United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Colorado State Forest Building Complex Jackson County, Colorado Name of Property County and State ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ __________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: Public – Local Public – State X Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) X District Site Structure Object Sections 1-6 page 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Colorado State Forest Building Complex Jackson County, Colorado Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing ____9 __ _______3 ___ buildings ______ ____ ____________ sites ___ 1 _____ _______1_____ structures ______ ____ _____________ objects ___10 _____ _______4_____ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ____0_____ ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) AGRICULTURE/SUBSISTENCE/Agricultural outbuildings DOMESTIC/Single Dwelling/Secondary Structure GOVERNMENT/Government Office ___________________ ___________________ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) AGRICULTURE/SUBSISTENCE/Agricultural outbuildings DOMESTIC/Single Dwelling EDUCATION/Education-related GOVERNMENT/Government Office ___________________ ___________________ Sections 1-6 page 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Colorado State Forest Building Complex Jackson County, Colorado Name of Property County and State ____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) OTHER: Rustic and Pioneer Log ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: Foundation: WOOD/Log/ CONCRETE Walls: WOOD/Log/Shake/ OTHER Roof: METAL/Tin Other: WOOD/Log STONE CONCRETE ___________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph The Colorado State Forest Building Complex is located in the eastern part of North Park, Jackson County, in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Colorado. The building complex is 5.5 miles west of Cameron Pass. It has been managed by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) on behalf of the Colorado State Land Board (CSLB) for the last 30 years. It consists of twelve buildings, one structure, and the immediate surrounding forested area of 6.2 acres. Nine are contributing buildings in the Rustic and Pioneer log style, whereas three of the buildings date within the last forty years and are considered non-contributing. The buildings that contribute to the significance of this historic complex were built between 1927 and the 1940s. One of the buildings was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). A segment of State Highway 14 runs through the complex in the northern portion and is considered a non- contributing structure. The buildings have had limited minor modifications through the years; however, they retain their historic integrity. Narrative Description The Colorado State Forest Building Complex is in the northern Colorado mountains, 75 miles west of the city of Fort Collins over Cameron Pass and 30 miles east of the town of Walden. The complex sits at an approximate elevation of 9,000’ and within the only designated State Forest in Colorado. The main entrance/driveway to the complex is on the south side of State Highway 14 and is marked by a wood sign (37” x 36”) displaying the name and logo of the Colorado State Forest Service. A metal green gate also marks the entrance leading into the complex. A non-historic buck-and-rail fence runs along the south side of the highway for the entire length of the complex. The driveway runs to the south through the complex, looping Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Colorado State Forest Building Complex Jackson County, Colorado Name of Property County and State around the CCC garage/office (Building 1) and provides vehicle access to the back of the main house (Building 3) and all the other smaller buildings in the complex. It meets in two places with the original entrance road (Resource 10) immediately south of the newly built (2015) State Forest office/maintenance building (Building A) and comes to a T at the horse barn (Building 4). When entering the complex, a newly built (2015) State Forest office/maintenance building sits just to the east. On the west side of the complex sits the 1938 office/garage, with a non- contributing equipment shed just behind it. The 1927 main house and cabin sit side by side, approximately 120’ south of the new office/maintenance shed. Behind these two buildings sit the horse barn, outhouse, ice house and a wood shed. All nine buildings sit just northeast of Ranger Lakes, the fish rearing ponds constructed in 1927 by the State Fish and Game Department; these water structures are not within the nomination boundary (Jackson County Star, 9.30.1926). Another entrance/driveway leading to the crew cabin and garage is on the north side of State Highway 14, approximately 100’ east of the main entrance/driveway on the south side of the highway. The original entrance road is approximately 200’ southeast from the current entrance along Highway 14. It is still visible and usable as a secondary access to the resources on the south side of the highway, if necessary, and considered a contributing structure. The crew cabin and barn/garage sit approximately 20’ apart and 50’ north of the highway. The buildings have not undergone significant changes, leaving the workmanship and the materials much as they were when originally constructed. The entire Colorado State Forest Building Complex is surrounded by high-elevation spruce-fir forest, consisting mostly of Engelmann spruce (Picea Engelmanii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). This forest type forms the vast green vistas typical of Colorado’s high country or subalpine zone, but aspen (Populus tremuloides) and other conifers, such as lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) also occur on the complex and on the surrounding State Forest. There is also an abundant, but not very diverse, understory of riparian shrubs that include thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia) and different types of willows (Salix spp.). Many different types of native grasses and forbes are found on the complex and in the surrounding forest, the following include just a few: the small-leaf pussytoes (Antennaria parvifolia), Colorado blue columbine (Aquilegia coerulea), heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia), and elk sedge (Carex geyeri). Gravel and dirt drives to the buildings exist among the native grasses. Contributing Buildings CCC Garage/Office (Building 1), ca. 1938 (photos 1-9) This is one of the Rustic-style buildings constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Gould area in 1938. The garage/office is two stories with a finished closed loft and an attic along with a walk-out basement. It is a rectangular-shaped building of round log construction and post-and-beam interior framing. The post-and-beam framing does not use mortise-and- tenon joints, but rather utilizes steel plates in a technique that can be found in other CCC buildings in the area. It measures 50’, north to south, and 27’, east to west. It has concrete foundation walls and a D-shape log profile with a horizontal interface of flat on flat. The logs are lap-jointed together laterally with a tenon-end corner joinery. The building has a moderately- pitched (6/12) open side-gable roof that was originally covered with wood shingles and was later covered with metal roofing panels, (ca. 1980s). There is a brick chimney extending over the peak at the southern end. The basement level, partially built into the ground and open to the Section 7 page 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Colorado State Forest Building Complex Jackson County, Colorado Name of Property County and State south, is a workshop area with two top-hung sliding 11’ x 9’ wood doors. Each door has two small four-lite windows. The ground-level floor includes an enclosed office space on the southern end and an open vaulted three-bay garage on the north. There is also a loft and an attic accessible from the garage area that was used as a map-viewing and work area. A historic concrete sidewalk exists