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Show FOREST SERVICE HEADQUARTERS I Advantages Extended to This City by the Government Offices at the Corner of Twenty-fourth Street and Lincoln Avenue Ogden as the Center of Sheep and Cattle Business. Nothing more strongly and clearly illustrates tbo advantageous location of Ogden, with reference to the great empire of the intermountaln country, than the action of the United States government in establishing a forest service headquarters In this city. The national forests of the United States embrace an area of approximately approxi-mately 175,000,00 acres of land. Most of this land Is very mountainous and Inaccessible, and requires a great amount of work for the development of a system of transportation and communication by means of the construction con-struction of roads and trails, telephono lines and lookout stations The season sea-son during which construction work can be carried on to greatest advantage advan-tage In the higher mountains Is very short, and It Is. therefore, urgent that supplies for this work be rushed to the scene of action with a minimum of delay It was this that prompted the forest service to establish a western west-ern depot of supplies, and It was the strategical location of Ogden, with reference to transportation facilities, which determined the selection of this town for headquarters. Prior to the establishment of the supply depot in Ogden, temporary depots had been established in Denver and Salt Lake, for the distribution of telephone material, ma-terial, but a careful Investigation of the advantages of the different cities m the intermountaln country resulted in the final selection of Ogden for the permanent central supply depot. When the national forests were subdivided sub-divided into six districts, Ogden was seuccted as tho headquarters of tbo central district The supply depot was established here April 20,1908, and the headquarters of the central district known as District 4, was established es-tablished In December of the same j ear. The officers In charge at the time of the establishment of the headquarters were transferred from the Washington organization Since that time, however, man changes in personnel have resulted In the appointment ap-pointment of Utah residents, so that a goodly percentage of the clerical force In the forest service office Is composed of young men and women who were born and raised In Ogden The maximum force In the district office. In the supply depot, and in the office of the property auditor, includes in-cludes about 100 people. The total forco of officers controlled from the Ogden branch fluctuates from a "minimum "mini-mum of 500 people during the midwinter mid-winter season to a maximum of 1,500 or 2,000 during the fire season of July, August and September. This force of oflicers and laborers Is employed on the thirty-four national forests of the district. They Include the mountain and timbered regions of southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, Wyom-ing, Utah, Nevada and northern Arizona. Ari-zona. To all thcBC men fighting fire in Idaho, building trails in Wyoming, constructing telephone Hnes in Utah, and improving watering places for stock in Arizona and Nevada, the capital cap-ital city of the west is Ogden. Every year each one of the thirty-four thirty-four forest supervisors is called Into the Ogden office on a detail of a month or six weeks, to instruct him In his work and assist in broadening his Ideas and llberalizng his policy of administration. ad-ministration. To each of these men the forest service building at tho corner cor-ner of Lincoln avenue and Twenty-fourth Twenty-fourth street Is tho capltol, and Ogden is the principal city of the Intermountaln Inter-mountaln country. Eeach of these men carries to his community his enthusiasm enthusi-asm and knowledgo of the headquarters headquar-ters tOT7n. These thirty-four national forests in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona have business relations I In one form or another with proba-, proba-, bly half the rural population of the j adjoining county. All payments for purchases of timber, or fees for grazing graz-ing permits, are transmitted to the United States depository In Ogdon. All complaints against tho local officers, of-ficers, or any matters beyond their jurisdiction, must bo referred to tho Ogdon office This makes this city tho Mecca of the stockmen and lumbermen lum-bermen of the country extending 500 miles in overy direction from Ogden. District A is the most Important grazing district of the six districts Into which tho national forests aro divided In round numbers 10 per cent of all ho cattle and shcop grazed in the national forests of the United States are found In District 4. Tho forest officers of this district have repeatedly re-peatedly called attention to this fact as illustrating the splendid central location of Ogden with reference to the stock Industry of tho Intermountaln Intermoun-taln region, aud have urged upon this basis the splendid location which Uib town affords for the establishment and development of a great packing industry When we consider that 400.000 head of cattle and 3.100,000 head of sheep, in round numbers. gTaze on the national forests alone In District f, aud when :t Is considered con-sidered that only a very small percentage per-centage of the total area or this re-Igon re-Igon Is included in the forests, tho tremendous Importance of the He-stock He-stock Industry becomes apparent, and equally apparent becomes tfio splendid splen-did central location wii:c:i Ogden bears to that Industry. When the livestock of this region is slaughtered In immense packing plants located nearer the ranges, and the meat products prod-ucts are shipped without the shrinkage shrink-age which necessarily rp;uits v;hen shipped on the hoof, this city will have realized upon one of its greatest great-est natural advantages and a great step will have been taken in the conservation con-servation of the Ihestock industry. The total disbursements for this district, Including the supplies distributed dis-tributed from the supply depot, aggie-gate aggie-gate each year a little less than $1,000,000. Of this amount a fair percentage per-centage Is circulated locally. The district otQcc proper Is divided into four branches Operation, Silviculture, Silvi-culture, Lands and Grazing with an assistant district forester having immediate im-mediate supervision of the work of each branch. The ofllec of operation is. figuratively figura-tively speaKing, a committee of ways and means. All questions of organization organi-zation are passed upon by this office Personal and disciplinary cases aro within its jurisdiction, it handling all questions of appointments, promotions promo-tions and dismissals. The cstimato for the annual congressional appropriation appropri-ation Is prepared In detail in this of flee, and from this office the funds are proportioned and the construction construc-tion of permanent improvements, such as roads, trailB aud telephone lines, is authorized. It also directs the ihe-flghtlng ihe-flghtlng campaign each year, and passes upon the plans for the suppression sup-pression and extinguishing of forest fires. The office of silviculture has charge of all planting and timber sale work In the district, It has special crews of men In the field estimating tho stand of merchantable timber in each national forest and securing data on the most attractive areas, for the purpose of interesting lumbermen and ; others in the oxploitation of nativo timber. The total stand of mei chant-able chant-able timber In District 4 Is nearly fifty billion feet board measure, sufficient suf-ficient to meet tho needs of the local market for generations to come Included In-cluded In this Is a sufficient quantity of material suitable for the manufacture manu-facture of paper to justify the establishment estab-lishment of a mill capable of supplying supply-ing the entire local domand of the territory within a radius of several hundred miles of Ogden. Each year the office of silviculture directs the collection of sovcral tons of tree seed for uso In direct seeding ,and, from the three larger nurseries In the district, dis-trict, not less than a million small trees are being planted on the mountain moun-tain sides ovcry year. The office of lands handles all claims cases in the national forests, making the reports theron for tho general land office. Much more Important, howover, is its function of classifying and listing for homestead enry and small tract of level land of posslblo value for agriculture which is found within any forest The office of grazing has to do with the management of stock on the national na-tional forests 0cr 10,000 cattle and sheep permits deal with the local office every year. It is Impossible to cstimato tho value of the publicity which this office gives to Ogden by making is name a household word throughout the five states of District Dis-trict 4. In establishing headquarters in O-den O-den tho Forest sen-ice took Into account ac-count not only its relative accessibility accessibil-ity to each of the thirty-four forests In the district and its "advantages as a distributing point for freight, ox-press ox-press and mail, but also its desirability desira-bility as a residence town. In order to build up and maintain an efficient organization it is essential that the personnel work contentedly in pleasant pleas-ant surroundings. Ogden has met every ev-ery essential requirement It is the most central point for all headquarters in the district. The inspectors in-spectors working foi the sen Ice out of Ogden reach the Forest offices and the district headquarters at the minimum of expense and with the minimum of delay Tho freight, express ex-press and mail shipments from the supply depot aggregate an Immense annual tonnage; yet, taking all headquarters head-quarters of tho west into consideration, considera-tion, the distribution is made from hero with less delay and expense than any other city op the continent Not only has this demonstrated the unrivalled supremacy of Ogden as a distributing point, not only has it advertised ad-vertised tho city until it has become a household word In five statos, attaching at-taching tho people to It by a bond of personal interest, but it has won for this community a reputation aB tho most desirable re sldence city of the intermountaln region. Before finally : deciding to establish the headquar- 1 ters here. Gifford Pinchot, who was then forester, made a personal investigation in-vestigation of the advantages of Ogden Og-den as compared with Salt Lake City j and other towns uhich were pressing their claims for the district headquarters. headquar-ters. It was his conclusion that not only were facilities for transportation transporta-tion to, and communication with, the Intermountaln region bettor in Ogden, Og-den, not only did the business men of Ogden sjiow a more hearty spirit of co-operation in providing suitable headquarters, but the atmosphero In wilch the membors of the service vould work hero would be more conducive con-ducive to contentment and efficiency. His conclusion has been Justified by reaults. The local officers of the scrvlco who came here from Washington, Wash-ington, D. C., and from tho local of- j flees In tho west, have been dolight- I ed with their surroundings Not the 1 slightest difficulty has been experi- I enced In maintaining the necessary jj forco at all times. Everyone station- ed here has become a real Ogdenite. 8 loyal to the best interests of the I town which greeted them so warmly, 8 and ready at all times to boost for 9 the best Interests of the community. Among tho civil servlco appointees 9 who have beon selected from Ogden t since tho establishment of the office I heTe, and who are still on the payroll, g are the following: 9 A. I. Lubeck, Harold Lubeck, Ernest ' Lubeck, Misses Pearl Peterson, Flor- 1 ence E. Oooney, Pearl Mole. Gladys I O. Elliott, Goldye E. LashUB, Addle I E. Morse, Stella Staley, Beatrice Boreman. May E. Williams, Florence I Redfield, and Gretohen Rolor. 1 |
