MILEPOSTS #1069

By Bill Pumford, Image from Brad Burns Collection

TITLE: COXEY RANGER AND GUARD STATION: The Forest Reserve Act was passed in 1891 which was the first step in the creation of our national forests. The San Bernardino National Forest was established in 1907 and one of the earliest ranger stations was the Coxey Ranger Station built in the same year. This week’s image shows the Coxey Station in 1925 located on the northern end of Coxey Meadow. The station was along the Coxey Road which was part of the Van Dusen Road that ran from Fawnskin to present-day Hesperia, with the road itself built in 1861 by Jed Van Dusen for $2000 to support the mining community. Brad Burns, a retired forest ranger, provided the historical society with a number of photos and documents related to the ranger stations in our mountains. In addition, Brad created a national forest exhibit in the Mountain History Museum which is a must-see for locals and visitors. The forest rangers in the early history of the San Bernardino National Forest were paid little and were required to provide their own uniforms, horses, and weapons. A 1925 examination for potential forest rangers included the following questions: name five breeds of cattle suitable for open range grazing; for a 1,100-pound horse doing normal work how many pounds of oats are required daily; ordinarily, how many poles per mile are used for a single power line; which of the following plants is most relished by sheep? Yarrow, Vetch, or Foxtail? The Coxey Ranger Station was thought to have been named after Silas Cox, a prominent early Mormon settler of the San Bernardino area. The Coxey Ranger Station eventually became a guard station which means that there was an increased responsibility for firefighting. By the mid-1950s the ranger/guard station had been closed. Today nothing remains of the station and barn.

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