Cantrall Buckley County Park

History

Located in Jacksonville, OR, Cantrall-Buckley Park is an 88-acre campground with day use and overnight use areas. It is a popular recreational spot and well-beloved by the community. The park  was proposed in 1961 and construction began in 1965, but due to flood plain damage from a 1964 flood, much of the prior preparation work was lost. The Jackson County Parks Director hired a group of volunteer high schoolers, who did the majority of the work on the park, including riparian planting, invasive blackberry removal, construction, plumbing, and electrical work. They learned all of these new skills and gave the community a great new recreational area. Once the park opened in 1968, the County Parks added trails, a gazebo, two ponds, an irrigation system, a playground, and a restroom. Through it all, Parks Director Neil Ledward insisted that crews keep the trees. Another major flood in 1974 destroyed much of prior development, but with the help of the Jackson County Youth Work Corps and county crews, the park was rebuilt.

In the 1990s,  due to limited funds, the department decided to close Cantrall Buckley Park. Soon thereafter, volunteers stepped in to help with maintenance, and a proposal to have the park run by the community instead of the county was approved. Improvements in the early 2000s included a wastewater treatment system, a new entrance road, updated trails, and educational signs. Jackson County Parks took over management of the park again in 2017, but the community continued to be involved in the installation of solar panels, a sundial display, landscaping, pollinator gardens planted by school children, and benches designed by high school metalwork students.