Allison Ranger Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Allison Ranger Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Malheur National Forest
Nearest city	Burns, Oregon, USA
Built	1911
Architect	E. W. Donnelly
Architectural style	Simple rustic
NRHP reference No.	80003314
Added to NRHP	1980

The Allison Ranger Station is a special place with eight old, rustic buildings. It's found in the Malheur National Forest in the Ochoco Mountains of eastern Oregon. This station was first built to be a main office for forest rangers in the Snow Mountain area. Later, it became a summer "guard station."

Today, it's still an active Forest Service guard station. About twelve firefighters stay here during the summer fire season. The oldest building, called the Donnelly Cabin, is very important. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the other buildings at Allison Ranger Station are also old and special. They could be listed as historic in the future.

History of the Ranger Station

In the early 1900s, there weren't many roads in the forests. To help manage the National Forests, the Forest Service built ranger stations. These stations were placed in key spots. They gave rangers a place to live and helped support fire patrols and work crews.

After World War II, the Forest Service built many more roads. This made it easier for workers to reach most forest areas quickly. Because of this, many isolated ranger stations closed. Others, like Allison, became summer guard stations.

Building the Snow Mountain Ranger District

The Snow Mountain Ranger District was created in 1911. It was part of the Ochoco National Forest. The first ranger's cabin at Allison Creek was built in 1911. It was built by E.W. "Cy" Donnelly, the first ranger for the area.

Around 1925, another cabin and a few smaller buildings were added. These buildings were later removed by the mid-1930s. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built seven more buildings at the station. The CCC was a program that helped young men find work during the Great Depression.

Changes Over Time

The Allison Ranger Station was the main office for the Snow Mountain Ranger District from 1911 until the 1950s. Then, the main office moved to Hines, Oregon. The Allison site then became a guard station. It was used by fire crews and other work teams. This station has been used almost continuously for over a hundred years!

In 1993, volunteers fixed up the Donnelly Cabin. They replaced the roof and some old wood. They also made the foundation stronger.

Around 2003, the Snow Mountain Ranger District became part of the Malheur National Forest. In 2005, the Forest Service decided to fix up some of the CCC buildings. They replaced old foundations. They also turned the old warehouse into a bunkhouse for fire crews. The water system was improved, and a new well was drilled.

The Forest Service was careful to keep the historic look of the buildings. Because of this, the CCC buildings can still be listed as historic in the future. A new vehicle shed was also built in 2005. It was designed to look like the older buildings. Today, the bunkhouse and ranger homes are used in the summer. They house a twelve-person fire fighting crew. The Forest Service also rents out the old CCC cookhouse to visitors.

Historic Recognition

The Donnelly Cabin and six of the seven CCC buildings are still at the Allison site. The Donnelly Cabin is very special because it's an early Forest Service ranger station. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1980.

Even though the Donnelly Cabin is just one building, the historic site covers 10 acres (40,000 m²). It is officially called the "Allison Ranger Station." A study in the 1980s found that the CCC buildings are also historic. However, they are not yet officially listed.

Buildings at Allison Ranger Station

The Donnelly Cabin

The Donnelly Cabin was built in 1911. It's a simple, one-room log cabin. The logs are made from peeled pine trees. The cabin has a wooden floor. Its roof is covered with hand-cut larch shingles. There's a front porch with two log posts holding it up. This cabin is about 200 yards north of the other station buildings.

Civilian Conservation Corps Buildings

In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built several other buildings. These included two homes for rangers, a fire warehouse, a gas house, a garage, a generator shed, and a cookhouse. All these buildings are made of wood.

One ranger home is 884-square-foot (82.1 m²). The other is smaller, at 499 square feet (46.4 m²). The 2,450-square-foot (228 m²) warehouse was turned into a bunkhouse in 2005. The 608-square-foot (56.5 m²) gas house and the 216-square-foot (20.1 m²) garage are used for storage. The small 60-square-foot (5.6 m²) generator house was taken down in 2005.

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  • Ranger residences
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  • Small residence
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  • Warehouse/bunkhouse
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  • Cookhouse rental

The Cookhouse

The 954-square-foot (88.6 m²) cookhouse was fixed up in 2005. Now, people can rent it for recreation from late May to early October. The cookhouse has a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower. The living room and bedrooms have furniture. The kitchen has a refrigerator, a propane stove, and basic cooking tools. Cleaning supplies are also provided.

There is drinking water and hot water in the kitchen and bathroom. The building has electric lights. Up to eight people can sleep here. Visitors need to bring their own food, sleeping bags, personal items, and trash bags.

Where is Allison Ranger Station?

The Allison Guard Station is in a remote part of the Ochoco Mountains. It's inside the Malheur National Forest. It's about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Burns, Oregon. The station is at an elevation of 5,310 feet (1,620 m). The forest around the station has many ponderosa pine trees.

How to Get There

To reach the Allison Ranger Station from Burns:

• Travel south on Highway 20 for four miles (6 km). You'll pass through the town of Hines.
• About one mile south of Hines, turn onto Forest Road 47.
• Follow Forest Road 47 northwest for 18 miles (29 km) until you reach Forest Road 41.
• Turn left onto Forest Road 41.
• Follow Forest Road 41 for about 40 miles (64 km) past Delintment Lake to find the Allison Guard Station.