*Photo Provided Courtesy of McCall Star-News
On Friday, June 19th, Idaho Heritage Trust (IHT) Board of Trustees and Executive Director Katherine Kirk presented the 4th annual Frederick Walters Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation to the Central Idaho Historical Museum (CIHM) and City of McCall, Idaho for their exemplary stewardship of the Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association (SITPA) Work Site. Representatives from the involved groups were joined by Idaho’s First Lady, Teresa Soulen Little, Director of Idaho State Parks & Recreation Susan Buxton, and a host of volunteers, craftspeople, past residents of the historic Fire Warden’s House, and members of the community joined in celebrating the incredible history and bright future of this important piece of Idaho’s history.
The award includes $5,000 for future restoration projects, which will be put toward refinishing the floors in the Assistant Fire Warden’s House and repainting the exterior of the main Fire Warden’s House. This follows a string of recent developments to the site, which include plumbing repairs to the main house (and a new boiler soon), new windows, furnace, and lighting in the bunkhouse (which provides lodging for SITPA workers), and new siding on the 10-bay garage (now serving as Parks and Rec’s shop) created by milling wood from large trees on the site that needed to be taken down due to bark beetle infestations.
The shared vision between the CIHM Board and McCall Parks & Recreation is to create a community gathering space for visitors to enjoy inside and out, while still retaining the site’s historic character and function as both a museum and active work site. IHT has awarded more than 10 grants in support of the preservation of this site, the first occurring all the way back in 1993.
The award is named for renowned historical architect and longtime IHT collaborator Fred Walters, who provided technical assessments and guidance to innumerable preservation projects over his nearly three decades with the Trust. His award recognizes outstanding adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with special consideration given to those showing outstanding craftsmanship, use of period accurate materials, and appropriate methods throughout the restoration and preservation process.
History of SITPA and Ownership of the Property
At the turn of the 20th century, central Idaho’s thriving timber industry was threatened by a rash of devastating fires. Individual landowners did not have the means necessary to deal with fires on their property, which then posed a threat to their neighbors, as well. They came together to form SITPA in 1904, pooling their resources to fight fires throughout the area, regardless of individual land ownership. Fire lookouts were installed across the countryside, and fire chaserswould track thunderstorms on horseback, looking for lightning strikes and trying to snuff out any fires they came across before they became dangerous. By 1935, about one hundred fire Lookouts dotted the landscape. In order to better coordinate and support SITPA’s firefighting efforts, the site was built and remained active until being decommissioned in the early 1980s. The Chief Fire Warden for the area is still based in McCall, though they now operate out of a modern office.
Preserving such interesting and important pieces of Idaho’s history might seem like a foregone conclusion, but that was not always the case. After being decommissioned, the fate of the property sat in limbo for the rest of the decade. McCall was going through a period of growth, and several developers had their sights set on the picturesque location. A few other historic landmarks in the area had been lost to development, such as the Payette Forest Station and Tom McCall’s original homestead, and it seemed like the SITPA site would be next. However, a group of concerned citizens incensed at the loss of historic landmarks worked with McCall City Council to have the property deeded to the city with the stipulation that it be used for historic preservation. All eight of the structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and the impressive Fire Warden’s House has been repurposed as the Central Idaho Historical Museum.
SITPA Building History and a New Purpose for the Carpenter Shop
The Central Idaho Historical Museum occupies a five-acre site that consists of log structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) in 1937. All eight buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the crown jewel being The Warden’s House, which now serves as the heart of CIHM. The Fire Warden’s House is an example of American rustic architecture combined with Scandinavian details. The Finnish craftsman techniques include dovetail corners, hand-peeled varnished log interior walls, hand-fitted door casings and trim, and hand-made furnishings. The fireplaces are made from slate (obtained near Riggins) and chert (obtained near Donnelly). Logs for the House, Bunkhouse and Pump House came from timber stands around Payette Lake. Many of the original hand-made furnishings remain from the original Oregon Trail chairs to the 1938 Jacquard Loom bedspreads.
Perhaps the most unassuming structure on the SITPA site, the Carpenter Shop was one of the first buildings constructed in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. A simple, uninsulated 20×40 structure, the shop was integral in both building the other structures on site, as well as the creation and maintenance of the many lookouts, fire wagons, and firefighting tools used by SITPA for decades. Unfortunately, by 2019 the shop was in danger of collapse. At some point in its lifetime, workers converted one end of the space into a storeroom, installing a wall and dropceiling to store lumber. In the process they removed seven of the truss chords that ran the width of the building, supporting the roof and holding the building together. Over the years, the weight of the roof and the lack of support caused one of the walls to splay out nearly 3 inches and the whole building was in danger of imploding. New trusses, fasteners, and roof framing were installed to make the building structurally sound, and the wiring and lightning were updated to accommodate more modern uses. All twenty windows were removed, refinished, and reglazed. The original floor was re-oiled, and new wainscoting was added to dress the space up a bit. New narrative panels and 1935 maps were put in to help tell the story of the lookouts in the area. On May 26, 2021, the ribbon was officially cut on the renovated Carpenter Shop during a festive celebration of SITPA’s contributions to Idaho’s robust forestry heritage.
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As noted above, work has continued to make the site more functional and accessible, while still maintaining its historic character and sense of place. The care taken to preserve the Fire Warden’s House itself is worthy of praise, but the continued dedication to stewardship of the siteas a whole is truly remarkable. That these buildings and the history they contain are open to the public and serve real community needs is a testament to the leadership, vision, and cooperation between McCall Parks & Rec and CIHM, as well as the countless hours of hard work by employees and volunteers alike. Congratulations again to all involved and a hearty thanks on behalf of all Idahoans for
preserving our history to be celebrated and enjoyed for years to come.