Preserving an historic Crook County landmark

Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland personnel are teaming up with a nonprofit committed to historic preservation to rehabilitate a local landmark.

To preserve a piece of Oregon’s natural and cultural heritage, HistoriCorps, Inc., in partnership with the Ochoco National Forest (ONF) and Crooked River National Grassland (CRNG), have begun restoring the historic Field Headquarters located along U.S. Highway 26 in the Rimrock Springs Wildlife Management Area.

The Field Headquarters, developed in the 1930s, includes a machine shop, equipment shed and barn for livestock. According to ONF officials, the complex reflects the transition from agricultural use in the 19th Century to a conservation-focused approach in the mid-20th Century.

In recent years, the headquarters was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its historical, archaeological and architectural significance. This acknowledgment spurred the repair and building maintenance efforts, led by HistoriCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historic structures across the country and providing experience-based learning opportunities for people of all ages.

“I am thrilled with the restoration project and our collaboration with HistoriCorps,” said Slater Turner, Grassland and Lookout Mountain District Ranger. “This project allows us to preserve the historic value of the site, while reinforcing its value in the present with its transformation into our new Wild Horse Adoption Center.”

The restoration work at the Field Headquarters has focused on repairing the sliding garage doors, siding, trim and windows of the machine shop. The team is also replacing the cedar shingle roof. The wood structure was originally built using earlier wood elements covered with newspaper, possibly salvaged from area homesteads.

The partnership with HistoriCorps was forged when the ONF and CRNG staff reached out to the nonprofit. According to the organization’s executive director, Jason Whitehead, HistoriCorps was contacted by one of its ONF partners from a previous project that took place in Arizona.

The bulk of HistoriCorp’s workforce is comprised of volunteers.

“What we usually provide is a project supervisor who is skilled and knows how to get the job done but is also excited to work with, train and mentor volunteers who are willing to give of themselves and come out to locations,” Whitehead said.

Proving his point, he noted that while most of the volunteers on the Field Headquarters project were Oregon-based, a father and son volunteer duo came from across the country in New Jersey to help with the project.

“As a nonprofit, our mission is really built upon building the preservation ethic, building those preservation skills and giving folks the confidence, training and skills to take work on themselves or go back to their own communities and approach projects from a preservation mindset.”

For HistoriCorps, which has worked on projects throughout the country since 2009, the Forest Service has been its biggest and strongest partner.

“The success of this restoration project underscores the U.S. Forest Service commitment to preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the region,” said Anne Dowd, Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland Forest Archaeologist, Heritage and Tribal Relations Program Manager. “The dedication and expertise of HistoriCorps and its volunteers, including High Desert Conservation Corps youth groups, have been invaluable in ensuring these historic structures remain a testament to the area's rich history. The partnership is special because there is tremendous value in fostering the relationships that develop between the public who volunteer or staff HistoriCorps projects, and the U.S. Forest Service, while forging new friendships and making a lasting contribution to historic preservation.”

Preservation work thus far has taken place during three separate sessions in July and early August, but more work on the project is yet to come.

“This was the first phase of work at the site,” Whitehead said. “There may be another opportunity for volunteering coming in the next couple of weeks. We have a little bit more work we want to finish up before the year ends.”

After that, the next plan is to restore the 1939 Equipment Shed opposite the 1937 Machine Shop.

“This is probably the first of what I would imagine would be three phases of work over the next two to three years,” Whitehead concluded.