{"id":668,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:40:08","latitude":46.84817770000000081154212239198386669158935546875,"longitude":-110.2901560999999901468981988728046417236328125,"title":"Judith River Ranger Station","subtitle":"","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/0c465f43ed0457ee44db29886214c181.jpg","address":"Along the Middle Fork of the Judith River, Utica, Montana","all_locations":[],"zoom":16,"creator":["Montana National Register Sign Program"],"description":"Thomas Guy Myers arrived at this remote mountain meadow in 1906. Armed with this pocket-sized “Use Book” of Forest Regulations, Myers’ task as a ranger of the newly created Jefferson National Forest was to interpret and administer policies regarding public use of the newly set aside “federal” timber, range, water, and mineral resources in the Judith District. An abandoned sawmill and 1876 miner’s cabin were lonely reminders of long-gone occupants and their reliance on the natural resources. Taking up residence in the primitive cabin, Ranger Myers set to work building a field office and permanent lodging. Completed in 1908, Myers’ handiwork embodies the ideal image of the early Forest Service: to invest much labor in a structure that represents conservation in both feature and function. Materials at hand were native logs and chinking of hand-split wood billets supplemented by willow saplings as mortar stops. Myers scrounged barbed wire “scattered through the timber by the sawmill outfit” to reinforce the lime-mortar daubing. Crude corners and a simple square shape further demonstrate the conservation ethic. A hip roof and interior finishing of beaded board and elegant wallpaper add sophisticated “urban” contrast to the simple rustic style. The tall log barn (1909) and corrals illustrate the ranger’s need for self-sufficiency, while the garage (1925) demonstrates modernization.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"Public","lede":"","website":"","related_resources":["<a href=\"https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/e351414d-fd3c-4ab0-9435-10d319287937\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read about the Judith River Ranger Station</a>","<a href=\"https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/97f29821-1752-4c92-bb60-49b1a000753a/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">See photos of the Judith River Ranger Station</a>"],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/0c465f43ed0457ee44db29886214c181.jpg":{"id":2018,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Judith River Ranger Station. Front to side view of the Guard house/overview of the ranger station, facing north to northwest from the property grounds near the Middle Fork of the Judith River. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | July 2009 | Photographer unidentified","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/0c465f43ed0457ee44db29886214c181.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/80429763b77b75d0600179c230593af2.jpg":{"id":2019,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Judith River Ranger Station. Front to side view (close-up) of the guard house, facing northwest from the front lawn area on the ranger station property grounds. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | July 2009 | Photographer unidentified","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/80429763b77b75d0600179c230593af2.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/1d8e4ff343be62feb9717d01151a3e98.jpg":{"id":2020,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Judith River Ranger Station. Front view of the guard house, facing north to northwest from the front path on the ranger station property grounds. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | July 2009 | Photographer unidentified","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/1d8e4ff343be62feb9717d01151a3e98.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/082ea6c9d101d6694b5270fb052803eb.jpg":{"id":2021,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Judith River Ranger Station. Side to rear view of the guard house, facing east to southeast from the ranger station property grounds. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | July 2009 | Photographer unidentified","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/082ea6c9d101d6694b5270fb052803eb.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/ae9ea50f7d1570b01ffc5470dc82932d.jpg":{"id":6055,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Photo of cabin exterior.  | Montana Historical Society | 18 October, 2021 | Tom Ferris, photographer","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/ae9ea50f7d1570b01ffc5470dc82932d.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/0ae82aae633c49711bdaa9a430163b16.jpg":{"id":6056,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Photo of cabin interior.  | Montana Historical Society | 18 October, 2021 | Tom Ferris, photographer","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/0ae82aae633c49711bdaa9a430163b16.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/788780ec31358f273f9e8871b3c92e5e.jpg":{"id":6057,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Judith River Ranger Station","description":"Photo of wooden shed.  | Montana Historical Society | 18 October, 2021 | Tom Ferris, photographer","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/788780ec31358f273f9e8871b3c92e5e.jpg"}}}