Elliott Corbett Memorial State Recreation Site

Elliott Corbett Memorial State Recreation Site (also known as Elliott Corbett State Park, Corbett Memorial State Park or Corbett State Park) is a state park along the south shore of Blue Lake Crater in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. The park is named in honor of Elliott R. Corbett II, who was killed while serving in the United States Army during World War II. It includes 63 acres (25 ha) of wilderness land with very few park facilities. Corbett State Park is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

Corbett State Park
Park area before the B&B Fire
Location	Jefferson County, Oregon
Nearest city	Sisters, Oregon
Coordinates	44°24′35″N121°46′29″W
Area	63 acres (25 ha)
Created	1952
Operated by	Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Open	Year-around

. . . Elliott Corbett Memorial State Recreation Site . . .

Corbett State Park covers 63 acres (25 ha) of forest and meadow above the south shore of Blue Lake, east of the Cascade Range in Central Oregon.[1][2] The park is just south of Highway 20, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Santiam Pass and 14 miles (23 km) west of Sisters. The park’s elevation ranges from 3,468 feet (1,057 m) at the shore of Blue Lake to over 3,600 feet (1,100 m) on the slopes above the lake.[1][2]

Blue Lake fills a deep volcanic caldera to a depth of 314 feet (96 m), making it one of the deepest lakes in Oregon.[2] The steep caldera slopes make the lake shore in Corbett State Park very rugged. The lake’s only outlet is Link Creek, a shallow stream that begins at the north end of Blue Lake, opposite from the park. Link Creek flows into Suttle Lake0.6 miles (0.97 km) downstream.[1][2]

In the 19th century, the central meadow of what is now Corbett State Park was a popular stopping place on the pioneer wagon road that crossed the Cascade Range near Santiam Pass. Pioneer travelers liked the site because it offered fresh water and good grazing for their draft animals.[1] In the early 20th century, the meadow was also used by sheepherders who grazed their flocks in the eastern foothills of the Cascades.[3]

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department acquired property in 1952. The land was a gift to the people of Oregon from Henry L. Corbett and his wife, Gretchen. It honors their son, Elliott R. Corbett II, who was killed in action during World War II. Elliot Corbett was an infantryman in the United States Army, serving in the European Theatre when he was killed on 19 November 1944 at the age of 22. He is buried at the United States Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands. The Corbett family’s gift of the park was made on condition that the land remain a wilderness area.[1][3][4][5]

In August 2003, the area around Blue Lake was burned by the B&B Complex Fires, including most of Corbett State Park.[6] Within a year, the forest began to recover from the fire.[7] Today, Corbett State Park and the surrounding forest is still recovering.[3][8]

. . . Elliott Corbett Memorial State Recreation Site . . .

. . . Elliott Corbett Memorial State Recreation Site . . .