Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park - Washington
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 46° 56.882 W 120° 02.126
10T E 725594 N 5203655
The local CCC camp was located near Vantage and crews built these buildings and this interpretive trail.
Waymark Code: WM86YK
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/09/2010
Views: 13
State highway workers began finding petrified wood in the area as early as 1927. The State purchased this key 10-acre parcel in 1935 and established the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. Crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps began excavations in 1936 and by 1938 had completed the excavations, trails, a small museum and caretaker’s cottage. The State Park opened to the public in 1938. In 1953, the original visitor center/museum was replaced by a new building 2 miles to the east over looking the Columbia River. The park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965. By 1975, the park had been expanded to 7,470 acres. Ginkgo is the rarest variety of petrified wood found in the park. This summary of the history of the State Park comes from (
visit link)
This building at the start of the interpretive trail was the original museum for the park. Down at the parking lot is a garage building and above the museum is a caretaker’s cottage. The CCCs also built a water system and the interpretive trail.
In a display case in the building is a display on the CCC Camp Ginkgo, with the following information: “Organized in Camp Dix, New Jersey, the 3224th Company occupied Camp Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park #15 at Vantage, Washington in April, 1936. Under direction of National Park Service Superintendent Frank Fox, the men constructed trails to points of interest, a contact station, museum, caretaker’s house and the parks water supply. After three years, the work tapered off. (The camp was located below the cliffs where the museum now stands). Taken from: The Official Annual, Fort Lewis District, CCC, 9th Corps Area, 1937”