Old Condon Ranger Station
The Condon Ranger District, Flathead National Forest, was established after the consolidation of two smaller districts. The ranger station was shown on a 1913-14 Government Land Office map near Condon and Smith Creeks on 120 acres used in 1911 for horse pasture and camping. It was on the main Swan Valley telephone line connected to the Supervisor’s office in Kalispell. The station could be reached by trail or wagon road from Swan Lake and Seeley Lake. In 1915 a 2-room log structure was built at the site.
In 1923, the 2.5 story log-bearing ranger dwelling, which is still standing, was built for $3,330.10, according to former Ranger Bob Gieson. It has a rectangular floor plan and a porch. The walls are constructed of full logs, hewn flat at the corners, and joined with compound dovetail notches. Wood shingles cover the gable roof.
A log warehouse and a log barn were likely built at the same time as the ranger dwelling. A post and beam machine shed, wood-frame tack shed and wood-frame cookhouse were constructed later.
In 1959, a forest fire was coming right towards the ranger station and cinders were falling. Leita Anderson and many other wives of Forest Service employees made sandwiches for the firefighters. It seemed like the whole valley was going to burn, Leita recalled, and it would have if the wind hadn’t shifted.
Leita began working as a kitchen assistant soon after the fire. “There were a lot of forestry people around, and many of them just lived right there [in a bunkhouse].” The kitchen in the cookhouse was small. There were two long wooden tables, with benches on them, and a wood and gas cookstove. Dick Williams was head cook. He worked around the clock and was famous for his saucer-sized cookies. After Williams retired, Alex Adams was head cook. He had everything for a five or six course meal, served restaurant style. “You would work yourself to death washing dishes,” Leita said.
The Condon Ranger Station moved, 1948-61, to a new location west of Highway 83 and became known as the U.S. Forest Service Condon Work Center in 1973.
Old Condon is available through the Forest Service Cabin Rental Program. https://www.recreation.gov/
