Maintaining Historical Properties
at the Willamette Valley Refuges

The Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex has 42 reported archaeological and cultural resource sites on refuge lands. Cultural resource overviews with inventories were completed for all three refuges in the years 1978-1980. These inventories do not meet current standards but do provide a good starting point.

Two structures at W.L. Finley Refuge - the John Fiechter House (1855, one of the oldest houses in Benton County) and the Carriage House - are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both of these structures can be seen along the Finley “Auto Tour” Road. Presently, both of these structures are going through extensive restoration efforts. Other historic structures include the Henry Failing Cabell Lodge (present refuge headquarters’ office), Henry Failing Cabell Smoke House, Henry Failing Cabell Barn #1, Henry Failing Cabell Barn #2 (one of the largest historic farm buildings in the Willamette Valley), and the Henry Failing Cabell Barn #3 (Cheadle). Other historical sites inventoried were an early settler’s grave (Oscar A. Dow), remnants of a brick road, a Euro-American Settlement site, and sections of the Applegate Trail.

Most of the historic structures present on the Refuges have had minimal routine maintenance. Maintenance and restoration dollars for historic structures are limited and usually only general operating funds are available, which must also be used for many other refuge needs. To maintain these structures, the Service competes for grant funds and volunteers provide some of the needed labor. There is a great need for additional funds and labor to properly protect and maintain these buildings. The refuge has partnered with the Benton County Historical Society to help staff and maintain the Fiechter House. Each year they sponsor a house and barn tour for the public to view.

Prehistoric archeological sites inventoried are remnants of Kalapuyan (Native American) activity, dating back over 8,000 years. The sites are generally located in areas that supported camas plants and large numbers of game. Surprisingly few prehistoric tools were observed on the surface during the inventory. The prehistoric cultural debris consisted, almost exclusively, of obsidian and cryptocrystalline silica flakes, some worked and utilized. According to local informants, the lands were extensively surface collected by local collectors before the Refuge was established.

Cultural resource sites are protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the Native American Graves Repatriation Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and Refuge System laws and regulations. Refuge personnel take steps to prevent unauthorized collecting. Violations are reported to the Regional Historic Preservation Officer.

Key questions to be addressed in the CCP:
How can the Service continue to maintain historical structures (i.e. Cabell Lodge, Cabell Barns, Fiechter House, etc.) most effectively? How can the Service’s existing partnerships with historical organizations be utilized to assist with the preservation and restoration of historical structures and sites on the Complex? What should the Service do with historical structures that are identified to be unhealthy and/or unsafe (fencing, signage, etc.)? How and when should the Service update its cultural resource inventories to current standards? How and when should the Service develop restoration and management plans for each historical site?