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Marys Peak: Queen of the Coast Range
| Guarding the West |
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| SAGE and Gap Filler Stations Established | ||||||||||
In response to the 1949 Soviet nuclear bomb test, the United States established the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment, or SAGE, a communications engineering marvel that laid the groundwork for today's internet. Gap filler sites provided seamless coverage of 800,000 square miles monitored by the west coast SAGE system. Norm Maves, Jr., recalls that the local community, proud of the gap filler site located on Marys Peak, "...felt important, and (we) were safe from the Russians" [Oregonian, Sept. 16, 1984]. |
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1960 map of SAGE air defense system in the Northwest.
Marys Peak is the site of a gap filler annex. |
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| Doris Nye Rhodes recalls hearing the news of the surrender of the Japanese on VJ Day, August 15, 1945, saying, "...a group of young friends switched tires enough for several cars and shared gasoline rations, and we piled into several cars...and drove up to Marys Peak...and went up in that tower and I took photos to remember the wonderful news that our soldiers and sailors, still living, would be home soon. It was a sunny, lovely day, and one of joy that none of us will ever forget." | ||||||||||
