Musick Guard Station
Encyclopedia
The Musick Guard Station
is a rustic cabin located in the Umpqua National Forest
in western Oregon
, United States
. It was originally built to house fire crews
assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest
. In the 1990s, the United States Forest Service
began renting Musick Guard Station to recreational visitors. The Musick 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 abandon. 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.
The Musick Guard Station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
in 1934. It is located in the Umpqua National Forest approximately 38 miles (61.2 km) east of Cottage Grove, Oregon
, in the heart of the old Bohemia mining district. The area is named after James "Bohemia" Johnson, the prospector who discovered gold there in 1863. The guard station was named after the nearby Musick Mine, a large gold mining operation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It was originally used as a home station for fire crews that patrolled the forests around the Bohemia mining area. The cabin was used as a summer barracks for Forest Service fire patrols and trail crews until the 1960s when it was abandoned. In the early 1990s, the Forest Service started renting cabins including Musick Guard Station to the public for recreational purposes. 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.
, and western hemlock
. The Musick Guard Station is a rustic two-story cabin. It has a wood-frame structure and a concrete foundation. The exterior is covered with weatherboard and shingles. It is stained dark brown so it blends into the surrounding forest landscape
.
On the first floor, the cabin has three rooms. There is a central living room, a kitchen, and a small bedroom. The upstairs is a bunkroom that provides additional sleeping quarters. The cabin has two wooden platform beds and four bunk bed sets; however, there are no mattresses. The cabin is also furnished with table and chairs. In the living room, there is a wood-burning stove for heat. In the kitchen, there is a wood-burning cook stove. The cabin does not have electricity or water.
There is a vault-type outhouse
located near the cabin. A horse barn, a small shed, an outdoor fire place with a cooking grill, and a picnic table
are also located on the guard station grounds. There is room for tent camping
at the site as well.
near-by trails. The Bohemia Mountain Trail is a particularly popular. The trailhead is a little over a mile from the guard station. From there, it is a 3/4 mile hike to the summit of Bohemia Mountain which is highest point on the Cottage Grove Ranger District. However, it is not an easy hike with grades averaging 15-20 percent most of the way. One-way trip takes about an hour from the trailhead. Hiker must pack their own water since none is available on the trail. From the summit of Bohemia Mountain there is an excellent view of the Cascade Range
from Mount Hood
to Mount Shasta
.
Another popular hike is to the summit of near-by Fairview Peak. Fairview Peak summit is about two miles (3 km) from the guard station. At the top there is a 53 feet (16.2 m) fire lookout tower that is manned during the summer. When a Forest Service lookout is in residence, the tower is open to the public. Visitors can climb the tower and see how fires are spotted and their location plotted using an azimuth. From the lookout tower’s deck there is a panoramic view of the surrounding forest and the Cascade Mountains. On a clear day, visitor can see a far north as Mt. Hood and as far south as Mt. Shasta.
In the Bohemia area, it is important to stay on designated hiking trails. Most of the old mines in the area are located on private property and can be very dangerous. It is particularly dangerous to enter abandoned tunnels or shafts.
Musick Guard Station is located 38 miles (61.2 km) from Cottage Grove. There are a number of alternative routes to the guard station. Contact the Umpqua National Forest headquarters in Roseburg, Oregon
or the Cottage Grove Ranger District in Cottage Grove during normal business hours for route information and road conditions.
Forest Service Guard Station
A Forest Service Guard Station is an administrative building located in a National Forest in the United States which is not at the same location as the District Ranger's headquarters . They usually have office and workshop space, tool storage and often sleeping quarters...
is a rustic cabin located in the Umpqua National Forest
Umpqua National Forest
Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade mountains, covers an area of one-million acres in Douglas, Lane, and Jackson Counties, and borders Crater Lake National Park. The four ranger districts that comprise the Forest are Cottage Grove, Diamond Lake, North Umpqua, and Tiller Ranger...
in western Oregon
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...
. In 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...
began renting Musick Guard Station to recreational visitors. The Musick 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 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
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 abandon. 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.
The Musick 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 1934. It is located in the Umpqua National Forest approximately 38 miles (61.2 km) east of Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It received its name from its first postmaster, G. C. Pierce, in September 1861. Pierce's home at the time was in an oak grove. The population was 9,686 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, in the heart of the old Bohemia mining district. The area is named after James "Bohemia" Johnson, the prospector who discovered gold there in 1863. The guard station was named after the nearby Musick Mine, a large gold mining operation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It was originally used as a home station for fire crews that patrolled the forests around the Bohemia mining area. The cabin was used as a summer barracks for Forest Service fire patrols and trail crews until the 1960s when it was abandoned. In the early 1990s, the Forest Service started renting cabins including Musick Guard Station to the public for recreational purposes. 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 Musick Guard Station is located on a narrow forested ridge between Fairview Peak and Grouse Mountain, at about 5000 feet (1,524 m) elevation. It is surrounded by rugged 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) mountains with steep slopes covered with Douglas fir, spruceSpruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
, and western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
. The Musick Guard Station is a rustic two-story cabin. It has a wood-frame structure and a concrete foundation. The exterior is covered with weatherboard and shingles. It is stained dark brown so it blends into the surrounding forest landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
.
On the first floor, the cabin has three rooms. There is a central living room, a kitchen, and a small bedroom. The upstairs is a bunkroom that provides additional sleeping quarters. The cabin has two wooden platform beds and four bunk bed sets; however, there are no mattresses. The cabin is also furnished with table and chairs. In the living room, there is a wood-burning stove for heat. In the kitchen, there is a wood-burning cook stove. The cabin does not have electricity or water.
There is a vault-type 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 :...
located near the cabin. A horse barn, a small shed, an outdoor fire place with a cooking grill, and a picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
are also located on the guard station grounds. There is 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 as well.
Recreation
In the summer, visitor can hikeHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
near-by trails. The Bohemia Mountain Trail is a particularly popular. The trailhead is a little over a mile from the guard station. From there, it is a 3/4 mile hike to the summit of Bohemia Mountain which is highest point on the Cottage Grove Ranger District. However, it is not an easy hike with grades averaging 15-20 percent most of the way. One-way trip takes about an hour from the trailhead. Hiker must pack their own water since none is available on the trail. From the summit of Bohemia Mountain there is an excellent view of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
from Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
to Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
.
In the Bohemia area, it is important to stay on designated hiking trails. Most of the old mines in the area are located on private property and can be very dangerous. It is particularly dangerous to enter abandoned tunnels or shafts.
Access
Musick Guard Station is available for public reservations from mid-June to mid-October at a rate of $40 per night. The Umpqua National Forest keeps 95 percent of the rental fee to maintain the cabin and improve the site. The maximum capacity of the cabin is 10 people. There is no electricity or water at the site. Therefore, visitors must bring plenty of water for drinking, cooking, and washing, as well as a cold chest and non-flammable lanterns or lights. In addition, visitors must bring their own sleeping bags or bedding, cooking utensils, toiletries, towel, and first aid kit.Musick Guard Station is located 38 miles (61.2 km) from Cottage Grove. There are a number of alternative routes to the guard station. Contact the Umpqua National Forest headquarters in Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
or the Cottage Grove Ranger District in Cottage Grove during normal business hours for route information and road conditions.