Whaleback Snow-Survey Cabin

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Whaleback Snow-Survey Cabin

Whaleback Snow Survey Cabin SE quarter - Rogue River NF Oregon.jpg

The cabin in the first snow of 2017
Location Approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Prospect in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest
Coordinates 42°54′40″N122°34′51″W / 42.911229°N 122.580729°W / 42.911229; -122.580729 Coordinates: 42°54′40″N122°34′51″W / 42.911229°N 122.580729°W / 42.911229; -122.580729
Area 0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built 1937 (1937)
Architect Work, R.A.
Architectural style Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Log cabin
MPS US Forest Service Historic Structures on the Rogue River National Forest MPS
NRHP reference # 00000514 [1]
Added to NRHP December 29, 2000

The Whaleback Snow-Survey Cabin, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Prospect in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest in southwest Oregon, is a log cabin with a "snow tower" built in 1937. It is situated on the east slope of Whaleback Mountain. [2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. [1]

Prospect, Oregon Census-designated place in Oregon, United States

Prospect is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies along Oregon Route 62 on the Rogue River, in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 455.

Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest United States national forest in Oregon

The Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. The formerly separate Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests were administratively combined in 2004. Now, the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest ranges from the crest of the Cascade Range west into the Siskiyou Mountains, covering almost 1.8 million acres (7,300 km2). Forest headquarters are located in Medford, Oregon.

Oregon State of the United States of America

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The parallel 42° north delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon is one of only three states of the contiguous United States to have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

It is a one-room log cabin about 12 by 14 feet (3.7 m × 4.3 m) in plan, on sill logs apparently on rock footings, built by R.A. Work and others. Its logs are probably Shasta Red Fir. It has a "Santa Claus" snow tower, about 12 feet (3.7 m) tall and about 4 by 4 feet (1.2 m × 1.2 m) in size, to allow access during deep snow. According to the NRHP nomination,

The idea for the distinctive tower or "Santa Claus" chimney on the Whaleback cabin had evolved the year before during a winter expedition into South Lake. In January 1936, R.A. Work and a companion skied into South Lake to complete a snow survey. They reached the South Lake cabin site a little before dark but were unable to locate it. Work described their dilemma: "We couldn't find the log cabin. We knew where the cabin was supposed to be and we feared that maybe some hunters had burned it down... We got our snow-tubes out, went to the place where we believed the cabin to be and started "sounding." Sure enough, we hit wood. We kept sounding until we came over the ridgepole of the cabin roof... Then we started digging, with our skis and with our hand-axe... We dug a hole down eleven feet to get into that cabin.. .The next year we put a "chimney" entrance on the cabin, and then could climb down through the wooden "chimney" into the cabin, underneath the snowdrifts." [2]

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