Middle Ridge Cabin
A Long Sought Reality
After years of planning, and numerous funding submissions by the Wrangell Ranger District, the Middle Ridge Cabin on Wrangell Island has finally become a reality. Although the Middle Ridge Cabin got a slow start considering reassembly was initially set to begin the middle of August, it took a period of less than eight weeks to convert it from this empty survey ground to this winterized, nearly complete site. With the help of four SAGA members, Wrangell district employees, local individuals, community support, and the expertise of one of the original workshop instructors.
It has been a long time coming since Keith Appleman and Dee Galla, both Wrangell Ranger District employees working in the recreation department, submitted the cabin as a CAP project in 2003. Forest funding was scarce by this time, and though it was accepted on the funding list, the schedule for construction was several years out. Between 2003 and 2008 the cabin project was submitted to a variety of funding opportunities; never quite making the cut.
Meanwhile, the Sitka Ranger District entered in partnership to build a log cabin for their popular Starrigavan Recreation Complex using logs rather than dimensional cut lumber to construct a public recreation cabin. The success of the Starrigavan Cabin project on the Sitka Ranger District in 2008 sparked the opportunity for Wrangell's Middle Ridge Cabin.
The cabin foundation was finished in late August by a Petersburg company, South-east Contracting and reassembly began Sept-ember 8 under Richard Musick's direction. Richard is one of the log construction instructors out of Fairbanks who along with his father taught workshops at the University of Alaska, Sitka in 2008 and 2009 with plans for another in 2010. "Currently there is discussion of making plans for additional log construction workshops in Sitka," he said.
Under Richard's tutelage in one week's time the walls were installed with the window and door openings cut out, and the roof framing installed. Richard left after the major log reassembly leaving the balance of the work to be led by Pete Traxler of SAGA, along with three other SAGA members and the maintenance crew from the Wrangell Ranger District, lead by Steve Murphy.
Considerable help was received from a variety of volunteers. With the cabin completed on October 22, the SAGA crew boarded ferries to head to Juneau and areas further north to complete their tour of work this season in Alaska.