United States Department of Agriculture The Enchantment of Forest Service Intermountain Region Ranger Life in the Hills UINTA NATIONAL FOREST JULY 2016 Administrative Facilities of the Uinta National Forest, 1905-1965 Historic Context & Evaluations Forest Service Report No. UWC-16-1328 Cover: Lake Creek Ranger Station, 1949 Pleasant Grove Ranger Station, 1965 “I had a carpenter hired and boarded up the house around the foundation. It was from 6 in. to 2 feet off the ground and skunks and animals frequently got under the house, which detracted some of the enchantment of Ranger Life in the Hills.” Aaron Parley Christiansen, April 26, 1919 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD- 3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. The Enchantment of Ranger Life in the Hills Administrative Facilities of the Uinta National Forest, 1905-1965 Historic Context and Evaluations Forest Service Report No. UWC-16-1328 By Richa Wilson Regional Architectural Historian USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region 324 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401 July 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................. V ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................ VI CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................... 1 SPATIAL BOUNDARIES ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 TEMPORAL BOUNDARIES .................................................................................................................................................. 1 HISTORICAL SETTING ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Uintah Indian Reservation ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Early Settlement ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 Resource Use ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Timber ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Grazing...................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Mining ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Recreation ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Water Management ................................................................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 2: EVOLUTIONS OF THE FORESTS ............................................................................................. 9 THE FIRST FOREST RESERVES ............................................................................................................................................ 9 UINTAH FOREST RESERVE, 1897-1907............................................................................................................................ 10 PAYSON NATIONAL FOREST, 1901-1908 ........................................................................................................................ 15 VERNON NATIONAL FOREST, 1906-1908 ....................................................................................................................... 15 NEBO NATIONAL FOREST, 1908-1915 ............................................................................................................................ 16 WASATCH FOREST RESERVE, 1906-1973 ........................................................................................................................ 17 UINTA NATIONAL FOREST, 1907-2008 ........................................................................................................................... 18 Early Configurations .................................................................................................................................................... 18 A Shift in Inter-Forest Boundaries, 1915 .................................................................................................................... 20 C. N. Woods’ Inspection of 1923 ................................................................................................................................ 22 Grandaddy Lakes Transfer .......................................................................................................................................... 23 New Deal Additions..................................................................................................................................................... 24 Wartime Changes ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 1954 Inter-Forest Transfer .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Size of District Studies & Standard Regions ............................................................................................................... 28 Strawberry Valley Management Area ....................................................................................................................... 29 UWC Consolidation ..................................................................................................................................................... 29 PERSONNEL ...................................................................................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 3: NEW DEAL PROGRAMS ...................................................................................................... 33 OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................................................ 33 CCC CAMP HISTORIES ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 Hobble Creek Camp SE-206 ........................................................................................................................................ 34 American Fork Canyon (Deer Creek) Camp F-5 ......................................................................................................... 35 Diamond Fork Camp F-8 ............................................................................................................................................. 36 Mt. Nebo Camp F-9 ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Hobble Creek Camp F-30 & Rock Canyon (Provo) Camp F-40 ................................................................................. 38 Pleasant Grove Camp