Samuel Boardman in the early 1950s logged ancient Myrtlewood trees on the Chetco River. He treated the boards at an experimental OSU lab in Corvallis – 18,000 pounds of Myrtlewood came out of the kiln six days later weighing 8,000 pounds according to the plaque. And they delivered it to Oregon’s largest state park, Silver Falls, to make sturdy gorgeous furniture.
My son spilled Cheetos out of his mouth onto the storied three inch thick planks in a CCC-built lodge, a rough hewn relic of a more hopeful time, where you might meet a normal person at a church supper. Christmas lights framed the windows and my family played with Lincoln Logs on a felted board, and it gave me the feeling of something not yet lost.
