Legislative Assembly to the voters to float

200-402: A forest fire can spread in heavy fuels under the most hazardous conditions is well illustrated by this fire. From August 14 at 1 p.m. until the early morning of August 24 the fire had burned about 40,320 acres (16,320 ha) and it appeared that it might be brought under control soon. Thus, for over 10 days it had burned at an average rate of about 3,840 acres (1,550 ha) a day. On August 24,

250-460: A household in the county was $ 34,269, and the median income for a family was $ 40,197. Males had a median income of $ 31,509 versus $ 21,555 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,052. About 8.1% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. Dairy farming is one of the county's largest agricultural occupations. The Tillamook Cheese Factory

300-467: A million seedlings, a massive number but still only about 1 percent of the total of 72 million seedlings replanted by all means. Everything from state prisoners to newly designed helicopters played a part in the reseeding program over the years. Eventually the forest began to return and in 1973, Oregon Governor Tom McCall dedicated the Tillamook Burn as the Tillamook State Forest . At

350-475: A terrain known for landslides. The repeated fires led some to think that large wildfires in the area were inevitable and that the land was now too damaged from the intense heat to ever again sustain forests. But determined efforts by Oregonians—private citizens, government officials, land owners and many others—resulted in efforts to restore The Burn, beginning with hearings during World War II under Judge H. D. Kerkman of Washington County and eventually resulting in

400-515: A total area of 1,333 square miles (3,450 km ), of which 1,103 square miles (2,860 km ) is land and 230 square miles (600 km ) (17%) is water. At 3,706 feet (1,130 m) in elevation, Rogers Peak is the highest point in the county and the highest in the Northern Oregon Coast Range . The county has been called "a natural cow pasture" by Sunset Magazine". As of the 2020 census , there were 27,390 people residing in

450-484: Is 2.36 miles (3.80 km) upstream of the mouth of the creek. The average flow of the creek at this station in 2008, the only full calendar year for which data was available in 2010, was 202 cubic feet per second (5.7 m /s). The maximum flow recorded there was 1,880 cubic feet per second (53 m /s) on January 11, 2008, and the minimum flow was 6.4 cubic feet per second (0.18 m /s) on September 17, 2008. Tillamook County, Oregon Tillamook County

500-462: Is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon . As of the 2020 census , the population was 27,390. The county seat is Tillamook . The county is named for the Tillamook or Killamook people, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. The county is located within Northwest Oregon . The Tillamook were

550-606: Is rapidly maturing, and there is local expectation that it will assist in the recovery of the local timber industry. Three lumber mills currently operate in Tillamook County—one at Garibaldi, one in Tillamook, and one south of Tillamook at the former Naval Air Station. The county's scenic coastline, which includes four bays, nine rivers and the Pacific Ocean, helps draw visitors to the county for outdoor recreation, agritourism, and cultural experiences. U.S. Route 101 , travels

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600-473: Is the county's largest business and the largest private employer. Tillamook dairy products are available throughout the Western United States and the rest of the country. The state of Oregon owns 44% of the land inside the county boundaries, mostly as part of the Tillamook State Forest . The State Forest was created as a result of the 355,000-acre (144,000 ha) Tillamook Burn . The reforested burn

650-460: Is the plural article, the terminal ook the Chinook plural ending —uks." Since there was one village in the area of Nehalem bay; the area was referred to as Nekelim (Ne Elim=singular). There were at least four villages on the south Tillamook bay according to Lewis and Clark; the south bay was called "T-Elim-ook" (the plural of Elim), meaning many villages of Elim. The Chinook word for water was "chuck" and

700-844: The Salish word for wetland is "naslex". The popular translation of Tillamook as meaning "land of many waters" seems to be 20th-century fabrication used in the tourist industry. Tillamook County, the 12th county in Oregon to be organized, was established on December 15, 1853, when the Territorial Legislature approved an act to create the new county out of an area previously included in Clatsop , Yamhill and Polk counties. Boundary changes were enacted with Clatsop County (1855, 1870, and 1893), Lincoln County in 1893, Washington County (1893, 1898), and Yamhill County (1887). The Coast Range behind Tillamook

750-579: The Tillamook Burn in his song "Fourth of July" from his album Carrie & Lowell . Martin Milner mentioned the Tillamook Burn in the 1960 Route 66 episode “Legacy for Lucia.” Gales Creek (Oregon) Gales Creek , is a tributary , 23.5 miles (37.8 km) long, of the Tualatin River in Washington County , Oregon , United States . The headwaters of Gales Creek are on the north side of

800-496: The United States during World War II. Throughout the subsequent years, miles of roads and railroad lines and were built through the forest to the various logging camps providing enhanced access. This made it easier for forestry restoration, maintenance, and fire prevention operations allowing them eventually to get a handle on the continued series of burns, however it had the secondary effect of creating new issues with erosion among

850-506: The census of 2000, there were 24,262 people, 10,200 households and 6,793 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (8.5 people/km ). There were 15,906 housing units at an average density of 14 units per square mile (5.4/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 93.86% White , 0.22% Black or African American , 1.19% Native American , 0.65% Asian , 0.21% Pacific Islander , 1.89% from other races , and 1.98% from two or more races. 5.13% of

900-590: The county paid $ 15,000 for 27 warning sirens and an emergency radio system. In 2012, county leaders voted to deactivate most of the sirens, in favor of more modern methods. With effort from local residents, the communities of Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach retained their sirens, which will be activated locally. In its early history, Tillamook was a powerfully Republican county. It voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from Oregon statehood until 1928, even supporting William Howard Taft in 1912, when

950-551: The county. As of the census of 2010, there were 25,250 people, 10,834 households and 6,930 families residing in the county. The population density was 22.9 inhabitants per square mile (8.8/km ). There were 18,359 housing units at an average density of 16.7 units per square mile (6.4 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 91.5% white, 1.0% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 3.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.0% of

1000-496: The creek receives Little Beaver Creek from the left before passing under Clapshaw Hill Road Bridge and receiving Fir Creek from the right and passing under Route 8 at the community of Gales Creek. Here Iller Creek enters from the right at RM 11.44 (RK 18.41). Flowing south, Gales Creek receives Clear Creek from the right, Kelley Creek from the left, and Godfrey Creek from the right in quick succession. It then passes under Roderick Road Bridge and receives Roderick Creek from

1050-462: The dry bark of a wind-fallen snag . The snag burst into flame, and the wildfire that grew out of this burned 350,000 acres (140,000 ha) before it was extinguished by seasonal rains on September 5. An oppressive, acrid smoke filled the neighboring valleys; ashes, and cinders, and the charred needles of trees fell in the streets of Tillamook ; and debris from the fire reached ships 500 miles (800 km) at sea. A Civilian Conservation Corps member

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1100-480: The economy. Oysters are farmed in the bay and keep the bay fairly clean. Sport fishing makes up most of the rest. With nine rivers, salmon is the biggest with nearly recovered runs as salmon had to be given away to the food bank. Tillamook County is the first in the continental United States to be declared ready for a tsunami . This designation was given by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after

1150-416: The forest stands powerless against the threat of wildfires. Reforestation was performed simultaneously with research by the forest industry into the best methods of growing and planting the young trees (including how to protect them from the ravages of deer, beavers, mice and other wildlife). Young people from northwest Oregon helped with the hand-planting of seedlings. Between 1949 and 1972, they planted about

1200-402: The humidity dropped rapidly to 26 percent and hot gale-force winds from the east sprang up. During the next 20 hours of August 24 and 25 the fire burned over an additional 268,800 acres (108,800 ha), or at a rate of 13,440 acres (5,440 ha) per hour along a 15-mile (24 km) front. The fire was stopped only by the fact that the wind ceased and a thick, wet blanket of fog drifted in from

1250-552: The last Democrat to win it in 2014 . In 2019, Tillamook County passed a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance to counter the more liberal gun laws of Oregon at-large, stating that any laws which restrict the right to own firearms "shall not be enforced by Tillamook County agents." Tillamook County served as the setting for the fictional town of Elk Cove in the 1987 comedy film Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell . Todd Snider released Tillamook County Jail on his 2004 album East Nashville Skyline. Tillamook County

1300-430: The left and shortly thereafter South Fork Gales Creek from the right 20.70 miles (33.31 km) from the mouth. Finger Creek and Coffee Creek enter in quick succession before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 and flows by Gales Creek Children's Camp, passes under Route 6 again and then County Road 374 before reaching the community of Glenwood and receiving Beaver Creek from the left 18 miles (29 km) from

1350-513: The length of the Oregon Coast, and brings many travelers through the county by car, recreational vehicle and bike. The coast also provides locations for vacation homes for inhabitants of nearby Portland and the Willamette Valley . According to the 2015 Dean Runyan Travel Impacts study, tourism brings $ 229.4 million in visitor spending to Tillamook County. Fishing is a very important part of

1400-521: The mountain Round Top in the Northern Oregon Coast Range . The community of Gales Creek, Oregon , is near the creek, which further downstream forms the southwest border of the city of Forest Grove . Gales Creek arises at an elevation of 2,387 feet (728 m) above sea level and falls 2,233 feet (681 m) between source and mouth to an elevation of 154 feet (47 m). The stream begins at river mile (RM) 23.5 or river kilometer (RK) 37.8 on

1450-681: The mouth at the Oregon Route 47 Bridge. Shortly thereafter, the creek flows under a Southern Pacific Railroad bridge, continues about another 1.5 miles (2.4 km), and empties into the Tualatin River about 57 miles (92 km) from its confluence with the Willamette River . The OWRD monitors the flow of Gales Creek at a stream gauge at the Route ;47 bridge in Forest Grove. The gauge

1500-432: The mouth. Turning south, the creek receives Bateman Creek from the right about 2 miles (3.2 km) below Glenwood. Gales Creek turns to the southeast, and Lyda Creek enters from the right before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 for the third time and receives White Creek from the right. At this point, Gales Creek is flowing parallel to Oregon Route 8, which is on the stream's right. Passing under Parson Road Bridge,

1550-554: The north side of Round Top, a mountain in the Northern Oregon Coast Range. Lying entirely within Washington County, the creek at first flows west, then south, then east just before reaching Gales Creek Forest Park, on the left , and receiving Low Divide Creek from the right at RM 22.76 (RK 36.63). Downstream of the park, Oregon Route 6 is on the right as the stream receives North Fork Gales Creek from

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1600-577: The ocean. The second fire was started in 1939, allegedly by another logging operation. It burned 190,000 acres (77,000 ha) before being extinguished, and was contained within the bounds of the earlier fire. A third fire started on the morning of July 9, 1945, near the Salmonberry River , and was joined two days later by a second blaze on the Wilson River , started by a discarded cigarette . This fire burned 180,000 acres (73,000 ha) before it

1650-523: The party was divided. Since Franklin Roosevelt became the first Democrat to carry the county in 1932, Tillamook has been a bellwether county in most Presidential elections, although it did vote for losing Democrats in 1968, 1980 and 1988. Tillamook County has remained quite competitive over the last half century. Since 1968, no candidate has received over 55 percent of the vote, with the highest being Michael Dukakis in 1988. From 1992 until 2016 it voted for

1700-423: The popular highways between Portland and the recreational destinations of the ocean beaches . This devastation remained visible to any traveler through the area as late as the mid-1970s. The last fire started in 1951, and burned only 32,000 acres (13,000 ha). It was also confined within the burned-over area. Immediately after the first fire, new logging camps formed and existing ones expanded operations. At

1750-464: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.1% were of German , 13.3% English , 10.7% American and 8.6% Irish ancestry. There were 10,200 households, out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who

1800-417: The population. In terms of ancestry, 26.9% were German , 17.2% were English, 12.1% were Irish, and 5.2% were American . Of the 10,834 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

1850-402: The right 7.70 miles (12.39 km) from the mouth. Trending southeast again, the creek passes under Stringtown Road Bridge before receiving Prickett Creek from the right and passing under Ritchey Road Bridge at RM 3.66 (RK 5.89). It then flows along the southwest side of Forest Grove, passing an Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) stream gauge 2.36 miles (3.80 km) from

1900-477: The sky from most of Tillamook County. Development along U.S. Route 101 to the north of Tillamook during the last part of the 20th century has blocked part of the flood plain of the Wilson River , contributing to repeated winter flooding in the city. Until the late 1950s there was a dredge used by the city to keep the slough's deeper. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has

1950-408: The sky, which were green as the sea and twice as handsome, until an August day of 1933, when a tiny spark blew into a hurricane of fire that removed all life from 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) of the finest timber even seen. It was timber, too, that had been 400 years in the making. It was wiped out in a few seething hours which Oregon will have reason to remember well past the year 2000. To this day

2000-594: The southernmost branch of the Coast Salish. They were separated from their more northern kinsmen by tribes speaking the Chinookian languages. The name Tillamook is of Chinook origin (a trade pidgin, which had developed along the lower Columbia.) According to Frank Boas, "It [Tillamook] means the people of Nekelim. The latter name means the place of Elim, or in the Cathlamet dialect, the place of Kelim. The initial t of Tillamook

2050-560: The time the reforestation of the Tillamook Burn began, some assumed that the forest land would, when the trees were mature, be harvested for lumber. Current environmental beliefs have questioned this assumption, and both the proportions and specific parts of this land that will be logged or conserved for wildlife are in dispute. Poet and author Albert Drake titled a 1970s book of poems and essays, Tillamook Burn , from his experiences growing up in Oregon . Folk singer Sufjan Stevens references

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2100-529: The time, access to the forest was limited and the railroad lines did not yet extend into the inner reaches of the forest. The town of Timber expanded during the time and became a prominent logging town along with the smaller town of Cochran to the west. Some of the logging companies near Glenwood joined their operations to form the Consolidated Timber Company . The lumber from these operations played an important part in providing wood resources to

2150-460: The winning presidential candidate; that streak ended in 2020 with its vote for Donald Trump (however, Trump won the county with a reduced margin from 2016). Trump would carry Tillamook County again in 2024 . Tillamook County is also a relatively swingy county at the local level, generally following its federal trends of voting predominantly Democratic, with some exceptions. In recent years, it has swung back to Republicans, with John Kitzhaber being

2200-466: Was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 47.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 39,412 and the median income for a family was $ 50,779. Males had a median income of $ 39,019 versus $ 32,688 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 22,824. About 12.8% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over. As of

2250-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for

2300-408: Was a Cold War air defense installation from 1956 to 1980. Located south of Tillamook, at the top of 3,154-foot (961 m) high Mount Hebo , Air Force radars operated by the 689th Radar Squadron and the 14th Missile Warning Squadron were essential parts of the nation's integrated air defenses. The large radomes protecting the radars from adverse weather effects could be seen silhouetted against

2350-464: Was commissioned on December 1, 1942, as U.S. Naval Air Station Tillamook . The two wooden hangars used to house these airships were decommissioned after World War II and deeded to Tillamook County. One of the hangars (Hangar B) is a national historic landmark and the location of the Tillamook Air Museum . The other hangar, (Hangar A) burned down in 1992. The U.S. Mount Hebo Air Force Station

2400-524: Was put out. The cause of the blaze on the Salmonberry River was mysterious, and many believed it had been set by an incendiary balloon launched by the Japanese (due to the fire occurring in the waning days of World War II ), which had been carried to Oregon by the jet stream . The third fire was perhaps the best known, after the initial wildfire, because it affected much of the forested mountains along

2450-469: Was the only known human casualty of fighting the fire. The loss in processed lumber was estimated to have been $ 442.4 million in contemporary (1933) dollars—a serious loss not only to the timber industry at the time, but also to a nation struggling with the Great Depression . A massive salvage operation was immediately begun to harvest usable portions of the burned wilderness. The speed with which

2500-531: Was the scene of a repeated series of forest fires called the Tillamook Burn between 1933 and 1951. In 1948, a state ballot approved the sale of bonds to buy the burned-over areas and have the state rehabilitate the lands. The state lands were renamed the Tillamook State Forest by governor Tom McCall on July 18, 1973. By the end of the 20th century, the replanted growth was considered mature enough to be commercially harvested. The Tillamook airbase for blimps

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