Podunk Guard Station
Podunk received its name from a Paiute Indian named Po Dunk, who had become lost in the heavily timbered area near the East Fork of the Sevier River. The area was named after him, and the guard station named after the area in which it was built and used.
Building and Restoration
This building was constructed in 1927 near Podunk Creek. The roof pitch was so steep it was claimed that it could "split a rain drop." By 1950 the guard station was no longer being used and fell into disrepair. In 1987 it was recognized as a historic structure and restored on location. The guard station was moved to its present location at the Red Canyon Visitor Center in 1999 for educational purposes.
Rangers
The rangers that lived and worked out of back country cabins such as this one, mapped the forest, administered grazing permits, provided trail access and patrolled for poachers of game, timber, water, mineral and rangeland resources. Many of these rangers were local people that possessed hands-on skills rather than formal training.
Guard stations were located about a one day ride apart from each other. This was to give adequate back-country administrative coverage over large areas of National Forest.
Imagine
Please go inside the Podunk Guard Station when the door is open and picture yourself living several months of your summer in remote areas of this country in a building such as this one.
Courtesy hmdb.org
