High Desert
Ranger Station
One of the first things you see when you enter the Museum grounds is a little white building with a green roof. It’s an authentic U.S. Forest Service ranger station office built east of the Sierra Nevada in 1933 and moved to the Museum in 2008.
After 50 years of service it was no longer needed, so the Museum, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Forest Service Association of Forest Service retirees (known as the Old Smokeys) brought it here and restored it to vintage perfection. Be sure to visit it before leaving the Museum grounds.
The Old Smokeys welcome Museum visitors to the High Desert Ranger Station during the summer months. They share how the U.S. Forest Service worked from historic stations such as this one, and how the U.S. Forest Service continues to manage our national forests and natural resources. Come in and meet a ranger to discover this fascinating part of the High Desert’s story!
