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ENLARGE
Randy Houston, left, and Jim
Jennings of the Douglas County Parks Department lift picnic tables into place Thursday, the opening day for the new Chief Miwaleta Campground near Azalea. The 31-acre campground features 20 water and sewer hookups and one cabin with a lake view.
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ENLARGE
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Christine Jackson of Heaven on Earth Catering offers treats to camper Dereck Foster of Glendale on Chief Miwaleta Campground’s opening day. The $460,000 campground has been talked about for 22 years.
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AZALEA —The minute Dustin Rivera heard a campground would be opening Thursday at Chief Miwaleta Park, all other plans were pushed aside.
He and his two kids, Dakota Rivera and Cyrus Green, were the first in line to cruise their Extreme recreational vehicle into the coveted spot toward the end of Galesville Reservoir. The family showed up at 7:30 a.m., unaware that the new Chief Miwaleta Campground wouldn’t be open until 2 p.m., after the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Like four other families who were lined up too early, they killed time until the afternoon.
Dustin Rivera said he and his kids will be joined by about 15 other family members before the holiday weekend is over.
“We’ve been coming here for 15 years,” said Rivera, a Myrtle Creek resident. “To us, this is our lake; we come here and fish all summer long.”
Rivera said he and his brother, Billy Drew, have been talking for years about how nice it would be to camp overnight at Chief Miwaleta Park.
The 31-acre campground is open, with 20 water and sewer hookup sites and one cabin with a lake view. On a first-come, first-serve basis, visitors can camp overnight for $20 year-round. Douglas County residents pay $18.
Douglas County Parks Director Jim Dowd said a shower and restroom facility are in the works, as well as several tent camping sites. And shoreline debris will be cleared, providing families with a beach. The cabin will be open Oct. 1 and will have electricity, a futon, bunk beds and a dining room table.
The reservoir is prime for fishing, especially for bass, and there are no boat-launching fees. The $460,000 campground was designed by MAP Engineering and built by Neatline Construction and was completed in three phases over a two-year period.
The campground was funded by two separate Oregon Parks and Recreation Department grants.
Discussion of the project began 22 years ago, explained Dowd. In May 1987, Chief Miwaleta Park opened and people camped wherever they pleased, creating fire, litter and noise issues. A couple of years later, the Upper Cow Creek Recreation Area Study Team was formed.
Consisting of several different agencies and citizens, the group began discussing a designated overnight camping plan for what was previously Bureau of Land of Management land. The Board of Commissioners requested the transfer of the designated campground site from the BLM to the county in 1997; two years later, a land patent was granted.
The park was named for Miwaleta, the chief who negotiated the treaty between the federal government and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
Dowd said he thought the new campground will particularly be utilized by fishermen and water sports enthusiasts, such as the Rivera family.
Dustin Rivera said between his family and his brother’s family, three boats and two Sea-Doos will be on the water throughout the weekend.
“We’re going to camp here at least twice a year, every summer,” said Rivera as he hooked up his RV. “This is huge.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
He and his two kids, Dakota Rivera and Cyrus Green, were the first in line to cruise their Extreme recreational vehicle into the coveted spot toward the end of Galesville Reservoir. The family showed up at 7:30 a.m., unaware that the new Chief Miwaleta Campground wouldn’t be open until 2 p.m., after the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Like four other families who were lined up too early, they killed time until the afternoon.
Dustin Rivera said he and his kids will be joined by about 15 other family members before the holiday weekend is over.
“We’ve been coming here for 15 years,” said Rivera, a Myrtle Creek resident. “To us, this is our lake; we come here and fish all summer long.”
Rivera said he and his brother, Billy Drew, have been talking for years about how nice it would be to camp overnight at Chief Miwaleta Park.
The 31-acre campground is open, with 20 water and sewer hookup sites and one cabin with a lake view. On a first-come, first-serve basis, visitors can camp overnight for $20 year-round. Douglas County residents pay $18.
Douglas County Parks Director Jim Dowd said a shower and restroom facility are in the works, as well as several tent camping sites. And shoreline debris will be cleared, providing families with a beach. The cabin will be open Oct. 1 and will have electricity, a futon, bunk beds and a dining room table.
The reservoir is prime for fishing, especially for bass, and there are no boat-launching fees. The $460,000 campground was designed by MAP Engineering and built by Neatline Construction and was completed in three phases over a two-year period.
The campground was funded by two separate Oregon Parks and Recreation Department grants.
Discussion of the project began 22 years ago, explained Dowd. In May 1987, Chief Miwaleta Park opened and people camped wherever they pleased, creating fire, litter and noise issues. A couple of years later, the Upper Cow Creek Recreation Area Study Team was formed.
Consisting of several different agencies and citizens, the group began discussing a designated overnight camping plan for what was previously Bureau of Land of Management land. The Board of Commissioners requested the transfer of the designated campground site from the BLM to the county in 1997; two years later, a land patent was granted.
The park was named for Miwaleta, the chief who negotiated the treaty between the federal government and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
Dowd said he thought the new campground will particularly be utilized by fishermen and water sports enthusiasts, such as the Rivera family.
Dustin Rivera said between his family and his brother’s family, three boats and two Sea-Doos will be on the water throughout the weekend.
“We’re going to camp here at least twice a year, every summer,” said Rivera as he hooked up his RV. “This is huge.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
