History
In the 1920s and 1930s, Forest Service employees often traveled many miles from local ranger stations to forest work sites. Since the forest road networks were not well developed, getting to a job site meant a long trek, carrying all the equipment need to perform the field work. This made it impractical for employees to make daily round-trips. To facilitate work at remote sites, the Forest Service built guard stations at strategic locations throughout the forest to house fire patrols and project crews.
After World War II, the Forest Service greatly expanded its road network, allowing employees to get to most National Forest areas within a few hours. As a result, guard stations lost their utility. The Forest Service found new uses for some stations, but most were demolished or abandoned. In the 1990s, historic preservation groups with the support of Forest Service employees began pressing National Forest managers to preserve the remaining structures. To finance the preservation effort, the Forest Service started renting guard stations and unused fire lookouts to the public.
The Imnaha Guard Station is located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest between Butte Falls, Oregon and the unincorporated town of Prospect, Oregon. It was built near Imnaha Springs by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939. The guard station was originally used as a barracks for Forest Service fire fighters that patrolled the surrounding forest during summer fire season. The Forest Service used the cabin to house fire crews through the 1970s. From 1970 through 1985, John (Bob) Poet and his family lived in the guard station during the summer. Poet later wrote a book about his experience at the Imnaha Guard Station. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Forest Service volunteer campground hosts stayed in the cabin during the summer. In the mid-1990s, the Forest Service began renting the cabin to recreational visitors.
The Imnaha Guard Station has been used every summer since it was built, a relatively rare distinction for a Forest Service guard station. Because of its rustic architecture and the cabin’s unique historic value as an early Forest Service guard station, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Read more about this topic: Imnaha Guard Station
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