Bear-Sleds Ranger Station Building Renovations

In 2017 we moved into the abandoned historic U.S. Forest Service Bear-Sleds Ranger District Headquarters in Wallowa, Oregon. Renovations of the Mary Ann McCrae Burrows Research Library and the Warehouse Interpretive Space are now complete. Exterior renovations of the Residence will be completed in 2025, with interior renovations scheduled to be completed next year!

With both the interior and exterior of the Warehouse restored, including the addition of an HVAC system, ADA restroom, and ADA ramp, we are now focusing on establishing permanent exhibits for our Warehouse Interpretive Space. Our exhibits will tell the natural and social history of the Wallowa country from Nez Perce times through settlement period to the present. We will commission artwork to display alongside historic photographs, artifacts, maps, and documents. The Warehouse also functions as our event space, hosting history presentations, workshops, and historical gatherings.

The Ranger House sustained major water damage prior to the Wallowa History Center taking over the complex a major restoration endeavor. The building has a new roof, new windows, and new siding. The building will be painted and the front porch will be restored in 2025. We have secured funding to begin the interior restoration of this space and expect renovations to begin in 2026. The interior will be renovated and furnished in the style of the late 1930s. This space will feature educational content about the U.S.F.S. Bear Sleds Ranger Station and our area. Watch for more progress on this exciting project!

Research Library admission is free and open to the public.

Our Research Library currently houses over 4,000 files on historical topics and family names, along with hundreds of books, manuscripts, theses, diaries, ledgers, and other objects. We have upgraded the electrical and heating/cooling systems, refinished the floors, gutted and restored the bathroom, repaired the plumbing, installed new storage, created a reading room, and moved our collection into its new home.

With a new roof, restored windows, and replaced siding the restoration of this building was the first completed project within the complex.

Thank you to those who have made the preservation of the Bear Sleds Ranger Station and the programs offered at the Wallowa History Center a reality:

• Lucretia & Dale Johnson Charitable Foundation

• The Watney Foundation

• Oregon Community Foundation- Fred W. Fields Foundation

• Wildhorse Foundation

• The Kinsman Foundation

• Soroptimist International of Wallowa County

• Oregon House Bill 5202

• The Skylark Foundation

• Oregon Museum Grant

• National Trust Preservation Fund

• Oregon Community Foundation Donor Advised Funds

• Preserving Oregon

• Collins Foundation