The Antlers Guard Station is a rustic cabin located in the

Wallowa–Whitman National Forest The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of the state, in ...

in northeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was originally built to house fire crews assigned to patrol the surrounding National Forest. Since the 1990s, the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

rents Antlers Guard Station and other forest cabins and lookout stations to recreational visitors. The Antlers Guard Station is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

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 needed 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 or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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 abandoned. 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. It later began renting out many unused

fire lookout tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...

s as well. The Antlers Guard Station was built by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government 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 a major part of ...

in 1935. It was originally used as a home station for fire crews patrolling the surrounding forest. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest started renting cabins including Antlers Guard Station to the public in the early 1990s. 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 Antlers Guard Station is located at an elevation of on the west bank of the North Fork of the Burnt River approximately two miles from the abandoned

Whitney, Oregon Whitney is an unincorporated community, also considered a ghost town, in Baker County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 7 southwest of Sumpter. It is on the North Fork Burnt River, near the Blue Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Fo ...

town site. The forest area around the cabin is dominated by

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 the ...

and provides scenic views. The Antlers Guard Station has wood frame construction and a concrete foundation. Its exterior is covered with weather board and shingles. It has two small rooms: the front room is a combined living room and bedroom. It is furnished with a

futon A is a traditional Japanese style of bedding. A complete futon set consists of a and a . Both elements of a futon bedding set are pliable enough to be folded and stored away in a large during the day. This allows a room to serve as a bedro ...

style double bed and two

bunk bed A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another, allowing two or more beds to occupy the floor space usually required by just one. They are commonly seen on ships, in the military, and in hostels, Dormitory, dor ...

sets. The kitchen is equipped with a propane stove, table and chairs. The cabin has a propane fireplace for heat and propane lights. An

outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

is located near the cabin. Water is available from an outside

hand pump Hand pumps are manually operated pumps; they use human power and mechanical advantage to move fluids or air from one place to another. They are widely used in every country in the world for a variety of industrial, marine, irrigation and leis ...

. There is a garage, a fire pit, and an outdoor picnic table located on the guard station grounds. There is also room for tent

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

at the site.

Recreation

The Antlers Guard Station can be rented by the night. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest keeps 95 percent of the rental fee to maintain the cabin and improve the site. The cabin is available year-round and can be booked for up to seven days at a time. Kitchen utensils are provided, but visitors must bring their own sleeping bags or bedding, toiletries, towel, and first aid kit. In the summer, visitors can hike trails or bike on forest roads. The cabin is also used by fishermen and hunters.

Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, and

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

on designated routes are popular winter activities. In addition, it is legal to pan for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in the Burnt River, which flows next to the guard station. Because the cabin is located in an isolated forest area, the Forest Service warns visitors to watch out for

mountain lions The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

, black bears, and rattle snakes.

Access

Antlers Guard Station is located approximately two miles from the old Whitney town site. It is 22 miles northwest of

Unity, Oregon Unity is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States, located in the Burnt River Valley. The population was 71 at the 2010 census. History The town was never platted. A post office was established in Unity in 1891. A sawmill existed for som ...

, and 40 miles west of

Baker City, Oregon Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History Pl ...

. Cabin reservations and detailed directions to the site can be obtained from the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. In the winter, snow in the area can get deep so the Forest Service recommends that visitors carry tire chains during the winter.

References

External links

Unity Ranger DistrictWallowa–Whitman 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 Buildings and structures in Baker County, Oregon Government buildings completed in 1935 Wallowa–Whitman National Forest 1935 establishments in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Baker County, Oregon