Cabin Lake Guard Station
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The Cabin Lake Guard Station is a Forest Service compound consisting of six simple rustic buildings located in the
Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States national forest (NF) located in Central Oregon, in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties. It was established in 1908, with border changes following in 1911 and 1915. The f ...
in central
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. 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 Nature photography encompasses a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to place a stronger ...
. The Cabin Lake Guard Station is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


History

In the 1920s and 1930s, forest road networks were not well developed. To facilitate work in
National Forests National Forest may refer to: * National forest or state forest, a forest administered or protected by a sovereign state ** National forest (Brazil) ** National forest (France) ** National forest (United States) ** State Forests (Poland) ** The N ...
, 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 or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, 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.Jacoby, Jayson
"Rustic Forest Service cabins available for rent"
, ''
Baker City Herald The ''Baker City Herald'' is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delinea ...
'', Baker City, Oregon, 27 April 2006.
The Cabin Lake Guard Station is located in the Deschutes National Forest forty miles southeast of
Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...
. 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."Cabin Lake Guard Station - OR"
''Waymarking.com'', Groundspeak Inc, Seattle, Washington, 2008
"Archaeologists, Volunteers Preserve Historic Ranger Station"
Press Release, Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests and Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management Office of Communications, Bend Oregon, 5 June 2006
From 1934 to 1938, a
Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
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 A bunkhouse is a barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches, or loggers in a logging camp in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narr ...
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
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
s 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 Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
'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 ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...
and
western juniper ''Juniperus occidentalis'', known as the western juniper, is a shrub or tree native to the Western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of and rarely down to . It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is a widesp ...
with
sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...
,
antelope bitterbrush ''Purshia tridentata'', with the common name bitterbrush, is a shrub in the genus ''Purshia'' of the family Rosaceae. It is native to mountainous areas of western North America. Common names include antelope bitterbrush, antelope bush, buckbrus ...
,
Idaho fescue ''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plai ...
, and
bluebunch wheatgrass ''Pseudoroegneria spicata'' is a species of perennial bunchgrass known by the common name bluebunch wheatgrass. It is native to western North America. Description Bluebunch wheatgrass can grow up to tall. It can often be distinguished from other ...
as the primary ground cove
''(picture)''
"Cabin Lake Campground"
, ''Basin and Range Birding Trail'', Lakeview District, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Lakeview, Oregon, 2008.
"Cabin Lake Viewing Blind"
Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 22 November 2004.
The guard station buildings are wood-frame structures with concrete foundations. The exteriors are covered with
weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...
. Wooden shingles are used for roofing. All the buildings except one are painted light green with dark brown tri
''(picture)''
so they blend into the surrounding forest
landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...
. One residence is painted a cream color with brown tri
''(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 table
''(picture)''
In addition to the ranger residences, there is a warehous
''(picture)''
maintenance sho
''(picture)''
gas station, and several other minor structures that make up the guard station compound. There is a Forest Service
campground Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...
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 A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case provi ...
vehicle is recommended the rest of the year.


Bird watching

There are two permanent
bird blind A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...
s 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 A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...
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."Fort Rock ‘High Desert’ Terrain...The ‘Guzzler’ at Cabin Lake"
, ''Nature Pic's'', www.naturespicsonline.com, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, 8 August 2008.
Among the birds common to the site are
Lewis's woodpecker Lewis's woodpecker (''Melanerpes lewis'') is a large North American species of woodpecker which ornithologist Alexander Wilson named after Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America as pa ...
,
white-headed woodpecker The white-headed woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus albolarvatus'') is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. Description It has a black body (approximately long) and white head. It has whit ...
, hairy woodpecker,
northern flicker The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker specie ...
, gray flycatcher,
loggerhead shrike The loggerhead shrike (''Lanius ludovicianus'') is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (''L. borealis'') occurs north of its range, however it ...
,
Clark's nutcracker Clark's nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana''), sometimes referred to as Clark's crow or woodpecker crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mai ...
,
mourning dove The mourning dove (''Zenaida macroura'') is a member of the dove Family (biology), family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, the chueybird, colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known a ...
,
pygmy nuthatch The pygmy nuthatch (''Sitta pygmaea'') is a tiny songbird, about long and about 10 grams in weight. Description Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan: It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuo ...
,
Steller's jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay (''C. cristata'') found in eastern North America. It is the only crest (feathers), crested jay ...
,
pinyon jay The pinyon jay (''Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus'') is a species of jay, and is the only member of the genus ''Gymnorhinus''. Native to Western North America, the species ranges from central Oregon to northern Baja California, and eastward as far a ...
,
Canada jay The Canada jay (''Perisoreus canadensis''), also known as the grey jay, gray jay, camp robber, moose bird, gorby, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America north to the tree line ...
,
common poorwill The common poorwill (''Phalaenoptilus nuttallii'') 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. The bird's habi ...
,
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 Passerellidae. Its breeding range covers most of the interior Western United States, with a winter ran ...
, mountain chickadee,
Brewer's sparrow Brewer's sparrow (''Spizella breweri'') is a small, slim species of American sparrow in the family Passerellidae. This bird was named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer. Description and systematics Adults have grey-brown backs and spe ...
,
chipping sparrow The chipping sparrow (''Spizella passerina'') is a species of New World sparrow, a passerine bird in the family Passerellidae. It is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range. The chipping sparrow has five sub ...
,
white-crowned sparrow The white-crowned sparrow (''Zonotrichia leucophrys'') is a species of passerine bird native to North America. A medium-sized member of the New World sparrow family, this species is marked by a grey face and black and white streaking on the upp ...
,
Cassin's finch Cassin's finch (''Haemorhous cassinii'') is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus ''Haemorhous''. Description Measurements: * Length: 6.3 in (16 cm) * Weight: 0.8†...
,
red crossbill The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other ...
,
mountain bluebird The mountain bluebird (''Sialia currucoides'') is a migratory small thrush that is found in mountainous districts of western North America. It has a light underbelly and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills and are bright turquoise-blue and s ...
,
western bluebird The western bluebird (''Sialia mexicana'') is a small North American thrush. Taxonomy The western bluebird was formally described by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1832 and given the binomial name ''Sialia mexicana''. Six subspec ...
,
yellow-rumped warbler The yellow-rumped warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well as Canada an ...
, and
Townsend's solitaire Townsend's solitaire (''Myadestes townsendi'') is a medium-sized thrush, the only solitaire native to America north of Mexico. Range and habitat This solitaire ranges from southern Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta to northern Zacatecas in M ...
.Reid, Alan
"Census Count: Cabin Lake Ranger Station & Campground, Lake County, Oregon"
Cabin Lake Guard Station, Lake County, Oregon, 17 September 2003.
Many bird photographs used in
Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
articles were taken at the Cabin Lake viewing blind. Image:Lewis's Woodpecker.jpg, *Lewis's woodpecker Image:Red Crossbills (Male).jpg, *Red crossbills Image:Mountain Bluebird.jpg, *Mountain bluebird Image:Mourning Dove 2006.jpg, *Mourning dove Image:Cassin's Finch (male).jpg, *Cassin's finch Image:Green-tailed Towhee.jpg, *Green-tailed towhee Image:Spizella breweri.jpg, *Brewer's sparrow Image:Chipmunk 2006.jpg, *Least chipmunk Thirsty mammals also use the guzzlers. During the day, the most common wildlife seen from the blinds are
least chipmunk The least chipmunk (''Neotamias minimus'') is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America. Description It is the smallest species of chipmunk, measuring about in total length with a weight of . The body is gray to ...
,
yellow-pine chipmunk The yellow-pine chipmunk (''Neotamias amoenus'') is a species of order Rodentia in the family Sciuridae. It is found in parts of Canada and the United States. These chipmunks are normally found in brush-covered areas, and in California, they in ...
,
golden-mantled ground squirrel The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States. D ...
, and American badger. In evening,
mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...
,
bushy-tailed woodrat The bushy-tailed woodrat, or packrat (''Neotoma cinerea'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in Canada and the United States. Its natural habitats are boreal forests, temperate forests, dry savanna, temperate shrubland, and te ...
s,
deer mice ''Peromyscus'' is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''M ...
, and several species of
bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
s coming to drink at the guzzlers.


References


External links


Deschutes National Forest
{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon Government buildings completed in 1938 Buildings and structures in Lake County, Oregon Birdwatching sites in the United States United States Forest Service ranger stations National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Oregon 1938 establishments in Oregon