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HISTORIC SITE FORM Current Site Na UTAH OFFICE OF PRESERVATION Istockmore Admin. Site (Old) I Historic Site Name IStockmore Ranger Station Forest Ashley National Forest Note: This form was created to supplement the Utah survey form by providing information about the site as a whole. The site sits just below Highway 35 and near the Duchesne River in a semi-rural area with scattered permanent and recreational housing that is privately owned. It slopes gently down to the south, and its vegetation consists primarily of willows, ~spen, and brush. The station has a feel of abandonment due to the removal of numerous ancillary buildings, overgrown vegetation, collapsed fencing, and lack of maintenance. It retains two historic buildings (the Dwelling and the Bunkhouse), a 1978 Seed Storehouse, and a trashing dumping area consisting of a dock and concrete pad. Site History SEE CONTINUATION SHEET FOR EXPANDED SITE HISTORY The Stockmore Ranger Station is about 5Y2 miles northwest of the small community of Hanna, and about 32 miles northwest of Duchesne. Its two historic buildings are sandwiched between Highway 35 to the north and the Duchesne River to the south. Its history as an administrative site began in late 1907 when Ranger George A. Fisher prepared a proposal to secure it as a ranger station for the Uinta National Forest's District 13 and as a "building site for telephone station." Although it was part of Indian grazing land, Fisher claimed it was unused. The GLO withdrew the 80-acre tract (Tl N, R8W, S 19 and 20) as the Duchesne Ranger Station on February 8, 1908. Eight years later, the Forest Supervisor notified his superiors that its official name would change to Stockmore Ranger Station, given its location adjacent to the Stockmore townsite and its distance from Duchesne. Claims to the Stockmore Ranger Station led the Secretary of the Interior to revoke its withdrawal on July 20, 1961 and the Forest Service to acquire it through a condemnation purchase in 1963. The Stockmore R.S., which faced the Kamas-Duchesne Road (Highway 35) until that route was realigned, served as headquarters for the Hanna Ranger District (Uinta National Forest). In 1927, the district transferred to the Wasatch National Forest and was renamed the Grandaddy Lakes Ranger District. The Ashley National Forest began administering the area in 1951 , an arrangement formalized in 1954. The Uinta National Forest constructed several buildings in Section 19 of the Stockmore R.S. withdrawal. The first known improvement was the ranger dwelling, which evolved in two phases. The original structure, which dates to ca. 1914, consisted of the existing east wing , and porch. A Mr. Snyder and a Mr. Blackley expanded it in 1921 by constructing the west wing. Forest Service architect George L. Nichols prepared a remodeling plan for the Stockmore dwelling in 1940. He proposed a reconfigured floor plan with a small addition on the front porch, as well as Period Revival detailing such as a Tudor-style door, new siding, and pine tree shutters. This scheme was also unrealized. By 1948, when landscape architect Reginald C. Pragnell prepared another elaborate development plan, the ranger was renting a small building across the road as his office. According to its current owner, the building was the original general store for the town of Stockmore. The Stockmore R.S. lost its status as a district headquarters in the early 1950s when forest boundaries shifted and it became part of the Ashley National Forest. With the District office in Duchesne and improved transportation, the ranger had no need to reside at the site. Stockmore found a new purpose in the late 1950s after the Forest Service discovered a spruce bark beetle outbreak in the area. In July 1958, the administrati ve site became a "bug camp" for about 50 men working to eradicate the beetle. To accommodate them, several tent frames and sheds were built that year, followed by a bunkhouse in 1959. Eventually, the Ashley National Forest no longer needed the old buildings. District staff signed a cooperative agreement with the Tabiona Natural History Society to rehabilitate tbe historic dwelling and open it to the public. The Society installed a new roof and repaired the foundation of the dwelling in 2008. No further action occurred, and the Society became defunct. The Ashley National Forest considered placing the dwelling and bunkhouse in the recreation rental program but decided instead to offer the property for sale under the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act. Site Eligibility and Justification: (Applies to the site as a whole; refer to building forms for individual buildings) The Stockmore Ranger Station was listed on the National Register on November 12, 1999. Recent fieldwork and extensive research conducted for this project has led to a better understanding of its historic significance. The station, as headquarters of the Hanna and Grandaddy Lakes ranger districts from ca. 1914 to ca. 1954, played an important role in the management of public lands. The site as a whole is not eligible for listing on the National Register due to a loss of integrity. Most buildings, structures, and landscape features from its period of significance are gone. As the only remaining structure from that era, the Stockmore Dwelling is individually eligible for the National Register. It is important under Criterion A for its association with Forest Service management of public lands during the early 20th century. It is also significant under Criterion C as one of few remaining examples of Forest Service construction and design before the New Deal era. Areas of significance are Conservation and Architecture. The period of significance is ca. 1914 to ca. 1954. The Bunkhouse and Seed Storage are not eligible for listing.