Wapiti Ranger Station is the oldest United States Forest Service ranger station in the United States. The station is in Shoshone National Forest west of Cody, Wyoming, and has been used continuously since it was built in 1903. On May 23, 1963, Wapiti Ranger Station was designated as a National Historic Landmark, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
The Jackson Lake Ranger Station is the last Depression-era U.S. Forest Service ranger station in its original location in Grand Teton National Park. When first established, the park comprised only the mountainous terrain above Jackson Hole, while the remainder of what would eventually become the park was administered by the Forest Service as part of Teton National Forest. The Jackson Lake Station was built in 1933 as close as possible to Park Service property as possible as a kind of resistance to the park's expansion. The station was one of five Forest Service stations in the area, and was taken over by the National Park Service when Jackson Hole National Monument was established in 1943, later becoming an enlarged Grand Teton National Park. It is the only such station not to have been moved or altered by the Park Service.
The White Grass Ranger Station includes several structures in the backcountry of Grand Teton National Park that were established to support horse patrols by park rangers. Built in 1930, White Grass is the only surviving horse patrol station in the park. The station, which includes a cabin, several sheds and a corral, was built to a standardized National Park Service plan, in the National Park Service rustic style.
The Jenny Lake Ranger Station Historic District comprises an area that was the main point of visitor contact in Grand Teton National Park from the 1930s to 1960. Located near Jenny Lake, the buildings are a mixture of purpose-built structures and existing buildings that were adapted for use by the National Park Service. The ranger station was built as a cabin by Lee Mangus north of Moose, Wyoming about 1925 and was moved and rebuilt around 1930 for Park Service use. A store was built by a concessioner, and comfort stations were built to Park Service standard plans. All buildings were planned to the prevailing National Park Service Rustic style, although the ranger station and the photo shop were built from parts of buildings located elsewhere in the park.
The Upper Lake McDonald Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was a formerly isolated site that became an administrative center with the opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The National Park Service Rustic cabin was typical of the preferred style for western park structures of the period. The ranger station is similar to its counterparts at Belly River and Sherburne, as well as the Polebridge Ranger Station residence.
The Polebridge Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was the first administrative area in the park, predating the park's establishment. The ranger station was destroyed by fire, leaving the residence.
The Kishenehn Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was originally built in 1913, but a fire burned it down in 1919. They rebuilt it in 1921. Located nearly five miles south of the Canada–United States border, the log cabin was one of the earliest administrative structures in the park. The cabin was designed in an early version of what became the National Park Service Rustic style.
The East Glacier Ranger Station, east of Glacier National Park, is characteristic of park buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. It was designed by Daniel Ray Hull of the National Park Service Office of Plans, as a frame building compatible in style with the prevailing National Park Service Rustic style. It is the center of a group of related buildings, including several residential structures.
The Cut Bank Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was one of the first buildings built in Glacier by the National Park Service. Built in 1917, the design is in keeping with park hotel structures built by the Great Northern Railway in a Swiss chalet style that predated the fully developed National Park Service Rustic style.
The Sherburne Ranger Station in Glacier National Park is an example of the National Park Service Rustic style. Located in the Swiftcurrent portion of the park, it was built in 1926. It is part of a small historic district that includes a mess hall and subsidiary structures, formerly known as the Sherburne Road Camp, established in 1931. The ranger station closely resembles the ranger stations at Belly River and Lake McDonald. A checking station at the road remains substantially intact.
The Swiftcurrent Ranger Station is an example of the Swiss Chalet style that prevailed in the early years of Glacier National Park, before the establishment of the similar National Park Service Rustic style. The station was designed by Edward A. Nickel and built by Ole Norden and S. M. Askevold. It replaced a previous ranger station, destroyed in a 1936 forest fire. All structures in the district were built within a single year and are consistent in design and materials.
The Belly River Ranger Station Historic District in Glacier National Park includes several historic structures, including the original ranger station, now used as a barn. The rustic log structures were built beginning in 1912. Other buildings include a woodshed, built in 1927 to standard National Park Service plans and a cabin used as a fire cache.
The Kintla Lake Ranger Station in Glacier National Park is a rustic log structure that was built by the Butte Oil Company in 1900 at Kintla Lake. It was taken over by the National Park Service and used as a ranger station. It is significant as a remnant of early oil exploration activities in the Glacier area. A boathouse was built by the National Park Service in 1935 to the same design as the boathouses at Upper Lake McDonald and Saint Mary ranger stations. A fire cache cabin, identical to those at Logging Creek, Polebridge and Lake McDonald ranger stations was built in 1934.
The Nyack Ranger Station Historic District encompasses the remnants of the former ranger station. Only two buildings now remain: the barn, built in 1935 from plans by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Design, and the fire cache cabin, built by Austin Weikert in 1935.
The Skyland Camp-Bowman Lake Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was originally built as the Culver Boys' Military Academy. The main building, known variously as the Skyland Camp Messhall, Culver Boys' Military Academy Messhall and Skyline Chalet, was built in 1920 and is a good example of National Park Service Rustic architecture. The main cabin, known as "Rainbow Lodge" was built by the boys of the academy in 1920 from red cedar logs, and is more elaborate and carefully detailed than typical ranger stations of this period. The interior is dominated by a stone fireplace.
The Tuolumne Meadows Ranger Station and Comfort Stations are examples of National Park Service Rustic design in Yosemite National Park. They are within the Tuolumne Meadows Historic District at Tuolumne Meadows. The ranger station was built in 1924 using peeled log construction. The ranger station doubled as the park entrance station for the Tioga Road. Its function was partly superseded by a newer structure in 1936, using larger quantities of stonework.
The Redwood Meadow Ranger Station was built in 1938 in Sequoia National Park. It was designed in 1938 by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Designs, and was begun the following year and completed by 1941, using Civilian Conservation Corps labor. It is an example of the National Park Service Rustic style. The station consists of the three-room ranger station and a small barn.
The Merced Grove Ranger Station in Yosemite National Park was designed by the National Park Service and completed in 1935. The station is located near the Merced Grove of giant sequoias in the Crane Flat region of the park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Glacier Basin Campground Ranger Station in Rocky Mountain National Park was built in 1930 to a design by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Designs. The National Park Service Rustic log and stone structure was designed to blend with the landscape, and continues to function as a ranger station.
The Fall River Pass Ranger Station in Rocky Mountain National Park was designed by National Park Service landscape architect Daniel Ray Hull in the National Park Service Rustic style. Built in 1922, the stone structure is similar in design to the Chasm Lake Shelter. Between 1933 and 1937 the ranger station was converted to a museum. The ranger station is associated with the construction of the nearby Trail Ridge Road. Located above the tree line, the building has a trap door in the roof to allow access when the door is blocked by drifting snow.
