With its 360-degree panoramic viewpoint from its summit, Mount Hebo has proved to be a useful promontory for generations. Early settlers followed trails left by Native Americans to the top of Mount Hebo in a quest to find new ways to travel between the Willamette River Valley and the Pacific Coast. From 1956-1980, the site was used as an Air Force Station, housing the 689th Radar Squadron and their families. All Air Force structures were destroyed before the land was granted to the Forest Service in 1987, but a plaque and interpretive sign commemorate the site's military history.