Kootenai National Forest, Raven Ranger Station Stories
Raven barn story from Helena National Forest retiree Jerry Meyer who worked at Raven in 1971 and 1972
On seeing the photo of the barn provided by Dave Wanderaas Jerry said: “It appears that the barn wasn’t as big as I recall–typical. If I have my bearings right I think that is a view of the shorter east side, looks to be maybe 18 feet. The north side had a big double door probably six feet wide and I’d now guess the north and south sides were maybe 10 feet longer, so 18 x 28′? Like all the CCC log buildings there (at least I was told it was CCC) it was beautiful craftsmanship using terrific larch logs with hardly any taper over their length. What a loss when it was sold, particularly since I heard it was ultimately bucked up for firewood. After we got all the tack, feed bins, etc out of there we were left with an interior that had chicken-wire spread across walls in a vain attempt to control vermin. The pack rats and mice however were now quite vulnerable to us bludgeoning them with rock drill bits as they cowered behind the wire. We ultimately had a pile of them as big as a bushel basket upon which I poured 5 or 10 gallons of diesel. The burning rodents prompted a smoke report from the Kenelty Mt. lookout….great memories!!”
Martha Hendrickson was the district clerk at Raven Ranger Station from December 1963 until July 1970. She provided this story about varnishing the warehouse floor.
Cough, cough, the air in the office seemed suddenly dry. It was a cool time of the year, so it couldn’t be caused by the summer heat. “Get out! Get out!” Wayne shouted. “Everybody! Out NOW! Open the doors and windows as you come and get out now!” There was a sense of urgency in his voice and a commanding tone. Bewildered, I followed his orders, opening the windows of my office and the front door as I walked past it and through the warehouse.
In the middle of the floor of the warehouse sat this bucket with a dense heavy fog rolling over the top and flowing like water on to the floor. The half a dozen of us stood in the back parking area staring into the warehouse at the bucket on the floor. It looked so much like it would be appropriate as a prop for a Halloween scene with the fog creeping across the floor and forming a cloud about a foot deep as it grew across the floor.
Aghast, the guys were bantering, “What did you do?” “What’s in that bucket?” Then I heard them exclaim, “Oh, that’s poisonous gas, like they used in WWII.” What had they done? Guys being guys, the culprit wanted to be sure the varnished warehouse floor was cleaned good, real good. So he had mixed ammonia and bleach in a bucket of water. That did it! Poisonous gas! “We’ve got to get it out of there. Who can hold their breath the longest? Who can move the fastest? Somebody’s got to run in there, grab that bucket and get it out of the building and get it out here in the parking lot.” A “hero” was selected, I think it was Gary, and he ran back into the warehouse and came running back out with a “steaming” bucket and set it down in the middle of the parking lot.
We waited in the parking lot while the fog in the warehouse dissipated, the building was aired out and the fresh air was back in the building. The concoction certainly did a good job. It took the varnish right off the floor in the immediate area of the bucket where the creeping fog had been the thickest.
- Helena National Forest History – coming in the future: “Forestry and Logging on the Helena National Forest.”