Recent and Current Projects (click on project title when linked to view additional information. Note projects in brown font are linked.):
The WCHP project roster is constantly evolving; with new and exciting additions each year. Below is a list of upcoming, ongoing, and recently-completed project work. WCHP crews work year-round, making good use of the WCHP’s 1,500 square foot workshop in the winter months for preservation carpentry projects and completing onsite outdoors projects in the warmer months.
Bar BC Dude Ranch
Bar BC Dude Ranch is the second oldest dude ranch in Jackson Hole. Started by Struthers Burt and Horace Carncross in 1912, Bar BC Ranch helped define dude ranching in the west and attracted some of the ‘biggest name’ dudes of any of the ranches during its thirty years of operation as a tourist destination. Thirty-five structures remain of the historic ranch, including guest cabins, a dance hall, a lodge, a dining hall and corrals.
Acquired by the Park Service in 1986, the buildings have received limited maintenance for the past two decades. However, since the founding of the WCHP, the Center has taken steps to ‘mothball’ the ranch in order to mitigate loss until a time when the crew can address the buildings at Bar BC. Several Bar BC buildings underwent stabilization and restoration in 2007, see Completed Projects below. The Youth Conservation Program participants prepared the ranch machine shop for preservation work by cutting back overgrown vegetation and cleaning out debris on the inside of the building. A volunteer group, the Wisconsin Teacher Restoration Corp, has reroofed and stabilized several of the ranch structures. In the near future, Western Center for Historic Preservation crews will rebuild the Carncross Cabin and continue mothballing remaining buildings.
Brinkerhoff Lodge and Caretaker’s House
The Brinkerhoff Lodge is significant as the only remaining example of a Forest Service lease vacation home within what is now Grand Teton National Park. The Brinkerhoff Lodge, designed by architect Jan Wilding in 1946, is an exemplar of post-WWII rustic architecture. Perched on Jackson Lake with stunning views of Mount Moran and the Teton Range, the Brinkerhoff has a commanding presence with its Swedish-inspired log work and asymmetrical rooflines. After the National Park Service acquired the property in the late 1950s, the lodge was converted to a retreat for visiting dignitaries. Past guests include Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush. The lodge is currently used as lodging and meeting space for visiting NPS staff and others visiting the park on official NPS business.
Project focuses on repairing structural damage that has occurred due to water infiltration. Work includes rebuilding log stairs, replacing rails on the deck, repairing/replacing log crowns on the east-side of the lodge, rerouting rain/snow runoff on the east-side of the building away from the crown logs to prevent future damage, and repairing the screen door on the Caretaker’s House. Settling of the foundation has led to splintering of the saddle-notches across the rafter-plate on the interior of Brinkerhoff Lodge and movement of the doors on the west-side of the lodge.
Dewey Gifford Barn (Capitol Reef, Utah)
Information not available.
Highlands Community House (link to 2008 HighlandsCommunity House 106 Compliance Report.pdf)
Substantially rebuilt in the 1940s and early 1950s, the Highlands was the last privately owned and operated auto camp/resort complex constructed in Grand Teton National Park. The community house and cabins echo the dude ranch rustic architecture prevalent in the area, while the siting of the various buildings reflects the autocamp tourist tradition in the park. The National Park Service bought the Highlands property in 1972 and has since used the cabins as living quarters for seasonal employees.
The Highlands Community House chimney is leaning substantially to the west due to failure in the concrete footing and foundation. The failure is causing significant deflection in the floor of the building and structural cracks in the chimney. The project focus is to rehabilitate the chimney and repair the walls and foundation associated with the chimney. A local engineering firm has been contracted to provide a geotechnical report from which future preservation management decisions can be made.
Hunter Hereford Ranch
William and Eileen Hunter purchased the ranch property located off Antelope Flats Road in 1946 from the heir of the original homesteader, James Williams. The Hunters converted the property to a working ranch and raised Hereford cattle. The park service moved the rustic log home, guest quarters, and servants quarters to another location in 1992. The Hunter Hereford barn, machine shed, garage, and caretaker’s house remain on the property. The property is currently used for park service equipment storage.
A volunteer group, the Wisconsin Teacher Restoration Corp, has performed extensive restoration work on the remaining buildings. Project work included repairing or reconstructing windows and doors as well as patching or replacing roofing on the garage, caretaker’s house, and the barn’s loafing shed. Youth Conservation Program crew members performed a much needed clean up in and around the site’s buildings.
Leigh Lake Patrol Cabin was built during the early 1920s by the United States Forest Service and was later refurbished by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. It was one of the first backcountry patrol cabins built in the park, and is the only remaining example of a Forest Service patrol cabin extant in the park.
Project work included replacing cupped or missing wood roof shingles, filling in wall chinking (where missing or badly deteriorated), and repairing/replacing rotted logs and log ends.
Menors Ferry
Menor’s Ferry was built by homesteader Bill Menor in the late 1890s. Until the installation of the Menor’s Ferry, access to the eastern side of the Snake River was limited to the dry season as high water made the river all but impassable. The cabin, storage shed, smokehouse and ferry are operational and serve as a park interpretive site during the summer months. The restored, reconstructed ferry operation is among a few remaining examples of this historic river crossing technique.
The Western Center for Historic Preservation crew has completed a re-decking project on the ferry, further extending the life of this unique piece of transportation history.
White Grass Dude Ranch
White Grass is the third oldest dude ranch in Jackson Hole. Originally homesteaded in 1913, White Grass operated as a dude ranch from the 1920s until the mid-1980s. The ranch buildings are examples of western rustic log architecture and the ranch itself serves as an example of Jackson Hole’s dude ranching history. The Western Center for Historic Preservation, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is currently rehabilitating White Grass for use as a historic preservation training facility.
Current project focus is on the Hammond Cabin. Work at the Hammond Cabin includes removing deteriorating flooring, installing new flooring and floor joists where needed, replacing damaged sill and wall logs, and pouring a new concrete foundation. Hammond Cabin rehabilitation will continue in 2009, focusing on interior and roof rehabilitation. The site utility infrastructure is also being installed in 2008 by a local contractor.
The White Grass Ranger Station was built in the 1930s by park service employees shortly after the creation of Grand Teton National Park. The cabin design is believed to have come from a standard set of plans used park service-wide in the 1920s and 1930s. The White Grass Ranger Station is the only park service horse patrol era station extant in the park.
Project work includes a partial sill log replacement, as well as the porch reconstruction and re-roofing needed to restore the cabin to historic conditions.
Completed Projects (click on project title to view additional information):
Bar BC Ranch Stabilization and Restoration (2007)
Chapel of the Transfiguration (2008) Report unavailable
Cunningham Cabin Preservation (2006)
Manges Cabin Roof Replacement (2007)
White Grass Dude Ranch Phase I (2006)
White Grass Dude Ranch Phase II (2007) Report unavailable
Annual Reports (click on year to view report):
2006
