Date: January 8, 2008
Contact: Brant Porter, (435) 781-7700
The National Park Service has replaced the windows and doors of the historic Josie Bassett Morris Cabin in Dinosaur National Monument as part of an ongoing cabin restoration project.
In 2007, Dinosaur National Monument obtained federal historic preservation funds to repair damage that the cabin had sustained over many years from vandals and forced entries. The National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico removed the doors and windows to restore or use as patterns for new doors and windows. Installation occurred in early December. The cabin will remain open to allow first-hand experience of the structure in hopes of preventing further damage.
Restoration projects began in 2000 with donations received through the Intermountain Natural History Association and the Utah Humanities Council. These projects included stabilizing the cabin with a new foundation, replacing the roof, installing a drainage system around the cabin, and replacing some of the logs that make up its walls. This spring the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps will complete the final stage of the project by chinking the walls.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received since the inception of this project,” stated Superintendent Mary Risser. “This restoration effort was made possible through the support of park partners, federal and state organizations, and the communities of Vernal and Jensen, Utah.”
The cabin is open to the public. During the winter, however, access is limited due to snowfall on un-plowed portions of Cub Creek Road.
