Cabin Lake Guard Station
Encyclopedia
The Cabin Lake Guard Station is a Forest Service
compound consisting of six simple rustic
buildings located in the Deschutes National Forest
in central Oregon
. It was originally built as a district ranger station for the Fort Rock Ranger District. It was later converted to a summer guard station. The guard station is now closed, but the adjacent campground is open. While still very remote, it is a popular location for bird watching and nature photography. The Cabin Lake Guard Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the Forest Service built district ranger stations at strategic locations within the forest to house full-time employees and provide logistics support to fire patrols and project crews working at remote forest sites. After World War II
, the Forest Service greatly expanded its road network, allowing employees to get to most forest areas within a few hours. As a result, many of the more isolated ranger stations were closed or converted to summer guard station.
The Cabin Lake Guard Station is located in the Deschutes National Forest forty miles southeast of Bend, Oregon
. It was originally built as a district ranger station, and served as the headquarters for the Fort Rock Ranger District from 1921 until 1945. Throughout most of that time, there were five full-time rangers living and working at the site.
From 1934 to 1938, a Civilian Conservation Corps
camp was located adjacent to the ranger station. The existing guard station buildings were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps work crews during that time. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a total of seven buildings for the ranger station compound including ranger residences, a warehouse, maintenance shop, and a gas station. Six of the seven structures remain today. The seventh building was moved to another guard station after the ranger station was closed.
In 1945, the district headquarters was moved to Bend, and the ranger station was converted to a guard station. It was used as a bunkhouse
and supply station for Forest Service fire crews
that patrolled the surrounding forest during summer fire season. The Forest Service closed the guard station in 2002. Today, the guard station site is unoccupied. However, Forest Service archaeologists are working with volunteers to renovate the guard station facilities. Once the buildings are restored, the Forest Service may open two of the ranger residences for use as recreation rental cabins.
Because of the rustic architecture of the remaining six buildings and the site's unique historic value as an early Forest Service ranger station, the Cabin Lake Guard Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
’s Lakeview District. The guard station is made up of six main buildings and several minor structures surrounded by relatively open forest land. The elevation at the site is 4,510 feet. The forest around the guard station is Ponderosa pine
and western juniper with sagebrush
, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass
as the primary ground cover (picture).
The guard station buildings are wood-frame structures with concrete foundations. The exteriors are covered with weatherboard. Wooden shingles
are used for roofing. All the buildings except one are painted light green with dark brown trim (picture) so they blend into the surrounding forest landscape
. One residence is painted a cream color with brown trim (picture). The interior rooms of the ranger residences have pine paneling with a brick fireplace in the living room. Several of the residences still have simple furnishings, including wooden chairs and tables (picture). In addition to the ranger residences, there is a warehouse (picture), maintenance shop (picture), gas station, and several other minor structures that make up the guard station compound.
There is a Forest Service campground next to the historic guard station. The campground has 14 primitive camp sites. However, there is no water or toilet facilities available at the site. The dirt road leading the guard station can be rough. Two-wheel-drive vehicles can usually make the trip from April through November. A four-wheel-drive
vehicle is recommended the rest of the year.
There are two permanent bird blinds located within easy walking distance of the guard station. The blinds are located approximately 300 feet apart. They are 8 feet by 12 feet covered shelters with veiled window openings allowing observers to view and photograph
birds from a distance of 15–20 feet. To attract birds, each blind has a small concrete basin called a guzzler that fills with water from a nearby storage tank that is fed by water collection aprons.
Because Cabin Lake Guard Station is located on the border between the eastern Cascade pine forests
and the high desert
eco-systems, the guzzler’s water attracts an unusually wide range of birds typical of both environments. Among the birds common to the site are Lewis's Woodpecker
, White-headed Woodpecker
, Hairy Woodpecker
, Northern Flicker
, Gray Flycatcher
, Loggerhead Shrike
, Clark's Nutcracker
, Morning Dove, Pygmy Nuthatch
, Steller's Jay
, Pinyon Jay
, Gray Jay
, Common Poorwill
, Green-tailed Towhee
, Mountain Chickadee
, Brewer's Sparrow
, Chipping Sparrow
, White-crowned Sparrow
, Cassin's Finch
, Red Crossbill, Mountain Bluebird
, Western Bluebird
, Yellow-rumped Warbler
, and Townsend's Solitaire
. Many bird photographs used in Wikipedia
articles were taken at the Cabin Lake viewing blind.
Thirsty mammals also use the guzzlers. During the day, the most common wildlife seen from the blinds are Least Chipmunk
, Yellow-pine Chipmunk
, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
, and American Badger
. In evening, mule deer
, bushy-tailed woodrat
s, deer mice, and several species of bat
s coming to drink at the guzzlers.
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...
compound consisting of six simple rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
buildings located in the Deschutes National Forest
Deschutes National Forest
The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises 1.8 million acres along the east side of the Cascade mountains. In 1908, the Deschutes National Forest was established from parts...
in central 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...
. It was originally built as a district ranger station for the Fort Rock Ranger District. It was later converted to a summer guard station. The guard station is now closed, but the adjacent campground is open. While still very remote, it is a popular location for bird watching and nature photography. The Cabin Lake 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 road networks were not well developed. To facilitate work in National ForestsUnited 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...
, the Forest Service built district ranger stations at strategic locations within the forest to house full-time employees and provide logistics support to fire patrols and project crews working at remote forest sites. 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 forest areas within a few hours. As a result, many of the more isolated ranger stations were closed or converted to summer guard station.
The Cabin Lake Guard Station is located in the Deschutes National Forest forty miles southeast of Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
. It was originally built as a district ranger station, and served as the headquarters for the Fort Rock Ranger District from 1921 until 1945. Throughout most of that time, there were five full-time rangers living and working at the site.
From 1934 to 1938, a 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...
camp was located adjacent to the ranger station. The existing guard station buildings were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps work crews during that time. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a total of seven buildings for the ranger station compound including ranger residences, a warehouse, maintenance shop, and a gas station. Six of the seven structures remain today. The seventh building was moved to another guard station after the ranger station was closed.
In 1945, the district headquarters was moved to Bend, and the ranger station was converted to a guard station. It was used as a bunkhouse
Bunkhouse
A bunkhouse is a hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy...
and supply station for Forest Service fire crews
Wildland fire suppression
Wildfire suppression refers to the firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wildland areas requires different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated areas...
that patrolled the surrounding forest during summer fire season. The Forest Service closed the guard station in 2002. Today, the guard station site is unoccupied. However, Forest Service archaeologists are working with volunteers to renovate the guard station facilities. Once the buildings are restored, the Forest Service may open two of the ranger residences for use as recreation rental cabins.
Because of the rustic architecture of the remaining six buildings and the site's unique historic value as an early Forest Service ranger station, the Cabin Lake Guard Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Structures
The Cabin Lake Guard Station is located in a very remote area of the Deschutes National Forest near the forest's boundary with high desert public lands managed by the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
’s Lakeview District. The guard station is made up of six main buildings and several minor structures surrounded by relatively open forest land. The elevation at the site is 4,510 feet. The forest around the guard station is 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 western juniper with sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Pseudoroegneria spicata is a species of grass known by the common name Bluebunch Wheatgrass. This native western North American perennial bunchgrass is known by the scientific synonyms Elymus spicatus and Agropyron spicatum. The grass can be found from Alaska to Texas. It occurs in many types of...
as the primary ground cover (picture).
The guard station buildings are wood-frame structures with concrete foundations. The exteriors are covered with weatherboard. Wooden shingles
Wood shingle
Wood shingles are roof shingles made of cut wood, used for roofing material. Such roofing material made from split wood is referred to as "shakes"....
are used for roofing. All the buildings except one are painted light green with dark brown trim (picture) so they blend 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...
. One residence is painted a cream color with brown trim (picture). The interior rooms of the ranger residences have pine paneling with a brick fireplace in the living room. Several of the residences still have simple furnishings, including wooden chairs and tables (picture). In addition to the ranger residences, there is a warehouse (picture), maintenance shop (picture), gas station, and several other minor structures that make up the guard station compound.
There is a Forest Service campground next to the historic guard station. The campground has 14 primitive camp sites. However, there is no water or toilet facilities available at the site. The dirt road leading the guard station can be rough. Two-wheel-drive vehicles can usually make the trip from April through November. A four-wheel-drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicle is recommended the rest of the year.
Bird watching
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
birds from a distance of 15–20 feet. To attract birds, each blind has a small concrete basin called a guzzler that fills with water from a nearby storage tank that is fed by water collection aprons.
Because Cabin Lake Guard Station is located on the border between the eastern Cascade pine forests
Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills (ecoregion)
The Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and California. In the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, the eastern side of the mountains experiences greater...
and the high desert
Northern Basin and Range (ecoregion)
The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. states of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and California. It contains dissected lava plains, rolling hills, alluvial fans, valleys, and scattered mountain ranges...
eco-systems, the guzzler’s water attracts an unusually wide range of birds typical of both environments. Among the birds common to the site are Lewis's Woodpecker
Lewis's Woodpecker
The Lewis's Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis, is a large North American species of woodpecker which was named for Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America during the Louisiana Purchase.-Description:...
, White-headed Woodpecker
White-headed Woodpecker
The White-headed Woodpecker is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. It has a black body and white head. It has white primary feathers that form a crescent in flight...
, Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
The Hairy Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, averaging approximately 250 mm in length with a 380 mm wingspan...
, Northern Flicker
Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. There are over 100 common names for the Northern Flicker...
, Gray Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
The American Gray Flycatcher, or just Gray Flycatcher, is a small, insectivorous passerine in the tyrant flycatcher family. It is common in the arid regions of western North America, especially the Great Basin...
, Loggerhead Shrike
Loggerhead Shrike
The Loggerhead Shrike is a passerine bird. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related Northern Shrike occurs north of its range but also in the Palearctic....
, Clark's Nutcracker
Clark's Nutcracker
Clark's Nutcracker , sometimes referred to as Clark's Crow or Woodpecker Crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae. It is slightly smaller than its Eurasian relative the Spotted Nutcracker . It is ashy-grey all over except for the black-and-white wings and central tail feathers...
, Morning Dove, Pygmy Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
The Pygmy Nuthatch is a tiny songbird, about 10 cm long and about 10 grams in weight. It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. , to central Mexico...
, Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay
The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
, Pinyon Jay
Pinyon Jay
The Pinyon Jay is a jay between the North American Blue Jay and the Eurasian Jay in size. It is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus, . Its overall proportions are very Nutcracker-like and indeed this can be seen as convergent evolution as both birds fill similar ecological niches...
, Gray Jay
Gray Jay
The Gray Jay , also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack, is a member of the crow and jay family found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona...
, Common Poorwill
Common Poorwill
The Common Poorwill is a nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars. It is found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico...
, Green-tailed Towhee
Green-tailed Towhee
The Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus, is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the "American sparrow" family Emberizidae....
, Mountain Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
The Mountain Chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships...
, Brewer's Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow is a small, slim species of American sparrow in the family Emberizidae. This bird was named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer.-Description and systematics:...
, Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
The Chipping Sparrow is a species of American sparrow in the family Emberizidae. It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range.-Description:...
, White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
The White-crowned Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow native to North America.- Description :Adults are long and have black and white stripes on their head, a grey face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are grey. Their bill is pink or yellow...
, Cassin's Finch
Cassin's Finch
Cassin's Finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch genus Carpodacus, but they likely belong in a distinct genus Burrica....
, Red Crossbill, Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
The Mountain Bluebird is a medium-sized bird weighing about 2-5 ounces, with a length from 15–20 cm . They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter beneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast,...
, Western Bluebird
Western Bluebird
The Western Bluebird is a small thrush, approximately to in length.Adult males are bright blue on top and on the throat with an orange breast and sides, a brownish patch on back, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. Adult females have a duller blue body, wings, and tail than the male, a gray...
, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Four closely related North American bird forms—the eastern Myrtle Warbler , its western counterpart, Audubon's Warbler , the northwest Mexican Black-fronted Warbler , and the Guatemalan Goldman's Warbler —are periodically lumped as the Yellow-rumped Warbler .-Classification:Since...
, and Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend's Solitaire is a medium-sized thrush, the only solitaire native to America north of Mexico.-Range and habitat:...
. Many bird photographs used in Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
articles were taken at the Cabin Lake viewing blind.
Thirsty mammals also use the guzzlers. During the day, the most common wildlife seen from the blinds are Least Chipmunk
Least Chipmunk
The least chipmunk is the smallest chipmunk in North America. It is also the most widespread species of chipmunk in North America occurring across north-central and western United States and from British Columbia and southern Yukon to western Quebec in Canada...
, Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Yellow-pine Chipmunk
The yellow-pine chipmunk is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Canada and the United States....
, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The golden-mantled ground squirrel, Callospermophilus lateralis, is a type of ground squirrel found in mountainous areas of western North America. It eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and underground fungi. It is preyed upon by hawks, jays, weasels, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. A typical adult...
, and American Badger
American Badger
The American badger is a North American badger, somewhat similar in appearance to the European badger. It is found in the western and central United States, northern Mexico and central Canada, as well as in certain areas of southwestern British Columbia.Their habitat is typified by open...
. In evening, mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, bushy-tailed woodrat
Bushy-tailed Woodrat
The Bushy-tailed Woodrat, Packrat, or Woodrat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is found in Canada and the United States....
s, deer mice, and several species of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s coming to drink at the guzzlers.