The Merced Grove Ranger Station in

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

was designed by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

and completed in 1935. The station is located near the Merced Grove of

giant sequoias ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

in the Crane Flat region of the park. It was 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 ...

in 1978.

Design

This design, inspired by pioneer

log cabins A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settle ...

in the

Sierra foothills Sierra Foothills is a vast American Viticultural Area (AVA) encompassing portions of seven of the twelve California counties in the foothill "belt" of the Sierra Nevadas in north-central California, an interior range that extends about in a nor ...

, features sloped log ends and tightly fitted logs, making it a unique architectural design within the park. It stands as a notable example of Yosemite’s

rustic architecture Rustic architecture is a style of architecture in the United States used in rural government and private structures and their landscape interior design. It was influenced by the American Craftsman style. According to the National Park Service, “ ...

blending naturally with its surroundings. Measuring approximately 24 by 28 feet (7.3 by 8.5 meters), the cabin features precisely adzed logs, eliminating the need for chinking and creating exceptionally tight walls for a log structure. The building consists of a living room, bedroom, and kitchen. To the north of the cabin, up a hill, are two small outhouses.

Use

The Merced Grove Ranger Station was built as a replacement for the 1915 checking station on the Coulterville Road, the first stagecoach road into Yosemite. The cabin served as a summer retreat for Yosemite Park Superintendents, including Carl Russell, who worked on his writing of Yosemite history there.

References

External links

National Park Service ranger stations Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Mariposa County, California National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California Residential buildings completed in 1935 Rustic architecture in California 1935 establishments in California {{MariposaCountyCA-NRHP-stub