Whiskey Spring and Mt. McLoughlin

Early explorers, settlers, and rangers gave names to places in this forest, including Whiskey Spring, which apparently took its name as part of an alcoholic theme with nearby Rye Spring and Bourbon Spring, and Skeeter's Swamp, named for a local settler rather than the insect. This area is now in the Rogue River National Forest, formerly called the Crater National Forest, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Nearby Whiskey Spring Campground has restrooms and a one-mile interpretive loop trail around a beaver pond. Skeeter Ranger Station was built in 1911 after the big fire year of 1910, and from remote cabins such as this, Forest Service fire guards patrolled the woods on horseback. Mt. McLoughlin has carried many names: the Takelma called it Alwilamchaldis, early trappers knew it as Sastise or Shasta, and an early map-making error led to the name Mt. Pitt. Although many people still call it Mt. Pitt, the name McLoughlin dates back over 150 years and honors pioneer Dr. John McLoughlin, considered the Father of Oregon.

Oregon · United States