This oral history interview with Clark Hansen was conducted by Jim Strassmaier and Michael O’Rourke at the Bagby Hot Springs in Oregon. The interview was conducted in two sessions, on December 8, 1989, and October 31, 2000. An unidentified member of the Friends of Bagby was also briefly present during the second session.

In the first interview session, conducted on December 8, 1989, Hansen describes how he came to work as a U.S. Forest Service ranger at Bagby Hot Springs in Oregon during the 1970s. He speaks about his experiences at Bagby Hot Springs, particularly dealing with intoxicated and violent visitors. He talks about a group of members of Charles Manson’s cult, the Manson Family, who hid in the Bagby Springs area during the summer of 1976.

In the second interview session, conducted on October 31, 2000, Hansen continues to discuss his experiences as a forest ranger at Bagby Hot Springs in the 1970s. He speaks further about the members of the Manson Family in the area in 1976, and talks about his experiences after they left. He discusses passing the stewardship of Bagby Hot Springs to another forest ranger in 1977. He also talks about the sexual activities of Bagby visitors. He discusses the work of the Friends of Bagby Hot Springs to maintain and preserve the bathhouse, talks about his daily activities as a ranger, and describes foraging for food in the Bagby area. He closes the interview by discussing how his experiences affected him, and by sharing his reasons for leaving the Forest Service.