Ranger Carol McCoy-Brown & the Landmark Ranger Station

Orchid: Excellence in Historic Preservation

Valley County, Idaho

Constructed between 1924 and 1942, the Landmark Ranger Station was an integral hub in the year round activities of the Payette then Boise National Forests. Located in Valley County east of Warm Lake and south of Yellowpine, the site is ideally situated to manage the vast region it historically oversaw. Closed and all but abandoned in the late 1990s, the site faced the possibility of being decommissioned.

That is until the arrival of Cascade District Ranger, Carol McCoy-Brown in 2005. She immediately sensed the importance and historical significance of the site and set about the process of bringing it up to date for continued use while maintaining its historical and architectural integrity. A series of grants from the Southwest Idaho Resource Advisory Committee, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Idaho Heritage Trust as well as continued and increasing Forest Service appropriations allowed the cleaning, staffing, and renovation of the complex.

New bathroom additions have been added to two cabins to allow their continued use and restoration, while the deteriorating logs of the barn have been replaced. Soon, the front porches, cedar shingle roofs, and distinctive pole fencing of the site will be restored. With 1.2 million dollars in deferred maintenance costs, the job isn’t over, but Carol’s tenacity and the continued support of the Forest Service will see this site restored to its proper role in the life of the forest. Preservation Idaho is thrilled to award Ranger Carol McCoy-Brown and the Landmark Ranger Station project an Orchid Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.