Benson State Recreation Area

State park in Oregon

45°34′44″N 122°07′32″W / 45.5790072°N 122.1256421°W / 45.5790072; -122.1256421^[1]EtymologySimon BensonOperated byOregon Parks and Recreation Department

Benson State Recreation Area is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

The Recreation Area contains a disc golf course and picnic area and is home to Benson Lake and Hartman Pond, which are open to non-motorized personal boats, swimming, and fishing.^[2]

Benson State Recreation Area as well ask Benson Lake are named for businessman and philanthropist Simon Benson. Hartman Pond is named for Bud Hartman, a prominent local fisherman and officer of the Oregon Bass and Panfish Club.

History

The Park was founded in 1915 by the City of Portland as Benson Park. It was named for Portland businessman and philanthropist Simon Benson, one of the primary proponents of the nearby Historic Columbia River Highway, who donated the land.

In 1933, the city granted permission to the Federal Government to build a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, known as CCC Camp Benson. From 1933 to 1935, CCC members remodeled the park, creating New Benson Park. In 1939, the City of Portland donated the park to the United States Forest Service who transferred control to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (commonly referred to as Oregon State Parks), when it became known as Benson State Recreation Area. From 1939 to 1977, the park was expanded by additional land donations primarily from the Lenske Family and Multnomah County, as well as a significant purchase by the State Highway Division on behalf of Oregon State Parks.^[2]^[3]

References

^ "Benson State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Benson State Recreation Area - Oregon State Parks". stateparks.oregon.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
^ "Benson State Recreation Area (New Benson Park) - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area OR". Living New Deal. Retrieved May 20, 2024.

External links

"Benson State Recreation Area". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved June 23, 2011.

Protected areas of Oregon

Heritage registers: National Register of Historic Places; National Historic Landmarks; National Natural Landmarks; World Network of Biosphere Reserves

Federal

NPS

National Parks	Crater Lake
National Historic Parks and Sites	Fort Vancouver NHS Lewis and Clark NHP Nez Perce NHP
National monuments	John Day Fossil Beds Newberry National Volcanic Monument (USFS) Oregon Caves

USFS

National Forests	Deschutes Fremont–Winema Malheur Mount Hood Ochoco Rogue River–Siskiyou Siuslaw Umatilla Umpqua Wallowa–Whitman Willamette
National Grasslands	Crooked River
National recreation areas	Hells Canyon Mount Hood Oregon Dunes
Scenic areas	Cape Perpetua Columbia River Gorge

National Wildlife Refuge System	Ankeny Bandon Marsh Baskett Slough Bear Valley Cape Meares Cold Springs Deer Flat Hart Mountain Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer Klamath Marsh Lewis and Clark Lower Klamath Malheur McKay Creek Nestucca Bay Oregon Islands Siletz Bay Three Arch Rocks Tualatin River Umatilla Upper Klamath Wapato Lake William L. Finley
Wilderness areas	Badger Creek Black Canyon Boulder Creek Bridge Creek Bull of the Woods Clackamas Copper Salmon Cummins Creek Devil's Staircase Diamond Peak Drift Creek Eagle Cap Gearhart Mountain Grassy Knob Hells Canyon Kalmiopsis Lower White River Mark O. Hatfield Menagerie Middle Santiam Mill Creek Monument Rock Mount Hood Mount Jefferson Mount Thielsen Mount Washington Mountain Lakes North Fork John Day North Fork Umatilla Opal Creek Oregon Badlands Red Buttes Roaring River Rock Creek Rogue–Umpqua Divide Salmon–Huckleberry Sky Lakes Soda Mountain Spring Basin Steens Mountain Strawberry Mountain Table Rock Three Sisters Waldo Lake Wenaha–Tucannon Wild Rogue
National Conservation Lands	Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	List of Oregon's National Wild and Scenic Rivers
Other protected areas	Cascade Head Preserve Christmas Valley Sand Dunes Fossil Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern Lost Forest Research Natural Area Sandy River Delta South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Upper and Lower Table Rock Wildwood Recreation Site

State

Parks

North Coast	Arcadia Beach Bob Straub Bradley Cape Kiwanda Cape Lookout Cape Meares Clay Myers at Whalen Island Del Rey Beach Ecola Elmer Feldenheimer Fishing Rock Fort Stevens Gearhart Ocean Haystack Hill Hug Point John Yeon Manhattan Beach Munson Creek Falls Neahkahnie–Manzanita Nehalem Bay Oceanside Beach Oswald West Rockaway Beach Sunset Beach Sunset Highway Forest Sitka Sedge Symons Tolovana Beach Twin Rocks Wilson River Highway Forest
Central Coast	Agate Beach Alsea Bay Beachside Beaver Creek Beverly Beach Boiler Bay Carl G. Washburne Collins Creek D River Darlingtonia Devils Lake Devils Punch Bowl Driftwood Beach Ellmaker Fogarty Creek Gleneden Beach Governor Patterson H.B. Van Duzer Heceta Head Lighthouse Jessie M. Honeyman Joaquin Miller Forest L. Presley & Vera C. Gill Lost Creek Muriel O. Ponsler Neptune Neskowin Beach Ona Beach Otter Crest Pritchard Roads End Rocky Creek San Marine Seal Rock Smelt Sands South Beach Stonefield Beach Tokatee Klootchman W. B. Nelson Whale Watching Yachats Yachats Ocean Road Yaquina Bay
South Coast	Albert H. Powers Alfred A. Loeb Arizona Beach Bandon Bolon Island Tideways Bullards Beach Cape Arago Cape Blanco Cape Sebastian Conde B. McCullough Coquille Myrtle Grove Crissey Field Elk Creek Tunnel Forest Face Rock Floras Lake Geisel Monument Golden and Silver Falls Harris Beach Hoffman Humbug Mountain Hutchinson Lone Ranch Maria C. Jackson McVay Rock Ophir Otter Point Paradise Point Pistol River Port Orford Cedar Forest Port Orford Heads Samuel H. Boardman Seven Devils Shore Acres Sisters Rock Sunset Bay Sweet Myrtle Umpqua Umpqua Lighthouse Umpqua Myrtle William M. Tugman Winchuck Yoakam Point
Portland Metro	Banks–Vernonia Bonnie Lure Government Island L. L. "Stub" Stewart Mary S. Young Milo McIver Tryon Creek Willamette Stone
Columbia River Gorge/ Mount Hood	Ainsworth Benson Bonneville Bridal Veil Falls Crown Point Dabney Dalton Point George W. Joseph Guy W. Talbot Historic Columbia River Highway John B. Yeon Koberg Beach Lang Forest Lewis and Clark Lindsey Creek Mayer McLoughlin Memaloose Multnomah Falls Portland Women's Forum Rocky Butte Rooster Rock Seneca Fouts Shepperd's Dell Sheridan Starvation Creek Viento Vinzenz Lausmann Wyeth Wygant
Willamette Valley	Alderwood Bald Peak Blachly Mountain Forest Bowers Rock Cascadia Champoeg Detroit Lake Dexter Elijah Bristow Erratic Rock Fall Creek Fort Yamhill Holman Jasper Lowell Luckiamute Maples Maud Williamson Molalla River North Santiam Sarah Helmick Silver Falls State Capitol Thompson's Mills Washburne Willamette Mission Willamette Greenway
Southern Oregon	Ben Hur Lampman Canyon Creek Forest Casey Collier Memorial Illinois River Forks Jackson F. Kimball Joseph H. Stewart Klamath Falls – Lakeview Forest OC&E Woods Line Prospect Rough and Ready Forest Stage Coach Forest TouVelle Tub Springs Valley of the Rogue Wolf Creek Inn
Central Oregon	Cline Falls Cottonwood Canyon Deschutes River Dyer Elliott Corbett La Pine Ochoco Peter Skene Ogden Pilot Butte Prineville Reservoir Redmond–Bend Juniper Sisters Smith Rock The Cove Palisades Tumalo White River Falls
Eastern Oregon	Bates Battle Mountain Forest Blue Mountain Forest Booth Catherine Creek Chandler Clyde Holliday Crooked Creek Deadman's Pass Emigrant Springs Farewell Bend Fort Rock Fort Rock Cave Frenchglen Hotel Goose Lake Hat Rock Hilgard Junction Kam Wah Chung Lake Owyhee Minam Ontario Pete French Round Barn Red Bridge Succor Creek Sumpter Valley Dredge Ukiah–Dale Forest Unity Forest Unity Lake Wallowa Lake Wallowa Lake Highway Forest Wallowa River

Forests

Wildlife
areas

Bridge Creek
Dean Creek
Denman
E. E. Wilson
Elkhorn
Fern Ridge
Irrigon
Jewell Meadows
Klamath
Ladd Marsh
Lower Deschutes
Phillip W. Schneider
Prineville
Riverside
Sauvie Island
Snake River Islands
Summer Lake
Wenaha
White River
Willow Creek

Local

Metro	Blue Lake Cooper Mountain Glendoveer Graham Oaks Howell Oregon Zoo Oxbow Smith and Bybee Mount Talbert
Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District	Tualatin Hills Nature Park