The madcap history of Samuel H. Boardman and the rise of Oregon's state parks system

Explore Oregon Podcast: The state's most beautiful places and biggest issues

In this episode, host Zach Urness updates some of the latest news about Oregon's state parks system, including major fee increases to camp and visit, before launching a deep dive into how the park system came together over 100 years. Urness talks with associate parks director Chris Havel and historian Christy Sweet about the park system's long, winding and goofball history. It makes for a fun listen for anyone on a Labor Day Weekend road trip in Oregon's outdoors. The story centers on the colorful and bombastic Sam Boardman, known as the "father of Oregon's state parks system," who built the system from the ground up beginning in the 1920s. It's a story of ambition and conservation, of colorful characters, near-calamity and rebirth.