Architecture

"Judith River Ranger Station"

Utica, Montana   NEW

A hundred years ago the Little Belt Forest Reserve became part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and since then, people have been coming here on Forest business or to picnic and camp.  We invite you to step into our past, into a fully restored 1920s Ranger Station – experience how we lived, worked, and played. 

Ranger Thomas Guy Myers was assigned to this part of the Little Belt Forest in 1906.  In 1908 he built the home/office with a $450 kit.  It included materials for the roof, windows, and interior.  He cut the wall logs from the South Fork Judith River.. The barn and garage date to 1909 and 1925, respectively.   Myers married teacher Emily MacLaury in 1910 and their son Robert was born in 1913... Myers was transferred to Nine Mile near Frenchtown, Montana, in 1931.  After that the Judith Station was occupied seasonally by Forest fire, timber, and trail crews through 1981.     

The site is on the National Register of Historic Places for its role as an early ranger station. The ranger's duties included skills common then, like packing a horse and felling a tree.  Duties also included tracking rustlers, politicking, and smoothing differences between established pioneers and the often-resented requirements of a new federal agency.  Imagine the diplomacy conducted over coffee on this front porch!

Diverse volunteers, Forest Service personnel, and the Region One Historic Preservation Team worked together to restore the site.  Individuals and groups contributed historic information, money, and furnishings.  Stabilization involved roof work, log replacement / splicing, and redaubing.  Restoration involved porch work, door, window, and trim repair, and application of period wall coverings. Original materials were preserved where possible.

The old Judith River Ranger Station is now in the cabin rental program.  It is a favorite, occupied most weekends and often through the week.  It has been used for everything from conservation workshops to family gatherings.  Cabin reservations can  be made online through the Forest Service nationwide system at  reserveamerica.com.

Information from the program for the 2005  rededication ceremony written by

Kelly Keim, Arch. Tech, Lewis and Clark Forest

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