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Wolf Creek land wasn't state park BY VICKI GUARINO WOLF CREEK -- The site of a disputed logging operation never was a state park, Oregon park records show. The land, a 274-acre parcel now owned by Rough and Ready Lumber Co., had been under state park jurisdiction years ago. It never had been formally dedicated as a park, however. Neighbors of the Wolf Creek logging site objected to the operations this week and planned a protest at the site Friday. The land had been a state park, they said, and shouldn't have been traded for logging. Oregon Department of Transportation manager John Vial said Friday, however, that a search of state archives showed the land had never been dedicated as a park. He said the land was deeded to the state in 1941 for highway development. After Interstate 5 was built, the remaining parcel was transferred to the parks department. The state parks office once operated as part of the transportation department, Vial noted. ODOT reclaimed ownership as part of a 1966 land swap. About five years ago, the land was part of a trade of state lands in which ODOT was able to obtain what highway officials say is a valuable prospective highway site in north Medford. Rough and Ready's land owning-company Indian Hill became the eventual owner. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA