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Excerpts from
Recollections of The Tarweed Kid
A Collection of Stories and an Oral Interview with Frank W. Meggers
District Ranger, Camptonville, 1927-1945
by
by Frank W. Meggers and Richard Markley

Introduction

The United States Forest Service was established in 1905 as part of the Department of Agriculture. It began as an experiment in the management of public lands. When Frank W. Meggers arrived in California after World War I, the Tahoe National Forest had been in existence for 15 years, but there was much 'pioneering' still to be done. Mr. Meggers joined the Forest Service on July 4, 1920, as an assistant to Ranger Charlie Whittum in the Camptonville District. He became the District Ranger after Mr. Whittum's death in 1927 and stayed in this position until he retired in 1945. Ranger Meggers' duties in the early years involved building trails throughout the district, fighting forest fires, and constructing the single-line, 'iron phone' telephone network that linked the many small communities in the area for the first time.

He was well-liked and respected during his service years and throughout his life, and after his retirement, he wrote about his experiences. Many of the stories, handwritten by Mr. Meggers, were sent to Camptonville's unofficial historian and archivist, Leland Pauly, who has shared these originals with the Spinning Tales project.

The Meggers stories were also collected by Richard Markley of the Tahoe National Forest, along with a transcribed oral interview, in the book entitled Recollections of The Tarweed Kid: A Collection of Stories and an Oral Interview with Frank W. Meggers, District Ranger, Camptonville, 1927-1945 in 1993.

The following is from an article published in the Tahoe National Forest Mountaineer, Nevada City, California, December, 1982:
Oldtimers Recall Early Tahoe History
By Dick Markley, Tahoe NF

The year 1982 is a special one, not only because the draft Land Management Plan was completed, but because of a reunion for some Forest retirees. Tahoe Forest officers Dewitt Nelson and Frank Meggers visited the Forest to talk with a team of historians who wrote a history of the forest as part of a Cultural Resource Overview prepared in conjunction with the Land Management Plan. The historians were interested in gathering information on early day Forest Service management activities and direction in the Tahoe. Supervisor Bob Lancaster also took part in the interviews and provided a modern perspective on forest management.

Frank Meggers came to California following WWI. In 1920 he contacted Forest Supervisor Richard L. P. Bigelow regarding forestry work, and the next year found him working as an assistant to Charlie Whittum, District Ranger of the old Camptonville District. Following the death of Ranger Whittum in 1927, Frank assumed the duties of Ranger - a position he held until his retirement in 1945.

The emphasis of forest management in the early years of the 20s and 30s was on keeping order in the forest and building better facilities. During this time, Frank was busy building and repairing telephone lines to the various lookouts and ranger stations in the forest. The Forest Service phone system provided much needed communication during fire season as few communities at that time had the luxury of a telephone. Of course, moonshiners were busy in the days of prohibition before 1933, and their fires were a constant problem, keeping Rangers on their toes.

Frank recalled the early 30s were tough times with low Forest Service budgets, but when the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) was created in 1933, things got better. After years of 'making do,' Frank was flabbergasted when in 1933 he was asked "What would you do if you had all the money you wanted?" Frank replied, "Build a new Ranger Station."

The CCC boys did just that, and in 1936, Frank and his staff moved from their one-room office located above the bar in Camptonville, to a new complex, which, by the way, is still used as a District Fire Headquarters today. (Note: This complex is currently used as a temporary home for Camptonville's History Museum.)

In the years before WWII (1936-1940) Frank and Dewitt worked as District Ranger and Forest Supervisor, respectively, and with the help of the U.S. Army, supervised many CCC projects.

During this time emphasis was on fire management, grazing, resolving mining claims, and recreation development. Alpine skiing was born during this period. Dewitt explained the role of the Auburn Ski Club in developing the sport and the Forest Service role in managing it.