PRESERVING HISTORY

As the historic Jesse Ross Cabin near North Fork is readied for renovation, project officials said there are still spots available for volunteers to participate in the rehab this summer.

Working in a public-private partnership, HistoriCorps and the Sierra National Forest invite volunteers of all skill levels to help during the four week-long volunteer opportunities.

HistoriCorps is a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting volunteers with historic preservation and providing free mentorship in the preservation trades.

“The first volunteers arrive May 31,” said Aaron Smith, HistoriCorps operations manager for the Pacific Region. “Recruitment has gone well. It’s mostly filled but we still have some spots available. We want to continue to get the word out so people can participate.”

Even if a week appears to be full, there may be last-minute cancellations, Smith said. So anyone with an interest is encouraged to check in with the website for details.

Projects like this draw volunteers from an existing base and locally, as well, Smith explained.

“Some travel far but every time we work on a new site we want to involve locals.”

He said North Fork History Group representative Michael Olwyler plans to be on site for some of the restoration process.

The Jesse Ross Cabin lies adjacent to the North Fork River. Built in 1860 by Jesse Blakey Ross, the cabin is one of the oldest log structures in Madera County.

Constructed using ponderosa pine, the cabin is a one-and-a-half story, single pen, square-hewn log cabin that was built to be part of the larger homestead established by Ross.

The Jesse Ross Cabin was donated to the United States Forest Service in 1990 and moved from its original location to a new home across from the Clearwater Fire Station. Each part of the cabin was numbered, labeled and transported to the new site.

A carpenter and history nerd

Smith’s background as a carpenter and self-described “history nerd” led him to a masters degree in historic preservation.

“I was just interested in learning how to properly restore historic buildings,” he recounted.

“I was able to get a series of jobs under people with more experience on a variety of different buildings including craftsman houses, timber frame barns and log cabins. I was fortunate to have mentors who taught and passed the skills along to me.”

Smith worked for the National Park Service as a preservation carpenter before moving into the nonprofit world. His jobs have led him up and down the west coast as he studied and remedied historic architecture of the settlement era.

Today he’s one of a handful able to work on buildings like the Jesse Ross Cabin. As Smith researched the project he came across a familiar name — that of a man who led a similar restoration on the same place in the early 1990s.

He was able to get in touch with Harrison Goodall, now retired, who graciously shared what he could with Smith. It was another example of handing down the institutional knowledge — in keeping with HistoriCorps’ purpose.

A two-fold mission

It’s a two-fold historical mission: preserve the buildings and the skills.

“Part of our mission as an organization is to train more people with the skills to maintain these buildings and give people an opportunity to learn these skills that have gone by the wayside and are not any longer used in construction. We want to keep those traditional techniques alive.”

As part of the cooperative agreement, the forest service provided ponderosa pine logs for splicing into the cabin and a large hazard sugar pine tree for shake bolts as the froes and mallets begin to fly.

“We’ll be cutting those by hand and turning them into roofing shakes, replicating the technique used as the cabin was built in 1860.”

Anyone can join in on the restoration of the homestead cabin and others like it through the organization’s unique volunteer opportunities.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It could be a big job with a lot of adrenaline when you’re running around trying to instruct half a dozen people on different tasks at the same time and stay at least a step or two ahead.”

The plan is to address structural issues related to log movement, stabilize the building, restore windows, address rot and replace log crowns where needed and replace the structure’s roof to enhance the building’s overhead security.

During the course of the project, Smith said they expect a couple dozen volunteers plus a conservation corps group from American Conservation Experience in Modesto.

HistoriCorps welcomes but does not require any experience in the trades; mentorship and all necessary tools are provided. Tent camping and car camping can be accommodated at this site.

“We all camp out together and there’s a lot of community built around it,” Smith said.

“Some are people I’ve worked with for several years now. It’s unique opportunity to do this with people who are not doing it because they’re obligated but because they want to be here. That really keeps the fire under me for this kind work.”

HistoriCorps has other projects in California and across the country. Projects are free for participation and meals are covered by a full-time camp cook.

For more information, visit www.historicorps.org