Antlers Guard Station
Encyclopedia
The Antlers Guard Station is a rustic cabin located in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest in northeastern Oregon
, United States
. It was originally built to house fire crews
assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest
. Since the 1990s, the United States Forest Service
rents Antlers Guard Station and other forest cabins and lookout stations to recreational visitors. The Antlers Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
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 its guard stations to the public. It later began renting out many unused fire lookout tower
s as well.
The Antlers Guard Station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
in 1935. It was originally used as a home station for fire crews patrolling the surrounding forest. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest started renting cabins including Antlers Guard Station to the public in the early 1990s. 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.
approximately two miles from the abandoned Whitney, Oregon
town site. The forest area around the cabin is dominated by ponderosa pine
and provides scenic views.
The Antlers Guard Station has wood frame construction and a concrete foundation. Its exterior is covered with weather board and shingles. It has two small rooms: the front room is a combined living room and bedroom. It is furnished with a futon
style double bed and two bunk bed
sets. The kitchen is equipped with a propane stove, table and chairs. The cabin has a propane fireplace for heat and propane lights.
An outhouse
is located near the cabin. Water is available from an outside hand pump
. There is a garage, a fire pit, and an outdoor picnic table located on the guard station grounds. There is also room for tent camping
at the site.
In the summer, visitors can hike trails or bike on forest roads. The cabin is also used by fishermen and hunters. Cross-country skiing
, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling on designated routes are popular winter activities. In addition, it is legal to pan for gold
in the Burnt River, which flows next to the guard station. Because the cabin is located in an isolated forest area, the Forest Service warns visitors to watch out for mountain lions, black bears
, and rattle snakes.
, and 40 miles west of Baker City, Oregon
. Cabin reservations and detailed directions to the site can be obtained from the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. In the winter, snow in the area can get deep so the Forest Service recommends that visitors carry tire chains during the winter.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was originally built to house fire crews
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
. Since the 1990s, the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
rents Antlers Guard Station and other forest cabins and lookout stations to recreational visitors. The Antlers Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
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 needed 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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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 its guard stations to the public. It later began renting out many unused fire lookout tower
Fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness...
s as well.
The Antlers Guard Station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
in 1935. It was originally used as a home station for fire crews patrolling the surrounding forest. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest started renting cabins including Antlers Guard Station to the public in the early 1990s. 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.
Structure
The Antlers Guard Station is located at an elevation of 4107 feet (1,251.8 m) on the west bank of the North Fork of the Burnt RiverBurnt River (Oregon)
The Burnt River is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon, United States. It enters the Snake near Huntington, Oregon, at a point upstream of the Powder River and downstream of the Malheur River, slightly more than from the Snake's confluence with the Columbia River...
approximately two miles from the abandoned Whitney, Oregon
Whitney, Oregon
Whitney is an unincorporated community, also considered a ghost town, located in Baker County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 7 southwest of Sumpter. It is on the North Fork Burnt River, near the Blue Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest....
town site. The forest area around the cabin is dominated by ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
and provides scenic views.
The Antlers Guard Station has wood frame construction and a concrete foundation. Its exterior is covered with weather board and shingles. It has two small rooms: the front room is a combined living room and bedroom. It is furnished with a futon
Futon
Futon is an English word derived from Japanese , a term generally referring to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom...
style double bed and two bunk bed
Bunk bed
A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another. The nature of bunk beds allows two people to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space...
sets. The kitchen is equipped with a propane stove, table and chairs. The cabin has a propane fireplace for heat and propane lights.
An outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
is located near the cabin. Water is available from an outside hand pump
Hand pump
Hand pumps are manually operated pumps; they use human power and mechanical advantage to move fluids or air from one place to another. They are widely used in every country in the world for a variety of industrial, marine, irrigation and leisure activities...
. There is a garage, a fire pit, and an outdoor picnic table located on the guard station grounds. There is also room for tent camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
at the site.
Recreation
The Antlers Guard Station can be rented by the night. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest keeps 95 percent of the rental fee to maintain the cabin and improve the site. The cabin is available year round and can be booked for up to seven days at a time. Kitchen utensils are provided, but visitors must bring their own sleeping bags or bedding, toiletries, towel, and first aid kit.In the summer, visitors can hike trails or bike on forest roads. The cabin is also used by fishermen and hunters. Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling on designated routes are popular winter activities. In addition, it is legal to pan for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the Burnt River, which flows next to the guard station. Because the cabin is located in an isolated forest area, the Forest Service warns visitors to watch out for mountain lions, black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, and rattle snakes.
Access
Antlers Guard Station is located approximately two miles from the old Whitney town site. It is 22 miles northwest of Unity, OregonUnity, Oregon
Unity is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States, located in the Burnt River Valley. The population was 131 at the 2000 census.-History:While the town was never platted, a post office was established in Unity in 1891...
, and 40 miles west of Baker City, Oregon
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Cabin reservations and detailed directions to the site can be obtained from the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. In the winter, snow in the area can get deep so the Forest Service recommends that visitors carry tire chains during the winter.